Darrell knows spycraft. He retired in October 2018 as the most senior black officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations. In his 32-year career in the intelligence community, Darrell achieved the rank equivalent to a 3-star general in the Senior Intelligence Service. Twice, he served as a Station Chief and senior CIA positions, including Chief of their iconic training facility, Deputy Director of the Counterterrorism Center, and Chief of Africa Division.
Darrell is currently an ABC News Contributor and Chief Operating Officer of MOSAIC, a strategic crisis management advisory firm. He is collaborating on several projects with EntertainmentMediaVentures and on Season 2 of CONDOR, an MGM/Skydance Production.
In this episode we discuss:
• What are the misperceptions in the general public about jobs such as military intelligence, intelligence operations, “spying” and what it is and isn’t
• How does being an intelligence professional impact a person’s inner emotional life, as well as mental health
• How the CIA is working side by side with other countries, chasing targets and why the CIA is the most collaborative job one can have
• What are terrorist’s motivations and why they became radicalized
• How they tracked down the leader of ISIS and why building trust with spies is the number one component to get their target
• How terrorists recruit people to be in their group is by seducing them that they will be taken care of and validated within a community
• Why curiosity, connection, being able to establish and build trust, while being a great listener are the most important elements for an intelligence officer
• How it’s so hard to kill an ideology and why ISIS will exist 120 years from now
• Why the CIA put together a program to support those who are struggling with mental health, due to the stress of the job
• What his life looks like after the CIA and how giving back is of the utmost importance
Connect with Darrell:
Linkedin: Darrell M Blocker
Email: dmb@mosaicsec.com
Connect with Ashley:
Instagram: @someday_ill_get_there
Website: www.ashleyrivard.com
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