Inside the Pentagon on 9/11 | Ambassador Matthew Klimow

Inside the Pentagon on 9/11 | Ambassador Matthew Klimow

Author: dee takos September 12, 2026 Duration: 2:25:06
Ambassador Matthew Klimow recounts his path from West Point and a 30-year Army career to the highest levels of U.S. national security, including his firsthand experience inside the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. We also discuss the chaos of that day, the early War on Terror, working for Vice President Dick Cheney, and his later diplomatic career as U.S. ambassador to Turkmenistan.
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"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"

00:00 – Start
00:57 – Growing Up in Upstate New York & His Father’s WWII Service
04:31 – West Point in the Turbulent 1970s
05:36 – Serving in Cold War Germany
10:00 – The Old Guard, Reagan’s Inauguration & Washington
12:20 – The Career Decision That Changed Everything
15:06 – Traveling With the Secretary of State & the Balkan Wars
16:55 – Madeleine Albright & the NATO-Russia Brigade Disaster
23:02 – Working With General Richard Myers on the Joint Staff
23:50 – Commanding at Fort Bragg & Returning to Washington
30:39 – Inside the Pentagon Before 9/11
33:32 – Watching the World Trade Center Burn From His Pentagon Office
35:00 – NORAD Calls the Pentagon’s Red Phone
36:27 – The White House Emergency Conference Begins
38:46 – “The Building Moved”: The Pentagon Is Hit
40:23 – General Myers Returns to the Burning Pentagon
42:28 – Could U.S. Fighters Shoot Down a Hijacked Airliner?
43:42 – The Chaos Between NORAD, the FAA & Secret Service
48:47 – Watching the South Tower Collapse From the Command Center
50:49 – Rumsfeld Returns & the Pentagon’s Command Crisis
52:33 – Cheney Is Rushed Into the White House Bunker
54:42 – President Bush: “Find Out Who Did This”
55:36 – Running Out of Oxygen Inside the Pentagon
58:30 – Rumsfeld Refuses to Evacuate
59:38 – “What Haven’t We Thought of Yet?” & Raising DEFCON
1:02:02 – Walking the Flight 77 Crash Site
1:03:15 – Soldiers Try to Reenter the Burning Pentagon
1:04:39 – Continuity of Government & Raven Rock
1:07:05 – The Human Toll of the Pentagon Attack
1:10:20 – General Shelton Returns to Washington
1:13:40 – “We’re Going to War”
1:19:38 – Going Home After 9/11 & Returning the...

Hosted by Jack Murphy, The Team House is a long-form conversation built around a simple, powerful premise: to understand national security, you need to listen to the people who have been there. This podcast deliberately steps away from the partisan noise, offering a fiercely apolitical space where special operations veterans, intelligence professionals, and frontline reporters can share their experiences and analysis. Many guests here are speaking publicly for the very first time, providing raw, firsthand accounts that you won't find elsewhere. Each episode is a deep dive into the realities of conflict, the nuanced tradecraft of intelligence work, and the underlying geopolitical forces that shape global events. The conversations are detailed, often technical, and always grounded in the lived expertise of the guests. Alongside this main show, the The Team House network includes the sister program Eyes On Geopolitics, hosted by Mick Mulroy, Andy Milburn, and Jason Lyons, which continues the focus on global dynamics with a similarly experienced lens. For listeners seeking substance over soundbites, this podcast delivers complex narratives about modern warfare, espionage, and international relations, told directly by the individuals who have operated within these shadowed worlds. It’s a rare opportunity to hear unfiltered perspectives on the most critical security challenges of our time, making each episode an immersive lesson in the human and strategic dimensions of power.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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