Intelligence Matters

Nov 9/2023

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ursula Wilder, a clinical psychologist at the Central Intelligence Agency, about why intelligence agencies conduct psychological profiles of world leaders, and how past policymakers have used what they have learned to make strategic decisions. Wilder, who also worked in CIA's counterterrorism center and Medical[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior U.S. ambassador and Middle East envoy Dennis Ross about growing instability in the Middle East, including tensions between Israel and Palestine, controversial judicial reforms in Israel, and consistent advancements in Iran's nuclear program. Ross, now counselor and a distinguished fellow at the Washington[...]
In this special episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with five former senior CIA officers about the agency's work before, during and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. With personal recollections and reflections, Morell offers a candid walkthrough of what the CIA and other intelligence agencies assessed about Saddam Hussein's intentions[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA officer Kristin Wood about the history, value and current applications of open source data to intelligence collection and analysis. Wood, who helped lead the innovation and technology group at CIA's Open Source Center, walks through the types of information available to the public and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Frederick Kagan, director of the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, about the current landscape of global security threats from the likes of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Kagan and Morell discuss Russian president Vladimir Putin's options and objectives in the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with State Department Counselor Derek Chollet about the state of the war in Ukraine as it enters its second year. Morell and Chollet discuss the implications of a deepening relationship between Russia and Iran as well as Russia and China, which the U.S. recently warned[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA analyst and National Intelligence Officer for East Asia John Culver about the rippling implications of the Chinese surveillance balloon shot down over U.S. territory. Culver and Morell discuss Beijing's possible intentions behind deploying the balloon as well as the potential information[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Rt. Honourable Baroness Catherine Ashton, former Vice President of the European Commission and the European Union's first representative for foreign affairs and security policy, about her career and new book, "And Then What? Inside Stories of 21st Century Diplomacy." Ashton provides an insider's view of[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Dennis Wilder, former CIA officer and current research fellow at Georgetown University's Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues, about the effectiveness of the United States' current diplomatic and economic policies toward China. Wilder and Morell discuss China's recent economic slowdown and its longer-term[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Glenn Gerstell, former general counsel at the National Security Agency, about how and when the NSA is authorized to use electronic surveillance to collect intelligence on foreign targets. Gerstell offers a detailed explanation of the origins and evolution of the Foreign Intellingence Surveillance Act[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA officer and Moscow station chief Rolf Mowatt-Larssen about his strategic analysis of the Russia-Ukraine war. He maps out the Russian objectives in the war and the lack of clear Western goals as the war continues. Mowatt-Larssen predicts that Putin will launch an offensive in[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell offers an in-depth analysis of the top national security challenges facing the world in 2023. Morell describes how the outcome of the Russia-Ukraine war is in the hands of West and that without Western assistance, Russia could win the war. Morell defines the U.S. China relationship as a[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Wall Street Journal reporters Liza Lin and Josh Chin about their new book Surveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control. Their new reporting examines how China's data collection goes beyond that of other countries as China seeks to create a model[...]
In this Best of episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell spoke with Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and author of the new book, Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China, about China's economic, political and demographic trajectory and the[...]
In this "Best Of" episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development Elbridge Colby about his new book The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict and whether the U.S. military is ready for a new era of[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with former CIA Chief Operating Officer Andrew Makridis on his 37-year career at the CIA. Makridis reflects on his front row seat to history as a Presidential briefer to President George H.W. Bush. He provides his analysis on how the CIA has changed and improved since the Iraq[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Andrew Weiss, former White House Russia Expert and vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about his new book Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin. Weiss discusses what motivates Putin and what misconceptions the U.S. has about his strategy in Ukraine. See[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with John Sipher and Jerry O'Shea, former CIA officers and co-founders of Spycraft Entertainment, about what Hollywood gets right and wrong about its depictions of the CIA. Sipher and O'Shea review movies, TV series, and books on how realistic their portrayals are of life in the agency. See[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell, in partnership with the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security, speaks with Dave Marlowe, CIA Director of Operations, and Linda Weissgold, CIA Director of Analysis about their careers at CIA and global hotspots. Marlowe and Weissgold discuss what skills and attributes CIA looks for[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and national security analyst Graham Allison as he re-examines his interviews on China with Former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew. Allison inspects how their analysis and predictions on China hold up ten years later. Allison discusses Xi's plan[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with the National Intelligence Officer on North Korea from 2014-2020 Markus Garlauskas about his assessment of North Korea's missile tests and the threat of nuclear weapons. Garlauskas lays out how the U.S. can deter North Korea even as China works as an enabler for the regime.See Privacy[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with the Executive Director of AidData at the College of William and Mary Brad Parks to discuss how China is outspending the rest of the world in foreign development and how the U.S. can catch up. Parks details how China is using foreign aid to gain influence[...]
This week on Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA China analyst Chris Johnson, now President and CEO of the China Strategies Group, to discuss Xi cementing his power at the Communist Party congress, the line-up of the all-powerful Politburo, and what it means for the state of play of U.S.-China relations. Morell[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with University of Chicago political science professor and director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats Robert "Bob" Pape about his ongoing research on political violence in America and its implications as the midterms approach. His new research finds that 5% of American adults, or around 13[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Georgetown Law Professor Mitt Regan about his new book Drone Strike: Analyzing the Impacts of Targeted Killing. They discuss the effect of drone strikes on al-Qaeda's continuation and growth, the lack of a systematic civilian casualty mitigation efforts, and the ethics of drone strikes outside of a[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former CIA Moscow Chief of Station and William J. Perry Distinguished Fellow at the Nuclear Threat Initiative Rolf Mowatt-Larssen about Putin's nuclear threats and how U.S. policymakers should respond. Mowatt-Larssen stresses that Western leaders need to take Putin's threats seriously as we enter the highest point in global nuclear[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell is joined by Deputy Director of the CIA David Cohen to discuss the 75th anniversary of the intelligence agency and his career path to the ranks of top leadership. Cohen details the invisible work of CIA agents and responds to critiques of the agency. Cohen provides his[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Senior Fellow at the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Karim Sadjadpour about a potential new deal between the U.S. and Iran. Sadjadpour details that the Iranians do not believe the Biden administration has a plan B to the deal,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development Elbridge Colby about his new book The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict and whether the U.S. military is ready for a new era of great power competition. Colby discusses doubts amongst analysts[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Journalist and Former Marine Elliot Ackerman about his new book The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan. Ackerman reflects on the impact of the war in Afghanistan for a generation of veterans. He discusses the constructs the United States built in order to sustain the war on terror and how[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Global Energy Expert Daniel Yergin about energy security in the context of deep power rivalries as he provides his analysis of Putin's energy miscalculations. Yergin details the Biden administration's efforts to promote more oil production while committing to its long-term climate agenda. He warns against the large[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Terrorism Analyst and Long War Journal Editor Bill Roggio on the state of the counterterrorism fight in Afghanistan a year after the full U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban regaining control of the country. Roggio says that al Qaida has a stronger global position today than[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Former Senior CIA analysts Chris Johnson, President and CEO of China Strategies Group, and John Culver, former national intelligence officer for East Asia, about Chinese and Taiwan relations after Speaker Pelosi's trip to Taipei. Culver describes China's military response as both "unprecedented" and showing[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and author of the new book, Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China, about China's economic, political and demographic trajectory and the percolating risk of conflict[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Eric Edelman, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Finland and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and likely lessons being drawn about the West's response and the nature of the battle by the People's Republic of China. Edelman[...]
In this "Best Of" episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Amy Zegart, the Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Professor of Political Science at Stanford University about her new book, "Spies, Lies and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence." Morell and Zegart discuss the impact of[...]
