War Ethics & Cyber Wars_ Ryan McBeth on NCV, Cartels & VPNs - OFF LIMITS with Bryan Callen
Fri Aug 01 2025
Bryan Callen sits down with intelligence analyst and cybersecurity expert Ryan McBeth on Off Limits to explore non‑combatant casualty values, cyber warfare, drug cartels and VPN privacy. McBeth spent two decades as an anti‑armor infantryman and later became a software architect and OSINT specialist, developing C4ISR software and consulting on information warfare
ryanmcbeth.com
. Now a bestselling novelist and YouTube creator, he makes complex military and intelligence topics accessible to millions of viewers.
The conversation begins with the non‑combatant casualty value (NCV)—a military rule of engagement that quantifies how many civilian casualties commanders will accept to neutralize a target
en.wikipedia.org
. The hosts discuss the ethics of collateral damage, how NCV thresholds require high‑level approvals and how modern targeting systems use data to minimize civilian harm. They then dive into cyber intelligence and open‑source intelligence (OSINT), exploring how analysts gather information online, the role of artificial intelligence, and why protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks is more important than ever.
McBeth shares insights into how U.S. and Mexican intelligence agencies cooperate to track cartel kingpins like Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán; joint operations have used surveillance, financial tracking and signals intelligence to bring dangerous cartel leaders to justice
lawfaremedia.org
. He explains why cartels operate like multinational corporations and how cyber‑enabled drug trafficking challenges law enforcement. The discussion then shifts to digital privacy and virtual private networks (VPNs), which encrypt internet traffic and hide a user’s IP address
security.org, allowing journalists and activists to bypass censorship and keep their online activities anonymous.
Tune in for a fascinating blend of war‑room ethics, cyber security, organized crime and personal liberty. If you enjoy long‑form, civil debates about current affairs, technology and national security, subscribe and hit the notification bell for future episodes.
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Bryan Callen sits down with intelligence analyst and cybersecurity expert Ryan McBeth on Off Limits to explore non‑combatant casualty values, cyber warfare, drug cartels and VPN privacy. McBeth spent two decades as an anti‑armor infantryman and later became a software architect and OSINT specialist, developing C4ISR software and consulting on information warfare ryanmcbeth.com . Now a bestselling novelist and YouTube creator, he makes complex military and intelligence topics accessible to millions of viewers. The conversation begins with the non‑combatant casualty value (NCV)—a military rule of engagement that quantifies how many civilian casualties commanders will accept to neutralize a target en.wikipedia.org . The hosts discuss the ethics of collateral damage, how NCV thresholds require high‑level approvals and how modern targeting systems use data to minimize civilian harm. They then dive into cyber intelligence and open‑source intelligence (OSINT), exploring how analysts gather information online, the role of artificial intelligence, and why protecting critical infrastructure from cyberattacks is more important than ever. McBeth shares insights into how U.S. and Mexican intelligence agencies cooperate to track cartel kingpins like Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán; joint operations have used surveillance, financial tracking and signals intelligence to bring dangerous cartel leaders to justice lawfaremedia.org . He explains why cartels operate like multinational corporations and how cyber‑enabled drug trafficking challenges law enforcement. The discussion then shifts to digital privacy and virtual private networks (VPNs), which encrypt internet traffic and hide a user’s IP address security.org, allowing journalists and activists to bypass censorship and keep their online activities anonymous. Tune in for a fascinating blend of war‑room ethics, cyber security, organized crime and personal liberty. If you enjoy long‑form, civil debates about current affairs, technology and national security, subscribe and hit the notification bell for future episodes.