The Jedburgh Podcast

Lacrosse is a sport built on passion, precision, and community. It’s also a sport that defines service. Live from the Stars and Stripes Classic , Fran Racioppi sat down with Mike Rabi l, co-founder and CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League , to highlight the PLL’s partnership with the Green Beret Foundation and explore how the sport of lacrosse is intertwined with American Special Operators.  A...

Romania is one of America’s key allies in the fight for Eastern Europe. Romanian Special Forces are critical to the success of that mission; and the partnership between United States Special Operations and our Romanian counterparts sits at the center of that strategy. From the Global Special Operations Symposium in Athens, Greece , Fran Racioppi sat down with Major General Claudiu Dobocan , Comman...

America is not the only nation in a fight for freedom, stability, and security. International threats are complex, the missions are critical, and the operators leading them must think globally while acting locally. The Philippines is one of America’s longest strategic allies. From their geographical importance of World War II, to their front lines combating Chinese expansion in the Pacific, the mi...

Few leaders have shaped the identity of America’s Special Forces more than President John F. Kennedy. In just three years as Commander in Chief, JFK redefined how the United States would fight, lead, and prepare for an uncertain world, one that demanded unconventional solutions and elite warriors ready to face any challenge. As the Cold War escalated, President Kennedy saw the need for a new kind...

There are few chapters in American military history as daring, secretive, and defining as MACV-SOG, the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group . A small band of elite Green Berets who operated deep behind enemy lines, often without acknowledgment, and always with extraordinary courage. These men were tasked with missions that had never been done before and might never...

America maintains a promise to its citizens…we will never leave you behind. The realities of war and conflict challenge that foundational truth and today, regrettably, thousands of American service members remain missing in action; their stories untold, their families still waiting for answers. For most the reality that their loved one has passed has set in; but the promise to bring them home has...

Americans are valuable commodities. America’s adversaries know it and too often, when given the opportunity, our enemies kidnap, arrest and hold hostage Americans in an effort to get what they want.  The United States Government maintains robust diplomatic and military programs to bring Americans home; but the process is often slow and bureaucratic. Bryan Stern isn’t waiting around for permis...

The war for information, influence, and decision making is paramount on today’s battlefield. Artificial intelligence is no longer a concept of the future; it’s essential for America’s national security and military dominance.  From SOF Week in Tampa, Florida, Fran Racioppi sat down with retired Green Beret and Co-founder of Accrete AI Government , Bill Wall , to talk about a fight most Americ...

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the second largest government agency. The Secretary of the VA has an operational responsibility to support our Veterans and a moral obligation to ensure that those who defend and protect American interests are returned from service as contributing members of society.  To explore what it takes to transform one of America’s biggest bureaucracies, Fran Racio...

Standards set the foundation for any professional organization. The baseline for professionalism in the US Army is Army Regulation 670-1 ; Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia. This regulation dictates the standard for every Soldier, regardless of rank or position. AR 670-1 has long been a hot topic of discussion among Soldiers and leaders at every level; and too often left open to in...

Supporting the Special Forces Regiment isn’t just a job, it’s a lifestyle. For over 15 years Green Beret Foundation has placed empowering Green Berets of every generation at the forefront. Creating opportunities from the unique needs of our Special Operators is the mission.   Charlie Iacono is the President and CEO of Green Beret Foundation; a role to which he brought seemingly endless n...

For over three decades, retired Colonel Stu Bradin served on the front lines of some of America’s most critical Special Operations missions from Central America and the Balkans to Northern Africa and Afghanistan. He led Special Forces teams under fire, built NATO’s Special Operations Headquarters from the ground up, and ran multi-national, interagency fusion cells in the heart of combat zones. But...

Memorial Day isn’t about a long weekend and BBQs. It’s about honoring those who gave their lives in defense of America…and it’s about supporting the families they left behind. Across US Army Special Operations Command remembering the legacy and impact of the fallen is a daily duty.  This Memorial Day, Fran Racioppi sat down with Major General Gil Ferguson and Dalia Munoz to share the story of...

