Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Charles “Charlie” Faint joins Subject Matter Expert for a wide-ranging conversation about turning intelligence into action for special operations, building leaders who perform under pressure, and reading the world’s most volatile flashpoints.

We unpack how SOF integrates intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance with decision-making at speed, what “good” leadership looks like when stakes are high, and how to read Indo-Pacific gray-zone clashes, Israel–Gaza dynamics, and Venezuela tensions without the hype.

Charlie is a former Infantry and Military Intelligence officer with 27+ years of service and seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Charlie served with 5th Special Forces Group, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and JSOC. He later taught at West Point (Modern War Institute), has advanced degrees, including an M.A. in International Relations, and leads veteran-focused projects such as The Havok Journal and the Second Mission Foundation. His work sits at the intersection of operations, strategy, and leader development.

In this episode

• How SOF actually fuses intel with combat operations

• The targeting method that changed the War on Terror

• Trust, standards, and moral courage in the military

• Indo-Pacific alliances, gray-zone coercion, and deterrence signals

• Middle East escalation indicators between Israel–Hamas–Hezbollah

• Venezuela and how it may be more than meets the eye

Read The Havok Journal: https://havokjournal.com/

Follow The Havok Journal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/havokjournal/

Check out The Second Mission Foundation: https://secondmissionfoundation.org/

New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

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