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Mike Drop
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Mike Drop, hosted by former Navy SEAL and bestselling author Mike Ritland, is a no-holds-barred platform that dives deep into the stories and experiences of extraordinary individuals. Known for his candid and unfiltered approach, Mike interviews guests ranging from special operations veterans and elite athletes to renowned authors and thought leaders, offering listeners a exclusive glimpse into the human side of those who have excelled in their fields. Whether it's discussing the intense challenges of combat or the resilience required to overcome personal adversity, Mike Drop provides a space where real conversations happen.
359 Episodes
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Former intelligence officer, NGA Chief Technology Officer, and author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution Dr. Anthony Vinci joins Mike Ritland on Mike Drop to explore the new frontiers of espionage in the age of AI. They break down honeypot traps and modern recruitment risks, how social media and AI-powered disinformation have transformed propaganda, why teaching civil society to “think like an intelligence officer” is critical, and the looming threats of a digital Pearl Harbor, drone swarms, and economic warfare with China.
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Former intelligence officer, NGA Chief Technology Officer, and author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution Dr. Anthony Vinci joins Mike Ritland on Mike Drop to break down the Iraq War’s long-term consequences, the power vacuum that empowered Iran, and the risks of current U.S. strikes escalating into another costly entanglement. Vinci weighs whether boots on the ground will be needed, the danger of prolonged insurgent warfare, economic fallout from the Strait of Hormuz, and how modern espionage has been transformed by ubiquitous technical surveillance.
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Former intelligence officer, NGA Chief Technology Officer, and author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution Dr. Anthony Vinci joins Mike Ritland on Mike Drop to unpack America’s high-stakes Iran moves. As deception returns, ships reposition, and Marines surge into the region, Vinci draws hard lessons from Iraq: boots on the ground may deliver victory but at the brutal price of prolonged insurgent warfare that Iran is already incentivized to drag out and amplify.
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Nick Koumalatsos, Marine Raider, returns for the final segment of Episode 283.
The discussion examines the Epstein case as a form of systemic leverage, followed by a critical assessment of U.S. strikes in Iran—questioning underlying motives, strategic interests, and broader implications.
They address the rapid integration of AI in warfare, including autonomous targeting and the diminishing role of human judgment in combat. The conversation also considers the potential for SOCOM to operate as its own branch, along with emerging ideas around energy and recovery that remain outside mainstream focus.
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Nick Koumalatsos, Marine Raider and combat veteran, returns for Part 2.
This episode covers hormone optimization and TRT, peptide protocols for recovery, and the importance of discipline and accountability—principles rooted in special operations and applied to business and life.
Nick also shares the powerful story of adopting his youngest child.
The conversation closes with a critical look at current U.S. strikes in Iran, raising questions about timing, transparency, and public trust.
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Marine Raider and combat vet Nick Koumalatsos breaks down the current U.S. strikes in Iran and answers the hard question: are these precision attacks the opening moves of a real regime-change campaign, or just the latest massive distraction timed perfectly with the Epstein file drops and the sudden mainstream “aliens are real” push? We dig into the first torpedo sinking of an enemy ship since World War II, the recurring accusations of Israeli influence, and whether America is once again being played as a proxy in someone else’s game—while the bigger upstream truths stay buried.
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Trump says Cuba might be next, oil prices are spiking after Iran, China is building submarines, and Russia is feeding intel to Iran.
In this episode, I break down what’s actually going on behind the headlines—why Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba might all be connected, how energy and the petrodollar play into global power, and why transparency from our leaders matters.
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In Part 3 of Episode 281 of the Mike Drop Podcast, I sit down with Mark Grdovic to talk about what happened after the Iraq invasion—getting pulled out of theater sooner than expected, taking those lessons back to train the next generation of Special Forces, and landing in one of the most unique jobs in the military: running the President’s Emergency Operations Center at the White House.
We also get into leadership behind the scenes during Hurricane Katrina, the realities of retirement after decades in uniform, and Mark’s perspective on service, war, and what you really take with you when it’s all over.
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In Part 2 of Episode 281 of the Mike Drop Podcast, I sit down with Special Forces veteran Mark Grecovich to break down the planning and execution behind Operation Viking Hammer. We get into working with Kurdish forces, the complications with Turkey backing out, and how Green Berets adapted on the fly to launch a high-risk mission against an Al-Qaeda–affiliated group in the mountains of northern Iraq.
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1Retired Green Beret, Mark Grdovic shares the largely untold story of what came to be known as "Operation Viking Hammer", a 2003 U.S. Army Special Forces mission in northern Iraq that targeted the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam prior to the main invasion. Working alongside Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, 10th Special Forces Group conducted a coordinated assault on entrenched enemy positions in mountainous terrain near Halabja, following Tomahawk strikes. The operation dismantled Ansar al-Islam’s stronghold and secured the Kurdish region, enabling follow-on coalition operations deeper into Iraq.
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In the final part of this three-part episode of the Mike Drop Podcast, host Mike Ritland wraps up the conversation with former British Army sniper Ted Shirley. Ted shares his path to recovery from severe PTSD through civilian therapy, grounding techniques, EMDR, mindfulness, plant medicines, and years of hard work. He describes backpacking the world, rediscovering music, writing his book Afghanistan Sniper: Trauma on the Frontline and Beyond, giving mental health talks to veterans and military leaders, and reaching full remission—no longer carrying the diagnosis. A moving close full of hope, purpose, and the clear message that complete healing from combat trauma is possible.