Green Berets are America’s best problem solvers. There’s no challenge too great and no solution that cannot be found. This mentality exists in service and beyond.  Ben Harrow solved complex challenges as a West Point Lacrosse star, leading soldiers in Iraq, and as he joined Special Forces to be a Green Beret in the Army. Today he’s the President of PAM Jets solving aviation’s largest logistic...

America maintains a promise to its citizens. A promise to never leave them behind and stop at nothing to return them to American soil. Over 200 Americans are wrongfully detained or taken hostage each year across the globe. The Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs is responsible for bringing them home.  Ambassador Roger Carstens served as the SPEHA from 2020-2025. A West Point Gradua...

Since 2002, graduates of the U.S. Army Special Forces Qualification Course have been awarded the Yarborough Knife; an elite symbol of distinction, identity, and mission.  Named after LTG William P. Yarborough, who was instrumental in solidifying President John F. Kennedy’s support of Special Forces, the blade was forged to mark the moment a soldier became a Green Beret. Each knife was engrave...

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment is America’s most lethal and versatile projection of combat power. When our Special Operations Forces require precision insertion, extraction and fire support, the pilots of the 160th deliver. Born from the need to develop an aviation regiment capable of anything, anywhere, anytime, the 160th SOAR is the only Special Operations Unit to have been deplo...

The Special Forces Groups are where America’s Green Berets get to work. 5th Special Forces Group has been involved in every conflict, known and unknown,  across the Middle East since its inception. Doing hard things isn’t considered an ask; it’s the standard.  To dig into the mission of The Legion, Fran Racioppi traveled to Fort Campbell, KY to sit down with the command team, COL Gabe Sz...

The Army physical training test has long been a measure of a soldier’s fitness for duty and for combat. For decades it’s been used as the benchmark upon which all other physical fitness has been evaluated. And for decades it has been hotly debated, modified and enhanced to best represent the current mission of the US Army.  SGM Chris Mullinax has been charged with developing the Army Fitness...

The biggest threat to America today is too often the one we think about the least. Nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare has been around for decades and the effects of an NBC attack on the homeland or American interests abroad is a very real scenario.  Retired Lt. Gen Leslie Smith spent a career in the Army as a Chemical Officer. He served as the Chief of the Chemical Branch and Commandan...

The directive given to our Green Berets is to win by All Means Available. To do so, requires a combination of ingenuity, understanding the environment, a clear plan and precision execution.  Mike Vickers built a career on winning America’s shadow wars by All Means Available. Mike started his career as both a non-commissioned and commissioned officer Green Beret before becoming a Paramilitary...

Green Berets solve complex challenges in service because they’re informed. Yet when they transition out, the civilian world often leaves them looking for answers. The Green Beret Foundation stands ready to ensure our nation's most elite soldiers continue to succeed post service.  From the sidelines of the Stars and Stripes Classic , the first ever lacrosse battle between Green Berets and Navy...

Congress holds the power of the purse. The United States Government is the largest business in the world, but to conduct business - and national security - Congress has to approve the funds and the money.  Representative Jake Ellzey is now a 3-term Congressman representing Texas’s 6th District. He’s a Naval Academy graduate, a helicopter and fighter pilot, and a member of the House Appropriat...

Veterans are once again dominating Congress. The start of the 119th Congress has 100 Veterans across both sides of the aisle. Veterans by and large focus on teamwork and getting results.  To kick off the excitement behind the new Congress, Fran Racioppi spent a few snowy days on Capitol Hill with the members of the For Country Caucus ; a bi-partisan group of House of Representative members wh...

Readiness is the ability to close with and destroy any enemy, anywhere, anytime. The role of the Sergeant Major of the Army is to ensure readiness. Command Sergeant Major Dan Dailey was the 15th Sergeant Major of the Army and the youngest Soldier to ever hold the position. Today, he is the Vice President of Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier Programs at the Association of the United States Army ....