The Off The X Podcast

Stephen Silva, Author & Retired Diplomatic Security Service Supervisory Special Agent

Listen in as retired DSS Supervisory Special Agent and Author of Afghans Never Smile - Reflections of a DSS Agent from Both Sides of the Durand Line, Steve Silva, discusses his time in Peshawar Pakistan, Bagram, Afghanistan, working at the Joint Terrorism Task Force and more. 

DSS Supervisory Special Agent Kala Bokelman - Head of Diplomatic Security Service Recruitment

DSS Supervisory Special Agent Kala Bokelman tells us about her career, delivers information and instruction about the 2022 Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent Vacancy Announcement. 

Special Agent Adrian Diaz of the Diplomatic Security Service

Listen in as active duty Special Agent Adrian Diaz of the Diplomatic Security Service shares the stories of his 17 years of service at assignments across the globe including Monrovia Liberia, Tallil Iraq, Sao Paolo Brazil, MSD, ATA and others. 

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Matt Miller - former Medic for the DS Worldwide Protective Services, Army Medic and Bronze Star Recipient

Join Matt "Doc" Miller and I as we discuss his time as a former Diplomatic Security Worldwide Protective Services (WPS) Medic serving in Baghdad and Erbil. Matt is also a former Army Medic completing over 450 MEDEVAC missions in Iraq, earning the Bronze Star for his actions. 

Jeff Carlson - former Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent

Listen in to Jeff Carlson and I as we discuss his first-ever interaction with a president of the United States, his time serving as a Diplomatic Security Special Agent in Tripoli, his close relationships with the DSS Special Agents serving in Benghazi during the attack, and his work in Counter-Intelligence at US Embassy Kabul. 

Tony Beltran - former Blackwater, Triple Canopy and US Marine

Tony Beltran, former Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and US Marine lived and breathed High Threat Protective (HTP) Operations in Iraq from 2005-2017. Join us as he talks about the early days of Blackwater, working alongside DSS Special Agents, and his response to protect the U.S. Consulate in Erbil during the 2015 ISIS attack. 

Matt Rawls - former Security Contractor and Recon Marine

Listen to Matt Rawls, aka Sleepy, a former Security Contractor and Force Reconnaissance Marine as he discusses his time working as a security contractor in Jerusalem, Basrah, Tallil, and Baghdad. 

U.S. State Department Officials Discuss the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) and Foreign Affairs Counter Threat Course

Join me as I discuss the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC) and the Foreign Affairs Counter Threat (FACT) course with Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Supervisory Special Agent Steve Strickland, Special Agent Maria Amaya, and FACT Operations Manager Rusty Pugh. In this episode we discuss exactly what the DSS is doing to keep it's diplomats safe in overseas environments. 

Special Agent Julie Cabus discusses her decades of experience in the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security Service

Tune in as Diplomatic Security Special Agent Julie Cabus, a member of the Senior Foreign Service, discusses her career at multiple diplomatic assignments on the continent of Africa, within Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and several domestic assignments. Julie is the first active-duty special agent and the first female agent on the Off The X Podcast.

Bill McCarthy - retired Diplomatic Security (DS) Special Agent

Join Billy Mac and I as we discuss his time as a Diplomatic Security Special Agent serving in Cairo, Niamey, Kinshasa, DS Training Center, Baghdad, Gaborone, DS R&D, and Abidjan.