In this "Best Of" episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Kenneth Dekleva, a psychiatrist, former U.S. Department of State Regional Medical Officer, and Senior Fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, about how experts compile psychological profiles of world leaders. Morell and Dekleva discuss the formative experiences and core characteristics of Russian[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Alex Finley, a former CIA officer in the Directorate of Operations and an author of three satirical books depicting life and work at the agency. Finley describes how CIA officers often use humor in unique ways to cope with high-stress assignments, and she and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, about Russia's use of "strategic conservatism" to exploit divisions with and within the West. Conley explains how Russian President Vladimir Putin has leveraged the support of the leadership of the Russian Orthodox[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Peter Wittig, Germany's former ambassador to the United States, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Cyprus and the United Nations, about foreign perceptions of the United States at pivotal historical moments. Wittig and Morell trace the evolution of America's standing in the eyes of the world from[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Pedro Burelli, a Venezuelan citizen, a former senior Venezuelan oil official, and an astute observer of Latin America and the world. Burelli and Morell exchange observations about Latin America's political and economic trajectory, including key influences and inflection points in Cuba, Chile, Mexico and other[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA China analyst Chris Johnson, now President and CEO of the China Strategies Group, about the state of play in the U.S.-China relationship and how China's approach to Russia, its COVID lockdowns and economic policies are affecting the bilateral and global dynamic.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Klon Kitchen, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Jamil Jaffer, founder and Executive Director of the National Security Institute at George Mason University, about a range of current national security topics, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Iran's pursuit of nuclear capabilities, and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with journalist and author Elizabeth Williamson, who traced the rise and proliferation of conspiracy theories surrounding the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting in a new book, Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy in the Battle for Truth. Williamson and Morell discuss how the conspiracy theories began, to[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with award-winning CBS News senior foreign correspondent Holly Williams about her on-the-ground reporting in Ukraine since the days of the 2014 Maidan revolution. Williams and Morell discuss the scenes at the front lines of the conflict today, including the brutality of Russia's tactics, the morale[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA operations officer and Moscow station chief Rolf Mowatt-Larssen about the likely trajectory of the war in Ukraine, including the possibility of a negotiated peace -- or dangerous escalation. Mowatt-Larssen offers insights on Putin's options, potential rifts among his intelligence agencies, and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Christine "Christy" Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Abizaid explains how the center's mission has evolved in the two decades following 9/11 and where its current areas of focus are. She details the existing[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Zohar Palti, former senior Mossad officer and head of the Israeli Defense Forces' Political-Military Bureau, about his career, Israel's approach to the Iran nuclear issue and Tehran's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Palti shares his views on the value of intelligence to key decision[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Will Hurd, a former CIA officer and Republican Congressman from Texas who served on the House Intelligence Committee. Morell and Hurd, who is the author of the new book, "American Reboot: An Idealist’s Guide to Getting Big Things Done," discuss a range of domestic challenges[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former CIA deputy director John McLaughlin about the global implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - including within Russia itself, across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. McLaughlin offers analysis on Russian president Vladimir Putin's personal position, the nature of a potential Ukrainian insurgency,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Brett Holmgren, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR) at the U.S. Department of State, about the unique history of his agency, its future, and how its analysts work to equip diplomats with key intelligence today. Holmgren and Morell discuss the Biden[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Mark Finley, fellow in energy and global oil at Rice University's Baker Institute, former senior economist for British Petroleum, and former analyst and manager at CIA. Finley explains the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on global oil and gas markets and why current[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA operations officer and senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center Rolf Mowatt-Larssen about Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the prospect of Russia using weapons of mass destruction, and the likelihood of a near-term political solution to the crisis. Mowatt-Larssen,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Brian Morra, former Air Force intelligence officer and author of "The Able Archers," a novel based on the true story of a narrowly avoided nuclear confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1983. Morra details the key players and events that brought[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chris Johnson, Senior Fellow at CSIS, about the Chinese perspective on the Russia-Ukraine War. Morell and Johnson discuss how the crisis in Ukraine affects China's view on Taiwan and how China would like the conflict to end. Johnson discusses how chemical weapons "would probably be a dividing[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Kenneth Dekleva, a psychiatrist, former U.S. Department of State Regional Medical Officer, and Senior Fellow at the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, about how experts compile psychological profiles of world leaders. Morell and Dekleva discuss the formative experiences and core characteristics of[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Mike Vickers, former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, Special Forces officer and CIA operations officer. Vickers and Morell discuss whether and how Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine may have been a gross strategic miscalculation, how and when the West might have deterred his[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, about the history of Taiwan, current political perceptions of it within China and the Communist Party, and whether Chinese president Xi Jinping has a timeline for achieving reunification.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell moderates a conversation among a panel of experts including former Deputy Secretary General of NATO Rose Gottemoeller, former Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia Andrea Kendall-Taylor, and former senior CIA operations officer John Sipher about the state of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and whether diplomatic[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Sue Mi Terry, former senior CIA analyst and current Director of the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center, about North Korea's record-breaking spate of missile tests in 2022 and its overall approach to the Biden administration. Terry[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Amy Zegart, the Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Professor of Political Science at Stanford University about her new book, "Spies, Lies and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence." Morell and Zegart discuss the impact[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Dawn Meyerriecks, former Deputy Director for Science and Technology at the CIA, about the role of technology in intelligence collection and analysis and how technological developments can enhance, threaten or fundamentally change the work of national security. Meyerriecks discusses how the CIA has historically[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with State Department Counselor Derek Chollet about the top foreign policy challenges facing the United States, and how the State Department sees the way forward with regard to Russia, Iran, Afghanistan and China. Chollet outlines the U.S. strategy for deescalating tensions with Moscow amid its[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Hal Brands, the Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the author of the new book, "The Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us About Great Power Rivalry Today." Morell and Brands discuss the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell offers a personal, in-depth analysis of two top global threats in 2022: Russia’s military aggression toward Ukraine and Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Morell offers historic and contemporary context on Moscow’s objectives and President Putin’s tactics; he also offers unique perspective on the political and national security calculus[...]
In this 'Best Of' episode of Intelligence Matters, we revisit Michael Morell's June 2021 conversation with CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward, who shares anecdotes and personal reflections related to her memoir, "On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist." Ward explains how the attacks on September 11, 2001, prompted her to pursue a career in[...]
In this 'Best Of' episode of Intelligence Matters, we revisit Michael Morell's February 2021 conversation with Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author and adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. They discuss her latest book, The Daughters of Kobani, which tells the story of the Women’s Protection Unit (YPJ) and their fight against ISIS alongside American forces. Lemmon discusses[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former CIA operations officer Jim Lawler about his years of work on counterproliferation matters and his post-CIA pursuit of writing fictional novels, including “Living Lies: A Novel of the Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program.” Lawler and Morell discuss the similarities between recruiting spies and developing[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell moderates a conversation among three top experts on China’s geopolitical ambitions and their implications for the United States. Harvard University Professor Graham Allison, Johns Hopkins Professor Hal Brands, and George Mason University Assistant Professor Ketian Zhang discuss President Xi Jinping’s near and long-term political objectives, the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under President George W. Bush and Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation from September 2018 to October 2021. Khalilzad and Morell discuss the history of U.S. engagement in Afghanistan, including in the period during the withdrawal of Soviet forces[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with the country's first National Cyber Director, Chris Inglis, about his office's mandate, its mission, and the top cyber threats facing the U.S. today. Inglis and Morell discuss the prevalence of ransomware and why countries like Russia and China might tolerate the presence of criminal hackers[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), about the agency's mission, its workforce, and about the top strategic threats its analysts are tracking today. Morell and Berrier discuss evolving and intensifying threats from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Berrier[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta and his former Chief of Staff Jeremy Bash about a range of national security threats facing the United States. The three reenact a "PDB briefing" of the sort that took place at Langley in then-Director[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Norman Roule, former senior CIA operations officer and the intelligence community's former senior officer responsible for Iran, about the state of nuclear talks with Tehran and the likely trajectory of continued international diplomatic efforts. Roule explains the recent nuclear advances Iran has made in apparent[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia and current director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Morell and McFaul discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin's main geopolitical objectives and personal anxieties about the West. McFaul shares behind-the-scenes details of meeting[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David McCloskey, a former CIA analyst and author of "Damascus Station," a fictional spy novel centered on the civil war in Syria. Morell and McCloskey discuss the history of the Syrian conflict and the United States' engagement there, including key inflection points and how[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Robarge, Chief Historian at the CIA, about the agency’s performance during some of the most important global issues of the last 50 years. Morell and Robarge discuss the insight and warnings CIA provided at pivotal moments during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, CBS News Intelligence and National Security Reporter Olivia Gazis interviews three top former intelligence officials about the past, present and future of U.S. engagement in Afghanistan. Panelists Michael Morell, former CIA deputy director and Intelligence Matters host, Michael Vickers, former Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and CIA operations officer,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, about the insurrectionist movement in the United States. Pape reviews the results of recent studies and polls carried out in the aftermath of the January 6[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell offers personal reflections in Part Two of a two-part essay on the CIA's strategic warnings before 9/11, the terror plots it helped foil in its aftermath, and its efforts on the ground in Afghanistan post-9/11. Morell offers new details about the CIA's race to gather intelligence[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell offers personal reflections in Part One of a two-part essay on the CIA's strategic warnings before 9/11, the terror plots it helped foil in its aftermath, and developments in Afghanistan today. Morell explains why he believes the CIA provided "the loudest and most persistent warning in[...]
