The High Side

New from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social: the untold story of the intimidation campaign targeting Havana Syndrome victims on U.S. soil. Spy-vs-spy tactics more typical of Moscow or Havana, but in the DC 'burbs and downtown Philadelphia thehighside.substack.com/p/lambs-to-t...

Great to see @zachsdorfman.bsky.social with the @washingtonpost.com's lead story today. Even better to read the hat-tip to @thehighside.bsky.social, a reference to this story he co-wrote for us with @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-school...

Another great message from a new paid subscriber to The High Side. Thanks, Mike! @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social couldn't do the deep investigative work that's at the heart of what we do without paid subscribers. Click here to become one: thehighside.substack.com

A great note from a new paid subscriber that gets to the heart of what @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social do. Our aim is that our paid subscribers learn something exclusive in every story. And, simply put, we couldn't do it without them. Join them here: TheHighSide.Substack.com

"Some saw the operation as basically risking the sacrifice of an entire squadron of JSOC operators (roughly 60 to 90 personnel)." thehighside.substack.com/p/iran-wmd-r...

If you're interested in counter-terror JSOC ops also run out of Cyprus during the same time frame, our @thehighside.bsky.social article about NOCs has lots of details. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-school...

“In that area of the world, terrorists can sell a hostage to another terror organization, and you will never hear about them again,” the former JSOC officer told The High Side. thehighside.substack.com/p/wildcat-to...

The new battalion is being created to help synchronize the Rangers with the alert posture of Joint Special Operations Command, which runs the military’s most sensitive special operations missions. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-75th-r...

“Military guys have so much of a signature” online that identifies them as being current or former service members, a defense contractor said adding that, the U.S. government has become quite adept at erasing that signature electronically. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-school...

On March 23, the JSOC task force’s major components deployed from locations around the United States to forward staging areas in the Middle East, according to two defense contractors. thehighside.substack.com/p/iran-wmd-r...

cc @seandnaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social

@washingtonpost.com is VERY lucky to be getting @zachsdorfman.bsky.social. Huge congrats to him and them. We are thrilled that one of his most recent bylines was for us: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-school...

It's great to be recognized by our paid subscribers for the deep-dive military (and intelligence) reporting that's our specialty. Check us out at thehighside.substack.com and consider becoming a paid subscriber yourself. Also a nice shoutout to @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social's @theteamhouse.bsky.social.

We are now in week 2 of CSM (ret.) Rick Merritt crashing out and petitioning all fellow veterans to block me, claiming I am endangering American national security amongst other tall tales because of an article I wrote about the Ranger Regiment restructuring. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-75th-r...

Go read the story that the Army tried to squash. My old CSM is now trying to "PNG" me from the Ranger Regiment simply for writing a story about the creation of a 4th battalion. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-75th-r...

"...informing us!" is how this message ends. @seandnaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social at @thehighside.bsky.social are thrilled to be this new paid subscriber's first subscription! Click here thehighside.substack.com to see what got them so excited (and consider joining them yourself).

Who knew this article would be so controversial? Check out @thehighside.bsky.social article that Army Special Ops doesn't want you to read. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-75th-r...

My policy on people who use AI to write books is that if you can't be bothered to write it, then I can't be bothered to read it.

I just had an extremely disappointing phone call with a former regimental sergeant major tonight who told me I'm not a real ranger and have no integrity for not taking it down. He said he would lie publicly to discredit me while acknowledging that the story is true but not officially announced.

The 75th Ranger Regiment is preparing to create a 4th Ranger Battalion in order to meet force readiness and crisis response requirements. thehighside.substack.com/p/the-75th-r...

New from @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social: thehighside.substack.com/p/the-75th-r...

"A local source network helped enable the operation. That network helped install jammers and other technical equipment on the ground, including beacons for airstrikes. The operational preparation of the battlespace was conducted by Task Force Orange." thehighside.substack.com/p/bold-delta...

"Those first dozen trainees whom the CIA flew to Northern Virginia to learn tradecraft formed the CTU template for the rest of its existence. The unit was never larger than 12 Afghan intelligence officers plus about three CIA supervisors." thehighside.substack.com/p/the-unit-t...

1) This report should be publicly available. 2) It should beg immediate questions about the numbers in Iran.

The deepest of deep dives on Havana Syndrome: we focused in on the original cohort of CIA members who got hit in Havana in 2016 and charted their story, of which you've only heard the half of previously. thehighside.substack.com/p/lambs-to-t...

“This is a classified operation,” one of the briefers announced to the Special Forces A-team “From this point forward, we have command and control.” Neither of the men in black ever identified themselves or which branch of the U.S. government they worked for. thehighside.substack.com/p/red-menace...

“Probably since the creation of the CIFs there have been the haters that have been trying to shut them down,” said former acting defense secretary and retired Special Forces officer Chris Miller. thehighside.substack.com/p/revenge-of...

The rest of this message reads "...subscribe again, their excellent, unparalleled, to me, content." Thanks, Chuck! To follow in Chuck's footsteps and support @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social and @seandnaylor.bsky.social's reporting by becoming a paid subscriber, click here: thehighside.substack.com.

Of course, the BEST way to support The High Side is to become a paying subscriber like Jim. To do so, click here: TheHighSide.substack.com CC @seandnaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social

Yesterday's @nypost.com "exclusive" article about a possible raid to grab Iran's nuclear material nypost.com/2026/07/25/w... cited, but didn't link to, "a report from a report from plugged-in independent outlet The High Side." Our story is here: thehighside.substack.com/p/iran-wmd-r....

At the Focal Point Operations Center, the word came down, according to the former military intelligence official, “Bearded weirdos were on the way.” thehighside.substack.com/p/wildcat-to...

New on @thehighside.bsky.social -Op Wildcat Torrent, new details about the missionary DEVGRU rescued in 2020 -Green Berets in the Sahel who worked to free a nun being held hostage -Previously unreported details about the DEVGRU raid in Nigeria in May that got buried under all the Iran news.

@jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social takes you inside hostage rescue and counterterrorism operations in the Sahel over the past several years, exclusively in The High Side: thehighside.substack.com/p/wildcat-to...

I write stuff like this story about a CIA proxy coming off the rails and people totally just shrug it off while raging about MK Ultra or what the fuck ever else as if that even matters at this point. Serious case of vapor lock. thehighside.substack.com/p/extrajudic...

Back to reading Tragedy and Hope. Today I felt stuck on my novel so I wrote a draft about special ops hostage rescue missions in West Africa over the last five years for @thehighside.bsky.social

Another terrific endorsement for our work at TheHighSide.substack.com from a new paying subscriber. Thank you, Patrick! cc @seandnaylor.bsky.social and @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social

New Eyes On ep today discussing the article I wrote about the Iran WMD mission with @seandnaylor.bsky.social youtu.be/tiO6bgkEHnM?...