Summary
Michael Vickers (Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his remarkable career and memoir. He was formerly the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
His specialized training to wear a “Nuclear Backpack” (yes, literally!)
Overseeing a multibillion-dollar CIA covert action program against the Soviets
Planning the Osama Bin Laden raid
Retooling defense intelligence for the 21st century
Reflections
Finding a narrative that unites the various chapters of your life
Serving a country vs. serving a political party
And much, much more …
Episode Notes
Michael Vickers has been on a heck of a ride. He started out as a U.S. Army private with no degree and went on to oversee hundreds of thousands of people as the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence while holding a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins. Michael is the author of By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operation & Strategy.
Quotes of the Week
"That weapon was called the Special Atomic Demolition Munition [i.e., “Nuclear Backpack] ...it was a sporty, uh, you know, it seemed like a good idea when I was 23 years old. So, there you have it." – Michael Vickers.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
“The Nuclear Doomsday Machine” – with Sean Maloney (2022_
“The Spies Who Came in From the Cold” - Chris Costa and John Quattrocki (2022)
“The Spymaster’s Prism” – CIA Legend Jack Devine (2021)
“Lessons from a Life in the CIA’s Clandestine Service” – Hank Crumpton (2012)
“The CIA and the End of the Cold War” – Milt Bearden (2011)
*Beginner Resources*
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Homeschool History (2022) [2:25 min video]
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Encyclopedia Britannica (2023) [3-minute read]
The Operation That Took Out Osama Bin Laden, Military.com (2023) [3-minute read]
The Plan to Get Osama, ABC News (2012) [6:44 min video]
DEEPER DIVE
Video
The End of a Superpower - The Collapse of the Soviet Union, DW Documentaries (2022)
Manhunt: The Search for Osma bin Laden, HBO (2013)
Afghanistan 1979, the War that Changed the World, Gulya Mirzoeva, Icarus Films (2015)
Red Star Over Khyber, PBS Frontline (1984)
Primary Sources
Commander, 500th MI Group, Subj: Guerilla Use of Stinger Missiles and Their Effect on Soviet Tactics in AF, circa 1987.
Memorandum of Conversation between Vice President Bush and Pakistani President Zia, December 8, 1982
Conversation between M.S. Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan on Afghanistan (Excerpt), December 8, 1982
Message to Soviet Ambassadors on the Invasion of Afghanistan, Attachment to CPSU Politburo Decree #177, December 27, 1979
*Wildcard Resource*
A Distant Plain: Counter-insurgency Afghanistan: Government, Coalition, Taliban and Warlords compete (2013)
Play this board game developed by former guest and former World Board Game Champion, Volko Ruhnke,
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"Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy" – with Michael Vickers | SpyCast podcast - Listen or read transcript on Metacast
