CENTCAST: The official podcast of U.S. Central Command

CENTCAST Episode 14: Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force, A Short Life with A Lasting Legacy

We celebrate the 40th Anniversary of CENTCOM in 2023, but have you ever wondered what the regional security picture was like before then? With the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and its potential for instability causing much concern, the establishment of a Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force was seen as crucial to countering Iranian and Russian influence. Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base after its 1980 beginning, the task force took the first steps in building the unified, permanent command needed in the Middle East. Episode 14 highlights the short lifespan of an organization that recognized a gap in the security framework of the United States and her partners and closed it with the contemporary resources and tools available. Join us now to learn about those who paved the way for CENTCOM.. 

Listen on DVIDS

March 23, 2023

CENTCAST Episode 3: The Wilderness Years

In Episode 3, we focus on the time before CENTCOM, specifically the period between World War II and the mid-1970s. During this time, the Middle East was a largely overlooked theater for American military strategy and, for the most part, no command focused on security and stability of the region. This episode tells the story of the World War II Persian Gulf Command, an American military organization in the Persian Gulf region and focused on providing supplies, trucks, and weapons to the Soviets.

March 23, 2023

CENTCAST Episode 2: Birth

In this episode our hosts, Joe Buccino and Joe Crespo, tell the story of the formation of CENTCOM in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The plotline goes from the Jimmy Carter presidency to the Reagan administration. It's a fascinating history of big decisions, strategic blunders, and high drama in DC and the Middle East.

March 23, 2023

CENTCAST Episode 1: Welcome to CENTCAST

Welcome to the inaugural episode of CENTCAST, the official podcast of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). CENTCOM, a US military command focused on the Middle East, Central Asia, and Levant, is America's premier warfighting command. This year, 2023, is the 40th anniversary of the formation of CENTCOM and CENTCAST, recorded at the CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, tells the story of CENTCOM history.

CENTCAST