Eleven trillion gallons of water have fallen in the Houston area. Veteran first responders and globally seasoned journalists stand in awe of the scope of the devastation. The damage is unprecedented, according to Texas National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Travis Walters. On this episode we set the scene, examine the rescue efforts and look at how you can help. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Aug 31, 2017•34 min•Ep. 648
John Eustace retired from the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security in late July. On Target USA, he warns that unless the "leadership" wakes up, a tragedy like the one in Benghazi that left a U.S. ambassador and three others dead is going to happen. Money is the issue. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security is being asked to trim its budget at the worst possible time. "The world is on fire, " Fred Burton, former deputy secretary for counterterrorism at the Diplomatic Security Service, told...
Aug 24, 2017•31 min•Ep. 682
"Official" Washington was rattled on Aug. 9 when news broke that U.S. diplomats in Havana had been sickened a mysterious illness that no one could put their finger on. It was so bad that several had to be sent home or reassigned. It had been going on for months. But no one had any answers until doctors determined they were likely suffering from some kind of ultrasonic device. It is a weapon that authorities struggled to define. CBS correspondent Steve Dorsey broke the story. He tells Target USA ...
Aug 17, 2017•28 min•Ep. 636
The Defense Intelligence Agency is bracing and preparing for "alarming" global changes, which include more frequent and more destructive wars, increasingly damaging cyberattacks, progressively belligerent and hostile nation-states, more clever and deceptive terrorists, and natural disasters that dwarf the scale of those in previous years. This podcast, featuring Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, examines the agency's plan to stay ahead of those threats. See Privacy P...
Aug 10, 2017•27 min•Ep. 665
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism has released its latest report on terrorism. The news is good and bad. Acting Coordinator Justin Siberell gave Target USA the most engaging and forthcoming assessment on terrorism to date. Islamic State group, al-Qaida, Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations are using technology to elevate their aptitudes to plan and execute sophisticated attacks and, at the same time, incite sympathizers worldwide to...
Aug 03, 2017•33 min•Ep. 725
The Defense Intelligence Agency has produced a new assessment that indicates the North Korean regime, led by Kim Jong Un, will have an intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry a nuclear weapon as early as 2018. Joby Warrick from The Washington Post, who broke the story, joins us with the details about what he and his team learned. Also, Ambassador Joe Detrani, the former U.S. Special Envoy on North Korea, joins us to put North Korea's threat to the U.S. into context. See Privacy Policy ...
Jul 27, 2017•45 min•Ep. 694
Robert Young Pelton's book "Licensed to Kill" chronicled his time with a team of government-hired guns in the war on terror in 2003. Since then, he's found himself at the heart of numerous major news events -- from U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl's walking away from his unit into captivity by the Taliban, to the migrant crisis, the IS group's "caliphate" and notorious terrorist Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army. Pelton is a smart, well-connected individual who knows how to navigate the shadow...
Jul 20, 2017•29 min•Ep. 705
This week the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had confirmation that IS group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was dead. It never produced any proof, but it is the first "credible " organization to go that far. On this program we examine what 's known about al-Baghdadi's status, his elusiveness and what happens after he and his so-called caliphate pass from the scene. Brett Velicovich, who chased al-Baghdadi for years in the U.S. Army, and Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior Iran analy...
Jul 13, 2017•30 min•Ep. 704
Responsible for U.S. military activity in 20 countries, U.S. Central Command is faced with multiple difficult, generational challenges. The Taliban is surging in Afghanistan. The Islamic State group 's so-called "caliphate" is crumbling in Iraq and Syria. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) continues to make deceptively clever and elusive bombs, while engaged in a brutal fight to taken over Yemen. CENTCOM spokesman Col. John Thomas paints a stark picture for Target USA of the incredibly com...
Jul 06, 2017•38 min•Ep. 709
If the momentum of U.S.-led coalition is any indicator, the black flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) may be completely eradicated from Syria and Iraq in a matter of months. But Nick Rasmussen, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, warns that the black cloud of IS group terrorism will not dissipate the day after the caliphate falls. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 29, 2017•36 min•Ep. 710
Defense Secretary James Mattis said on June 13 that the Taliban is surging. Whats driving the resurgence and what will the U.S. strategy to fight the Taliban look like? We dig into those questions, plus we get a look at the state of IS and al-Qaida from Hans-Jakob Schindler on this weeks episode of Target USA. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 22, 2017•32 min•Ep. 688
ISIS is running out of territory, money, fighters and time. Some experts fear the damage has already been done. However, on this episode of Target USA, Operation for Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon says, "There is absolutely nowhere that they can go. They have two choices: They can surrender or they can die." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 15, 2017•28 min•Ep. 709
This riveting episode features the tense moments during the attacks in London, analysis of what happened, what Europol's European Counter Terrorism Centre's chief is doing about it, and the U.S. role in tackling a growing terrorism problem. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Jun 08, 2017•32 min•Ep. 713
Often times people who served this country, some of whom who gave their lives, are laid to rest without a live rendition of taps. They end up with a prerecorded version. It was especially bad in the early-to-mid 2000s, when hundreds of deceased veterans came home from Iraq and Afghanistan during the height of those wars. Tom Day was offended, so he started Bugles Across America and began playing by himself at as many funerals as he could. The organization now has 5,000 buglers and a remarkable s...
Jun 01, 2017•22 min•Ep. 694
The suicide bombing at pop star Ariana Grande's concert on May 22 literally shook the ground all around Europe's second largest indoor arena. But it also sent shockwaves around the world because the attack on a concert where very young children were attending left no doubt that terrorists today have no limits. On this program, we get the details about what happened. Philip Mudd, one of the world's best counterterrorism analysts, puts the event in perspective. Also, a senior U.S. counterterrorism...
