One CA Podcast

Please welcome Frank Vogl, co-founder of Transparency International and author of the book Enablers, which examines people who help autocrats and international criminal organizations hide money. Frank has more than 50 years of experience in economics and security, so I brought him on today to discuss how adversaries and multinational criminal organizations use economics to degrade US foreign polic...

Please welcome Conan Higgins, a former Special Forces TACP operator who is now an international law attorney travelling globally to advise companies and national leaders on international relations and crisis response. --- One CA is a product of the Civil Affairs Association andbrings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers and field agents to discuss their exp...

One CA Podcast—ranked among Feedspot’s Top 10 Foreign Policy podcasts—returns with investigative journalist Sam Cooper interviewing Cheryl Yu of the Jamestown Foundation. Yu shares her groundbreaking research mapping more than 2,000 PRC United Front organizations operating across the United States, Canada, and other democratic nations. Her data-driven work reveals how the Chinese Communist Party b...

Please welcome back Zolal Habibi, one of the leaders of theresistance to the Iranian regime. I asked her to come on, at the last second, to give an update onthe resistance forces since the start of the US strikes. This is a newsinterview, so no editing. --- One CA is a product of the Civil Affairs Association andbrings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, developmentofficers, a...

Please welcome Lieutenant Nick Dubaz, the G39 Director of the Southern European Task Force, Africa. Nick oversees Civil Affairs teams working across the continent to help U.S. Embassies build positive relations with partner nations' people and leaders. --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers,...

Welcome to the One CA Podcast. Today, DJ brings in ChristineBalling, the Senior Vice President for Professional Affiliations, IWP; Founderof Fundación ECCO; Former Advisor to the US SOCSOUTH Commander, to discuss herwork with Civil Affairs in Colombia.  --- One CA is a product of the Civil Affairs Association andbrings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, developmentofficers, a...

Today we welcome Patrick Alley, co-founder of Global Witness.  Patrick Alley and his team at Global Witness are credited with countering multiple autocrats and kleptocrats worldwide. The most notable is collapsing the Khmer Rouge by exposing the illegal timber trade that was bankrolling the rebels. They created the Blood Diamond campaign to counter the De Beers diamond cartel and multiple rebel gr...

Today we welcome Patrick Alley, co-founder of Global Witness.  Patrick Alley and his team at Global Witness are credited with countering multiple autocrats and kleptocrats worldwide. The most notable is collapsing the Khmer Rouge by exposing the illegal timber trade that was bankrolling the rebels. They created the Blood Diamond campaign to counter the De Beers diamond cartel and multiple rebel gr...

In this episode of the One CA Podcast, we welcome Michael Duffin, former senior policy advisor in the Bureau for Counterterrorism. With a career focused on identifying and mitigating violent extremism, Michael shares his experiences working in the complex human terrain globally. From policy rooms to field operations, his insights shed light on how Civil Affairs professionals operate in the “last t...

Welcome to the One CA Podcast , a product of the Civil Affairs Association. In today’s episode, Building Iran’s Democratic Future with Zolal Habibi , we speak with a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Habibi discusses the organized opposition to the Islamic Republic, the NCRI’s 10‑point plan for transition, and how Iranians are working to enact real change. This conversation exp...

256: Iran’s Democratic Future with Zolal Habibi Welcome to the One CA Podcast, a product of the Civil Affairs Association. In today’s episode, Building Iran’s Democratic Future with Zolal Habibi, we speak with a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Habibi discusses the organized opposition to the Islamic Republic, the NCRI’s 10‑point plan for transition, and how Iranians are worki...

Welcome to the One CA Podcast, a production of the Civil Affairs Association. This show brings together current and former military professionals, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to share their experiences working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations. In this episode, host Daniel Zaya-Joseph sits down with 1st Sergeant Timothy Feldhaus of the 440th Civil Affairs Bat...

Welcome to the One CA Podcast , a product of the Civil Affairs Association. As we take a brief pause this December to recharge and reflect, we’re revisiting some of our most impactful episodes—conversations that highlight the “last three feet” of U.S. foreign relations through the voices of military professionals, diplomats, development officers, and field agents. This month’s rerun features a sta...

