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Podcast Episodes

DIA Connections is an exciting new podcast. Featuring overlooked or unfamiliar aspects of who we are, what we do, and the countless ways we’ve impacted the lives of people everywhere. Since its creation in 1961, the Defense Intelligence Agency 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. However, we are so much more, as this podcast series will reveal.

SEASON FIVE

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The Fentanyl Fight

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. On this episode, you’ll hear a DIA counter narcotics officer discuss the agency’s efforts to combat the most devastating...

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SEASON FOUR

Best of Season 4

This episode of DIA Connections features highlights from Season Four. Catch up on this season's best moments with an American pilot who landed his plane safely after a mid-air collision with a Chinese...

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Lasers, Asteroids, and The Jetsons

Wouldn’t it be unbelievable if a spaceship could land on an asteroid, collect rocks that could reveal the secrets of life’s origins, and then return to Earth? Well, believe it, because...

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Glossophobia

Does public speaking cause you to quiver in fear? You're not alone - but it's not a good trait to have when briefing policymakers! On this episode, we’ll get tips on how to speak in public from...

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The Write Stuff

Who said writing intelligence reports for policymakers is boring? Not us--and certainly not former DIA intelligence analyst turned Hollywood screenwriter Mitchell LaFortune...

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Show & Tell: Iranian UAVs in Ukraine

How did a soccer match and a children’s magazine inspire a team of analysts to create an unclassified report proving Iranian military support to Russia in Ukraine? Find out on this episode of DIA Connections.

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The China Incident

In 2001, an American spy plane collided with a Chinese jet fighter, killing the Chinese pilot and forcing the American aircraft to land at Hainan Island, where Chinese authorities took...

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Saving the History of the World

Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir, da Vinci – just a few of the artists whose masterpieces were stolen by the Nazis. On this episode of DIA Connections, Robert Edsel, author of...

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SEASON THREE

Best of Season 3

On this special episode of DIA Connections, catch up with the best of season three. We spoke with a wide range of guests including the creator of the Iraqi Most Wanted Deck of Cards, a saxophonist who went...

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The Last Monday in May

Memorial Day, celebrated on the last Monday in May, honors service members who died while serving in the military. On this episode of DIA Connections, a discussion on the traditional sound of...

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Iraqi Most Wanted Deck of Cards

Diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades. On this episode of DIA Connections, listen to how a team of analysts developed a special deck of playing cards used in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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Sax & the Spy

Merryl Goldberg was followed by the KGB...interrogated by the KGB...even arrested by the KGB. Just another spy that got caught, right? Well, not exactly...

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Ukraine: Truth Be Told

Throughout his country's invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly denied his forces were targeting civilians. The world saw the truth for itself in a shocking...

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Ukraine: Children of War

In June 2022, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “Russia is stealing the childhood of our children.” Every victim of war suffers loss, but no one loses as much as children...

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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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SEASON TWO

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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SEASON ONE

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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.

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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...

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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...

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