Target USA Podcast by WTOP

Peering through the still lingering haze of the Cold War, U.S. intelligence officials and their allies have detected murky, ominous crisis sweeping the planet. As the mist of an uncertain future, driven by new “Great Power” conflicts, roll in, they have determined that a potent new strain of espionage is now their No. 1 1 threat, one that eclipses terrorism. This four-part series will look deep in...

On the prior episode, we got news that Paul Whelan -- who's being held in a Russian prison on espionage charges -- had been injured and had complained about rough treatment by guards. Since news from his family about his worsening condition has gained widespread attention, it seems as though Congress has taken a deeper interest in getting him out of there. Elizabeth Whelan, Paul Whelan’s sister, j...

Paul Whelan has been held in Russia’s notorious KGB-era prison, Lefortovo, since December of 2018. He’s allegedly committed espionage. No evidence has been presented. No indictment has been handed up and despite public ridicule, Russia’s intelligence service, the FSB, continues holding him. Recently he was injured and complained about rough treatment by guards. His twin brother David updates Targe...

There have been four mass shootings since July. Forty four people have died. Brian Harrell, assistant director of the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency, tells Target USA they're taking action. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Since its so-called "caliphate" collapsed in October 2018, the Islamic State group has remained a threat. It’s killed more than 400 people in worldwide terror attacks. Colonel Scott Rawlinson, spokesman for U.S.-led Operation Inherent Resolve, joins Target USA from Baghdad to discuss the continued fight to neutralize the group and how it’s being done. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac...

During an event recorded in front of a live audience at D.C.'s Politics and Prose bookstore and punctuated by light moments and difficult questions from the audience, host JJ Green interviewed author Philip Mudd about the hours and days after the 9/11 attacks and the decisions the CIA made to try to extract information from people it believed could lead them to the perpetrators of the attacks. See...

North Korea has launched more than a half-dozen missiles in the past few weeks. Many of them are new variants, which suggests that North Korea is continuing to march toward building nuclear weapons. At the same time, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has all but demanded the U.S. to return to negotiations. What's North Korea’s objective? What will the U.S. likely do? Former U.S. Special Envoy Joe D...

Every country on the planet is thinking about one thing: the next step in the progression of cyber warfare and what the weapons of the future will look like. Tanel Sepp, cyber policy director for Estonia’s Ministry of Defense, tells us what to expect on this episode of Target USA. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell...

Have you tried the new appearance-altering computer applications? Suddenly, the technology has become a national security concern. On this episode, we hear what people think and a warning from the former director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Leaders from NATO, the FBI, and cyber security firms Crowd Strike and Fire Eye all agree securing personal, government, military and corporate data is among the most daunting challenges of the modern era -- and it's high time all people wake up to the danger the face from cyber insecurity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...

The next generation of cellular network technology is about to hit markets around the world. But there's a big problem: The main producer of the technology is Huawei, and the company allegedly has built backdoors into more than 50% of the equipment. That raises serious national security issues for every country on the planet. Raul Rikk, Estonia's national cyber security policy director, William Ev...

Criminals, terrorists and other bad actors now have a powerful new tool to help them. It’s the dark web’s cybercrime market place. Wil Van Gemert, Deputy Executive Director of Operations at Europol discusses how that new marketplace works. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Elizabeth Horst has been posted to some of the toughest places on earth, including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Moscow. And speaking of Russia, Estonia is the frontline in the Western defense against Russian aggression. Horst tells Target USA what it’s like working there. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Brian Dugan, assistant special agent in charge of counterintelligence at the Washington Field Office of the FBI, joins Target USA to put the problem into context and explain how they’re dealing with it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The world has recently seen the devastation that can be caused by the amorphous realm that is cyber. Heli Tiirmaa-Klaar, Estonia's ambassador at-large for cybersecurity, discusses how diplomats are going about putting rules in place, how they are going to be enforced and where they are in the process. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.co...

The legendary woman, who created some of the CIA's most ingenious disguises, talks about the rules of the road for U.S. spies in Moscow, her career and her famous husband, the late Tony Mendez of "Argo" fame. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Brigadier Gen. Maria Biank talks with Target USA about the U.S. European Command's efforts to defend against cyber threats. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

The Pakistani government says it's "cleansed" the tribal areas of terrorism and that there's no organized terrorist activity happening inside Pakistan. Also on this episode, Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan discusses the fact that Pakistan is Iran’s official representative here in Washington. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pr...

More than 10,000 spies are believed to be residing in Washington, D.C., living among a population of about 700,000 people. That means one in every 70 people you run into in D.C. is likely a spy. How do you tell? What are they up to? How do they do their work? Many of the answers and the profound history of espionage lie inside a new glass and steel structure called the International Spy Museum. Se...

The report is in. The investigation is over. There will be no more indictments, arrests or trials. Now, the nation is locked in a battle over impeachment and executive privilege. How did we get here and how will we get out? Answers on this edition of Target USA. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Ambassador Joe Detrani is the former U.S. Special Envoy for the Six Party Talks with North Korea. He tells Target USA that Kim Jong Un’s decision to launch a short-range ballistic missile over the weekend was dangerous and shortsighted. It could signal the end any meaningful chance to achieve denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...

In August 2018, Alireza Jafarzadeh was eating in a Los Angeles restaurant. He noticed a very friendly waiter offering exceptional service, free food and a lot of attention. He later learned from the FBI, the waiter was a part of a "capture and kill" scheme cooked up by Iranian intelligence. Listen as Jafarzadeh explains what happened on this episode of Target USA. See Privacy Policy at https://art...

More than 350 died and more than 500 were wounded after a series of coordinated blasts rocked the island-nation of Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler Sr., the director of the Counter Extremism Project, says this shocking attack was the Islamic State group’s way of announcing that its new reign of terror is underway. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...

As we learn more from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on "The investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election," it's clear the Russian government and its key intelligence agencies ran a long-term, sophisticated interference operation that we're just beginning to understand. Target USA host JJ Green details some of the early takeaways from the report. See Privacy P...

A Maryland man plotted to run over people using a stolen U-Haul. FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Moore, Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinski and WTOP Reporter Megan Cloherty join us to explain what happened and what’s next in the war against terrorism. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my...