In the fifth and final installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, host Michael Morell speaks with Gina Bennett, one of the longest-serving intelligence analysts on al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Bennett and Morell discuss how the CIA first became aware of the work of Osama bin Laden, and how the earliest[...]
In the fourth installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, Michael Morell speaks with Adm. James "Sandy" Winnefeld, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander of the USS Enterprise on September 11, 2001. Winnefeld and Morell discuss the moment the crew became aware of the attacks and how the decision[...]
In the third installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, host Michael Morell speaks with Winston Wiley, the CIA's most senior analyst on 9/11, about his experience on that day. Wiley and Morell discuss the CIA's pre-9/11 focus on al Qaeda how the agency immediately surged resources to counterterrorism efforts after the attacks[...]
In the second installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, host Michael Morell speaks with Andy Card, who served Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush on the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Card and Morell walk through the moments that senior officials traveling with the president learned of the[...]
In the first installment of our special limited series Intelligence Matters Presents: Remembering 9/11, host Michael Morell speaks with Stephen Hadley, who served as deputy national security advisor to President George W. Bush on the day of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Hadley and Morell walk through the reactions and responses of White House officials[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Jonathan Levin, a thought leader on cryptocurrencies and the Chief Strategy Officer at Chainalysis, a leading anti-money laundering firm. Morell and Levin discuss the growing, global threat from ransomware and how criminal gangs’ tactics have evolved to target a variety of vulnerable sectors. Levin[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Max Boot, a best-selling author, foreign policy analyst, and columnist for the Washington Post about the Biden administration's foreign policy approach and its likely top challenges. Boot explains why he believes much of the administration's success will depend on repairing domestic partisan divisions, and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Frank Verrastro, senior advisor on energy issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Verrastro offers insights into how shifts in energy supplies and consumption affect national security, and how the trend toward decarbonization may affect dynamics and diplomacy among key global powers.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Matt Turpin, former U.S. Army officer and an expert on China economic statecraft and technology innovation at the Hoover Institution, about Beijing’s long-term political and economic objectives. Morell and Turpin discuss the changes that accompanied Xi Jinping’s rise to power, as well as the gradual shift in[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Sigal Mandelker, Former Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department, on the intersection between financial technology and national security. Mandelker explains how incentivizing investment in financial technology is imperative for economic security in the global competition against China. Mandelker discusses her time overseeing the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with John Culver, a career CIA analyst, former National Intelligence Officer for East Asia, and leading expert on the Chinese military. Culver and Morell discuss the decades-long modernization of the People’s Liberation Army and the prowess China has attained across multiple war-fighting arenas. Culver offers insights into Xi Jinping’s rise[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ambassador Dennis Ross, a leading expert on the Middle East, former senior U.S. diplomat and currently counselor and distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Ross and Morell discuss recent political changes in Israel, including the outlook for the governing coalition and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, and ahead of the summit between U.S. President Biden and Russian President Putin in Geneva, host Michael Morell revisits three conversations focused on U.S.-Russia relations and Putin's personal trajectory. The episode features insights on U.S. foreign policy priorities vis a vis Moscow from Antony Blinken, now Secretary of State; an[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Syd Seiler, National Intelligence Officer for North Korea at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Seiler and Morell discuss the political priorities, preferences and fears of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and evaluate the prospects for diplomatic engagement during the Biden administration. Seiler, who has spent over[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward, who shares anecdotes and personal reflections related to her memoir, "On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist." Ward explains how the attacks on September 11, 2001, prompted her to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, and how[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Officers Who Were There, former career CIA analyst and non-proliferation expert Maja Lehnus tells the story of one of the intelligence community’s most important discoveries of the last decade – a covert nuclear reactor in the Syrian desert, likely built with support from North Korea. Lehnus tells Morell how U.S. intelligence agencies[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Wes Morgan, military affairs reporter and author of The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley joins Michael Morell to discuss his time as an embedded reporter with U.S. troops in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley. Morgan describes the Pech as a microcosm representing the overall war in Afghanistan, and explains why a lack of information-sharing led to repeated mistakes. Morgan details[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Mike Orlando, the acting director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, about the range of foreign espionage threats facing the United States from adversaries and challengers like Russia and China. Orlando and Morell discuss how "non-traditional collectors" within the academic and business sectors[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Cliff Chanin, Executive Vice President and Deputy Director for Museum Programs at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City about the exhibition, 'Revealed: The Hunt for bin Laden.' Chanin and Morell take an audio tour of the exhibition, reviewing key artifacts and the stories[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chris Johnson, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a leading expert on China, about the Biden Administration's rhetoric about and actions toward China. Johnson outlines the leading challenges facing the new administration and the views from both Washington and Beijing.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Chair and Former CEO of Google Eric Schmidt joins Michael Morell to discuss the importance of investing in artificial intelligence as a national security priority. Schmidt believes China is likely to catch up to the United States in a few years in its artificial intelligence capabilities. He outlines[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, President Biden's Deputy Homeland Security Advisor at the National Security Council Russ Travers speaks with host Michael Morell about the varied and diffuse array of terrorist threats to the United States. A career intelligence officer and former acting and deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Travers offers a[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host Sandy Winnefeld interviews Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, and Adm. James Stavridis (ret.), former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, about their work for the American Edge Project, a political advocacy group that promotes investment in U.S. innovation and technology. Townsend and Stavridis explain[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ambassador William Roebuck, the former Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, former U.S. ambassador to Bahrain, and current executive vice president of the Arab Gulf States Institute. Roebuck provides an intricate history of the conflict in Syria and U.S.-led efforts to battle back[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Sunil John, a leading public relations executive in the Middle East and the driving force behind the Arab Youth Survey, a seminal piece of public opinion research on the views of the largest demographic group in the region. John explains how the survey is administered – in person[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Jamie Metzl, geopolitical expert and technology futurist, who argues for transparency and access to resources from China in order to find the origins of COVID-19. Metzl believes the most likely origin of COVID-19 is a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Metzl, a[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Robert "Bob" Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs. He is also the director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats where he leads a team producing fascinating new research on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, amongst other things.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, in partnership with the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security, Michael Morell spoke with Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff about the politicization of intelligence and the need to “reset” the committee. Schiff details his support of an airline crash style review to investigate[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews one of the world's top intelligence officials from down under, Nick Warner. Warner has held senior positions in Australia's diplomatic service, its defense ministry, and its intelligence services. He also served as the director of Australia's equivalent to the CIA, an agency known as ASIS or the Australian[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters with Michael Morell, author and adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Gayle Tzemach Lemmon talks about her new book The Daughters of Kobani. The new release tells the story of the Women’s Protection Unit (YPJ) and their fight against ISIS alongside American forces. Lemmon discusses what she describes as the most far reaching[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Agents Who Were There, host Michael Morell interviews Norman "Norm" Roule. Roule spent 34 years working in the CIA where he led as the Iran Mission Manager for the entire intelligence community. After leaving the CIA, Roule joined ODNI as the National Intelligence Manager for Iran from 2008-2017.