Pete Blaber - Delta Force Commander Exposes the Failures Behind Pat Tillman’s Death | SRS #294

I got a 12 hour shift that lets you use headphones my day gonna zoom by. 😂

The media: “Podcasts are dumb, no one is going to listen to an hour long conversation. SRS: *12 hour conversation

12 hours?! Let’s get it

More detailed timestamped breakdown: [00:05] Fictional Teams & Cartels: Discussing the ideal "dream team" for taking on cartels, preferred weapons, and overall strategies. [08:33] Delta Force Timeline: Analyzing a realistic timeline for Delta Force to dismantle cartel operations. [15:46] Armor Car Business: Pete Blaber's experience running an armored car business in California and Mexico. [23:17] Next Generation of Service: Answering a Patreon question about convincing the next generation to serve, alongside thoughts on the current political climate. [31:58] Early Life & Problem Solving: Growing up pre-digital in Illinois, childhood independence, and developing adaptive risk calculations. [45:55] College & Inspiration: College life, wilderness navigation, and how the Desert One hostage rescue inspired him to join the military. [49:04] Joining the Military: Attending Officer Candidate School (OCS) and serving in the Rangers. [52:43] Ukraine War & Propaganda: An extensive discussion on the origins of the Ukraine war, propaganda, and US involvement. [01:40:41] Ranger Leadership: Experiences in the Rangers and the profound impact of a positive leadership climate. [01:46:41] Invasion of Panama: Deployment experiences during the Invasion of Panama. [01:49:05] Delta Force Selection: The intense selection process, including the psychological interview with Larry Vickers. [01:56:15] Corporate Interviewing: Applying military psychological evaluations to corporate interviewing and problem-solving. [01:59:42] The "Long Walk": Navigating the grueling Delta selection course and a close encounter with a wild boar and a cliff. [02:09:49] Checking into Delta: The realities of checking in as a new officer at Delta Force and working alongside operators. [02:16:15] Hunting the Cartel: Deployment to Colombia to track down Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel. [02:43:12] Bogota Reconnaissance: Conducting solo recon in Bogota and close calls with cartel members in a high-rise. [02:59:36] Somalia & The "Helicopter Mafia": Deployment to Somalia, debates over Black Hawk vs. Little Bird helicopters, and command structure issues. [03:11:39] Black Hawk Down Aftermath: The tactical lessons learned from the Black Hawk Down incident. [03:18:55] Bosnia Deployment: Hunting Serbian war criminals and creating innovative vehicle-stopping devices. [03:32:46] Bureaucracy in Command: Dealing with multi-national command bureaucracy and the Russian takeover of the Pristina airfield. [03:39:22] Disconnected Command: The recurring failures and dangers of disconnected chains of command in modern warfare. [03:49:25] Afghanistan & AFO: Arriving in Afghanistan, tracking Al Qaeda, and early Advanced Force Operations (AFO). [03:54:08] Interviewing an Al Qaeda Trainer: Extracting vital intelligence from Ali Mohamed in a US prison. [04:02:26] The Shahi-Kot Valley: Following local leads from shepherds to locate Al Qaeda strongholds. [04:12:08] Operation Anaconda: The Battle of Takur Ghar (Roberts Ridge) and the catastrophic errors made by disconnected commanders. [04:46:26] John Chapman's Death: A detailed account of John Chapman's final moments and the subsequent narrative cover-up. [05:22:52] Pat Tillman's Tragic Death: The friendly fire incident that killed Pat Tillman, toxic leadership, and the deliberate cover-up by the chain of command. [06:47:01] The "Common Sense Way": Advocating for a complete overhaul of military leadership strategies. [06:50:11] Havana Syndrome & CIA: Discussions on institutions covering up Havana Syndrome and the impact of vaccine mandates on the military. [07:26:01] Institutional Deception: The destruction of the learning feedback loop when institutions lie to protect themselves. [07:34:03] Operational Working Dogs: How Blaber's team pioneered the modern operational working dogs program in Delta Force. [08:14:59] Modern Battlefield Tech: The rapid evolution of FPV drones and their impact on modern combat. [08:26:49] Decentralizing the Military: How AI command systems and vertical take-off drones are changing military strategies. [08:39:23] Hunting Al Qaeda in Pakistan: Pushing into Pakistan after Operation Anaconda to track fleeing fighters. [08:55:00] Islamabad Meetings: Tense meetings with Pakistani generals and a dismissive CIA Chief of Station regarding Al Qaeda's presence. [09:13:04] Pre-Invasion Intel on Iraq: Debunking the satellite photos used in Colin Powell's UN speech regarding Iraqi WMDs. [09:32:30] Cultural Advisors: Recommending the use of Iraqi-American cultural advisors, which was largely ignored by command. [09:50:12] The Swarm Strategy: Deploying to Saudi Arabia and developing "the swarm" diversionary strategy for the Iraq invasion. [10:14:02] Tikrit Show of Force: Engaging a mechanized Iraqi brigade with thin-skinned vehicles and defying senseless orders. [10:35:48] Paul Bremer & The Green Zone: A frustrating meeting with Paul Bremer and the disastrous post-invasion infrastructure strategy. [10:55:23] Corporate War Profits: Discussion on the massive profits made by contractors like Halliburton and KBR. [11:01:06] Leaving the Military: Making the complex decision to leave Delta Force and transitioning to a corporate career at Amgen. [11:27:47] Writing Discipline: The process of writing his books and the required intellectual discipline. [11:39:00] Metacognition & The Brain: Explaining the triune brain (reptilian, emotional, neocortex), diaphragmatic breathing, and the Wim Hof method for high-stress situations. [12:11:27] Crowd Control Tech: Brief discussion on secret, non-kinetic frequency/noise weapons used for crowd control.

Brother... I don't think I can sit on the toilet this long.

It took 3 days, because I wanted to stay focused and pay attention - Every single minute was worth listening to and at the very end genuinely useful everyday instruction on how to stay calm under stress and which convinced me to immediately buy The Common Sense Way. I've listened to many podcasts interviews with former operators and soldiers, but this one...best one of them all. I cannot believe I get access to all this information for no additional charge. Thank you Shawn Ryan and thank you Pete Blaber.

I knew Col.Blaber when we were in Somalia.Good man.Always showed integrity and honor.

General Hodney (re Pat Tillman) was asked to resign by Hegseth on April 2, 2026! 💪🏼

This should be listened to by all American citizens.

Shawn, absolutely no disrespect to any of your previous shows, but this hands down has been the most honest and true warrior that you have had on in my opinion. I have So much respect for everyone apart of your organization along, and every guest that you have on. This man is an amazing human being. God bless!