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Inside the Command Post During Bin Laden Raid | Earthquake Relief | Leadership | Adm Mike LeFever

Adm Mike LeFeverFebruary 8, 2025
Inside the Command Post During Bin Laden Raid | Earthquake Relief | Leadership |  Adm Mike LeFever
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About This Episode

Today’s Combat Story is with our first Navy Vice Admiral, Mike LeFever, who spent 38 years in uniform supporting US National Security across the world. Rising from an Annapolis wrestler to a surface warfare officer, Mike was selected to command a strike group, would serve at the US Embassy in Pakistan as the head diplomatic officer (during the Bin Laden raid), and finished his military career as the Director of Strategic Operational Planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

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Mike has gone on to write a book about leading through crises titled End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis, and, since leaving service, has stayed very busy with roles as a CEO for a cyber and tech company; a senior advisor and mentor at the McChrystal Group; Performance Ambassador and Speaker for Liminal Collective and Arena Labs; works on the Cipher Brief with friend of the show Glenn Corn and more.

This is a really and insightful discussion with an incredibly senior, accomplished, yet thoroughly humble leader and I hope you enjoy his sense of humor, honest talk, and experiences at the highest levels of both global affairs and military strategy as much as I did.

Featured Guest

Adm Mike LeFever

Chapters

  • 00:00Introduction
  • 00:44Introduction to Combat Story and Host
  • 01:03Meet Vice Admiral Mike Lefevre
  • 01:34Career Highlights and Leadership Roles
  • 02:25Personal Insights and Experiences
  • 02:53Memorable Moments in Islamabad
  • 07:07Significant Events and Challenges in Pakistan
  • 09:06Reflections on Leadership and Service
  • 09:54Unexpected Career Path and Surface Warfare
  • 15:04Leading Earthquake Relief in Pakistan
  • 19:10Building a Humanitarian Task Force
  • 24:14Navigating Crisis and Leadership Lessons
  • 32:04End Game: Strategic Planning and Execution
  • 35:07Military Influence in Pakistan
  • 35:29Anecdotes from Bab N Abad
  • 36:41Building Relationships in Pakistan
  • 39:44The Bin Laden Raid
  • 42:36Post-Raid Reflections
  • 44:00Geopolitical Challenges and Operations
  • 53:14Leadership and Mentorship
  • 55:20High-Performance Training
  • 57:44Current Endeavors and Reflections
  • 01:02:02Personal Reflections and Closing Thoughts