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell spoke last month with Lynn Rusten, Vice President of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and leader of the Global Nuclear Policy Program, about the state of nuclear proliferation in the world. Rusten warned that experts are not focused on the existential threat of nuclear weapons, examines current nuclear[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former national security officials John Hannah and David Adesnik, now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Together, they joined forces as co-editors and have just published a compilation of a set of essays called “From Trump to Biden: The Way Forward for U.S. National Security.” Hannah and Adesnik highlight[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Dr. Ken Wickiser, a biochemist and the Associate Dean of Research at the United States Military Academy at West Point, about his piece “Engineered Pathogens and Unnatural Biological Weapons: The Future Threat of Synthetic Biology.” Wickiser describes the growing influence of synthetic biology and what can[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-VA). Spanberger, who previously served as an operations officers for the United States Postal Service and as an operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, and was inside the House chamber during the assault on the U.S. Capitol. She discusses how her[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Will Wechsler, the director of Middle East programs at the Atlantic Council, about why the Middle East is still of strategic importance to the United States. Wechsler discusses the perception in the Middle East that the U.S. is withdrawing, the influx of young men in the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Marc Polymeropoulos, former senior CIA intelligence service officer who had a 26-year career in public service. Marc looks back to the day that seven service members were lost to suicide bomber Humam al-Balawi, who at the time, was working as a double agent. Marc talks about why it[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews director Bryan Fogel. Fogel won an Academy Award for his last film Icarus, and now previews his latest film, The Dissident: The Untold Story of the Murder That Shook the World. Set to be released on January 8th, the movie is based the murder of beloved Saudi journalist[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with former General Counsel at NSA Glenn Gerstell about why tackling disinformation on social media is a national security issue. Glenn outlines legal, technological and policy approaches the new administration can take to combat the spread of disinformation on social media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Congressman Jim Himes, a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and Chair of the Strategic Technologies and Advanced Research Subcommittee of HPSCI. Congressman Himes discusses coronavirus as a national security threat, re-building trust in the intelligence community, and his confidence in Biden’s national[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with Ambassador Ronald Neumann, Former Ambassador to Afghanistan, Algeria, and Bahrain, about U.S. national security interests in Afghanistan as the Trump administration announces a reduction of troops in the region. Neumann discusses potential repercussions of lowering U.S. troops, advice to the Biden Administration, and the possibility of[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters: Declassified, Michael Morell speaks with David Tyson, a retired CIA officer who served in Afghanistan after 9/11. Tyson joins Michael on the anniversary of the death of fellow CIA officer, Mike Spann, the first American casualty in Afghanistan. Tyson recounts the story of Spann’s death, the battle that lead to it, and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell interviews Senior Fellow and Korea Chair at CSIS Sue Mi Terry on the threats North Korea poses to U.S. National Security. They discuss the growing advancement of North Korea’s nuclear missile program as U.S. attempts for negotiating denuclearization halt. Terry expresses concern over a potential provocation from North[...]
In our series leading up to the inauguration, host Michael Morell evaluates the state of the field for top national security issues facing the U.S. in the next presidential term. In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Morell interviews Harvard Professor of Government Graham Allison about the enduring U.S.-China rivalry. Allison is a leading analyst of national[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Retired Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, a Senior Fellow at both Stanford University's Hoover Institution and its Graduate School of Business. A career U.S. Army officer and National Security Adviser to President Trump, he is also the author of a newly-released book titled Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World. General McMaster passes[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former FBI Special Agent Clint Watts, current Distinguished Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and Non-Resident Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy and author of Messing With The Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media World of Hackers, Terrorists, Russians and Fake News. Watts offers his[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters: Declassified host Michael Morell interviews Kristin Wood, career analyst and manager of analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency. Wood looks back at the time she spent as Scooter Libby's briefer and Vice President Cheney's backup briefer. Both roles she played during the time of the 9/11 attacks. Post 9/11 there was a push by top[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Bradley Hope and Justin Scheck, reporters for The Wall Street Journal and co-authors of Blood and Oil: Mohammed Bin Salman's Ruthless Quest for Global Power, about the leadership style and strategic decision-making of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS). Hope and Scheck offer their assessment of the "dichotomy"[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews John Brennan, career intelligence officer and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Brennan, who led the agency during the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017, offers new insights into the intelligence community's assessments of Russia's interference in the 2016 election, shares concerns about the potential politicization of the community's work, and discusses the merits of pursuing a career in national security.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews David Priess, former daily intelligence briefer, CIA officer and now Chief Operating Officer of the Lawfare Institute, about the history, content and aim of the President's Daily Brief (PDB), one of the intelligence community's most valuable and highly classified products. Priess, whose book “The President’s Book of Secrets” delves into the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Antony "Tony" Blinken, former deputy Secretary of State and current Foreign Policy Advisor for the Joe Biden for President campaign. Morell and Blinken discuss a potential Biden administration's foreign policy priorities and its likely approach to top global security challenges, including climate change, armed[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Officers Who Were There, CBS News Intelligence and National Security Reporter Olivia Gazis interviews Michael Morell and retired Admiral Bill McRaven about the raid on the complex in Abbottabad, Pakistan that brought Osama bin Laden to justice nearly a decade ago. Morell and McRaven discuss the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Hal Brands, historian and the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, about a new compilation of essays dedicated to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on international security and world order. Brands,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Rodney Faraon, a former China analyst and 15-year veteran of the CIA, about how he transferred skills he developed at the agency to a variety of roles outside of government. Faraon, now a partner at Martin+Crumpton Group LLC, also held roles at Walt Disney Company and in[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Officers Who Were There, host Michael Morell interviews former CIA Senior Clandestine Services Officer Daniel Hoffman about the FBI and CIA's decade-long hunt for ten Russian "illegals" living and operating in the United States. A former Chief of Station, Hoffman tells Morell how a[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Anne Neuberger, Director of the National Security Agency's Cybersecurity Directorate, details her trajectory from the agency's Chief Risk Officer, to the lead on election security in 2018, to the head of the agency's newly revamped cybersecurity mission. She tells Morell what lessons were learned about deterring Russia during the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews author and environmentalist Bill McKibben about the national security implications of climate change, including how current trends, if unchecked, could lead to future catastrophes. McKibben explains why taking certain actions immediately and for the next ten years is crucial in order to forestall mass migrations,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Officers Who Were There, host Michael Morell interviews former FBI agent Bradley Garrett, who recounts one of the most high-profile homicide cases he worked over the course of his career at FBI. He describes the global manhunt for Mir Aimal Kansi, who was put to death for[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews journalist Robert Draper, author of To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America into Iraq. Draper and Morell discuss the key players, events and decisions that led to the George W. Bush administration's invasion of Iraq more than 15 years ago. Draper details the positions held[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with top infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm, who is also director of the Center for Infectious Disease at the University of Minnesota, about the knowns and unknowns, to date, of COVID-19. Dr. Osterholm reviews the latest data on infection and transmission rates, the likelihood of an[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Officers Who Were There, host Michael Morell interviews Martin Petersen, former senior CIA intelligence officer and Asia expert who spent over three decades at the agency. Petersen recounts the agency's early assessments of unrest that led to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in China. Morell and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with James Cunningham, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Israel and the United Nations. Morell and Cunningham review the country's efforts at arriving at a peace deal with the Taliban and the Afghan government, and explore why a deal remains elusive. They also examine the obstacles[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Shimer, author of Rigged: America, Russia and 100 Years of Covert Electoral Interference. Shimer provides examples of Russian and American electoral interference in countries around the world over nearly a century. He explains how Russia's playbook has been applied repeatedly and in novel ways to[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Officers Who Were There, host Michael Morell interviews Sarah Carlson, former CIA Targeting Analyst and author of "In the Dark of War: A CIA Officer's Inside Account of the U.S. Evacuation from Libya." Carlson recounts the harrowing 2014 decision to remove U.S. personnel from war-torn Libya,[...]
