DIA Connections (Defense Intelligence Agency)

Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths in the United States. This episode examines the Defense Intelligence Agency’s role in tracking the production and distribution networks trading in this lethal drug.

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 the Defense Intelligence Agency where he discusses how, after surviving more than 30 combat operations in the Vietnam War, he became a catalyst in changing the way Hollywood makes war movies.

Comedian and actor Rob Riggle sits down with DIA director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, Jr. to discuss Riggle's affinity for the military and his two-decade entertainment career.

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 from the Vietnam War.

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 episode, listeners learn about her harrowing experience and DIA's efforts with her eventual rescue.

Now retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley Jr. served his country for 36 years, most recently as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. On this episode of DIA Connections, Ashley reflected on his career, shared his thoughts concerning the biggest threats that face our country, and the contributing factors that motivated him as DIA director. Also discussed was his passion for reading, music, family and his future plans.

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 Intelligence Agency was bestowed that honor. In this episode of DIA Connections, Danoy recounts his interactions with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, and on board Air Force One, while discussing the duties and responsibilities of this position in a candid one-on-one interview.

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 once an obstacle is now melting away, and as a result, this emerging frontier is bustling with activity. And not all of it is positive. This episode of DIA Connections examines the developing issues and complexities as a result of a warmer climate, and the implications it is having on our national security.

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 Intelligence Agency was bestowed that honor. In this episode of DIA Connections, Danoy recounts his interactions with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, and on board Air Force One, while discussing the duties and responsibilities of this position in a candid one-on-one interview.

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 once an obstacle is now melting away, and as a result, this emerging frontier is bustling with activity. And not all of it is positive. This episode of DIA Connections examines the developing issues and complexities as a result of a warmer climate, and the implications it is having on our national security.

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 patriotism and service to the United States of America. This episode of DIA Connections features a conversation with April Maletz, who in 2020, became the first Defense Intelligence Officer to ever win this prestigious award for her volunteer efforts in bringing veterans to Washington DC to visit the memorials created in their honor. Along with April are two other stories certain to lift the spirits. A discussion about Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, and his clever contributions for the enlisted during WWII. And a conversation with Grammy Award winning artist Lee Greenwood, whose song, “God Bless the USA” has become an American anthem for patriotism.

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 the attaché office of the Defense Intelligence Agency. This episode of DIA Connections features an in-depth conversation with one of those hostages, Mr. Joseph Hall. His gripping recollections tell the emotional story of a terrifying time that captured the world’s attention. Additional information is gained through insightful discussions with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mr. Donald F. McHenry, and ABC News broadcasting legend Ted Koppel.

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 on behalf of Cuban Intelligence. On this episode of DIA Connections, we examine the nefarious activities of this highly decorated intelligence analyst who became one of the most damaging spies ever caught engaging in espionage against the United States. Conversations with a counterintelligence investigator, a spy psychiatrist and bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell, help to unravel the challenges and pitfalls in catching the woman known as the “Queen of Cuba”.

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. On this episode of DIA Connections, we spoke with Paul about his contributions to national security, and about his guitar playing, his guitar making, and his musical influences. Joining the conversation is music buff and former DIA Director Robert P. Ashley, Jr. Listen as these Guitar Heroes play, and talk, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, and The Beatles.

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 support to locate the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks with a former senior intelligence analyst who was part of the Joint Intelligence Task Force for Combating Terrorism. We also hear a chilling behind-the-scenes account of the raid from photographer Pete Souza. Pete tells the story behind the historic image of President Barack Obama and his advisors in the White House Situation Room during the mission.

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 Koppel, actor/comedian Rob Riggle, and former White House photographer Pete Souza discuss a wide range of topics, including DIA’s role in finding Osama bin Laden, tracking illegal fentanyl, searching for U.S. soldiers reported as missing in action during the Vietnam War, catching a spy within DIA, and recalling the horror of the Iranian Hostage Crisis from one of the hostages held for 444 days. Listen to highlights from our “Best of Season One” show.

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, seeking out those responsible. Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush also joins us. On 9/11, he was with the president on Air Force One as they returned to Washington, D.C. His account of that experience is riveting. And former Major League Baseball umpire Jim Joyce tells us about being at Yankee Stadium for the World Series the night President Bush threw the ceremonial first pitch to signify that America was healing.

