The Key to Military Intelligence? A Foundation of Trust

Bringing together leaders, lawmakers and lawbreakers. Host Luke Fox explores how innovations in business and technology are redefining our trust in security measures.

 

Trust is foundational to many relationships and organizations, maybe none more than those in military, intelligence, and government positions. Joining The Trust Revolution and host Luke Fox is a man who has experience in all three, COL Chris Costa. Costa spent 34 years in the Department of Defense as an intelligence officer and counterterrorism and hostage director. COL Costa has played an important role in security and shared his experiences. He’s now retired and is the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum.

“Trust is fundamental to being an intelligence officer and serving in the U.S. military. It starts when you take the oath to the constitution,” Costa said.

COL Costa explained that trust among service members starts with the foundation of reliance on one other. What he learned about trust in that role, he took with him as he transitioned to the intelligence world.

However, the trust in relationships is different. “It’s a double-edged sword in intelligence. You’re building trust with a source, but they could be a double agent.”

“Trust is fundamental to being an intelligence officer and serving in the U.S. military. It starts when you take the oath to the constitution” -Chris Costa

When working with sources, those people are taking a huge personal risk. They could be captured, interrogated, or executed. COL Costa shared an experience with a young Taliban. “We are interested in the information he had, and we wanted to protect him, but he had to take direction from me.” That relationship was worth the trust instilled in the operative, and COL Costa said the intelligence he provided most likely saved American lives.

In his next role as a hostage recovery expert in the White House, there was a new paradigm of trust. Families had to trust that he and his counterparts were doing everything to receive them. “We had an obligation to tell them everything we could without jeopardizing anything.”

From a lifetime of service and trust, COL Costa is now providing a means of trust to the public by leading the International Spy Museum in D.C. These exhibits tell important, unknown stories about the power of trust.

Catch Up On Previous Episodes of The Trust Revolution!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

influencer partnerships
Moving Beyond Social Media Buzz: How Authentic Content & Long-Term Influencer Partnerships Can Drive Hotel ROI
July 30, 2025

Influencer marketing is rapidly changing, and many hotels are still figuring out how to tap into its full potential. As travelers demand more authentic and relatable content, the pressure is on for hotels to adapt their marketing strategies. But with skepticism around the true ROI of influencer partnerships, it’s more important than ever for brands…

Read More
workforce
Building a Future-Ready Workforce: With Traditional Training Models Failing, It’s Time for Employers and Educators to Build Solutions Together
July 30, 2025

In an era where the average job tenure in the U.S. hovers under four years and industries are evolving faster than academic curricula can keep up, the need for a new approach to workforce development has never been more urgent. Companies like Amazon and McDonald’s are responding by investing in “education as a benefit”…

Read More
belief
Learning Out Loud with Belief, Courage, and the Power of Yes
July 30, 2025

In a world where workplace disengagement is on the rise, with global employee engagement falling to just 21% in 2024, leaders and teams are increasingly seeking meaning, connection, and growth in their work. Amid this shift, professionals are asking deeper questions about purpose and fulfillment, both individually and collectively. That’s exactly where Paul Plamondon’s…

Read More
professional advancement
The Measured Mindset: How Mentorship, Curiosity, and Listening Drive Professional Advancement and Growth
July 29, 2025

Not every path into analytics starts with code and spreadsheets. For some, it begins with curiosity, adaptability, mentorship, and a willingness to learn something entirely new. That’s the case for Mayank Malviya, whose journey from a humanities education in India to a career in U.S.-based market research reveals how initiative and mentorship can accelerate…

Read More