Joe Kent is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer, former CIA paramilitary officer, and until recently served as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, stepping down from the post in March 2026 following a principled disagreement over U.S. policy in the Iran war. An Oregon native and graduate of Norwich University in Strategic Defense Analysis, Kent served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, completing 11 combat deployments across the Middle East and other high-threat regions. His military career included service with the 75th Ranger Regiment, Army Special Forces, and U.S. Army Special Operations Command, earning numerous commendations, including six bronze stars. After retiring from the Army in 2018, he served as a paramilitary officer in the CIA’s Special Activities Center. Kent brought decades of frontline counterterrorism experience to the role, shaped in part by personal sacrifice: in 2019, his wife, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, was killed in a suicide bombing while serving in Syria. Follow the markets - https://polymarket.com/event/us-x-iran-ceasefire-by https://polymarket.com/event/us-forces-enter-iran-by Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoujZQZatbqy4KGcgjpVxQ/join Shawn Ryan Show Links SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/@ShawnRyanShow Sign up: https://shawnryanshow.com/pages/newsletter Support the Show: https://www.patreon.com/VigilanceElite Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5eodRZd3qR9VT1ip1wI7xQ?si=59f9d106e56a4509 Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnryanshow/ Follow on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/@shawnryanshow Follow on X: https://twitter.com/ShawnRyanShow SRS Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4pqo9Uoh0WuUKxw0BmaK1yrg9Kd7E4lk #vigilanceelite #shawnryanshow #news #currentaffairs #war Joe Kent Links: X - https://x.com/joekent16jan19 Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: Live better longer with BUBS Naturals. Get 20% OFF on collagen, MCT creamers, and more with code SHAWN at https://bubsnaturals.com/srs Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Check them out at https://roka.com and use code SRS for 20% off sitewide. 00:00 Welcome 02:59 Israel Influence Claims 06:51 Trump Talks Disputed 09:33 Insider Trading Rumors 11:10 Who Is Joe Kent 12:56 How Iran War Started 15:31 Red Line Shifted 17:18 Midnight Hammer Explained 22:30 No Regime Change Wars 24:40 Rally Around Flag 30:00 Strategy Gap With Israel 33:08 Boots on Ground Fears 36:32 Better Advisors Needed 40:21 Global Blowback Risks 43:01 Allies Feel Fallout 43:21 Europe Energy Contracts 46:51 Rubio And War Options 47:23 Civilian Targeting Debate 50:27 Israel Lobby And Iraq 53:01 Syria Blowback And ISIS 56:10 IAEA And JCPOA 58:01 Sleeper Cells Border Risk 01:03:00 Surveillance State Fears 01:04:02 Leak Accusations Pushback 01:05:55 Assassination Attempts Links 01:13:23 Tulsi And Internal Dissent 01:15:35 How To End Iran War 01:15:46 Restrain Israel Leverage 01:20:01 Diplomacy Window Closing 01:22:54 Why Israel Gets a Pass 01:24:43 How Intel Gets Bypassed 01:26:37 Rushing Trump Into War 01:31:03 Midterms and MAGA Fallout 01:35:26 Broken Promises and Public Anger 01:39:06 Kent’s Next Move 01:42:30 Fixing AIPAC Influence 01:44:33 Combat Loadout and New Tech 01:50:26 Patreon Q&A War and Threats 01:59:04 Final Thanks and Signoff