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In this intense episode of the Mike Drop Podcast, host Mike Ritland speaks with former British Army sniper Ted Shirley about his 2009–2010 Afghanistan tour. Ted recounts mile-long confirmed kills, massive air assaults, close calls with enemy snipers, the combat high—and the brutal aftermath: severe PTSD, nightmares, aggression, addiction-like urges around killing, suicide attempts, and medical discharge. A raw, honest look at the psychological cost of being a sniper and the struggle to come home.
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Ted Shirley, a former British Army sniper with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and author of Afghanistan Sniper: Trauma on the Frontline and Beyond, recounts his two brutal tours in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, where he became one of the UK’s deadliest snipers. He opens up about the psychological toll of combat, including PTSD, addiction to the kill, substance abuse, and suicide attempts, and shares his perspective on the assassination of Charlie Kirk through the lens of his experience with political violence. Shirley ultimately reflects on his journey toward healing through therapy, plant medicine, and deep self-reflection, offering a raw but hopeful message about recovery after war.
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In the final part of Episode 279 of Mike Drop, Mike Ritland and Congressman Dan Crenshaw wrap up their discussion. Crenshaw addresses federal spending, waste vs. fraud in entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, the unsustainable path of these programs, and why meaningful reform remains politically toxic. The conversation shifts to foreign policy—Ukraine aid, Israel support, deterring China over Taiwan, cartel threats, and U.S. involvement abroad—before touching on immigration enforcement, regrets, and reflections on public service.
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In Part 2 of Episode 279 of Mike Drop, host Mike Ritland sits down with U.S. Congressman and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw for a candid, no-filter conversation. Crenshaw breaks down the Shawn Ryan controversy—accusations of insider trading, fabricated threats, and the collapsed podcast interview—while defending his actions during the Eddie Gallagher case. He also shares his perspective on the realities of Congress, term limits, foreign aid, the legislative process, and why he stays in the fight despite the personal cost.
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Dan Crenshaw sits down with Mike Ritland on the Mike Drop Podcast for a raw conversation. The former Navy SEAL and Texas Congressman opens up about his journey into politics, major policy fights (border security, cartels, flood mitigation, energy dominance), and directly addresses insider trading allegations, campaign finance, and the heated drama with Shawn Ryan and Eddie Gallagher—sharing receipts and his unfiltered side of the story.
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In Part 3 of Episode 278 of the Mike Drop podcast, host Mike Ritland continues his in-depth conversation with podcaster Julian Dorey. The discussion explores handling false claims from guests, the value of constructive criticism from comments, the vulnerability of independent media to psyops and influence operations, the Ashton Forbes MH370 controversy and lessons from public drama, Epstein's likely intelligence ties (with strong speculation on Mossad connections via the Maxwells), why the full client list will never surface, Wall Street realities versus myths, insider trading concerns among government officials, crypto's future institutionalization, and broader reflections on media responsibility and personal growth.
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In Part 2 of Episode 278 of the Mike Drop podcast, host Mike Ritland speaks with podcaster Julian Dorey about his relentless path to building his show. The conversation covers Dorey’s severe, undiagnosed health crisis that nearly ended his ambitions, his all-in commitment to podcasting despite physical and mental exhaustion, the realities of content creation—including YouTube algorithms, guest vetting, and media responsibility—and reflections on purpose, resilience, and the current state of independent media.
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In this episode of the Mike Drop podcast, host Mike Ritland welcomes Julian Dorey, the host of the wildly successful Julian Dorey Podcast. Diving straight into one of the darkest ongoing mysteries, they unpack Jeffrey Epstein’s sick blackmail tactics and his rumored role as an intelligence asset—touching on the infamous Epstein files that continue to fuel speculation about elite corruption and hidden operations. From there, the conversation ranges across Dorey’s Wall Street-to-podcast journey, parallels between modern society and ancient Rome, the crisis of purpose in young men, gun rights debates, New York politics, and his own brutal health battles while building a media empire. Raw, unfiltered, and packed with insight—this is a must-listen.
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Mike Ritland wraps up the interview with original Delta Force operator Mike Vining. Hear raw accounts of Urgent Fury in Grenada, Desert Storm bunker-busting, prison riot support, hardened target planning (Tahuna, Taji), moral injury, leadership lessons, retirement adventures, and his upcoming memoir Blasting Through. A legendary career summed up in one powerful close.
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The more Dan explains, the less credible he becomes.
Until this podcast, I have yet to come across someone as odd as me... Writing and shooting left handed, but overall being right hand dominate. Crazy! Go Hawks!
dang this one has lots of ads
I'm from the IA side of the Quad Cities and thought, "what a small world" it was hearing this podcast today. Keep up the excellence and GO HAWKS.
Loved your podcast for years but I have to sadly unsubscribe for glorifying and promoting Genocidal Zionist! I have seved in the middle east including spending time in Israel Lebanon and Syria to name a few and the IDF spread Lies, hate and division everywhere they go.
one of the best episodes of all time
thanks mike
unbelievable. ty for the pod
what happened to the sound quality?
back to all the commercial interruptions...I guess I'll switch on to another podcast
great podcast! thanks for keeping the commercials tp a minimum👍👊
Much better with fewer commercial interruptions! Thanks!
ugh!! these commercials are like the pop up adds on phone apps. time to go back to the early days
the iphone scale had me in stitches. great episode thanks !
lol, republican states aren't shitholes? are you even serious? Come to SC.
Correction, RUINED the podcast.
ugh! the commercials and advertisements ruin the flow of what are good interviews
Still one of my favorite podcasts...but...the commercials have spoiled the flow of conversations and cheapened your awesome work
great episode thanks Hollie and Mike. thanks for an interesting perspective in Afghanistan
the best episode yet