The Jedburgh Podcast

War stories are easy to tell. There’s action, adventure, and good vs evil. For most Veterans their service isn’t defined or explained by their war stories. For most Veterans the story that is far most difficult to write...and to live...is the story they have to write themselves.

In this episode, Fran Racioppi sat down with Steven Grayhm, writer and director of Sheepdog, a film dedicated to telling the most difficult story of our Veterans. The story of what happens to us, our families, our friends, and those around us when the war stories fade, reality sets in, and the hard work must actually begin.

Steven explains his 14 year journey to make Sheepdog, the thousands of hours he spent with Veterans of all walks of life, his embedment at VA hospitals across the country, and the reality of independent filmmaking; a blue collar process rooted in grit before the red carpet, where every dollar is raised face to face and every decision carries weight.

The film confronts veteran suicide honestly while reinforcing a simple truth. Ending your life does not end the pain. It ends the possibility of it ever getting better.

What drove Sheepdog was not an interest in war, but a responsibility to understand what happens after it. Steven and his team studied the realities of trauma, addiction, brain injury, generational differences between Vietnam and post 9/11 service members, and the long shadow that war can cast over identity and purpose. They went where the conversations were uncomfortable, where the answers were not clean, and where trust had to be earned. The result is a film that focuses not on combat, but on the war within.

Veterans are not victims. Sheepdog recognizes that service members volunteered, took risk, and earned something that does not disappear when the uniform comes off. A Veteran’s perspective matters. Trauma exists, but it does not eliminate the responsibility of Veterans to continue their personal and professional growth post service.

Sheepdog is a story about redefining purpose, about post traumatic growth, and about the courage required to take the first step forward when the path is unclear. It reflects the reality that transition is not a checklist, that no two experiences are the same, and that finding the right sense of mission after service is critical.

Highlights
0:00 Introduction
3:42 Why make Sheepdog?
12:40 Addressing generational differences
16:38 The idea of perspective
21:34 Losing morality
29:52 Veteran Suicide
37:43 VA resources
1:03:40 Was it all for nothing?
1:08:34 Hope for Sheepdog

Quotes
“The hardest thing I ever have done wasn’t to become a Green Beret, it was to not be a Green Beret.”
“They train you so well to do that job that you never really understand what the result of that job actually looks like.”
“Whatever happens on the other side of this, I’m going to leave it there.”
“One of the most challenging things in this journey of Sheepdog was getting it right.”
“The warrior doesn’t get to choose the war they go into.”
“It haunted me in my nightmares for years that crack in the sheep pen wall.”
“The guys that I learned to be more worried about were the guys that smiled through the pain.”
“I get very nervous when people wax poetically about suicide because it comes in all different forms.”
“All the resources in the world can exist, but it doesn’t matter if you’re not willing to use them.”
“Veterans are not victims.”
“In the film you would see, no one feels sorry for themselves.”
“I think we have to do better as a veteran to remove the victim mindset.”
“If we could save a single life with this film, that would be the greatest Hollywood success story."

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.

The speed of innovation has long been the difference between military success and failure. Countries and militaries that rapidly develop, deploy and evolve technology thrive. Those who lag…flounder. America, NATO and the world order are being challenged…and innovated against…at a faster pace than ever before.

From the Global SOF Symposium in Athens, Greece, I sat down with Ryan Benitez of NATO DIANA to talk about how innovation, technology, and rapid capability development are shaping the future of defense across the Alliance.

As the DIANA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ryan explains her work inside one of NATO’s most forward-leaning organizations. DIANA, the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, connects startups, researchers, and industry leaders to solve some of the most urgent challenges facing allied militaries.

From emerging technologies to dual-use solutions, DIANA is helping NATO move faster, stay adaptable, and maintain an edge in an increasingly competitive global environment.

Ryan also shared how her experience in the Navy and Venture Capital informs her approach to modern innovation, why collaboration between nations and private industry is more critical than ever, and how DIANA is empowering new ideas that can redefine readiness, resilience, and operational effectiveness to not only keep pace, but move faster than our enemies.

