Note: This episode originally aired in April 2022.
Today’s guest is legendary CIA paramilitary and operations officer Enrique “Ric” Prado.
Ric is a retired CIA operations officer who specialized in paramilitary, counter-terrorism and special/clandestine operations. Escaping Cuba as a child amidst the violence of Castro’s Cuban Revolution, he would go on to retire as the CIA equivalent of a two-star general after serving for twenty-four years in the nation’s premier intelligence service which included 36 months as the first CIA officer to live in the anti-Sandinista “Contra” camps and later as Deputy Chief of Station of the original Bin Laden Task Force.
His new New York Times bestselling memoir Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Officer takes a deep dive into a truly exceptional career filled with assassins, terrorists, spies and revolutionaries. Prado’s memoir highlights not only the complexities of America’s shadow wars, but the extreme courage, creativity and perseverance it takes to execute such missions inside the most demanding and hostile environments.
You can learn more about Ric Prado at ricprado.com
Sponsors:
Navy Federal Credit Union: Today’s episode is presented by Navy Federal Credit Union. Learn more about them at navyfederal.org
Protekt: Visit protekt.com/dangerclose to get 25% off while supplies last.
Black Rifle Coffee Company: Today’s episode is also brought to you by Black Rifle. Purchase at http://www.blackriflecoffee.com/dangerclose and use code: dangerclose20 at checkout for 20% off your purchase and your first coffee club order!
SIG: This episode is sponsored by SIG Sauer. You can learn more about SIG here.
FEATURED GEAR
Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior
SIG P210 Carry

Danger Close is an IRONCLAD Original.