Inside the Command Post in Pakistan During the Bin Laden Raid | Earthquake Relief | Leadership Lessons | Vice Adm (ret) Mike LeFever
Release Date: 02/08/2025
Generation Kill to MARSOC: Jason Lilley’s Combat & Personal Journey
Combat Story
In this unfiltered Combat Story episode, we go deep with Jason Lilley — Recon Marine, MARSOC Raider, CIA Global Response Staff, and co-creator of Savage Actual. Jason opens up about his path from a turbulent youth to serving in some of the most elite units in the U.S. military, facing the chaos of Iraq and Afghanistan, and building a new life as a creator and veteran advocate. In this episode: From family struggles to joining the Marine Corps First Recon, Generation Kill, and the invasion of Iraq Intense firefights in Fallujah and Afghanistan Life in MARSOC and the CIA’s Global Response...
info_outline
Trump-Putin Alaska Summit: Former CIA Officers Break Down Looming Meeting
Combat Story
🎙️ Time-Sensitive RH Intel: Trump-Putin Alaska Summit Analysis 🌍🇺🇸🇷🇺 Join Ryan Fugit and Glenn, both seasoned former CIA officers 🕵️♂️, as they unpack the high-stakes Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska 🏔️—a pivotal moment for US-Russia relations and the Ukraine conflict. This timely episode dives deep into international diplomacy, geopolitical tensions, and the shifting dynamics of the global security landscape. Get a daily intel brief delivered to your email at to get a curated set of insights and reporting on Russia, China, Iran, the MIddle East...
info_outline
Former CIA Officers Talk Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, China on Restricted Handling w/ Glenn Corn
Combat Story
🔥 New Podcast Drop! This exclusive crossover episode introduces my brand-new show Restricted Handling 🔒 — hosted by me - Ryan Fugit - and former CIA Chief of Station Glenn Corn 🕵️♂️. 🎯 Combat Story fans — don’t worry. That show will continue strong under decorated Marine Sniper & Recon Operator AJ Pasciuti 🦅. But if you crave deeper dives into intelligence, military operations, and high-stakes geopolitics, Restricted Handling is your new must-listen. 🕵️ What’s Restricted Handling? In the Intelligence Community, “Restricted Handling” refers to...
info_outline
The Toll it Takes: Delta Force Operator & Veteran Advocate Derek Nadalini
Combat Story
Delta Force Veteran Derek Nadalini: Unfiltered Combat Stories, Hard Truths, & the Battle for Redemption Step inside the untold world of America’s most elite warriors. In this explosive episode of Combat Story, we sit down with Derek Nadalini, a former Delta Force operator, veteran of Joint Special Operations Command, Army Ranger, and Navy serviceman, for a raw and riveting conversation about the realities of modern war and the fight to find peace after the guns go silent. Check out our Derek Nadalini’s Journey: From a military family shaped by Vietnam to a career that spanned the...
info_outline
Delta Force to Healing Force | Tom Satterly’s Battle Beyond the Battlefield
Combat Story
This is a unique Combat Story and part of a new Podumentary series where we interview some of our fan favorite guests and go even deeper on the moments in combat that forged them. This week we have Tom Satterly, former Delta Force Sergeant Major whose first battle was in Operational Gothic Serpent (Black Hawk Down) and his last was some battlefield in the post-9/11 era. Many will recall our original interview with Tom on Episode #11. Tom co-founded and runs the All Secure Foundation with his wife Jen. All Secure helps save vets who are dealing with challenging times. About All Secure...
info_outline
Combat from Echo in Ramadi | Marine Commander Takes Us Inside the Deadliest City in Iraq Scott Huesing
Combat Story
Today we have a great interview with 24 year retired Marine and best selling author of Echo in Ramadi, Scott Huesing. Scott led the “magnificent bastards” of 2/4 Marines during one of the most brutal periods of the post-9/11 war from 2006 into 2007 during the Surge. Scott went from self-described terrible high school student to enlisted Marine to Mustang (a Marine Officer who was formerly Enlisted), serving on 10 deployments in multiple countries. In this episode, Scott takes into an intense fight to extract several pinned down Marines that included bringing M1A1s along to losing his...
info_outline
Medal of Honor Leadership Ryan Pitts | Medal of Honor | Leadership in Battle
Combat Story
Today we have a once in a lifetime interview with Medal of Honor recipient Ryan Pitts, who truly earned this prestigious award in the mountains of Afghanistan fighting off a very dedicated, organized, and determined enemy force. Ryan and I connected thanks to the National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership, a non-profit helping to share lessons of leadership from Medal of Honor recipients and the values they live by with people who lead at any level. In this episode, we dive into Ryan’s near death experiences (there are several) while downrange but we never venture far from what leadership...