In the premiere episode of Intelligence Matters DECLASSIFIED: Spy Stories from the Officers Who Were There, host Michael Morell interviews Toni Hiley, the former curator of the CIA's private museum, located at its headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Hiley takes listeners on a tour of the agency's most important exhibits and artifacts, explaining the historical context and personal[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Franklin Foer, journalist and staff writer for The Atlantic, about America's preparedness for potential Russian election interference in 2020. Foer, whose latest piece, "Putin Is Well on his Way to Stealing the Next Election," examined the lingering vulnerabilities in U.S. election systems, explains where weaknesses[...]
*PLEASE NOTE: This interview was taped last week, before nationwide protests in response to the death of George Floyd began.*In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Chris Krebs speaks with Michael Morell about securing the operations and data of businesses and government agencies as they have adopted[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Laura Rosenberger, Senior Fellow and Director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the nonpartisan German Marshall Fund of the United States. Rosenberger details the breadth of foreign interference threats the U.S. faces ahead of the 2020 presidential election from known actors like Russia,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Karim Sadjadpour, Iran policy analyst and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Morell and Sadjadpour review the effects of the spread of coronavirus within Iran, including the toll it has taken on senior leadership and the unrest it has generated among[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with top infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm, who is also director of the Center for Infectious Disease at the University of Minnesota, about the world's past, present and future handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Osterholm and Morell discuss the essential, still unanswered, questions surrounding vaccine[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell offers an in-depth analysis of seven potential national security consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. He describes, among other factors, the possible effects of a prolonged financial crisis, of growing political instability, of escalating conflict in global hotspots, of the threat of a reconstitution of ISIS,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chris Johnson, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies and former senior China analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, about China's internal handling of COVID-19, its subsequent messaging efforts, and the current state of U.S.-China relations. Johnson explains how Xi Jinping's leadership[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Olivier Blanchard, former chief economist for the International Monetary Fund and Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Blanchard and Morell discuss the near- and long-term global economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the policy response from governments, and the prospects for[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former CIA deputy director John McLaughlin about the immediate and long-term effects the COVID-19 pandemic may have on global national security. McLaughlin and Morell focus on tensions within the U.S.-China relationship that the outbreak has exacerbated, as well as efforts by adversaries like Russia,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor Lisa Monaco about pandemic preparedness and response by the federal government. Monaco, who helped oversee the Obama Administration's response efforts during the Ebola and Zika outbreaks, explains which government agencies play key roles in managing public[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Dr. David Agus, Professor of Medicine and Engineering and Founding Director and CEO of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Agus, who is also a CBS News contributor, explains what scientists have learned about the origins,[...]
In this revamped episode of Intelligence Matters — re-released while the world contends with the COVID-19 pandemic and the podcast has temporarily suspended new production — host Michael Michael reflects on a July 2018 conversation with CIA's Chief of Talent Acquisition, Sheronda Dorsey, who explains how the agency finds, trains and retains its global network[...]
In this revamped episode of Intelligence Matters — re-released while the world contends with the COVID-19 pandemic and the podcast has temporarily suspended new production — host Michael Michael reflects on a 2018 conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and, in 2020, leading member of the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, retired Admiral Sandy Winnefeld speaks with retired General Philip Breedlove, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command, about the trajectories of the United States' relationships with North Korea, China, Russia, Europe, and other adversaries and partners. Breedlove addresses the leadership characteristics and regional objectives of each[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host Adm. James "Sandy" Winnefeld (ret.) speaks with Robert Work, the 32nd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense for both the Obama and Trump administration. Work and Winnefeld discuss the Pentagon's "Third Offset" Strategy, and delve into the military applications and ethical dimensions of technologies like artificial intelligence[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Ignatius, award-winning foreign affairs columnist for the Washington Post and best-selling author of more than ten spy novels. Morell and Ignatius discuss the mechanics of national security journalism and Ignatius’ experience reporting from the Middle East. They discuss the current leadership and dynamics[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former senior analyst in the intelligence community. Devermont discusses areas of instability on the continent and the areas where the U.S. has an opportunity to pursue national[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ben Buchanan, Assistant Teaching Professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and Senior Fellow at the University’s Center for Security Studies. Morell and Buchanan discuss the intersection of technology and statecraft, focusing on the potential effect artificial intelligence-driven technologies may have on the[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy And International Security at George Mason University’s Schar School Of Policy And Government. Morell and Gordon discuss the importance and evolution of the craft of intelligence,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with author and journalist Robert Worth, who conducted a rare interview with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, for a profile featured in the New York Times Magazine. Worth, who previously worked as the New York Times’ Beirut bureau chief, explains the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Evelyn Farkas, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia during the Obama administration and current Democratic candidate for New York’s 17th Congressional District. Morell and Farkas discuss the recent surge in congressional candidates with backgrounds in national security and the rigors[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with two former top White House officials – Stephen Hadley, National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, and Tom Donilon, National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama – on the top national security and foreign policy threats likely to be faced by the next[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Shelby Pierson, a career intelligence official recently named the Intelligence Community Election Threats Executive within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Pierson details past, present and future election security threats facing the United States, and explains how the intelligence community has partnered[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, about the agency's analytic and collection missions, its role within the broader intelligence community, and its top areas of focus today. Ashley and Morell discuss the growing number of contested domains and numerous technological[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and senior Obama administration official Samantha Power speaks with host Michael Morell about a wide range of topics, including how the promotion of human rights bolsters global stability. Power and Morell discuss the value of public service and the importance of the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Sean Roche, a recently-retired senior CIA official who ran the agency’s digital innovation arm. Roche, who spent nearly 30 years at the agency, discusses the early, internal preparations the CIA made in anticipation of both technological challenges and new opportunities in the digital domain[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Barbara Slavin, former journalist and Director of the ‘Future of Iran Initiative’ at the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington, DC. Morell and Slavin assess the U.S. foreign policy posture toward Iran and the effect of diplomatic efforts made to date. Slavin offers[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Susan Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor to President Obama. Rice discusses her career trajectory and some of the major foreign policy decisions she helped inform while serving in the Obama administration. Morell and Rice discuss the value[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the current chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Smith, who has served on the committee for over two decades, discusses the work of overseeing the U.S. military and the late-stage negotiations of the annual National Defense Authorization Act.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with retired four-star U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, who also served as the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and was dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Morell and Stavridis discuss the value of alliances and the strategic foreign[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator from Colorado and a current Democratic presidential candidate. Morell and Bennet discuss the state of American politics and the ideologies and objectives that would define a Bennet administration. Bennet, who was recently added to the Senate Intelligence Committee, discusses the state[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Sue Mi Terry, senior fellow for Korea at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A former senior CIA analyst, Terry explains why the U.S.-North Korea talks are at a stalemate after months of negotiations and three historic summits between President Trump and Chairman[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Carl Ghattas, former executive assistant director of the FBI's National Security Branch, about the bureau's efforts to combat international and domestic terrorism. Ghattas explains how the FBI balances efforts to investigate crimes already committed with those intended to prevent new terror attacks. Morell and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chris Johnson, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former CIA senior China analyst, about the state of play in U.S.-China relations. Johnson offers a portrait of President Xi, who has consolidated power and alliances domestically and throughout the region,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Bill Priestap, the former head of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, speaks with host Michael Morell about the evolving counterintelligence challenges facing the United States. Priestap, now a Centennial Fellow with Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, explains how nation-state adversaries are extending their reach beyond traditional espionage channels[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell discusses the implications of the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, including the U.S. raid’s operational details and how the terror group’s senior leadership may respond. Morell, who was deputy director of the CIA when Osama bin Laden was brought to justice in 2015,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, former Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis (ret) speaks with host Michael Morell about his military career, and the value of strategic leadership, and the top national security challenges facing the country. The former U.S. Marine Corps general addresses the Trump administration’s the recent decision to withdraw U.S. forces[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former senior CIA operations officer Marc Polymeropoulos, who retired from the agency in June after nearly three decades of service in a number of overseas posts. Polymeropoulos discusses the training he received at CIA, the art of recruiting and running assets, and the value[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Kurt Campbell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Asia Group, and Jake Sullivan, former national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden and director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department, about U.S.-China relations and the long-term strategic threat posed by Beijing.