The Unfair Fight
023: A CIA Officer’s Journey Through Covert Operations and Counterterrorism with Phil Reilly
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Episode notes
Few can say they've jumped out of an airplane with a nuclear device strapped to their body, or can claim to be one of the first Americans on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11. For Phil Reilly, former CIA senior operations officer, elite missions have been the story of his career. Phil joins Jon to discuss his remarkable 29-year run with the CIA and the Army Special Forces training that led to it. From intense Green Beret military training to covert assignments in the paramilitary wing of the CIA, Phil discusses his experiences around the world and how 9/11 changed the course of his career, leading to high-level roles as Chief of Station and Chief of Operations of the CIA Counterterrorist Center. Looking ahead, he discusses the shifting focus of the US to the looming threat of China. Drawing from his elite training, he shares lessons that apply to the private sector business world—like building teams from scratch and handling the stress of high-performance roles.
About the Unfair Fight PodcastWelcome to The Unfair Fight, a podcast by Jon Murchison, the founder and CEO of Blackpoint Cyber. Previously an NSA computer operations expert and IT professional, Jon spent more than a decade executing high-priority national security missions. Now, he welcomes experts onto his podcast. Together, they participate in compelling conversations surrounding geopolitics, high-level performance in diverse fields, entrepreneurship, and the current cybersecurity landscape.