CI Press, Episode 84: Two Badges, One Life: An Army Ccounterintelligence Love Story Part 2

CI Press Podcast — Gwinn Series (Part 2)

Following yesterday’s episode from Leslie Gwinn’s perspective, Part 2 of the CI Press Gwinn series turns to the other side of the story.

In this episode, Mike Gwinn shares his journey through military intelligence and counterintelligence covering early career development, deployments to Kosovo and Iraq, a significant career setback that led to discharge, and his determined return to service through the National Guard and U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC).

Where Part 1 explored the family impact of the counterintelligence life, Part Two examines the professional pressures behind it: leadership under stress, identity after failure, resilience in the face of career disruption, and the long road of rebuilding trust and purpose.

Mike also reflects on how counterintelligence work evolved over two decades, and what those changes meant for those doing the job on the ground both in uniform and beyond it.

Together, Parts 1 and 2 set the stage for the final episode, where Leslie and Mike come together to compare perspectives, lessons learned, and the realities of navigating a CI career as a team.