Combat veteran Ryan O'Leary joins us to discuss his journey from the Army National Guard to fighting alongside Kurdish forces against ISIS in Iraq, working with Iranian Kurdish insurgent groups, and later experiencing the war in Ukraine firsthand. Ryan breaks down the realities of insurgency warfare, Kurdish resistance movements, and why modern conflicts are being transformed by drones, surveillance, and battlefield transparency. This episode also dives into the future of warfare, the limits of regime change, corruption inside war zones, and what Western militaries still fail to understand about modern combat. Today's Sponsors: GhostBed ⬇️ https://www.ghostbed.com/house FOR 10% off! Blue Chew ⬇️ https://bluechew.com/ Get 1 month free when you buy 2 of BlueChew Gold with code "HOUSECALL" Good Ranchers ⬇️ https://www.goodranchers.com/ Get $25 off your first order with the code "HOUSE" For ad free video and audio and access to live streams and Eyes On Geopolitics...JOIN OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse To 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 guests Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse Support 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/theteamhouse Social Media: ⬇️ The Team House Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link The Team House Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod Jack’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link Jack’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21 Dave’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/dave_parke?s=21 Team House Discord: ⬇️ https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6 SubReddit: ⬇️ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheTeamHouse/ Jack Murphy's memoir "Murphy's Law" can be found here:⬇️ https://www.amazon.com/Murphys-Law-Journey-Investigative-Journalist/dp/1501191241 The Team Room Reading Room (Amazon Affiliate links):⬇️ https://jackmurphywrites.com/the-team-room-reading-room/ Intro music by https://www.youtube.com/user/RemixSample "Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio" 00:00 — Start 01:25 — Growing up in Iowa and joining the Army National Guard 03:25 — Iraq deployment: FOB security and disillusionment with the war 04:20 — Afghanistan in RC Pactia: first firefights and combat patrols 05:45 — Ambushed on day one and surviving RPG attacks 08:50 — Why Afghanistan felt minor compared to later wars in Kurdistan and Ukraine 09:35 — Going AWOL to fight ISIS with the Kurds in Iraq 11:40 — Watching U.S. airstrikes outside Erbil as ISIS closed in 13:20 — Joining the Peshmerga with almost no process or paperwork 15:00 — Fighting across Iraq with Kurdish and Iranian Kurdish units 16:20 — The Kurdish-Iraqi civil war around Kirkuk explained 18:40 — Taking tank fire from Iraqi Abrams tanks during the fighting 21:10 — Mortar teams, ATGMs, and chaos on the Kirkuk front 24:00 — Kurdish independence, Kirkuk oil, and Iran’s role in the conflict 27:00 — U.S. weapons ending up with Iranian-backed militias and PMUs 29:00 — Meeting Iranian Kurdish fighters and deciding to work with them 32:10 — Living in the Qandil Mountains with Kurdish insurgents 34:20 — Kurdish separatism, Mahabad, and dreams of independence 39:10 — Life with Iranian Kurds: morale, culture, and surviving in the mountains 41:45 — Learning insurgency warfare from the inside 43:20 — Why insurgencies are nearly impossible to defeat 47:55 — Could Iranian Kurds actually help overthrow Tehran? 53:20 — Why regime change in Iran was always unrealistic 01:02:00 — Early Ukraine war experiences and how drones changed everything 01:14:30 — FPV drones, trench warfare, and why modern combat is now transparent 01:28:00 — What Western militaries still don’t understand about drone warfare 01:40:30 — Surviving artillery, drone drops, and constant surveillance in Ukraine 01:55:00 — Why infantry movement is becoming nearly impossible on the modern battlefield 02:07:00 — Foreign fighters in Ukraine: motivations, strengths, and problems 02:18:00 — Corruption, logistics, and the reality behind the Ukrainian war effort 02:31:00 — Lessons from Iraq, Kurdistan, and Ukraine for future U.S. wars 02:42:30 — China, Taiwan, and how drones could reshape the Pacific battlefield 02:54:00 — Why small units and adaptability matter more than ever 03:05:00 — The psychological toll of nonstop drone surveillance and attrition warfare 03:15:30 — Final thoughts on the future of warfare and where conflict is heading Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.
