Former Counterterrorism Officer Drew Berquist | Mike Ritland Podcast Episode 117

About this video

Ritland interviews Drew Bergquist, who spent 15 years with NSA, DIA, and CIA as a counterterrorism officer. Bergquist recounts his path from college football at Michigan to applying for intelligence agencies, describing the lengthy application process, Arabic language training, and early work at NSA. He shares his views on CIA culture and leadership, critiques organizational bloat, and discusses his current work hosting a pro-America show and housing his Afghan interpreter.

Key takeaways

• Bergquist describes the CIA as bloated with poor leadership culture, noting that decision-makers often lack operational experience, which he says can get people killed in the field.
• The intelligence agency application process can take 1.5 to 2 years, with background investigations being the longest component; Bergquist advises applicants to develop hard language skills to differentiate themselves.
• Bergquist emphasizes that few people in any government agency do the high-level work most imagine—the actual operational jobs represent a tiny percentage of the workforce, similar to the military.

Episode details: published October 30, 2022 · 37.8K views · 2:47:04 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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