[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell appears alongside former CIA Acting Director John McLaughlin and former CIA Senior Paramilitary Officer Phil Reilly at a panel discussion at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, held in partnership with the CIA. Morell, McLaughlin and Reilly each discuss their recollections from both the September 11, 2011[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with retired U.S. Navy Admiral William “Bill” McRaven, who served as commander of U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011 and 2014. The former Navy SEAL and four-star admiral discusses his family’s military history and his own experiences during some of the most well-known missions of[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell shares his views on and analysis of the recently released whistleblower complaint centered on a call between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Morell reviews the facts that have emerged to date and offers context on the complaint itself. He also addresses allegations[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Richard Haass, former Director of Policy Planning for the State Department and current president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Morell and Haass discuss the arc of American foreign policy and its ideological evolution during the Trump administration. Haass offers his views on policy[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell has the tables turned on him – and gets asked the questions in a live taping at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy & Government. Morell talks with CBS News intelligence reporter Olivia[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Todd Owen, Executive Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Owen and Morell discuss the agency's main operational components and the state of U.S. border security. Owen explains the focus and range of the agency's efforts on counterterrorism and narcotics[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with journalist and author Garrett Graff about his new book, "The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11." Graff and Morell discuss a number of the little-known details contained in the book, which were offered by hundreds of people who lived through[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former CIA officer Kristin Wood, who served in three different directorates over a two-decade career at the agency. Wood and Morell discuss the process, substance and value of the agency's analytic work and describe how it is delivered to top policymakers. Wood also discusses[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers about recent developments in Afghanistan, the site of America's longest war. Morell and Vickers review the evolution of security challenges in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and discuss the current status[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto about his new book, "The Shadow Wars," about how Russia and China are leveraging different tools, strategies and battlefields to counter the United States below the threshold of armed conflict. Sciutto explains how emerging domains including cyber,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Juan Cruz, former special assistant to the President and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council, about the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis in Venezuela. Cruz explains the origins of the instability, the U.S. government's response to date, and discusses[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Michael Allen, a former majority staff director for the House Intelligence Committee and senior director at the National Security Council under former president George W. Bush, about the provenance and purpose of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Allen, who wrote[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and 'Stay Tuned' podcast host Preet Bharara about the findings and testimony of former special counsel Robert Mueller. Bharara and Morell review the implications of Volumes I and II of Mueller's report, discuss the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ambassador Dennis Ross, former Middle East peace envoy and top negotiator, about the prospects for resolving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ross, who served multiple presidents of both parties over the course of a career spanning over three decades, retraces his efforts to broker a[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon, the country's number two U.S. intelligence official, about the proliferating and accelerating information threats facing the intelligence community. Gordon explains how agencies are preparing to confront a novel set of challenges related to the 2020 presidential[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ellen McCarthy, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). As head of INR – the oldest all-source U.S. intelligence agency, and among the smallest, within the 17-member community – McCarthy leads a cadre of about 250 analysts at the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Russ Travers, deputy director of the National Counterterrorism Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Travers offers an overview of enduring and evolving terrorism threats facing the U.S. from extremist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda as well as known state sponsors[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chris Krebs, Director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Krebs details the department's efforts to defend U.S. systems, elections and infrastructure from foreign adversaries' cyber incursions and influence operations. He explains the nature of strategic threats from Russia,[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell holds a mock "situation room" dialogue with Ambassador Bill Burns, former deputy Secretary of State and President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Jim Miller, former Under Secretary is Defense for Policy and senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Washington Post journalist and Beijing bureau chief Anna Fifield about her new book, "The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong-Un." Morell and Fifield discuss her years of reporting from inside Pyongyang and her conversations with the North Korean leader's[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former CIA analyst and targeting officer Nada Bakos about the post-9/11 hunt for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the low-level jihadist and eventual head of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, ISIS's predecessor organization. Morell and Bakos discuss the intense political pressure some analysts felt as they worked to[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Jonna Mendez, who spent nearly three decades at the CIA and was its Chief of Disguise until 1993. Mendez tells Morell about the fundamentals of disguise, deception and illusion, including what kinds of spies were the hardest to hide. Mendez also discusses her time with[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Russia and foreign policy expert Angela Stent, who is director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and a professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University. Stent and Morell discuss Russia's primary global objectives today, and the centuries of[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Tamir Pardo, who served as Director of the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, from 2011 to 2016. They discuss the Mossad's relationship with the CIA and current regional dynamics involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the possibility of arriving at a two-state solution. In a rare[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Sanger, national security correspondent for the New York Times and author of “The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age.” Morell and Sanger discuss the technological and geopolitical challenges of the cyber domain, including forthcoming developments like 5G networks, artificial[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Col. Chris Costa, executive director of the International Spy Museum, about the museum's reimagined exhibitions and upcoming reopening in a new location in Washington, DC. Costa explains how the museum obtained over 7,000 artifacts and uses them to tell a newly dimensional story of[...]
In this special edition of Intelligence Matters, which is marking its one-year anniversary since being relaunched by CBS News, host Michael Morell speaks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the top foreign policy challenges facing the United States. Morell and Pompeo discuss the post-caliphate capabilities of ISIS, the way forward in Afghanistan and Syria,[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews Chris Darby, President and CEO of In-Q-Tel (IQT), the strategic investment arm of the C.I.A. and the broader intelligence and national security community. Darby explains the history of IQT, how it identifies and vets the companies it chooses to invest in, and how its[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell leads a panel discussion with four top journalists and editors with decades of experience covering intelligence-related issues. Morell interviews NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, Cipher Brief CEO and Publisher Suzanne Kelly, and the Washington Post’s National Security and Intelligence Columnist David Ignatius[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Jamie Metzl, a geopolitics expert, technology futurist and author of a new book called Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity. Metzl and Morell discuss recent advances in reproductive technologies and genetic screening, as well as how their convergence with other technologies[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former career CIA official Meroe Park, who served at the agency for nearly three decades in a variety of roles -- including analyst, executive assistant to former director George Tenet, chief of payroll and, most recently, chief operating officer. Park was also acting director[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Glenn Gerstell, the National Security Agency's top legal officer. They discuss the looming legal, ethical and societal implications of the digital revolution underway across the globe, as well as the challenges posed by the rapid development and adoption of new technologies. Gerstell explains how[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell leads a panel discussion with four former intelligence committee members in partnership with the Michael V. Hayden Center and the Schar School of Policy and Government. Former members of the congressional intelligence committees, including former Representatives Jane Harman (D-CA) and Mike Rogers (R-MI) and former[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks about a growing crisis in American foreign policy with Eliot Cohen, Executive Vice Dean of Johns Hopkins University?s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies. Cohen, who also served as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's senior adviser, tells[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, former CIA director General (ret.) David Petraeus speaks with host Michael Morell about strategic leadership and the need to conceive, communicate, implement and refine 'big ideas.' Petraeus, who commanded coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, weighs in on the 'big ideas' that should shape some of the biggest challenges[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with William Burns, career diplomat, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and current president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Burns shares concerns about a decades-long drift in American diplomacy, which he says began after the Cold War, intensified in the years following 9/11,[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with psychiatrist Dr. David Charney, who has spent decades personally evaluating intelligence professionals and has interviewed some of the most well-known spies in American history, including former FBI Agents Earl Pitts and Robert Hansenn. Charney explains the core psychology of espionage, including a theory[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Laura Holgate, former U.S. Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency and Senior Director for Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism and Threat Reduction on President Obama's National Security Council. Holgate, now vice president for materials risk management at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, explains the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Center of Strategic and International Studies Senior Fellow and Korea Chair Sue Mi Terry about the state of the U.S.-North Korea relationship and the stakes facing both President Trump and leader Kim Jong Un ahead of their second summit in Vietnam. Terry offers an[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who ran the U.S. government’s third-largest department from 2013 to 2017 during the Obama administration. Johnson offers context on the security challenges at the U.S. southern border, addresses the government’s multi-agency handling of cyber threats, and evaluates the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former diplomat Vicki Huddleston, who served as U.S. ambassador to Mali and Madagascar and was the country's top diplomat in Havana during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. She details the rocky evolution of the U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relationship, including personal experiences dealing with[...]
