Former CIA Targeter: Hunting Terrorists After 9/11 | Brittany Butler
Former CIA Targeter: Hunting Terrorists After 9/11 | Brittany Butler  
Podcast: The Team House
Published On: Sat May 23 2026
Description: Former CIA targeting officer Brittany Butler joins us to discuss her path from a small town in Georgia to the CIA, where she helped build target packages against extremist networks in Iraq and Afghanistan. She breaks down what targeting officers actually do, the realities of working with detainees and liaison partners, and how the fight evolved from AQI toward ISIS and Taliban senior leadership.Brittany also talks about burnout, leaving the agency to focus on family, her work supporting Afghan women, and how those experiences shaped her spy novels The Syndicate Spy and The Patriot’s Daughter.Grab Brittany's book here:https://a.co/d/0j2KhEeKToday's Sponsors:GhostBed ⬇️https://www.ghostbed.com/houseFOR 10% off! Blue Chew ⬇️https://bluechew.com/Get 1 month free when you buy 2 of BlueChew Gold with code "HOUSECALL"Quince⬇️go to: https://www.quince.com/housefor free shipping and 365 day returns For ad free video and audio and access to live streams and Eyes On Geopolitics...JOIN OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouseTo help support the show and for all bonus content including:-live shows and asking guest questions -ad free audio and video-early access to shows-Access to ALL bonus segments with our guestsSubscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouseSupport the show here:⬇️https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse___________________________________________________PRE ORDER JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured__________________________________Jack Murphy's new book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/——————————————————————Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouseSocial Media: ⬇️The Team House Instagram:https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_linkThe Team House Twitter:https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePodJack’s Instagram:https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_linkJack’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21Team House Discord: ⬇️https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"00:00 — Start / Britney Butler joins The Team House02:06 — Growing up in Georgia and wanting a life overseas02:39 — Embassy internship in Paris and first getting noticed by CIA07:57 — Applying to CIA and going through the recruitment process10:06 — Lifestyle polygraphs, clearance stress, and “confessing” too much14:15 — From case officer track to CIA targeting officer15:09 — The post-9/11 rise of targeting officers16:16 — Training as a targeter and learning the job under pressure19:09 — Iraq: building target packages against Sunni extremist networks21:21 — Sitting across from detainees and calling out their lies23:48 — Why people joined terrorist groups: coercion, money, and ideology27:19 — AQI, Iraq, and seeing the threat evolve toward ISIS28:22 — Moving to Afghanistan-Pakistan and targeting senior leadership32:46 — Taliban safe haven, Pakistan, and why the war wasn’t going away37:10 — Kill/capture, recruitment, drone strikes, and how targeting changed37:46 — Liaison missions and high-threat meetings without U.S. security41:44 — Marriage, family, and balancing CIA work with home life45:25 — Burnout, maternity leave, and deciding to leave the agency48:11 — Afghan women’s rights work and the start of her writing career52:24 — The Syndicate Spy and writing women into power in the Middle East55:46 — The Patriot’s Daughter, Russia, disinformation, and civil war fiction59:16 — CIA tradecraft in fiction and publication review01:01:00 — Book tour, where to find Britney, and closing questions01:02:20 — Khost, UBL, fallen CIA officers, and final reflectionsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.