Welcome to the One CA Podcast , a product of the Civil Affairs Association. As we take a brief pause this December to recharge, we’re revisiting some of our most impactful episodes, conversations that highlight the “last three feet” of U.S. foreign relations through the voices of military professionals, diplomats, development officers, and field agents. This month’s rerun features a standout discu...

Welcome to the One CA Podcast , a product of the Civil Affairs Association. As we take a brief pause this December to recharge, we’re revisiting some of our most impactful episodes; conversations that highlight the “last three feet” of U.S. foreign relations through the voices of military professionals, diplomats, development officers, and field agents. This month’s rerun features a standout discu...

Welcome to the One CA Podcast , a product of the Civil Affairs Association. As we take a brief pause this December, we’re revisiting some of this year's most impactful episodes, conversations that highlight the “last three feet” of U.S. foreign relations through the voices of military professionals, diplomats, development officers, and field agents. This month’s rerun features a standout discu...

Investigative journalist Sam Cooper returns to the One CA Podcast to expose how Iran weaponizes criminality to advance foreign policy goals. From Hezbollah’s business affairs unit to fentanyl super-labs in Canada, Cooper traces the global footprint of Iranian-linked networks—intertwined with Chinese triads, Mexican cartels, and diaspora businessmen operating across North America. In this gripping...

In this episode of One CA Podcast , LTC Brian Hancock sits down with Sergeant First Class Chase Penner—Information Operations planner at USAREUR-AF and former PSYOP Team Sergeant—to explore the art and science of military deception. From ambiguity techniques to tactical deception, SFC Penner's decision-making is from Moldova. With a background in strategic communication, Penner offers a rare l...

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joel Rubin joins host Jack Gaines to unpack the gritty realities of legislative diplomacy—from Benghazi testimony to budget battles. Rubin shares hard-won lessons on navigating Congress, shaping foreign policy, and building political will inside the State Department. This episode explores how political space becomes policy—and why human capital may be the...

In this episode of the One CA Podcast, host Danny Josephspeaks with Major Jared Goff, a Civil Affairs officer whose civilian background in emergency management brings a rare planning perspective to military operations. From managing displaced people during a crisis tointegrating civilian frameworks into doctrinal planning, Major Goff shares what it means to be a “unicorn in the AO”—a planner who b...

🎙️ In this episode, One CA Podcast welcomes Max Lesser from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) to unpack the evolving landscape of Iranian online influence. From sock puppet accounts and Telegram coordination to decentralized psyops and hybrid cyber operations, Max offers a sobering look at how Tehran weaponizes digital platforms to shape global narratives, target dissidents, and crow...

Host: LTC Brian Hancock Guests: COL Delmayca “Didi” Kramer & LTC Liz Martinez Duration: ~45 minutes Produced by: Civil Affairs Association Rated Top 10 Foreign Policy Podcast by Feedspot https://podcast.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts In this episode, LTC Brian Hancock sits down with COL Delmayca Kramer and LTC Liz Martinez to explore the evolving landscape of promotion boards and the inn...

In this episode of the One CA Podcast, host Danny Joseph sits down with Natacha Ciezki, a foreign affairs consultant and Civil Affairs officer, to explore the critical role of cultural understanding in African engagements. Drawing from her extensive experience across Sub-Saharan Africa, Natacha shares insights on how local context, historical nuance, and relationship-building shape effective forei...

What does it take to break into foreign policy—and thrive in the “last three feet” of U.S. diplomacy? In this episode, we sit down with Vasu Vaitla, a Georgetown adjunct-associate professor whose career spans the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, NGO Initiatives of Change, and the U.S. Air Force. Vasu shares practical advice for students and professionals seeking careers in foreign aff...

In this episode of the One CA Podcast, host Danny Joseph sits down with Navy EOD Commander Brad Penely to explore the evolving face of warfare—from mine countermeasures in the Strait of Hormuz to cruise missile defense in the Red Sea and joint ops in South America. Brad shares firsthand insights from Syria, Iran, and beyond, while unpacking the future of small-unit operations, drone warfare, and t...