This post captures some key content from the OODAcast, including observations from OODA Network Members who were in positions to know what the national security situation was before, during, and after the attacks.

The OODAcast

We started the OODAcast to highlight insights and lessons learned from leaders and decision-makers in the OODA Network. Since March 2020, we have produced over 100 OODAcast conversations that will long be relevant to anyone seeking to sharpen their decision-making skills or gain insights into dynamic, competitive markets.

The OODAcast and 9/11

Many of these interviews are also with members of the intelligence community who have very personal and powerful professional stories to tell about the early moments of September 11th.  On this, the weekend of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we have curated some of these interviews – pulling threads and highlighting where these leaders were at the moment the first plane hit, the early actions taken by the CIA, and their personal and professional journey in the days, weeks, and years after the attacks.

Themes emerge throughout these interviews on topics such as leadership in a crisis, empowering your team and finding the right people to execute on a plan, clear decision-making while operating in a low information environment, situational awareness, preparation for a mission, how clearly the intelligence community warned of the pending attacks, the early preparedness of a response by the intelligence community, and the role the agency played in the success of the early stages of the campaign in Afghanistan.

A CIA Officer and Delta Force Operator Share Perspectives on 9/11

In July of 2021, OODA CEO Matt Devost had a conversation with renowned counter-terrorism expert and career clandestine services professional Cofer Black. Cofer is best known for having been the Director of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center (CTC) on 9/11 and was part of the intelligence community warning about the near-term threat of terrorism in the United States prior to the attacks. However, his pedigree in counterterrorism issues was well established with a distinguished career in the field in high-risk areas and operations.

In January 2021, Matt spoke with Ric Prado. CIA leadership has described Ric as the closest thing to 007 that the United States has ever had. Ric’s life is packed with more adventure and operations than your favorite spy novel series. Coming out of the shadows, his conversation with Matt was his first video interview and covered his career, operational decision-making lessons learned, and why we need a next generation of CIA agents.

Arriving in the United States as a Peter Pan refugee from Cuba, Prado dedicated himself in service to his country in many capacities that culminated professionally with a 24-year career in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During his tenure at the CIA, Ric was involved with dozens of operations, including spearheading the CIA’s operational response to 9/11 as the Director of Operations within the CIA’s CTC. For this response, he worked with the National Security Council and FBI, as well as with elite U.S. military representatives from Delta Force and SEAL Team Six.

Decision-Making Inside the CIA Counterterrorism Center Before, During and After 9/11

In September 2020, OODA CEO Matt Devost spoke to Gary Harrington. In a distinguished career of national service that included over three decades in top-tier special operations groups, including Delta Force, and then transitioning into the CIA, Gary was one of the first to deploy into Afghanistan after 9/11 and was at the tip of the spear in many locations including as a solo operator in high-risk venues like Yemen.

In May of 2020, Matt had a wide-ranging discussion with Congressman Will Hurd – a San Antonio native and Texas A&M Computer Science Graduate, Hurd never planned on being a member of Congress. Congressman Hurd was excited to spend his entire career serving his country by stopping terrorists, preventing Russian spies from stealing our secrets, and putting nuclear weapons proliferators out of business as an undercover officer in the CIA – until he realized that his expertise in cybersecurity and intelligence was sorely needed in Congress – the people charged with making informed decisions about how to serve and protect our country.