May 25, 2017•25 min•Ep. 727
President Donald Trump's decision to share classified intelligence with Russia sparked yet another media firestorm. It also created serious concerns for U.S. allies. Those concerns are critical to the war against terrorism. We dig into the fallout on this episode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
May 18, 2017•24 min•Ep. 720
The firing of FBI director Jim Comey by President Donald Trump has intensified an already raging, powerful international drama playing out in Washington and Moscow. The U.S. Congress and the intelligence community are trying to get to the heart of a strange story that connects President Trump, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and a cast of Russian and American characters in a plot that some say rivals Watergate. On this episode of Target USA, J.J. Green connects the dots. See Priva...
May 15, 2017•28 min•Ep. 714
Bill Evanina is the national counterintelligence executive and director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. In an exclusive interview, he speaks candidly about the damage that Edward Snowden's leaks continue to cause. From terrorists to hostile nation-states to hackers, Snowden's guidance has shown them how to avoid being detected by the U.S. intelligence community. This week's episode of Target USA examines why that's a serious threat to the nation and you. See Privacy Poli...
May 04, 2017•22 min•Ep. 711
The U.S. and North Korea, according to some observers, were on the brink of war on the weekend of April 15. Was it posturing? What's at stake? What does this situation mean for those innocent people struggling to survive in North Korea? We'll hear a gut-wrenching story from a young North Korean woman who knows what it's like to suffer inside of North Korea. Also in this episode, two experts -- Ambassador Joe Detrani, who is a former U.S. North Korea mission manager, and Greg Scarlatoiu, who is t...
Apr 20, 2017•31 min•Ep. 704
Not only are terrorists trying to attack passenger planes, they're targeting cargo planes and airports, too. On this program, we continue our discussion with former Transportation Security Administration administrator Peter Neffenger, who candidly talks about screening problems in airports. We also hear from Brandon Fried, executive director of the Air Forwarders Association. He said the printer cartridge plot by al-Qaida in 2010 opened everyone's eyes -- including other terrorists. See Privacy ...
Apr 13, 2017•29 min•Ep. 718
After liquid and laptop bans were put in place on planes in 2017, a new twist on a very dangerous threat has emerged. Terrorists are competing for supremacy in aviation terror attacks. Whether it's ISIS, AQAP or other up-and-coming terror groups, they all have master bomb makers and access to extensive knowledge bases that make the terrorist threat to airplanes -- specifically those flying to the U.S. -- more dangerous than ever. Peter Neffenger, former head of the Transportation Security Admini...
Apr 06, 2017•17 min•Ep. 694
There are no real boundaries in cyberspace. But the laws that govern it are limited. Joining Target USA to talk about the maddening difficulty of chasing criminals in cyberspace is Alexander Seger, who is the executive secretary of the Committee of the Parties to the Budapest and is the head of the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe in Bucharest, Romania. Seger also explains why harassment and bullying are so prevalent. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califo...
Mar 30, 2017•25 min•Ep. 719
In this episode, David Levinson -- the second son of Robert Levinson and Christine Levinson -- says his family is turning to President Donald Trump in what they believe is their best hope yet to bring Robert Levinson home. And they've also filed a lawsuit against Iran. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Mar 16, 2017•20 min•Ep. 706
In this episode, Robert Berls, senior adviser at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, says the U.S. and Russia have not sat down and engaged comprehensively on nuclear weapons since the signing of a Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty in 2011. Berls said he is worried that the lack of dialogue could lead to a devastating mistake in this breathless age of terrorism and elevated threats from rogue governments. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.co...
Mar 16, 2017•24 min•Ep. 715
In this week's episode of Target USA, WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green looks at the impact of terrorist training camps. With three experts, we examine how the camps are set up, how spy agencies track their activities and the impact of terrorist training camps on broader populations in Europe. U.S. Air Force Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, Iraq; Pascal Legai, Director of the European Union Satellite Center in Madrid, Spain; and Robin Simcox, Margaret Th...
Mar 09, 2017•19 min•Ep. 701
Annoyed by a Russian scholar's derogatory comments during a security conference, David Pollock, a Kaufman Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, took the podium to set the record straight about the U.S. role in the war against terrorism. The stinging exchanges appeared to end with the conference, but when Pollock he returned home he realized he'd been targeted for what he called "harassment." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https...
Mar 02, 2017•20 min•Ep. 699
In February, at a security conference in Morocco dealing with terrorism, a Russian scholar took to the podium and launched into a blistering critique of the U.S. war on terror, calling it a fiasco and blaming the U.S. for an increase in terrorism. The tirade upset some Americans in the audience, one of whom stood up and struck back. The episode was an unmistakable snapshot of the deteriorating nature of U.S.-Russian relations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privac...
Feb 23, 2017•18 min•Ep. 710
Terror groups are utilizing gang tactics as they try to extend their influence, and prisons are a "hotbed" for recruiting. Kristian Bartholin, Deputy Head of Counter Terrorism at the Council of Europe, explains how ISIS is recruiting and surviving, and what must be done to stop them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Feb 16, 2017•22 min•Ep. 720
In this week's Target USA, J.J. Green talks to Martha Crenshaw, Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and co-author of the new book "Countering Terrorism." Crenshaw says part of the country's messaging problem is cumbersome U.S. bureaucracy, which is not agile enough to keep up with rapidly changing terrorist activity. She also says many American policy actions feed into the terrorist narrative that "the U.S. hates Muslims." See Privacy Pol...
Feb 09, 2017•22 min•Ep. 716
The U.S. government is considering a return to torturing terrorists and using black sites abroad to house those operations. U.S. law says it is illegal, but some argue that terrorists do much worse. Former CIA analyst Philip Mudd explains why it's not a good idea. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Feb 02, 2017•21 min•Ep. 700
