Former CIA Officer Breaks Down Source Operations in Afghanistan | Delbert Roll

Former Army officer and CIA operations officer Delbert Roll joins us to discuss his path from Third Special Forces Group to the Agency, including joining CIA just before 9/11 and working counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan. He breaks down CIA training, running sources, building targeting packages against al-Qaeda, working with JSOC and indigenous forces, and the realities of protecting assets in the field. The episode also covers covert action, counterintelligence, counter-WMD work, teaching at the Farm, CIA bureaucracy, writing after retirement, and the bizarre CIA gold bar scandal. Today's Sponsors: GhostBed ⬇️ https://www.ghostbed.com/house FOR 10% off! Blue Chew ⬇️ https://bluechew.com/ Get 1 month free when you buy 2 of BlueChew Gold with code "HOUSECALL" For ad free video and audio and access to live streams and Eyes On Geopolitics...JOIN OUR PATREON!   / theteamhouse   To help support the show and for all bonus content including: -live shows and asking guest questions -ad free audio and video -early access to shows -Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️   / theteamhouse   Support the show here:⬇️   / theteamhouse   ___________________________________________________ PRE ORDER JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo... Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️    / @eyesongeopoliticspod   __________________________________ Jack Murphy's new book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapte... —————————————————————— Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️ https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse Social Media: ⬇️ The Team House Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.team.house?... The Team House Twitter:   / theteamhousepod   Jack’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm... Jack’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21 Team House Discord: ⬇️   / discord   "Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio" 00:00 — Start / Delbert Roll joins The Team House 01:10 — Growing up in Pennsylvania and joining the Army 07:06 — Third Special Forces Group, Africa missions, and comms work in the 1990s 15:09 — Leaving the Army and trying to join the FBI before the CIA 16:04 — Joining CIA three weeks before 9/11 21:09 — The day after 9/11 and CIA’s shift toward counterterrorism 23:46 — Moving from analyst to operations officer 25:20 — CIA training and “Ranger School for your brain” 30:42 — First Afghanistan tour and arriving at a forward operating base 33:22 — Running a source operation against a senior al-Qaeda target 39:13 — Building a targeting package without GPS coordinates 44:40 — Airstrike decision, protecting assets, and the target slipping away 48:54 — Working with JSOC and indigenous forces to shut down rat lines 52:47 — CIA support to conventional Army units in Afghanistan 56:17 — Language training, European posting, and traditional case officer work 01:04:25 — Covert action, liaison partners, and gathering intelligence through proxies 01:05:05 — Counterintelligence, recruiting foreign officers, and disrupting Russian operations 01:09:07 — Counter-WMD work and handling sources without being the technical expert 01:12:50 — Teaching at the Farm and training future CIA officers 01:22:29 — CIA bureaucracy, NSA comparisons, and publication review problems 01:27:58 — Recruiting, technology, and learning how to talk around classified subjects 01:28:57 — From CIA officer to fantasy, spy, and horror novelist 01:43:42 — CIA gold bars, non-traditional payments, and final thoughts