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Jack Devine

Former Spymaster and Acting Deputy Director of Operations at the CIA and Author of the New York Times Best-Seller Good Hunting

Oversaw some of the most famous CIA operations of the last few decades including the capture of Pablo Escobar and Charlie Wilson’s War in Afghanistan
Recipient of the CIA Distinguished Intelligence Medal
Brings the secret intelligence world and its connections to global hotspots and current events to light

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Jack Devine served at the Central Intelligence Agency for more than 30 years, rising to become the acting deputy director of operations – the head of all CIA spying operations. He is the author of the New York Times best-seller Good Hunting: An American Spymaster’s Story, which Bob Woodward called “a sophisticated, deeply informed account of real life in the real CIA that adds immeasurably to the public understanding of the espionage culture.” His life’s story is one of gripping intrigue and high-stakes maneuvering, and he was present at nearly every major CIA operation. The issues present in the news today – Russia/the Ukraine, Snowden, cyber security, China, the Middle East, and ISIS – are issues he spent his entire career working on, and his expertise in the intelligence community is highly sought after by top-tier media outlets.

He describes covert operations in colorful detail (though not disclosing still-classified information), and gives audiences a look behind the curtain at some of the agency’s most controversial entanglements, from Iran-contra to the covert war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. With a keen sense of humor, sharp wit, and enthralling tales of his life as a spymaster, Devine shares insights from the top of the intelligence community, offering a unique view of the latest in geopolitics, cyber security, homeland security, and international affairs. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities, Inc. speakers bureau, his presentation, which is not to be missed, is an unprecedented look into the clandestine world of the CIA and how it ties to current events around the world.

Central Intelligence Agency. Jack Devine has had a storied career at the CIA. He ran Charlie Wilson’s War in Afghanistan, which was the largest covert action of the Cold War, and it was Devine who helped to push the Soviets out of Afghanistan with his decision to supply the mujahudeen with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. He oversaw the operation that brought down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, was in Chile when Allende fell, and tried to stop the Iran-Contra affair. He also tangled with Rick Ames, the KGB spy inside the CIA, and aided in the search for FBI mole Robert Hanssen. Devine later ran CIA stations in Latin America and Rome, headed the Counternarcotics Center, and eventually rose to become acting chief of the agency’s clandestine service. For his work, he received the agency’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal and several meritorious awards.

Sought-After Intelligence Expertise. Devine is a recognized expert in intelligence matters and has written for the Washington Post, Financial Times, the Miami Herald, and the World Policy Journal. He has also made guest appearances on CBS, NBC, MSNBC, Bloomberg News, Fox News, Discovery, PBS, the History channels, and ABC Radio.

Devine is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he is the founding partner and president of The Arkin Group LLC, which is an international risk consulting and intelligence firm whose mission is to use strategic intelligence and prescient analysis to enable our clients to minimize risks and maximize payoffs when making critical business decisions. He also speaks Spanish and Italian.

Speaker Video

Spymaster’s Prism: The Fight Against Russian Aggression

Spymaster Jack Devine on World Leaders

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Spymaster’s Prism: In Spymaster’s Prism, the legendary former spymaster, Jack Devine, details the very topical struggle with Russia and its intelligence agencies as it works against our national security. Devine draws on the unique perspective of a seasoned CIA professional who served more than three decades, some at the highest levels of the agency. He uses his gimlet-eyed view to walk us through the fascinating spy cases and covert action activities of Russia, including its current day cyber-attacks. He not only talks about the Cold War past but brings us up to the current Biden Administration. Devine also looks over the horizon to see what lies ahead in this struggle and provides prescriptions for the future.

Geopolitical Hotspots and International Turmoil: Jack Devine has labeled the world’s current economic climate the “most unstable environment I’ve ever seen,” and that’s a rather ominous distinction coming from him, a 32-year veteran of the CIA. Often put in the role to deliver a compromise before a clash, Devine became an expert in calming those unstable environments and now speaks to the importance of increased diplomacy in place of increased force. Through lessons learned during his legendary career at the CIA and enthralling and nail-biting stories of some of our nation’s most notorious entanglements, Devine gives audiences an unprecedented look into the clandestine world of the CIA and how it ties to current events around the world. He describes covert operations in colorful detail (though not disclosing still-classified information), and, with a keen sense of humor and sharp wit, shares insights from the top of the intelligence community, offering a unique view of the top issues in the news, including Russia/the Ukraine, Snowden, cyber security, China, ISIS, and the Middle East.

An American Spymaster’s Story: An expert on virtually all areas of intelligence, including analysis, operations, technology, and management, Jack Devine believes that the CIA has lost its way and is calling for a return to its roots – espionage and covert operations. “This decade of war has created a drift toward militarization of CIA personnel that may make it challenging to get everyone back to the traditional core mission,” Devine writes in his new book, Good Hunting: An American Spymaster’s Story. (Devine used to sign his classified notes with the phrase “GOOD HUNTING.”) In this “mass class in spycraft,” Devine takes audiences inside his beloved CIA, offering history, insights, and unbelievable personal tales as he argues that it has become “trapped within a larger bureaucracy, losing swaths of turf to the military, and…is becoming overly weighted toward paramilitary operations.” In a thrilling presentation filled with gripping anecdotes from clandestine operations, Devine calls for a return to what the agency does best – spying in the pursuit of America’s enemies.