Welcome to Episode 136 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, I'm thrilled to host Kieran Ramsey, Chief Investigative Officer at Global Reach. Kieran talks about the support Global Reach provides to the families of those wrongfully detained by overseas regimes, and discusses the Taliban's long practice of using hostages to achieve their own goals inside Afghanistan.We also discuss the current situation for hostages wrongfully held in Iran, whose situations are unknown in the current conflict.About Kieran Ramsey:During a 32-year career in federal law enforcement and the U.S. Intelligence Community, Kieran Ramsey spearheaded massive investigations including the Boston Marathon Bombing, the killing of a U.S. diplomat overseas, the assassination of an internationally renowned journalist, and multiple kidnapping/hostage cases, Kieran is also able to harness the power of partnership, across agencies and across governments, in direct support of victims and their families.Kieran most recently served at the FBI’s highest echelon of executive leadership as an Assistant Director and the FBI’s Senior Representative to a U.S. Intelligence Community agency. This assignment required his resourcefulness and expertise to ensure U.S. Intelligence Community capabilities and authorities were fully integrated not only in hostage situations, but across the entire range of national security threats: counterterrorism, counterespionage, cyber, and transnational organized crime.Kieran is well-known as a leader in the hostage space, having served as the third Director of the U.S. Government’s Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, wherein he led the interagency effort through a period of great change that saw the successful return of numerous hostages and wrongful detainees. He further established deep relationships with former hostages, hostage families, and other hostage advocacy groups which continue to this day.Kieran’s other positions across his lengthy career include multiple domestic office postings, as well as cross-cultural assignments as a diplomat, and the senior FBI official in U.S. embassies in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. His reputation as a “fixer,” placed him in some of the most challenging assignments, ranging from the Regime Crimes Task Force in Iraq in 2004, to navigating FBI’s support to local law enforcement during the period of civil unrest in Portland, Oregon in 2020. He also led one of the FBI’s Evidence Response Teams in New York in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.Kieran has been honored with numerous accolades and awards across his career for a variety of investigations including the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Award, the International Chiefs of Police Award, and the International Narcotics Officer Association Award. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and a master’s degree from Georgetown University, and is a former adjunct faculty member for the FBI.About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 135 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. This is the third segment in a special sub-series of the podcast in conjunction with The Fighter Pilots' Guide to Living.Today’s guests are three Green Berets from ODA 595, Mark Nutsch, Paul Evans, and Mike Elmore, and three members of VF-213, Nate Bailey, Michael Peterson, and Chip King.Today, we talk about the aftermath of the first strafing run that Biff and Tung conducted in support of ODA 595 and the use of that tactic throughout the remainder of VF-213's deployment.We also talk about the remaining months of operations that ODA 595 and VF-213 conducting in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and the takeaways that each of our guests had from their participation in the early days of the Global War on Terror.About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 134 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. This is the second segment in a special sub-series of the podcast in conjunction with The Fighter Pilots' Guide to Living.Today’s guests are three Green Berets from ODA 595, Mark Nutsch, Paul Evans, and Mike Elmore, and three members of VF-213, Nate Bailey, Michael Peterson, and Chip King.Today, we dive into the evolving conditions inside and overhead in Afghanistan as Green Berets arrived in the country, and we talk about the difficulties of calling in close air support in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom.Towards the end of the episode, we address the single incident on November 5, 2001 that shifted the way that F-14 Tomcats would support ground forces working to push back the Taliban . About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 133 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal.

This is a special sub-series of the podcast in conjunction with The Fighter Pilots' Guide to Living.Today’s guests are three Green Berets from ODA 595, Mark Nutsch, Paul Evans, and Mike Elmore, and three members of VF-213, Nate Bailey, Michael Peterson, and Chip King.Today, we dive into the missions that ODA 595 and VF-213 had prior to the attacks of 9/11, and how those missions changed after the terror attacks that shocked the world.Our conversation will lead us to a discussion of a single incident in November 2001 that shifted the way that F-14 Tomcats supported ground forces working to push back the Taliban in the earliest days of Operation Enduring Freedom. About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 132 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, I'm thrilled to host Natalie Gonnella-Platts, Director of Global Policy for the George W. Bush Institute.

