Ep 270: David Shedd on China’s Spies

School of War · Jan 30, 2026 · 1h 3m

David Shedd, former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and author of The Great Heist: China’s Epic Campaign to Steal America’s Secrets, joins the show to discuss Chinese spy craft.

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Times

02:05 Early days

06:49 CIA

09:28 Sandinistas and revolutionaries

15:14 IC preparation

18:35 A great awakening

26:11 Industrial espionage

30:50 National Intelligence Estimate

34:11 The MSS

44:19 The culture of the 18th Bureau

50:17 Battlefield consequences

55:20 Counterarguments

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