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The Jedburgh Podcast

The Jedburgh Podcast

By: Fran Racioppi
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The Jedburgh Podcast empowers leaders to achieve success on their journey to transform themselves and their organizations. Creator, Host and Special Forces Green Beret Fran Racioppi interviews the world’s most prominent visionaries, drivers of change, and those dedicated to winning.


Each episode is an in-depth discussion with trailblazers who’ve earned success through a dedication to talent development, preparation, introspection, and the drive to get things done. Our conversation will empower listeners to define success and operate at an elite level, regardless of the task at hand.


In May 1943 the Allied Forces determined a new type of leader was required to win World War II. Operation Jedburgh parachuted three-man teams deep behind enemy lines to win no matter the challenge. Jedburghs lived by the mantra “how you prepare today, determines success tomorrow.” Today's leaders are no different.


Fran speaks with leaders in public service, business, athletics, and academics about their personal leadership stories of success, failure, and the road to continuous improvement. Our discussions focus on the character traits of elite performance used by Special Operations Forces to recruit, assess, select and retain elite performers. Through this lens, we show listeners that success in any field must be earned every day.


We strive for each listener to take valuable lessons learned and concrete action steps to improve themselves, their teams, and their organizations. Although developed and used by US Special Operations Forces, these characteristics are inherently applicable to building resilient and successful organizations in any sector or industry, as well as in the betterment of our personal and professional lives.


The Nine Characteristics of Elite Performance:

-Drive: Growth mindset, be better than yesterday, continuous self-improvement

-Resiliency: Perseverance in the face of challenges

-Adaptability: Adjust one’s behavior to the situation

-Humility: Recognize that you do not have all the answers; a willing learner maintains accurate self-awareness

-Integrity: Understand what is legal and correct and align actions and words to both

-Effective Intelligence: apply one’s experience and knowledge to the situation

-Team Ability: Prioritize organizational needs ahead of oneself, work as a cohesive unit

-Curiosity: Exploring the unknown, questioning the status quo in pursuit of better

-Emotional Strength: Emotional control in stressful situations brings calm to chaos


Fran Racioppi is the Founder & CEO of FRsix where he leads operations in critical infrastructure projects. He served 13 years in the US Army Special Forces as a Green Beret. Fran is passionate about building the world's best leaders and the impact our special operators have in service and beyond. He holds a BA from Boston University in Broadcast Journalism and an MBA from NYU Stern, as well as the security industry's highest accreditation as a Certified Protection Professional.


The Jedburgh Podcast is an official program of the Green Beret Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to supporting U.S. Army Special Forces Soldiers and their families. The Foundation provides emergency and ongoing support across five pillars: Casualty Support, Health and Wellness, Transition, Family Support, and Gold Star and Surviving Families. Learn more at https://greenberetfoundation.org/the-jedburgh-podcast/.


Join our Jedburgh Team to reach your dreams!

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Episodes
  • #206: Building The World's Best Special Operators - USAJFKSWCS Command Team MG Jason Slider, CSM Jeff Bochey, CW5 Gary Ostrander

    #206: Building The World's Best Special Operators - USAJFKSWCS Command Team MG Jason Slider, CSM Jeff Bochey, CW5 Gary Ostrander
    Sep 2 2026
    Every Green Beret, Civil Affairs soldier, and Psychological Operations soldier starts somewhere. Before they can operate in the world’s most complex environments, they have to prove they can think, adapt, lead, and perform when the standard is uncompromising. At the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, the mission is simple to say and extraordinarily difficult to execute: build the world’s best special operators, then continue making them better.In this episode, Fran Racioppi travelled to the center of the universe, Fort Bragg, NC, to sit down with the command team responsible for that mission: Major General Jason Slider, Command Sergeant Major Jeff Bochey, and Chief Warrant Officer 5 Gary Ostrander. Together, they lead the organization responsible for assessing, selecting, training, and educating the next generation of Army Special Operations Forces while ensuring today’s operators remain prepared for tomorrow’s fight.The battlefield is changing rapidly. After more than two decades dominated by counterterrorism, SWCS is adapting its training for large-scale combat operations and peer adversaries capable of contesting American forces across every domain. That means integrating robotics and autonomous systems, preparing operators for the digital and information fight, and understanding how artificial intelligence can enhance the force without allowing technology to replace mastery of the fundamentals.But modernization also raises a harder question: how much can we ask one operator to do? As new capabilities emerge, SWCS has to determine what belongs in the baseline skill set, what requires specialized expertise, and how to give operational units new capabilities without adding another burden. From the development of robotics expertise to the evolution of Psychological Operations and information warfare, the institution itself has to adapt as quickly as the battlefield.We also examine the relationship between SWCS, 1st Special Forces Command, and USASOC, and why lessons from operational formations must move rapidly back into the schoolhouse. Training cannot prepare soldiers for the war we just fought. It has to produce leaders who can arrive at their teams on day one, contribute immediately, and adapt to a fight none of us can completely predict.Technology will change. The enemy will change. The battlefield will change. The standard cannot. The responsibility of SWCS is to ensure that whoever earns the right to join Army Special Operations has the competence, character, discipline, and adaptability to carry its legacy into whatever fight comes next. Highlights:0:00 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast4:25 The Mission of SWCS9:36 The Army Special Operations Center of Excellence11:40 Staying Humble & Evolving the Force16:45 Defining the Standard for Lethality19:27 Preparing for Large-Scale Combat Operations24:51 Collaboration Across Army Special Operations29:21 Robotics & the Future of Warfare36:12 Psychological Operations & Information Warfare40:09 Recruiting the Next Generation of Special Operators51:39 Warrant Officer Recruiting & Retention52:29 Preparing Special Operators for Their Hardest Day56:07 Technology Without Losing the FundamentalsThe Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • #205: Training For Victory - Did Special Forces Really Win In Iraq & Afghanistan? Retired Colonel Frank Sobchak