HIGHLIGHTS
0:00 Introduction
1:37 Welcome to GSOF Europe
3:06 Defining NATO DIANA
5:25 Companies Supporting NATO
9:23 Filling Technological Gaps
11:15 Time to Technology
13:44 NATO’s Leading Innovators
14:57 Compelling Countries To Invest
16:49 Is NATO behind Adversaries?
20:21 Defining Readiness
22:17 The Next Battlefield
24:40 NATO DIANA Future

Quotes:
“We needed to access the emerging technologies that innovators were putting together.”
“Does this technology align with a critical capability need that an operator and user has brought to the table?”
“Team is everything.”
“Interoperability has different scales.”
“The flavor of the month is Counter-UAS.”
“The Special Operations community has always been early adapters of streamlined acquisition and innovation.”
“We’ve seen the Netherlands do a lot.”
“We’re keeping a pulse on the market and the demand signal.”
“How can we help you with your innovation base?”
“We’re seeing a lot of lessons learned in Ukraine. The innovation cycle there is weeks.”
“The word defense used to not be top of mind. It is now.”
“We need to make sure we’re acting as a bridge to the emerging technology market.”
“Cost is going to become an issue.”
“War isn’t front and center every day like it is in Europe.”
“You’re going to start seeing our ability to really rapidly spin up.”

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.

Communication is the backbone of every military operation. How well our forces talk to each other across air, land, sea and space is what sets the American military apart from everyone else. Without communication leaders can’t lead, and militaries can’t win.

From the Global Special Operations Symposium in Athens, Greece, Fran Racioppi sat down with Dr. Lisa Costa, a leading technologist, former Chief Information Officer for U.S. Special Operations Command, and the first Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for the U.S. Space Force, to discuss how innovation, cyber, and modernization are reshaping Special Operations across all domains.

Dr. Costa brings decades of experience at the crossroads of defense, technology, and strategic innovation. From running one of the Department of Defense’s largest IT enterprises supporting elite global SOF operations to spearheading digital transformation efforts in the Space Force, she has helped architect the future of how our forces fight, communicate, and adapt.

She addressed the evolving threat landscape, including cyber attacks, space domain challenges and why staying ahead through technology, data, and innovation is no longer optional. She emphasized the importance of agility, integration, and forward-thinking capability as the bedrock of a modern force ready for tomorrow’s missions.

This discussion is about building advantage through technology, strengthening alliances across domains, and protecting America by ensuring the force evolves with the threat.

Highlights
0:00 Introduction
1:36 Welcome to GSOF Europe
3:15 USSOCOM CIO & Space Force's CTIO
6:02 Communications Evolution
8:51 DoD Civilian Workforce
13:43 Special Operations LSCO
16:41 SOF Space Cyber Triad
19:24 The Space Battlefield
22:17 Lunar South Pole
24:35 War Today
26:18 Combatting misinformation
28:38 Defining AI
30:22 Human in the loop
31:33 Guardrailing AI Weaponization
34:06 Advancing Time to Technology
35:48 Citizen Based
37:06 Ground Level Innovation
40:46 Buying Commercial Resources
45:10 The Next Battlefield

Quotes
“I might be the only person wearing both a SOCOM and Space Force pin.”
“Communications is absolutely critical.”
“It has gone from big bulky equipment to a binary signal.”
“Civilians are part of the force.”
“I look at SOF as the tool and capability to prevent us going to war.”
“The best battle space is the one we never have to put a boot into.”
“There is not even a position, navigation, and timing capability on the lunar surface.”
“Is it the person who discovered it or the person who gets there first?”
“We’re fighting for data.”
“It’s not there because we’re using AI.”
“I do not define AI as just Large Language Models.”
“There are going to be mission specific incidents where AI is going to have to be trusted to make that decision.”
“Don’t sign up for Chinese AI.”
“Operation Spiderweb was one pilot to every drone. That is not scalable.”
“It’s going to have to take everyone.”
“It comes down to the operational planners that are doing that risk assessment.”
“I believe that we will rely greatly on commercial assets.”
“There are areas of space that we have not taken advantage of.”
“I hope that the future of the battle space is much more cognitive.”
“I always put the operator in charge of a project, not a PhD.”
“Always prepare for the next unknown mission.”

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.