info_outline
Life Changing Moment in Combat | Leads to Life of Service | Force Recon | Non-Profit Founder | Jake Harriman
Combat Story
Today we have a fascinating Combat Story with Jake Harriman who is one of those guys who makes you feel incredibly lazy for not helping hungry people in Africa (seriously) and helping to heal the divide in America, one person at a time. It’s no surprise that Jake served alongside Todd Opalski (who long time fans of the show will know as the enlisted Marine Sniper who became a Marine officer, Force Recon leader, and was then invited to serve in the most elite unit in the US Military). You can’t help but do great things if you worked with Todd! Jake is truly an incredibly humble but...
info_outline
SEAL Troop Commander | Tech Founder | Josh Thurman
Combat Story
Our Combat Story today is former Navy SEAL officer Josh Thurman, who spent over 12 years serving in the SEAL Teams, including at the elite level. Over the course of 11 deployments in the post-9/11 era, Josh led high-stakes special operations missions and nearly lost his own life on countless occasions. Join the AngelQ Waitlist to get a special offer and be one of the first to get access to this amazing product that keeps kids safe online: https://bitli.pro/2pvxr_9464bab7 Josh almost never joined the military and, instead, thought of becoming a religious leader, which we talk about...
info_outline
Europe’s New Perspectives on Russia, China, Energy, and Economic Security from Italian Veteran Roberto Toncig
Combat Story
Today we sit down with Roberto Toncig, a retired Italian Army and former Government Executive with 40+ years of experience in the field of Defence and Security. He spent over two decades in steeped in International Relations and Security, most of them spent in challenging positions at various Italian Embassies abroad. In addition to Italian and fantastic English, Roberto speaks German, French, Serbo-Croatian, and Russian. In his post-government work, Roberto is an advisor at Leonardo focused on Regional Security for this global defense, security, and aerospace giant. We connected...
info_outlineToday’s Combat Story is with our first Navy Vice Admiral, Mike LeFever, who spent 38 years in uniform supporting US National Security across the world. Rising from an Annapolis wrestler to a surface warfare officer, Mike was selected to command a strike group, would serve at the US Embassy in Pakistan as the head diplomatic officer (during the Bin Laden raid), and finished his military career as the Director of Strategic Operational Planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/combatstory Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!
Mike has gone on to write a book about leading through crises titled End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis, and, since leaving service, has stayed very busy with roles as a CEO for a cyber and tech company; a senior advisor and mentor at the McChrystal Group; Performance Ambassador and Speaker for Liminal Collective and Arena Labs; works on the Cipher Brief with friend of the show Glenn Corn and more.
This is a really and insightful discussion with an incredibly senior, accomplished, yet thoroughly humble leader and I hope you enjoy his sense of humor, honest talk, and experiences at the highest levels of both global affairs and military strategy as much as I did.
Check out our Combat Story Newsletter at www.combatstory.com/newsletter
Find Mike LeFever Online:
https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu/mike-lefever/
End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis
Find Ryan Online:
🎙️ Connect with Ryan & Combat Story:
🔗 Ryan’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/combatstory
🛒 Merch Store: https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
📸 Instagram: @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
📘 Facebook: @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
📖 Learn more about Ryan: https://www.combatstory.com/aboutus
🎵 Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Show Notes:
00:44 Introduction to Combat Story and Host
01:03 Meet Vice Admiral Mike Lefevre
01:34 Career Highlights and Leadership Roles
02:25 Personal Insights and Experiences
02:53 Memorable Moments in Islamabad
07:07 Significant Events and Challenges in Pakistan
09:06 Reflections on Leadership and Service
09:54 Unexpected Career Path and Surface Warfare
15:04 Leading Earthquake Relief in Pakistan
19:10 Building a Humanitarian Task Force
24:14 Navigating Crisis and Leadership Lessons
32:04 End Game: Strategic Planning and Execution
35:07 Military Influence in Pakistan
35:29 Anecdotes from Bab N Abad
36:41 Building Relationships in Pakistan
39:44 The Bin Laden Raid
42:36 Post-Raid Reflections
44:00 Geopolitical Challenges and Operations
53:14 Leadership and Mentorship
55:20 High-Performance Training
57:44 Current Endeavors and Reflections
01:02:02 Personal Reflections and Closing Thoughts