Got some details about the intelligence preparation of the battlefield done during the run up to the Maduro op. thehighside.substack.com/p/bold-delta...

New details from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social on last night's JSOC raid in Caracas, including info on the roles of the CIA and "Task Force Orange." thehighside.substack.com/p/bold-delta...

In the final chapter, @seandnaylor.bsky.social writes that during the War on Terror, JSOC commanders "built the perfect hammer for the National Command Authority. The risk was that, as a result, successive administrations would continue to view too many national security problems as a nail."

Trump just posted this photo of Maduro with the caption, "Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima." truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...

Last night's op bears all the hallmarks of a classic Joint Special Operations Command mission. To know more about JSOC, read our own @seandnaylor.bsky.social's "Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command." Amazon Associates link: amzn.to/3N4WUfk (You buy: we get a cut)

We're proud of the work @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social did on The High Side this year and want to share just a few of those stories with you:

Think you're out of time to order Xmas presents? Not if you schedule a paid subscription to The High Side for delivery tomorrow. Details below. (cc @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social)

Need the perfect present for the intel and/or special ops aficionado in your life? Affordable ($5 a month!) gift subscriptions to @thehighside.bsky.social, at: thehighside.substack.com/gift, include access to all our past articles by @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social, such as:

Another happy paid subscriber to @thehighside.bsky.social. @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and I are interested in "super-secret ninja black ops stuff" too, Shea! E.g., thehighside.substack.com/p/gaza-hosta... (JSOC/Israel) and thehighside.substack.com/p/red-menace... (Green Berets' backpack nukes).

The main @thehighside.bsky.social article @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and I discuss in the podcast: thehighside.substack.com/p/hunting-bi... Others include: thehighside.substack.com/p/lambs-to-t..., thehighside.substack.com/p/gaza-hosta... and thehighside.substack.com/p/in-the-kil...

When 2 CIA operatives thought they got bin Laden on camera, CIA photo analysts backed them up! One of the wildest stories we'd heard about the bin Laden hunt (and the CIA's relationship with Pakistan's ISI). And we got the photos. By @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social:

In 2005 a CIA team in a remote valley in Pakistan got eyes on Bin Laden, confirmed above 90% certainty by the analysts...but was it really him? Controversial within the CIA and unreported until now. thehighside.substack.com/p/hunting-bi...

We appreciate the sentiment from this new paid subscriber to The High Side! Check out our work here: thehighside.substack.com and if you like what you see, please become a paid subscriber. And while you're at it, show @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @theteamhouse.bsky.social boys some love too.

This is a great read

Lots of talk today about the "Zero Units" in Afghanistan. @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and I discussed them in our article on @thehighside.bsky.social about JSOC's Omega teams. Zeroed Out: How JSOC’s Omega teams enabled the CIA’s Afghan militias: thehighside.substack.com/p/zeroed-out...

Veterans of the war in Afghanistan, particularly those who fought in Kunar and Nuristan, will want to read this one. Years after leaving these valleys, an important story is told about Bin Laden’s post-9/11 life Highly recommended piece from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social & @seandnaylor.bsky.social

Our latest story by @seandnaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social about how a chance sighting in a Pakistani bazaar prompted some in the CIA to believe that for the first time in years they'd picked up bin Laden's trail. And then someone told the head of the ISI...

New article tomorrow early AM on @thehighside.bsky.social with @seandnaylor.bsky.social. It is a Bin Laden story I've had to sit on for about ten years. Spicy content, and we've got the pics.

“But other observers have heavily criticized the program, in part due to numerous war crimes allegations aimed at the militias… ‘They did more harm than good,’ said an academic who worked closely with coalition forces in the field in Afghanistan”

Generous praise from ret. Col. (and former deputy assistant secretary of defense) Joe Collins for @seandnaylor.bsky.social (and, by extension, @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social) and our work on @thehighside.bsky.social. Read it at TheHighSide.substack.com and consider becoming a paid subscriber like Joe.