Who’s more important? The operators on the ground or the aviators in the sky? It’s hard to seize the objective without boots on the ground; but if you can’t get to the objective in the first place, there’s no mission at all.

The reality is that operators need aviators and aviators need operators. Green Berets and the pilots of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment share bonds that transcend their MOS and their mobility platform.

Live from the 2nd Annual Stars and Stripes Classic, I sat down with Chairman of the Green Beret Foundation retired Lieutenant General Ken Tovo and Chief Warrant Officer Sean McCormick to talk about what it takes to build true interoperability between air and ground units, and why there is no such term as “more important.”

Chief McCormick served as a lead pilot in the 160th SOAR after a career in 75th Ranger Regiment; he also served as General Tovo’s pilot while the General was the USASOC Commander. Their partnership and friendship provides a rare perspective on the leadership, trust, and relentless commitment that define Special Operations.

Together, they shared how those experiences shaped their understanding of teamwork, mission focus, and the ability to take on any challenge. They also share an unknown secret about GBF’s upcoming POW/MIA recovery missions with Project Recover.

The Stars and Stripes Classic is more than a lacrosse game. It’s a moment to honor the warriors who always step forward, the families who support them, and the community that preserves their legacy through the Green Beret and Navy SEAL Foundations. Special thanks to the Premier Lacrosse League for hosting another thrilling game.

Highlights
0:00 Introduction
1:42 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast
3:25 Service in the 160th SOAR
4:57 Defining Interoperability
6:15 Planning and Customer Centric in the 160th
10:54 Building a SOF team
14:08 Defining De Opresso Liber
16:00 Honoring MACV-SOG
18:30 Partnering with Project Recover

Quotes
“It was a great honor, great experience, and a lot of good stories about that.”
“Sometimes the most difficult and important part of a mission is actually just getting there.”
“You are the RCO’s representative when you’re the LNO.”
“We’re going to plan and rehearse as much as we possibly can before that mission takes place.”
“You can’t be an expert if you do more than one thing.”
“They’re problem solvers who figure out “What do I need to do to do what I signed up to accomplish.”
“No matter what happens, you’re going to accomplish the mission.”
“99% of the time, we’re working through a partner force to accomplish whatever our mission is.”
“Even in our own community, a lot of what MACV-SOG did is really not even part of the history because it’s been classified until recently.”
“58 Green Berets still are yet to be found in Vietnam from that era.”

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.

Lacrosse is a sport built on passion, precision, and community. It’s also a sport that defines service. Live from the Stars and Stripes Classic, Fran Racioppi sat down with Mike Rabil, co-founder and CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League, to highlight the PLL’s partnership with the Green Beret Foundation and explore how the sport of lacrosse is intertwined with American Special Operators.

A remarkable number of America’s Special Operators come from a lacrosse background. The sport builds toughness, discipline, teamwork, and the ability to perform under pressure. The same qualities that define an elite operator and a key reason why so many lacrosse players serve in the military.

Mike shares his vision for building the PLL into the world’s only professional lacrosse organization. Now in its seventh season, the PLL is deeper, faster, and more competitive than ever, supported by partners who believe in the mission and the athletes who make it possible.

Together, the PLL and the Green Beret Foundation are proving that sport can be a force for impact. This partnership honors the athletes, the warriors, and the families who give so much, and it strengthens the connection between two communities built on grit, excellence, and service.

Highlights
0:00 Introduction
1:21 Welcome to the Stars & Stripes Classic
2:50 PLL Progression
4:51 College to Pro
8:32 Leading up to the Second S&S Game
11:14 Lacrosse Discipline in Special Ops

Quotes
“50% of our games have been decided by just one goal this year.”
“Now the pressure’s on us to make it worthwhile.”
“These are the best lacrosse players in the world but some of the best athletes.”
“To incorporate endurance, strength, physicality, and the hand eye, those are things as a tier one operator you need.”
“Practice is the payoff for the eventual game.”
“The community is actually bigger than we think, the game means something to people and it's actually been misbranded.”
“They’re people of character.”
“I think athletics in general will teach you a certain level of discipline, resiliency, and adaptability that become critical to your ability to succeed.”

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.