The High Side

Terrific to get this sort of endorsement from a former intelligence officer. Thank you, Stephen! If you want to read the stories that prompted him to become a paid subscriber and endorse us, click here: TheHighSide.substack.com. cc @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social

Zeroed Out: How JSOC’s Omega teams enabled the CIA’s Afghan militias The joint CIA/JSOC hunter-killer teams stalked Afghanistan for nearly twenty years

The JSOC teams that worked alongside the CTPTs’ CIA handlers, providing the link to air support, were called Omega or ANSOF teams, which @seandnaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social of @thehighside.bsky.social have reported on in detail here:

thehighside.substack.com/p/zeroed-out...

It's always great to get this sort of message from a new paid subscriber. It lets @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social know that we're doing something right. If you want to check out what our new paid subscriber is excited about, click here: thehighside.substack.com

The Back Brief: 'Bodyguard of Lies' — A tragic tale of hubris and missed opportunities Documentary about America's war in Afghanistan is powerful, but skirts key issues.

@seandnaylor.bsky.social says the Afghan war documentary “Bodyguard of Lies” is a tragic tale of hubris and missed opportunities but underplays key issues like the role of Pakistan and some questionable decisions made by the Bush administration after 9/11: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-back-b...

The Back Brief: 'Ground Branch' video game is hyper-focused on weapons and tactics details Early-access game lets you hunt terrorists and rescue hostages as a CIA paramilitary officer.

In the latest edition of The Back Brief, our reviews section, @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social checks out “Ground Branch,” a game that lets you hunt terrorists and rescue hostages as a CIA paramilitary officer. He likes its accurate details in weapons and tactics. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-back-b...

Going to be interesting when this stuff goes to trial and the government tries to argue that no ICE agent wakes up in the morning plotting to kill someone.

Ossoff: "This is a seismic event. This should have people across the country absolutely shook. This is a huge deal. This is an FBI raid on the Fulton County Elections office ... This is a shot across the bow at the midterm elections. He tried to steal power when he lost it in 2020."

Deleted a previous version of this post because it had a typo, and we hate typos.

Nice praise from another happy paid subscriber to The High Side. Thanks, Kim! @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social will keep doing our best to earn your trust with old-fashioned shoe leather reporting. To read the stories that impressed Kim, click here: thehighside.substack.com

A great note from a new paid subscriber to The High Side, the national security site run by @seandnaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social. You too can become a paid subscriber and dive into our growing list of scoops here: thehighside.substack.com.

Yes, America has classified directed energy weapons. No, they were not used on the Maduro raid. Don't believe everything you read on social media, or everything the White House tweets.

New article on @thehighside.bsky.social about the classified directed energy weapon that JSOC has access too, and why it wasn't used on the Maduro raid.

thehighside.substack.com/p/yes-americ...

Yes, America has classified directed energy weapons. No, they were not used on the Maduro raid. Don't believe everything you read on social media, or everything the White House tweets.

The latest from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social on The High Side:

Read @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social's article in @thehighside.bsky.social here: thehighside.substack.com/p/bold-delta...

Our latest on @secretsandspies.bsky.social: Chris spoke to @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social about his reporting on the inside scoop of how JSOC pulled off Operation Absolute Resolve. Check it out below.

🎧 pod.fo/e/378a90
🎥 youtu.be/etDt_Lu2dsA

I actually told Scahill I wanted the ticker describing my occupation to read, "special ops sex icon" but I guess that wasn't going to fly.

Apparently one glimpse of @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social's
appearance on the @dropsitenews.com livestream is enough to convince folks to become paid subscribers to The High Side. Thanks for signing up, Mark! Join him by clicking here: thehighside.substack.com And here's the video: x.com/i/broadcasts...

More praise for @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social from a longtime follower and new paid subscriber to The High Side. Thanks, Blake! We hope you enjoyed Jack's article on the raid, which has received A LOT of attention. If others haven't read it yet, click here: thehighside.substack.com/p/bold-delta...

Another new paid subscriber to The High Side who signed up after hearing @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social on @dropsitenews.com.
Thank you, Ruth! Jack's appearance can be seen and heard here: x.com/i/broadcasts...
Meanwhile, become a paid subscriber like Ruth by clicking here: TheHighSide.substack.com.

Another happy paid subscriber. Thanks, Donny! We had to pause our series on Special Forces and CIA legend Willie Merkerson for a while, but it'll continue this year. Catch up with all seven parts so far by clicking on the link in our profile bio. And @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social is indeed the man.

A great message from another new paid subscriber to The High Side. You've come to the right place, Michael. Welcome aboard!

If others want to see why Michael subscribed, click on the link to The High Side in our profile.

45min from now. Myself and Mick Mulroy discussing the raid including new details.

youtu.be/aTDEQtdUhp8?...

Devgru also hit secondary targets.

We updated this @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social story with a wealth of new detail on the mission & the task force. Already a paid subscriber? Just click on the story link and scroll to the bottom of the story for the new material. Not yet a paid subscriber? Become one here: thehighside.substack.com

Too true

Bold Delta Force raid leads to capture and arrest of Maduro Trump says JSOC's Operation Absolute Resolve will allow the United States to "run" Venezuela.

Got some details about the intelligence preparation of the battlefield done during the run up to the Maduro op.

thehighside.substack.com/p/bold-delta...

Bold Delta Force raid leads to capture and arrest of Maduro Trump says JSOC's Operation Absolute Resolve will allow the United States to "run" Venezuela.

New details from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social on last night's JSOC raid in Caracas, including info on the roles of the CIA and "Task Force Orange."
thehighside.substack.com/p/bold-delta...

In the final chapter, @seandnaylor.bsky.social writes that during the War on Terror, JSOC commanders "built the perfect hammer for the National Command Authority. The risk was that, as a result, successive administrations would continue to view too many national security problems as a nail."

Trump just posted this photo of Maduro with the caption, "Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima." truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...

Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command [Naylor, Sean] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command

Last night's op bears all the hallmarks of a classic Joint Special Operations Command mission. To know more about JSOC, read our own @seandnaylor.bsky.social's "Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command." Amazon Associates link: amzn.to/3N4WUfk (You buy: we get a cut)

The High Side | Sean D. Naylor | Substack In-depth national security reporting. Click to read The High Side, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

We have lots more planned for next year. But this work is only possible because of our paying subscribers. If you're not a paying subscriber yet, please consider signing up at thehighside.substack.com. To all of you, compliments of the season and Happy New Year. See you in 2026.