The Call That Saddam Hussein Was Hiding Nearby

What happened in this episode?

In this short episode, Jocko Willink speaks with a guest about discipline, fieldcraft, and combat decision-making, framed through passages from the guest’s book and experiences in US Army training and deployment. The conversation begins with a definition of discipline that goes beyond obedience, describing it as acting in accordance with values without supervision and maintaining consistent habits and standards.

They then discuss Fort Polk and opposing force (“Opfor”) roles at US combat training centres. The guest describes a training scenario in which his unit was “hit”, he became separated, and he continued operating alone for several days, using a laser engagement system to target opposing soldiers. He claims the exercise was nearly halted because commanders did not know his location, but says a senior NCO vouched for him, allowing the training to continue.

The episode later shifts to Iraq. The guest recalls receiving urgent intelligence suggesting Saddam Hussein could be in their sector near Kirkuk, leading to a quickly organised movement to a suspected safe house near the Tigris lowlands. He says the operation resulted in a “dry hole”, but notes Saddam was later captured not far away near Tikrit, and he wonders aloud whether they were close to the eventual hiding site.

What are the key points?

• Willink and his guest describe “discipline” as self-directed standards rather than mere obedience to orders.
• They discuss Fort Polk and the role of Opfor units in sharpening fieldcraft and tactics.
• The guest recounts a training incident where he operated alone for days and continued engaging targets in a laser-based exercise.
• He claims commanders considered stopping the exercise to search for him, but an NCO reassured them.
• The guest recalls urgent Iraq War intelligence indicating Saddam Hussein might be nearby, prompting a rapid move to a suspected safe house.
• He says the search found nothing, but Saddam was later captured not far away, leaving him to question whether they missed him.

Who is speaking?

Named speakers identified in Egleze's source-linked moments from this episode.

• Unidentified guest

Which topics are covered?

How is this page sourced?

Programme

Jocko Podcast

Published

8 October 2026

Duration

8m

Original episode

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Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.