The Jedburgh Podcast

The Jedburgh Podcast

Fran Racioppi


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Latest Episode

#170: Negotiating With Terrorists - Special Presidential Envoy For Hostage Affairs Ambassador Roger Carstens

America maintains a promise to its citizens. A promise to never leave them behind and stop at nothing to return them to American soil. Over 200 Americans are wrongfully detained or taken hostage each year across the globe. The Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs is responsible for bringing them home.  Ambassador Roger Carstens served as the SPEHA from 2020-2025. A West Point Graduate, Green Beret, Army Ranger, and seasoned security leader, Roger and his team brought home close to 70 Americans during his tenure; including high profile cases such as WNBA star Brittney Griner and Wall Street Journal Reporter Evan Gerskovich.  Roger joined Fran Racioppi from the McCain Institute in Washington, DC for a conversation on the role of the SPEHA, why countries take Americans for leverage, and just how America negotiates with terrorists.  We explore the effects of wrongful detention and hostage taking on America’s national power, how families are turned completely upside down, and why only a Warrior Diplomat has the character required to make deals with America’s adversaries. Roger and Fran also share the mission of Hostage US; a non-profit instrumental in supporting hostages and wrongful detainees - and their families - through captivity, return and reintegration.   Watch, listen or read our conversation. Special thanks to the McCain Institute for hosting us and sharing their mission to defend and enhance human rights across the globe.  Highlights 0:00 Introduction 1:42 Welcome to the McCain Institute 5:23 What is the SPEHA? 8:53 Terrorists vs nation states 12:59 Deciding which cases 21:38 Negotiating with terrorists 24:38 Drawing the line 27:14 No negotiation approach 34:20 Family impact 41:00 Why Serve In The Army 50:05 Challenges In Transition 57:32 Hostage US Impact 1:00:47 Future of hostage security Quotes “A hostage is someone held by a terrorist group. A wrongful detainee is someone held by a nation state.”  “Every case is different. There is no cookie cutter approach.” “It doesn’t matter if it’s a nation state or terrorist group, if they take you, you’re held hostage.” “You can never hand a bag of money to a terrorist group and say ‘we want our citizen back.’” “The United States does not negotiate with terrorists and yet I have.” “No one comes back when you call for their unconditional release.” “If we did not negotiate with Russia, they would just take Americans and you would see them stay 14, 15, 16 years there or they’d die in prison.” “We have to create new tools to be used to compel these countries to not take our citizens.” “If you want to stop evil. If you want to crush the next Adolf Hitler. Dial 1-800-USARMY.” “Every Green Beret will leave the service one day.” “If there’s not that higher mission where you’re allowed to serve and you don’t have that camaraderie, you’re going to have a hard time.” “If you have a mission you have to approach your next few steps differently than those who just want to be a thing or to have a job.”  “The hardest negotiation I ever did was with the US Government.” The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by University of Health & Performance, providing our Veterans world class education and training as fitness and nutrition entrepreneurs.  Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge. The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation. The opinions presented on the The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of my guests and myself. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret.

About The Jedburgh Podcast

The Jedburgh Podcast is a conversation with transformative leaders, visionaries, drivers of change, and those dedicated to winning no matter the challenge. Hosted by US Army Special Forces Green Beret Fran Racioppi, each episode in-depth discussion with trailblazers who have earned success through dedication to talent development, preparation, introspection, and the drive to get things done. Our conversation will empower listeners to define success and operate at an elite level, regardless of the task at hand. Fran speaks with leaders in business, athletics, academics, and public service about their personal leadership stories of success, failure, and the road to continuous improvement. The Jedburghs of World War II was the first Special Operations forces and lived by the mantra, how you prepare today determines success tomorrow. Today’s leaders are no different. Our discussions focus on the nine character traits of elite performance used by Special Operations Forces to recruit, assess, select and retain elite performers. Through this lens, we show listeners that success in any field must be earned every day. We strive for each listener to take valuable lessons learned and concrete action steps to improve themselves, their teams, and their organizations. Although developed and used by US Special Operations Forces, these characteristics are inherently applicable to building resilient and successful organizations in any sector or industry, as well as in the betterment of our personal and professional lives. The Nine Characteristics of Elite Performance: -Drive: Growth mindset, be better than yesterday, continuous self-improvement -Resiliency: Perseverance in the face of challenges -Adaptability: Adjust one’s behavior to the situation -Humility: Recognize that you do not have all the answers; a willing learner maintains accurate self-awareness -Integrity: Understand what is legal and correct and align actions and words to both -Effective Intelligence: apply one’s experience and knowledge to the situation -Team Ability: Prioritize organizational needs ahead of oneself, work as a cohesive unit -Curiosity: Exploring the unknown, questioning the status quo in pursuit of better -Emotional Strength: Emotional control in stressful situations brings calm to chaos Fran is the founder of FRsix. He leads small to medium-sized businesses to scale by transforming their leadership and operations through introspection, continuous improvement, and a commitment to a talent mindset. He spent 13-years in the United States Army as a Green Beret, deploying numerous times to The Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Fran was the honor graduate of the Special Forces Qualification Course and the US Army Ranger School. He has served as CEO, COO, CSO, and Director of Global Security, where he was recognized by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security for his leadership and innovation. Fran earned an MBA from the NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business and a BA from Boston University in Journalism. Fran holds the highest civilian accreditations, including Certified Protection Professional, Certified Business Continuity Professional, and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Fran volunteers teaching Veterans to sail as the Race Director for Sailahead, a Veterans organization dedicated to reducing the Veteran suicide rate and is the former Treasurer of the United War Veterans Council. Talent War Group is a management consulting and executive search firm comprised of highly experienced and proven business executives and special operations leaders. We’ll drive you to attract, retain, and develop top talent. With services like Executive Search, Talent Advisory, Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, and Speaking & Keynotes, we work with you to create talent solutions to business problems. Contact us at www.talentwargroup.com Access more episodes, subscribe, and learn more.