In a special bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Pedro Burelli, a former member of the Executive Board of Petróleos de Venezuela who now lives in exile in the United States and speaks regularly with democratic leader Juan Guaidó. Burelli weighs in on the state of affairs in Venezuela and explains[...]
In this week’s episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with retired Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, who until recently served as director of the National Security Agency, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Chief of the Central Security Service. They discuss Rogers’ three-decade military career, including how he went from serving as a Navy[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Cohen and Avril Haines, who both served as deputy directors of the CIA during the Obama administration. They discuss with Morell, who was also a deputy director, the demands of the role - including preparing for the Presidential Daily Brief and how it[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Chicago University professor and Director of the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism Robert Pape, who explains how ISIS and other militant groups adopt Western narratives to effectively recruit in the United States. Pape reviews what inspires people about ISIS propaganda and how the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former deputy Secretary of State and deputy National Security advisor to President Barack Obama Antony Blinken, who weighs in on the Trump administration's foreign policy decisions in some of the world's top geopolitical hotspots. Blinken evaluates the opportunities seized, squandered and still ahead in countries[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Lisa Monaco, former U.S. Homeland Security Advisor to President Barack Obama. She reviews her career trajectory from federal prosecutor to Hill staffer to running the National Security Division at the Department of Justice to a series of high-profile roles at the White House. Monaco[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, trade expert Gary Hufbauer, nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, explains the national security implications of trade policy and why a given economy?s health is one of the most significant determinants of a nation?s stability. Hufbauer evaluates the effects of automation on the global economy,[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host Admiral Sandy Winnefeld (ret.) interviews Nadia Schadlow, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy. They discuss the 2017 National Security Strategy, which articulates the administration's national security concerns and strategic priorities. Schadlow explains how the document was conceived and crafted to reflect[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Glenn Gaffney, current Executive Vice President of strategic intelligence investor In-Q-Tel and former head of the CIA's Science and Technology Directorate. Morell and Gaffney discuss space as an area of strategic, scientific, intelligence and military competition with Russia and China, and assess the[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell weighs in on the CIA's reported assessment regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. He explains the agency's analytic process, the significance of confidence levels, and which stakeholders would be briefed, and how. He reviews the strategic and policy implications of holding Saudi Arabia to account[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism at the New York Police Department. In a wide-ranging conversation, Miller reflects on his career spanning journalism, public affairs and operations roles at some of the country's top law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Miller discusses[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Phil Reilly, former Special Forces soldier and CIA Clandestine Service Senior Paramilitary Officer who was among the select team of ten officers first deployed to Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Reilly recounts how U.S. forces first partnered with the Northern Alliance in[...]
In this week’s episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and legendary former CIA operative Michael Vickers about about his work combating the Soviets in Afghanistan, his views of the Trump administration’s security strategy, and the biggest national security threats facing the United States today. Vickers[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Eric Edelman, former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Finland, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and current co-chair of the National Defense Strategy Commission. Edelman and Morell, who is also a member of the Commission, discuss the contents of its new report[...]
In this week’s episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host Ret. Navy Admiral Sandy Winnefeld speaks with Derek Maltz, former Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Administration for an important conversation about the national security implications of the opioid crisis gripping communities across the United States.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Cohen, former Deputy Director of the CIA and Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence about whether, when, and how targeted financial sanctions work. Cohen explains why the U.S. sanctions snapping back on Iran's oil industry may not have the same bite they[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host retired Navy Admiral Sandy Winnefeld interviews Norman Roule, who spent decades at the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence managing significant programs related to the Middle East. Roule, who recently returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia, explains how developments in the Khashoggi matter[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with top Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about the state of Iran's economy, its domestic politics, and its diplomatic posture vis a vis the West. Sadjadpour offers insight into the evolving dynamics within Tehran's leadership structure[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with the former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers about the case of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared in early October after walking into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Amid reports that Turkish officials have audio[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Senator James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, who serves on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Morell and Lankford discuss the state of the nation's election security, the gamut of ongoing foreign misinformation efforts, and whether social media platforms need regulating. Lankford discusses the need[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Christopher Johnson, Senior Adviser and Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about the current status of and the future possibilities for the U.S.-China relationship. They discuss the implications of a newly competitive economic relationship, the compatibility of[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about the national security threats posed by global pandemic, epidemics, superbugs, man-made pathogens and bioterrorism. Fauci provides his assessment of the United States' and the world's level of preparedness for all[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, Stephen Hadley. They discuss the need for continued American engagement on the global scene and the merits of a rules-based international system based on democracy, respect for human rights, and free markets. Hadley and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell has a wide-ranging conversation with Jake Sullivan, former senior policy adviser on Secretary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and national security adviser to Vice President Joe Biden. They discuss key lessons learned from Russia's 2016 election interference, the Obama administration's response, and how future political leaders should[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with William Evanina, Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, about the top counterintelligence threats facing the United States. Evanina shares his experience tracking the operational activities of Russian agents in the so-called "illegals" network that culminated in a U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange in 2010.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia), vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, speaks with host Michael Morell about top national security issues facing the intelligence community, the policymakers who oversee it, and the administration within which it operates. Warner shares his views on the responsibilities of currently-serving intelligence[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Barbara Leaf speaks with host Michael Morell about the importance of diplomacy, the state of governance in the Middle East, and the path forward for Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Palestine. Leaf, who spent over three decades at the Department[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Stacey Dixon, newly named director of Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the so-called "DARPA-for-spies." Dixon explains how IARPA's work helps the intelligence community forecast global events like cyberattacks, civil unrest and bio-threats, and advance capabilities that use artificial intelligence and machine learning. She[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks to Juan Carlos Pinzon Bueno, Colombia's former minister of defense and its ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2017. They discuss the status of the historic peace deal with FARC rebels, the growing political turbulence in Venezuela, and why trust remains at the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Laura Rosenberger and Jamie Fly of the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy. The bipartisan duo discuss their latest project on disinformation campaigns being conducted worldwide, explain how European nations served as a training ground for operations in the United States and describe[...]
In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell addresses the Trump administration’s threat to revoke the security clearances of number of former senior government officials. Morell speaks personally about the value that former officials can offer to current administrations, whether and how clearances can be monetized, and how continuity among agency leaders can[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Pakistan's former Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, who takes stock of Pakistan's prevailing domestic ideologies, its fraught regional relationships, and explains how it deals with Washington today. Just ahead of the elections in Pakistan, Haqqani describes the entrenched challenges facing the country[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the evolving military threats facing the United States and how potential adversaries are developing non-military means to counter U.S. capabilities. They also discuss the fracturing of the liberal world order and[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell leads a rare interview with CIA's Chief of Talent Acquisition, Sheronda Dorsey, who describes how the agency finds, trains and retains its global network of employees. Dorsey, an agency veteran of nearly three decades, describes her own experience climbing the CIA's ranks as a young black[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, speaks with host Michael Morell about the state of America's election security, and why, as midterms get underway, he believes there is much more to be done. Quigley and Morell discuss the vulnerabilities that Russia's 2016 election interference[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama, speaks with host Michael Morell about some of the administration's pivotal policy decisions - including potential missteps - in Syria, Iran, Cuba and Russia. Rhodes explains Obama's calculus in confronting Russia during its 2016 election interference, assesses the administration's[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell has a wide-ranging conversation with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. They discuss Clapper's five-decade career in the intelligence community, his views on the U.S. approach to nuclear adversaries like Iran and North Korea, and how to best address ongoing threats to American democratic institutions.[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Dr. Paul Heer, former National Intelligence Officer for East Asia in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, about the outcome of the historic U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore - as well as its winners, losers and necessary next steps. They also discuss[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell talks to former CIA analyst and Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Sue Mi Terry about the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore. Terry shares what advice she would give President Trump when preparing for talks with Kim Jong Un, and[...]