An incredible expert on the dire situation inside Afghanistan, Natalie talks about many of the ongoing struggles facing Afghans in their homeland and many of the policy choices that could be pursued to hold the Taliban to account.

Find the Captured State project here: https://www.bushcenter.org/series/captured-state

Find the Taliban Travel Tracker here: https://www.bushcenter.org/publications/taliban-travel-tracker

About Natalie Gonnella-Platts:

Natalie Gonnella-Platts has over 15 years of experience advancing research, policy, and programs in support of women and children worldwide. Her current work includes a focus on the rights and well-being of women and children in Afghanistan; the intersection of economic development, migration, and gender-based violence in regions like Central America; the agency and advancement of young women and adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa; and the link between democratic backsliding, autocratic regimes, and gender inequity.

She is the host of the Bush Institute’s award nominated podcast, Ladies, First; the co-author of a first-of-its kind analysis on global first ladies, A Role Without a Rulebook; and served as a project lead on the development of the Bush Center’s 2018 and 2019 special exhibits. Her work has also been featured across a wide range of external outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Vanity Fair, The Dallas Morning News, Real Clear World, and Politico. Gonnella-Platts studied Communications and International Studies (Peace and Conflict) at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. She earned an MA in War, Violence and Security studies from the University of Sussex in Brighton, United Kingdom. Prior to her current role, she has held various positions in London and New York at organizations including BBC Worldwide, the Legatum Institute, and AIG, among others.

About the host:

Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 131 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, I've got a familiar returning guest, #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver. We talk about not only the Afghans at Camp As Sayliyah who are in proximity of the ongoing military conflict with Iran and have had debris from missiles and/or missile interceptors fall into their rooms on the base.Shawn also talks about a number of other factors impacting Afghans in locations around the globe and at home in the U.S.About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to Episode 130 of The Afghanistan Project, where we cover all topics related to two decades of war in Afghanistan, and the fallout of our Afghanistan withdrawal. Today, my guest is social justice activist Shannon Galpin, who has a long history of supporting women inside Afghanistan.We talk about Shannon's work in Afghan women's prisons, supporting the deaf community in Afghanistan, and helping to support Afghan women cyclists across the country.We also talk about Shannon's support for refugees fleeing the country following the withdrawal, and her work on an archive to share the stories of Afghan women in sports.About Shannon Galpin:Shannon Galpin is a social justice activist, author, artist, and filmmaker. Shannon has spent two decades working with Afghans and during the eight years she worked in Afghanistan she worked in the women’s prisons, with the deaf community, created women’s education programs, supported the first graffiti art workshops and music festivals, and spent years supporting the first women’s cycling teams. Shannon is a Fellow with the Royal Geographical Society and a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. In 2009, Shannon became the first person to mountain bike in Afghanistan. She continued to travel through Afghanistan by bike for several years, using the bike as a tool to explore and interrogate gender barriers. She supported and trained the first Afghan Women’s National Cycling team and helped build and support the ‘right to ride’ movement across Afghanistan. When the Taliban returned, Shannon evacuated athletes and human rights defenders, set up safehouses, and resettled hundreds of Afghans into dozens of countries. Shannon is the author of two books on Afghanistan, including her memoir, Mountain to Mountain, and Streets of Afghanistan. Currently Shannon is building the first Afghan Women’s Sport Archive to ensure their legacy is preserve for present and future generations. About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/

Welcome to a special episode of The Afghanistan Project focused on the heightened conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, its origins, and how regional dynamics play a role.About the host: Beth Bailey worked in support of Afghanistan operations as a civilian intelligence analyst for the Department of the Army between 2010 and 2013. She is a freelance contributor to Fox News Digital and the Washington Examiner. Follow Beth: on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwbailey85/ on Twitter: https://x.com/BWBailey85 on Substack: https://substack.com/@bwbailey85 on the web: https://bethwbailey.com/