In 2020, Lieutenant General Scott D. Berrier became the 22nd Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. On this episode of DIA Connections, the Director shares his thoughts on several topics including the national security environment, strategic competition with China and Russia, and the ultimate sacrifice of service members in Afghanistan. Also discussed are his views on leadership, diversity, his Wisconsin roots, and a passion for motorcycles.

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, briefed President John F. Kennedy, and then presented the evidence at the United Nations. You'll hear from a B-47 aircraft commander who was on high alert during this time, waiting to fly over Soviet air space and execute his war mission. The episode also includes an enlightening conversation with legendary news anchor Marvin Kalb, who was a CBS News foreign correspondent reporting on the crisis from Moscow. You’ll want to hear his anecdotes of drinking and sharing French pastries with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev — the man Americans believed would blow up the world.

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, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Russia and Vladimir Putin. Rice speaks about life growing up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1960s, and about racism in America today. She also touches on her passion for education, sports and democracy around the world.

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 treaty compliance by extensive on-site inspections for verification. On this episode of DIA Connections, we visit the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for an up-close look at nuclear missiles, and then speak with a naval officer at the ready to execute a launch order on a nuclear submarine. Finally, Hollywood director Nicholas Meyer explains how his 1983 television movie, “The Day After,” a raw and vivid look at a nuclear attack on the United States, caused such alarm that psychologists suggested people watch it in large groups for fear of mass hysteria. White House staff members even tried to make changes prior to the movie airing, and may have even been the tipping point for President Ronald Reagan to meet with Mikhail Gorbachev and change the course of history.

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 disaster. Wanna laugh? On this episode of DIA Connections, we explore how the humor of President Ronald Reagan and Yakov Smirnoff may have paved the way for a nuclear arms reduction treaty.

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 the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School program depicted in the movie. On this episode of DIA Connections, you’ll hear about it in a fascinating conversation with Dan Pedersen, the founder of TOPGUN. We also have a discussion with flight instructor Dave “BIO” Baranek, who not only flew aerial sequences in the film and participated in the editing process, but who also swapped stories off set with Cruise about the need for speed.

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 program. On this episode of DIA Connections, learn how the Agency used psychics to collect intelligence on foreign targets. Author Annie Jacobsen joins us to discuss the secret history of the U.S. Government's investigation into psychic phenomena and about the paranormal race with the Soviet Union. Then, visit the home of Angela Dellafiora, DIA's award-winning psychic/remote viewer, who describes her visualization process and how she used her third eye to go to places where others couldn't. This one's a real mindbender.

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 Secretary of State, an award-winning Hollywood movie director, a journalist in Moscow during the Cuban Missile Crisis, an ex-Major League Baseball umpire, a DIA psychic, and a comedian President Reagan sought advice from on dealing with Gorbachev about nuclear disarmament. Listen to highlights from the “Best of Season Two.”

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 Operation Babylift, a mass evacuation humanitarian mission that ultimately saved thousands of lives. On this episode of DIA Connections, we examine the Defense Intelligence Agency’s successful rescue mission, despite its tragic start when the first plane leaving Saigon crashed, killing 138 of the 316 on board, including five DIA employees. We spoke with two survivors who shared their emotional stories of that fateful day, the pilot, Col. Dennis “Bud” Traynor and medical crew director Regina Aune. You’ll also hear from two of the babies who were airlifted to safety and as adults have honored their past in very different ways. One writes and sings about his life as an adoptee, the other works for the Agency that helped bring her to America, the DIA.

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. On this episode of DIA Connections, you’ll hear from a psychologist who treats children suffering from war trauma. We spoke with the director of the War Childhood Museum, the world’s only museum focused exclusively on the impact of children and war. We also visited two brave 15-year-old young ladies who left their home in Ukraine for America after a walk home from a friend's house was interrupted by a Russian missile strike.

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 image taken by photojournalist Lynsey Addario, which offered irrefutable proof of Russia’s tactics. On this episode of DIA Connections, our conversation with Addario includes her chilling account behind the historically important photograph she took at a bridge in Ukraine used as a civilian evacuation route, as well as her continued work in the world’s most dangerous places.

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. On this episode of DIA Connections, we follow the inspirational story of Merryl Goldberg, a saxophonist from Boston who in 1985 volunteered to go behind the iron curtain into the Soviet Union to help Jews seeking freedom. Hear how she hoodwinked the KGB by hiding coded information in her sheet music, and how she attracted worldwide attention for the plight of Soviet Jews.   *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the US Government of any particular company, product, or service.

