Feb 8, 2025
Today’s Combat Story is with our first Navy Vice Admiral, Mike LeFever, who spent 38 years in uniform supporting US National Security across the world. Rising from an Annapolis wrestler to a surface warfare officer, Mike was selected to command a strike group, would serve at the US Embassy in Pakistan as the head diplomatic officer (during the Bin Laden raid), and finished his military career as the Director of Strategic Operational Planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
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Mike has gone on to write a book about leading through crises titled End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis, and, since leaving service, has stayed very busy with roles as a CEO for a cyber and tech company; a senior advisor and mentor at the McChrystal Group; Performance Ambassador and Speaker for Liminal Collective and Arena Labs; works on the Cipher Brief with friend of the show Glenn Corn and more.
This is a really and insightful discussion with an incredibly senior, accomplished, yet thoroughly humble leader and I hope you enjoy his sense of humor, honest talk, and experiences at the highest levels of both global affairs and military strategy as much as I did.
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Find Mike LeFever Online:
https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu/mike-lefever/
End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis
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🎵 Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Show Notes:
00:44 Introduction to Combat Story and Host
01:03 Meet Vice Admiral Mike Lefevre
01:34 Career Highlights and Leadership Roles
02:25 Personal Insights and Experiences
02:53 Memorable Moments in Islamabad
07:07 Significant Events and Challenges in Pakistan
09:06 Reflections on Leadership and Service
09:54 Unexpected Career Path and Surface Warfare
15:04 Leading Earthquake Relief in Pakistan
19:10 Building a Humanitarian Task Force
24:14 Navigating Crisis and Leadership Lessons
32:04 End Game: Strategic Planning and Execution
35:07 Military Influence in Pakistan
35:29 Anecdotes from Bab N Abad
36:41 Building Relationships in Pakistan
39:44 The Bin Laden Raid
42:36 Post-Raid Reflections
44:00 Geopolitical Challenges and Operations
53:14 Leadership and Mentorship
55:20 High-Performance Training
57:44 Current Endeavors and Reflections
01:02:02 Personal Reflections and Closing Thoughts