Shawn Ryan Show Episode #149: Sarah Adams - Is the Pentagon Ignoring the Most Dangerous Threat of All?

Release Date: December 12, 2024

In this compelling episode of the Shawn Ryan Show, host Shawn Ryan engages in a profound discussion with Sarah Adams, a former CIA officer and counterterrorism analyst. The conversation delves deep into the alarming threats posed by Al Qaeda and the Pentagon's seemingly inadequate response to these dangers. Below is a detailed summary capturing the key points, insights, and conclusions from their candid dialogue.

1. Understanding Open Source Intelligence

Timestamp: [03:19]
Speaker: Sarah Adams

Sarah Adams begins by clarifying the concept of open source intelligence, emphasizing its public accessibility. She explains that her team gathers unclassified threat information from various sources and shares it with appropriate entities, such as embassies and Regional Security Officers (RSOs). However, she highlights a concerning incident where the Pentagon reprimanded her for disseminating this unclassified information through informal channels.

Sarah Adams ([03:19]):
"What we do is when we get threat information, we pass it to where it belongs. Sometimes the threat is against a foreign government, so we'll send it to maybe like the ambassador at the embassy in Washington, D.C."

2. Pentagon's Response to Emerging Threats

Timestamp: [04:46]
Speaker: Scott Mann

Scott Mann expresses bewilderment over the Pentagon's lack of concern for American personnel's safety at embassies, focusing instead solely on the method of information dissemination.

Scott Mann ([04:46]):
"I don't understand how the Pentagon would not be concerned with the safety of Americans at an American embassy."

3. Al Qaeda's Strategic Threats

Timestamp: [05:30]
Speaker: Sarah Adams

Adams outlines the multifaceted threats posed by Al Qaeda, highlighting their plans to create an Islamic caliphate through waves of attacks across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and eventually the United States. She stresses that these coordinated efforts aim to destabilize regions and challenge U.S. influence globally.

Sarah Adams ([05:30]):
"So Al Qaeda has all these waves of attacks planned...to create the Islamic caliphate."

4. Funding the Taliban: A Double-Edged Sword

Timestamp: [14:25]
Speaker: Sarah Adams

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the U.S. government's funding of the Taliban. Adams reveals that substantial funds, amounting to $40–$87 million weekly, are funneled to the Taliban through various channels, including NGOs. She asserts that these funds inadvertently support Al Qaeda's operations, enabling them to plan and execute attacks against the homeland.

Sarah Adams ([14:25]):
"We're giving him about 3 million a month. So we're almost funding his entire office."

5. The Islamic Army and Global Terror Networks

Timestamp: [36:27]
Speaker: Sarah Adams

Adams introduces the concept of the "Islamic Army," a unified front led by Hamza bin Laden, aimed at consolidating various terrorist groups like ISIS, Hezbollah, and the Taliban under a single banner. This consolidation enhances their operational capabilities and obscures direct affiliations, making counterterrorism efforts more challenging.

Sarah Adams ([36:27]):
"Hamza is the number one guy of what is now called the Islamic Army...they have trained about 120,000 people under this Islamic army umbrella."

6. The Covert Operations and Collusion with Global Powers

Timestamp: [51:13]
Speaker: Sarah Adams

Adams sheds light on the intricate relationships between Al Qaeda, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and other global powers like China and Russia. She reveals that these alliances facilitate the movement of resources and intelligence, further strengthening terrorist networks and their ability to plan large-scale attacks.

Sarah Adams ([51:13]):
"Al Qaeda, IRGC, China, and Russia are essentially in the same building...they're very, very close relations."

7. Failures in U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts

Timestamp: [57:52]
Speaker: Sarah Adams

Addressing systemic issues, Adams criticizes the U.S. government's inadequate response to tangible threats, citing the Benghazi investigation as an exemplar of inefficiency and negligence. She laments the lack of actionable intelligence and the government's failure to act upon credible threat reports, exacerbating national security risks.

Sarah Adams ([57:52]):
"Our government made you believe this was a lone wolf...they didn't do their job properly."

8. Anticipated Homeland Attacks in 2025

Timestamp: [86:07]
Speaker: Sarah Adams

Concluding the episode, Adams warns of impending coordinated attacks by Al Qaeda within the United States and Europe, anticipated to occur around 2025. She stresses the urgency for enhanced training, preparedness, and inter-state cooperation to mitigate these threats effectively.

Sarah Adams ([86:07]):
"I'm certain. We'll either have embassy attacks in 2025 or the Homeland attack or both."

Key Takeaways:

• Pentagon's Inadequate Response: Despite receiving unclassified threat information, the Pentagon's focus on procedural channels over actionable intelligence compromises the safety of American personnel abroad.

• Al Qaeda's Global Strategy: The terrorist group is orchestrating a series of calculated attacks aimed at establishing an Islamic caliphate, leveraging strategic partnerships and funding mechanisms that undermine U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

• Funding Paradox: U.S. financial support to the Taliban inadvertently empowers Al Qaeda, facilitating their operational capabilities and global reach.

• Global Terror Networks: Collaborative ties between Al Qaeda, IRGC, and other state actors like China and Russia amplify the complexity and threat level of global terrorism.

• Government Accountability: Institutional failures in intelligence gathering and threat response highlight the need for systemic reforms to enhance national security.

• Urgent Preparedness Needed: With projected attacks looming in 2025, there is an immediate call for robust training, resource allocation, and multi-state cooperation to safeguard against imminent threats.

This episode serves as a stark reminder of the intricate and evolving nature of global terrorism and the critical need for vigilant, informed, and proactive measures to counteract these pervasive threats.