    #205: Training For Victory - Did Special Forces Really Win In Iraq & Afghanistan? Retired Colonel Frank Sobchak
    Aug 11 2026
    How do we define success on the battlefield? While many have labeled America's efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan failures, that narrative ignores some of the most remarkable successes ever achieved by U.S. Army Special Forces.In this episode, Fran Racioppi sat down with retired Green Beret Colonel Frank Sobchak, professor at the U.S. Naval War College and author of Training for Victory, to discuss the principles behind one of Special Forces' most enduring missions: building partner forces capable of securing their own future. Drawing on decades of operational experience and extensive historical research, Frank explains why success is rarely determined by firepower alone, but by trust, relationships, and leaders willing to invest in others.We explore why language, cultural understanding, consistency, and strategic empathy are far more than soft skills - they are combat multipliers that determine whether an advisory mission succeeds or fails. Frank breaks down why partnering alongside allied forces in combat remains the gold standard for developing capable militaries, how advisor continuity builds the trust required for honest conversations, and why empowering local leaders from the very beginning creates lasting success long after American forces have departed.Our conversation also challenges the conventional narrative surrounding Iraq and Afghanistan by highlighting overlooked success stories like the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, an organization built through years of patient advising and partnership. Finally, we examine what Frank calls "Cold War 2.0" and how the changing character of warfare—from drones and artificial intelligence to digital surveillance—only reinforces the enduring importance of the human domain. Highlights: 0:00 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast3:54 The Importance of Language9:13 Cultural Astuteness in Special Forces13:26 Training Partner Forces21:45 Host Nation Perspective25:00 Advisor to Partner Ratios30:38 The Importance of Combat Advising33:22 Defining Combat Effectiveness36:52 US Maintaining Global Order41:41 Writing Training for VictoryQuotes:“If you don’t speak the language, it really complicates things.”“There were times when I felt like I’m at a disadvantage because I’m speaking through an interpreter.”“You have to understand their perspective.”“It is those personal connections and those relationships that really matter.”“We fought 10 Iraq wars, one year at a time.”“These are risks that commanders and leaders have to look for, identify, recognize, and take action.”“Anytime you’re doing FID or security force assistance and you’re working with partners, it is two steps forward, one step back.”“The host nation actually really did like when the same people came back because that gave them consistency.”“I would put it at a company to an ODA.”“Combat advising still is the gold standard.”“Our profession is all about risk.”“The character of war is changing, but the nature of war is immortal.”“I firmly believe that the world is a far better place with America leading it.”The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.
    Show more Show less
    49 mins
  • #204: Are Green Berets America's Best Entrepreneurs? Retired Green Beret Ben Harrow

    #204: Are Green Berets America's Best Entrepreneurs? Retired Green Beret Ben Harrow
    Jul 28 2026

    Green Berets are trained to solve problems that don't come with instructions. Green Berets build trust where none exists. Green Berets lead small teams in uncertain environments. Green Berets adapt when the plan falls apart. Those same qualities that make exceptional Special Forces soldiers also make exceptional entrepreneurs. For Green Berets their next mission begins the day they leave the Regiment.


    In this episode, Fran Racioppi sat down with Retired U.S. Army Captain and Green Beret Ben Harrow during the 2nd Annual Stars and Stripes Classic to discuss transition from Special Forces to entrepreneurship and why so many members of the Regiment are uniquely equipped to build successful businesses after service.


    Drawing from his experiences leading in combat, recovering from catastrophic injuries, and building businesses after military service, Ben explains how the qualities that define a Green Beret - adaptability, resilience, disciplined execution, and solving complex problems with limited resources are the very same traits required to succeed in business. We discuss the realities of building scalable organizations, developing repeatable systems, hiring the right people, and learning when to lead from the front and when to empower others to take ownership.


    We also explore the changing landscape of the Special Forces Regiment as a new generation of leaders emerges without the combat experiences of the Global War on Terror. Ben shares why preserving the culture, brotherhood, and lessons learned from previous generations has never been more important, both inside the Regiment and long after service ends.


    Finally, we discuss the importance of the Stars and Stripes Classic and why events like this help preserve the team room. The uniforms may come off, but the relationships, shared experiences, and commitment to one another remain. For Green Berets, that brotherhood becomes the foundation for new missions, new businesses, and new opportunities.


    QUOTES

    • “The leadership had never really experienced combat.”
    • “That same sense of brotherhood that we felt playing college lacrosse, the only thing closest to that was being on an ODA.”
    • “Your country has asked you to do some pretty amazing things in your career. Now have you ever thought about running a company?”
    • “Part of the reason you’re selected is to be that adaptive thinker and say to any problem you come up to “I’ll figure it out.”
    • “Never lead off with no.”
    • “You have to bring people in that are willing to get after it.”
    • “I don’t want to lose to Navy.”
    • “It’s just background noise.”


    HIGHLIGHTS

    • 0:00 Introduction
    • 2:23 Welcome to the Stars & Stripes Classic
    • 4:49 The status of the Special Forces Regiment
    • 10:04 Special Forces Entrepreneurism
    • 20:35 Character Matters


    The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars.


    Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.
    Show more Show less
    25 mins
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