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DIA Connections is an exciting podcast that features overlooked or unfamiliar aspects of DIA, including what we do and the countless ways we've impacted the lives of people around the world. Since its creation in 1961, DIA has been the Nation's premier all-source military intelligence organization. Our team at DIA deploys globally, alongside warfighters and interagency partners, to defend America's national security interests. But, as this podcast series reveals, we are so much more.
Operation Babylift
In April 1975, South Vietnam was on the verge of collapse. As North Vietnamese forces advanced towards Saigon, orphaned babies adopted by American families needed a way out. President Gerald Ford initiated...
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Best of Season Two
On this special episode of DIA Connections…a chance to catch up with the best of season two. We spoke with a wide range of guests including the founder of the original Topgun flight school, a former...
Strange Things at DIA
We know this is going to sound strange, but it's true! For more than a decade, the Defense Intelligence Agency - the Nation's primary manager and producer of foreign military intelligence - ran a paranormal...
Top Gun
When Tom Cruise landed the role of Maverick in the 1986 box office hit "Top Gun," he probably wasn’t aware of how the Defense Intelligence Agency’s exploitation of captured MIGs played a crucial role in...
INF Treaty Part 2: Reagan & Smirnoff
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. It’s a story about the most powerful person on Earth, and his comedian friend from the Soviet Union, and how they ultimately saved the world from nuclear...
INF Treaty Part 1: Missiles & Movies
The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty marked the first time the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to reduce their nuclear arsenals, and is just one example of DIA supporting...
Condoleezza Rice
On this episode of DIA Connections, a candid conversation with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the second woman and first African American woman to hold the post. Discussion topics include China...
Avoiding Armageddon
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was the greatest nuclear war threat in world history. In this episode of DIA Connections, we examine how the Defense Intelligence Agency discovered missiles in Cuba...
DIA DIRECTOR LTG SCOTT D. BERRIER
In 2020, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier became the 22nd director of DIA. On this episode of DIA Connections, the director shares his thoughts on several topics including the national security environment...
SEPTEMBER 11TH
On this episode of DIA Connections, we reflect on September 11th, 2001. You’ll hear from two former DIA teammates about their roles in the ensuing days and weeks after the attack...
BEST OF SEASON ONE
On this special episode of DIA Connections … a chance to catch-up with the best of season one. Thirty-five guests, including writer Malcolm Gladwell, legendary newscaster Ted...
FINDING BIN LADEN
On May 1, 2011, U.S. Navy SEALs conducted a raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden. In this episode of DIA Connections, we discuss the Defense Intelligence Agency's...
GUITAR HEROES
Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven was the catalyst for luthier Paul Reed Smith's innovative technology that can enhance and clarify the hidden information that's in waveforms, pictures, and images...
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
From the day she started working at the Defense Intelligence Agency in 1985 until the day she was arrested for conspiracy to commit espionage in 2001, Ana Montes was a spy working...
IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS
On Nov. 4, 1979, the United States Embassy in Iran was overrun by Iranian students. For the next 444 days, 52 American hostages were held in captivity. Five of those hostages were from...
SPIRIT
The Spirit of Hope Award, named for entertainment legend Bob Hope, is awarded to men and women of the armed forces, entertainers, and other distinguished Americans, for outstanding...
THE ARCTIC
The region at the top of the globe was always considered too cold, too far, and too dangerous; but not anymore. The Arctic is now warming faster than any place on earth. The sea ice that was...
PRESIDENT'S DAILY BRIEF
Since its creation in 1946, the intelligence briefer to the president of the United States had always been a representative from the CIA. That long tradition ended in 2010 when James Danoy of the Defense...
THE DIRECTOR'S CUT
Now retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley Jr. served his country for 36 years, most recently as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. In this episode of DIA Connections, Ashley...
BRINGING THEM HOME: PART 2
Jessica Buchanan was an aid worker in Somalia, helping to raise awareness about how to avoid land mines. She was abducted and taken hostage by Somali land pirates for 93 days. In this...
BRINGING THEM HOME: PART 1
DIA plays a vital role in the U.S POW/MIA support mission. This episode examines both past and present efforts in locating and repatriating the remains of those lost but not forgotten...
ROB RIGGLE
Comedian and actor Rob Riggle sits down with director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley Jr. to discuss Riggle’s affinity for the military and his two-decade entertainment career.
DALE DYE
When Hollywood directors Oliver Stone and Steven Spielberg want war scenes to look and feel authentic, the military advisor they rely on is Dale Dye. In this episode, Dye visits DIA where he...
FENTANYL
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths in the United States. This episode examines DIA’s role in tracking the shadowy...