The latest in our very irregular feature, "The Back Brief," in which @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social reviews some of the latest national security-themed books, including controversial releases about how drug trafficking has corrupted Delta Force, and the CIA's successes and failures in the 21st Century.

Another happy paid subscriber, plus a shout-out to @theteamhouse.bsky.social's Eyes On podcast. (Our @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social also runs The Team House.) The story to which our new paid subscriber was responding: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t... about the CIA's elite all-Afghan humint cell.

"Definitely worth the price tag for subscription," Nigel says about our new story by @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social + @seandnaylor.bsky.social: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t... on a CIA all-Afghan humint cell that tried to recruit a jihadi who was present when @wsj.com's Daniel Pearl was killed.

Great shout-out for @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social's and my story in @thehighside.bsky.social about the CIA's all-Afghan humint unit that tried to recruit one of Daniel Pearl's killers: "a fascinating report ... You'll want to read to the end." The story is here: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t...

What readers are saying about "The Unit That Didn’t Exist: How the CIA’s elite Afghan spies tried to recruit one of Daniel Pearl’s killers" thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t..., our latest by @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social (thread 1/3):

Great story.

Read this.

New from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social - The Unit That Didn’t Exist open.substack.com/pub/thehighs...

Soft launching our @theteamhouse.bsky.social newsletter which will be in conjunction with @thehighside.bsky.social bringing a weekly round up of our podcasts and activities. Sign up: teamhousepodcast.kit.com/join

Subscribe to my substack where we write national security focused investigative journalism about special operations and the intelligence community. Just two guys and a dream, no outside funding, no billionaire telling us what to write. thehighside.substack.com

Should be a fun summer, but no vacation this year. Lots of @theteamhouse.bsky.social podcasts, several cool articles for @thehighside.bsky.social, turning in the final copy of my novel to the publisher, and tech advising on a Vietnam war film (possible on camera role too).

Some new updates to this story I first published in late 2022. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-cia-di...

1865. Or whatever. Tell me again history doesn't matter

Sorry, this wasn't clear. It was written by Sean.

Check it out. I can say that in the aftermath of this there are many unanswered questions. The Cuban-American community (and some in the intel community) are freaked out to say the least.

Our latest from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social: thehighside.substack.com/p/comedown

And in case you missed it, here's the story we published yesterday afternoon to which (I think) Linda was responding: thehighside.substack.com/p/army-speci...

Another happy paid subscriber to @thehighside.bsky.social, the national security reporting site I run with @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social. Thank YOU, Linda!

Something we didn't anticipate was that the Trump administration would give the phrase "the high side" so much publicity so soon. Thanks guys! From your friends at The High Side, @seandnaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social

I'm one of the fortunate few w/a direct perspective on this issue. This article is the most in-depth and accurate account to date about what it's like to exp AHI w/daily attacks & harassment, and overcoming the skepticism of the people you trust & turn to for help.

Phenomenal writing to the point I was getting sweaty palms and couldn't sit still remembering and reliving my own experiences that mimic what the agents went through. Break-ins, social theater & bad actors, complicit authorities, attempts on my life, identity theft, bank fraud...

@seandnaylor.bsky.social and I discussing our recent article about Havana Syndrome which can be found here: thehighside.substack.com/p/lambs-to-t...

“After a 6 week review we are officially cancelling 83% of the programs at USAID,” Marco Rubio wrote on Monday. (trib.al/nBk143S) Now, the staff has been directed to shred and burn classified documents—an illegal move under the Federal Records Act.

Breaking news: The Trump administration will immediately lift its pause on military and intelligence support for Ukraine after Kyiv’s endorsement of a U.S. ceasefire proposal, according to a joint statement by Ukraine and the United States.

I am actually insulted that I did not receive my own Executive Order and instead had to rely upon the NY Post and now this tweet, which does not frame as well. 🤣

🔥🔥🔥🔥 @seannaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social with some extraordinary details on the original Embassy Havana team, and what they hav gone thru. Hope the FBI takes a new look at what is very compelling evidence of likely Cuban and Russian surveillance in conus.