JSOU Talks “Queen of Cuba” Interview with Retired FBI Special Agent Peter Lapp

SOF CI Integration Course Director Mike Parrott (JSOU) hosted Retired FBI Special Agent and author Peter Lapp as a guest speaker during his course and during a lunch time JSOU Talks event for MacDill AFB personnel. In an era of strategic competition and conflict with major powers and revisionist states, the United States is faced with numerous threats and challenges abroad; but also, from within. The threat from trusted-insiders, like Aldrich Ames, Robert Hansen, Edward Snowden, Bradley (now Chelsea) Manning, Peter Debbins, and many more. Throughout 2023, mainstream media outlets have reported on a myriad of espionage cases involving the PRC, Russia, Ethiopia, and again Cuba. However, few remember, just 10-days after the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, the FBI arrested a 44-year-old woman. Which brings us too why we’re here today. Ana Belen Montes, known as “the Queen of Cuba,” spied for 17 years on behalf of Cuba during and after the Cold War. In her, DIA analyst capacity, she compromised countless numbers of sources, agents, and U.S. operations. To provide us with an insider’s perspective on this case, Peter provides an FBI Special Agent’s insider perspective on the espionage investigation of Ana Montes describe in his book titled The Queen of Cuba. Pete discusses Ana’s motivations, the indicators that were missed, and the impact Montes’ espionage activities had. Pete concludes with lessons learned and recommendations for leaders, CI agents, and insider threat professionals trying to protect their organizations from similar individuals.
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The views expressed in this video are entirely those of the speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of the United States Government, Department of Defense, United States Special Operations Command, or the Joint Special Operations University.