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.  You’ll also hear how they became one of the most significant pieces of DIA history and heritage, not to mention a red-hot collector’s item.  *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the US Government of any particular company, product, or service.

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 remembrance – Taps. Jari Villanueva, the country’s foremost expert on America’s most familiar bugle call, joins us in a conversation about the 24 notes that must be sounded to perfection – and talk about one of the times it wasn’t ... when the whole world was listening.  *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the US Government of any particular company, product, or service.

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 on a spy mission behind the iron curtain, a pilot of a plane that crashed during the evacuation of children from Vietnam, two teenagers who left their war-torn country of Ukraine for America, and a photographer who captured the war's devastation on innocent civilians in one defining image. Listen to highlights from the “Best of Season Three.” *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the US Government of any particular company, product, or service.

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 The Monuments Men, talks about the greatest treasure hunt in history and the scholar soldiers who found civilizations' most important artistic and cultural treasures. You’ll also hear about DIA’s current mission to protect our shared cultural heritage. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

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 the crew of 24 into custody for 11 days. On this episode of DIA Connections, you'll hear pilot Shane Osborn tell the riveting story of saving them from almost certain death and how the diplomatic efforts of the U.S. ambassador to China and a DIA attaché helped negotiate their freedom. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed as an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

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. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

Who said writing intelligence reports for policymakers is boring? Not us--and certainly not former DIA intelligence analyst turned Hollywood screenwriter Mitchell LaFortune. On this episode of DIA Connections, LaFortune talks about his creative approach to intelligence writing. Learn how it helped him when he left DIA for LA to write the screenplay for the action thriller Kandahar, a movie based on his experiences in Afghanistan. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

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 DIAloguers, a group that helps DIA officers overcome their glossophobia. You’ll also hear how a great speech from a skilled speaker can echo through history. Peter Robinson, President Ronald Reagan’s speechwriter, joins us to discuss the amazing backstory of the "Tear Down This Wall" speech - four words that defined a presidency and changed the world. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

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 it already happened! On this episode, a conversation with Dante Lauretta, leader of NASA’s expedition to the most dangerous rock in our solar system. You’ll also hear from the chief of DIA’s Space and Counterspace office about securing the nation’s vital interests in space -- both today and tomorrow. Finally, we go back to the future with The Jetsons, the classic cartoon that was a century ahead of its time. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

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 fighter jet, a cosmochemistry professor who led NASA’s mission to an asteroid, a DIA analyst turned screenwriter, the speechwriter behind President Reagan’s challenge to “tear down this wall,” and the author of “The Monuments Men,” a book about the greatest treasure hunt in history. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

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 drug epidemic in U.S. history. We also spoke with Mariana Van Zeller, an investigative reporter who went deep inside the fentanyl pipeline to Mexico’s cartel country to see how it’s produced and trafficked into the United States. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

During the Iraq War in 2003, U.S. Special Operations Forces rescued Pfc. Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Baghdad. It was the first successful rescue of an American prisoner of war since World War II, and the first-ever rescue of a woman. In this episode, you’ll learn how a DIA team hid a camera in a gym bag to record video of the hospital’s interior, which was used for the rescue mission. You’ll also hear from former NBC News correspondent Kerry Sanders, whose camera crew was embedded with a Marine unit during the war and had exclusive access to stories, including knowledge of when the rescue attempt for Lynch would take place.

As a specialist in a maintenance company during the Iraq War in 2003, the last thing Shoshana Johnson expected to happen was to be captured by the enemy and held in captivity for 22 days. In this episode, you’ll hear about her rescue and the attention that followed, which included appearances on Ellen and Oprah. She also shares how she’s spent the last two decades coping with post-traumatic stress disorder. You’ll then learn how DIA’s Office of the Surgeon General provides guidance and support for PTSD. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.

Forty years ago, spies were being exposed at an alarming rate, which led the press to dub 1985 the Year of the Spy. In this episode, you'll hear about two DIA analysts involved in espionage that year — one working for us and the other against us. Additionally, you'll hear from DIA's chief of counterintelligence, known as CI, who explains why his team’s mission is crucial to U.S. national security. *Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the DIA or the U.S. government of any particular company, product or service.