For a special Memorial Day episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with former deputy director of Central Intelligence John McLaughlin about the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation, which was founded in the aftermath of 9/11 to help the families of fallen officers. McLaughlin explains the foundation's unique mission and shares some of the inspiring[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former CIA clandestine officer and current member of Congress Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), who also serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Hurd tells Morell how he went from conducting operations in Kabul to running for office in San Antonio, and how he[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former Ambassador and Iran expert James Jeffrey, who also served as deputy National Security Adviser to President George W. Bush. Jeffrey explains what implications the United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal may have - in the region, among European allies, and in the[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former Ambassador Joseph DeTrani, who served as Special Envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea. Their conversation covers the escalating strikes and varied regional interests behind the upcoming U.S.-North Korea summit, what Kim Jong Un may be thinking - and willing to concede -[...]
In the premiere episode of CBS News’ newly-relaunched Intelligence Matters podcast, former CIA Acting Director Michael Morell sits down with former NSA and CIA Director General Mike Hayden to discuss Hayden’s new book on post-truth, tribalism’s effect on American traditions and institutions and the challenges facing CIA nominee Gina Haspel. They offer new details about[...]
The U.S. is in the grips of spy-mania in the aftermath of Russia's interference in the 2016 election that has made President Trump's 2016 election campaign the focus of a federal investigation. But Russia's active measures to infiltrate and influence the U.S. consciousness didn't begin, nor end with the 2016 election. For years, John Sipher,[...]
Republican U.S. Senator and Army veteran Tom Cotton is often described as a hawkish conservative for taking a hardline stance on issues like immigration and the Iran nuclear deal. In this interview, Michael Morell steps away from policy and gets a sense of the Arkansas senator's character, political philosophy and driving influences. Cotton talks about[...]
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell talks to constitutional scholar Geoff Stone on constitutional interpretation and its relevance in today's society. Stone, who authored "Sex and the Constitution" explores oversight of government surveillance on communications and safeguarding a citizen's personal freedoms. Stone also addresses originalism and affirmative action, what he calls the "most[...]
In this special episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with retired U.S. Navy Admiral James "Sandy" Winnefeld about a non-traditional national security threat that has affected him personally: America's opioid crisis. Winnefeld recently lost his own son Jonathan to opioid addiction, and he is dedicating his life to reversing a crisis he calls a[...]
The U.S. intelligence community's second-in-command, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon talks to Michael Morell about being a career CIA officer, starting as a young analyst and working her way to up to leading all four of the CIA's Directorates. Her vast experience and innovative approach to bridging gaps is what prepared her[...]
The U.S. relationship with China is arguably one of the most strategically important, as highlighted by the Trump administration calling China a "strategic competitor" in its new national security strategy. In this episode, Michael spends time with Chris Johnson, one of his most trusted former China analysts while the two worked at the CIA, to[...]
Cybercrime is one the fastest-growing and most lucrative areas of crime. Former Deputy Director of U.S. Naval Intelligence Terry Roberts, is a global cyber intelligence expert with more than 30 years in the intelligence community. This week she joins Intelligence Matters and talks to Michael about how nation-states, groups and individual actors leverage the global[...]
The House Intelligence Committee's top Democratic member, Congressman Adam Schiff talks to Michael about the investigation of Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. He talks about the one thing Russian President Vladimir Putin fears most, why Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is critical to protecting the homeland and why intelligence[...]
Leading international relations expert Philip Gordon, helps decipher the complexities in the Middle East: the actions and motives of major players and why the big national security challenges and risks that we face as Americans all emanate one way or another from the region. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Former CIA Counterintelligence Chief Mark Kelton talks to Michael Morell about his years working in Cold War outposts, how the U.S.-Russia adversarial relationship has evolved and what double agents Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen have in common with Edward Snowden. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matter's Michael speaks with Robert Cardillo, the Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Cardillo explains the agency's mission and how advanced imagery was used in the NGA's creation of a replica of Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in preparation for the May 2, 2011 raid. Cardillo also[...]
On this episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell talks with Pedro Burelli, a former member of the Executive Board of Petroleos de Venezuela about is behind the crisis in Venezuela, what fueled firebrand leader Hugo Chavez's paranoia, how the nation evolved to a narco-state, the current humanitarian crisis, and whether the country can recover without[...]
In this special episode of Intelligence Matters, Michael Morell speaks with former U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Michele Flournoy about the future of the U.S. military, the Iran nuclear deal, the North Korea crisis, Russian election interference and the U.S. falling into the shadow of China's economic dominance. However, Flournoy does not only[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, former Acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell speaks to Laura Rosenberger, a name that may not be immediately recognizable but who at a young age rose the ranks to hold influential senior foreign policy advisor roles. Rosenberger talks about the events of 9/11 inspiring her to a[...]
The DNI's former Iran Mission Manager, Norman Roule was the leading specialist responsible for integrating collection and analysis on Iran across the Intelligence Community and in this week's episode of Intelligence Matters he talks to former Acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell about whether he believes Iran is complying with its JCPOA obligations, the[...]
On this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, former acting CIA Director Michael Morell talks with Kimberly Dozier. Dozier was a CBS correspondent for 17 years, and was stationed in Baghdad for three years before being critically wounded. A Peabody and Edward R. Murrow award winner, Dozier started reporting on national security for the Daily Beast,[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough talks about his view of American exceptionalism in creating opportunities for its citizens, how his ideologies were deeply influenced by both his upbringing and travels, and what distinguishes President Barack Obama in his view from other government officials. In a[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters, former acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell speaks with former National Security Advisor Tom Donilon about his distinguished career in government: working as a top security advisory in the White House, his thoughts on U.S. President Barack Obama and his advice for the current administration on the[...]
This week we have a special episode of Intelligence Matters with Michael Morell, in which, The Cipher Brief expert Ambassador Joseph DeTrani weighs in on mounting tensions between the United States and North Korea. The exchange of fiery rhetoric between U.S. President Donald Trump and members of the North Korean regime raises the question, is[...]
In this week's episode of Intelligence Matters with Michael Morell, we hear from the Director of National Counterterrorism Center Nicholas Rasmussen who in a rare interview gives insight into the dramatic progress made against ISIS in the battlefield, why Al Qaeda is still priority to analysts, primary threats currently facing the homeland and how the[...]
In the premiere episode of Intelligence Matters, former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell puts his analyst hat on for a wide-ranging conversation with former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. Morell succeeded Panetta as Acting Director of the Agency in 2011 when Panetta left to take on the role of Secretary of Defense under President Barack[...]

Former acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell speaks with top leaders of the U.S. intelligence community as they reflect on their life, career and the critical roles they play in shaping national security policies. As a central figure in the most significant U.S. counter-terror efforts of the past two decades and a former CIA intelligence analyst, Morell is uniquely skilled at taking industry leading knowledge to make connections that provide deep insight into complex security events ‘ helping decode intelligence officials’ key priorities and providing perspectives on how to achieve national security objectives. Morell is the author of ‘The Great War of Our Time’ and a vivid account of the Central Intelligence Agency, a life in secrets, and a war in the shadows.

Podcast Home

All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are directy attributed to CBS News or their podcast platform partner. If you believe your copyrighted work is in use without your permission, you can follow our process outlined here. See terms of use.