Explore the dark world of real psychological operations
In this 10-episode docuseries, former Navy SEAL, CIA contractor, and host of The Shawn Ryan Show, Shawn Ryan, takes listeners inside the real PSYOPs being conducted across the world.
Discover how secret PSYOPs have shaped nations, manipulated minds, and continue to wage silent wars on the unsuspecting public.
From paramilitary Russian troll farms and the Chinese Communist Party's cognitive warfare operations to intelligence agency infiltrations of Hollywood, social media influence campaigns, and even futuristic direct energy weapons, the series explores how sophisticated psychological operations have become.
Featuring insights from whistleblowers, insiders, military officials, tech innovators, and intelligence experts, each episode takes us deeper into the rabbit hole to discover where these operations are headed—and how we can stop them.
Who’s really pulling the strings?
NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY
Target Intelligence: PSYOP with Shawn Ryan is an IRONCLAD Original
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SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
Real Disclosure About UFOs, UAP, Reverse Engineering Programs and Secret Military Black Projects?
Andy Stumpf interviews experts like Dr. Garry Nolan and Rep. Tim Burchett about UFOs, UAP, and secret military black projects.
8 Apr 2026
Chapter 10: Combatting the PSYOPs That Are Trying to Manipulate Your Behavior(with Chase Hughes)
In this special episode of Target Intelligence: PSYOP, we are joined by psychological operations insider, human behavior expert, and NCI University founder Chase Hughes.
Chase’s insights are featured through the 8-episode narrative series, and in the final two episodes of the season, Chase explains how PSYOPs work — and how we can avoid being manipulated by them.
More from Chase: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUBj_5pwQZaoXfBrEQQbADw
NCI University: https://chasehughes.com/
About Target Intelligence: PSYOP with Shawn Ryan, an IRONCLAD Original:
Chapters
(01:20) Cognitive Warfare techniques in app design
(04:24) Recognizing what manipulation looks like
(07:24) What is “Tactical uncertainty”
(11:07) The Flat earth “PSYOP”
(15:45) Operation Mockingbird and intelligence agency PSYOPs
(21:03) The Reason for Violence and Tribalism
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
31 Mar 2026
Chapter 9: The PSYOP Wars (with Chase Hughes)
In this special episode of Target Intelligence: PSYOP, we are joined by psychological operations insider, human behavior expert, and NCI University founder Chase Hughes.
Chase’s insights are featured through the 8-episode narrative series, and in the final two episodes of the season, Chase explains how PSYOPs work — and how we can avoid being manipulated by them.
More from Chase: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUBj_5pwQZaoXfBrEQQbADw
NCI University: https://chasehughes.com/
About Target Intelligence: PSYOP with Shawn Ryan, an IRONCLAD Original:
Chapters:
(01:17) - What Is a PSYOP?
(04:45) - The Legacy of Edward Bernays
(08:01) - The Smoke-Filled Room and Other Experiments
(23:15) - How PSYOPs can cause destabilization
(32:56) - How Our Brains Get Hacked
(42:50) - The Cult-like Tactics That Isolate People
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
24 Mar 2026
Episode 8: Gray Matters: PSYOPs that Could End the World
In the narrative episode finale, Shawn Ryan looks at the future of psychological operations and cognitive warfare: direct energy weapons, brain-to–weapon interfaces, the Havana Syndrome attacks, “biological dominance”, and strategies that target your brain.
We're is this all headed?
Chapters:
(00:47) What is “biological dominance”
(04:25) The Havana Syndrome Attacks
(09:15) How exotic new direct energy weapons
(13:50) The Chinese end game with new technologies
(22:53) The build up of military forces in adversarial countries
(24:42) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
(30:13) Agroterrorism attacks
(35:44) Nanoweapons and beyond
(39:46) Brain to weapon interfaces
(45:15) Defending from PSYOPs
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
17 Mar 2026
Chapter 7: The Uncanny Valley: PSYOPs That Blur Reality Itself
What happens when you can no longer distinguish between what is real and what is artificial intelligence? In this chapter, we uncover the technological breakthroughs that are reshaping PSYOPs, and find out why facial recognition advancements, big tech influences, and deepfake abilities have insiders very concerned.
Chapters:
(00:53) A Deepfake targeting Marco Rubio
(04:27) Detecting Deepfakes
(07:11) The Concept of the Uncanny Valley
(13:36) Deepfake Political PSYOPs
(20:41) Cognitive Warfare Evolution
(27:18) Mass Surveillance Efforts in China and Facial Recognition Technologies
(29:39) Palantir Data Consolidation
(36:16) China’s Interest in Taiwan
(42:11) Defense Against Deepfake PSYOPs
(47:00) AI-Powered Cognitive Warfare Weapons
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
10 Mar 2026
Chapter 6: The Master Plan - Secret PSYOPs That Run the World
PSYOPs are now a critical part of the U.S. military’s defense strategy. But, how did psychological operations evolve – and what happens when they go too far? In this chapter, we look at the origins of American military PSYOPs and examine how cultural figures – ranging from public relations pioneer Edward Bernays to the filmmakers behind the Kony 2012 viral video – have used media to shape geopolitics.
Chapters
(01:07) - The Story of the ‘Invisible Children’ Project and The Lord’s Resistance Army
(09:40) - ‘Kony 2012’ Goes Viral
(12:26) - A PSYOP to Take Down Joseph Kony
(14:48) - The PSYOPs of WWI & WWII
21:37) - The Ghost Army
(26:05) - ‘Propaganda’ The Rise of Edward Bernays
(29:25) - White, Gray, and Black Propaganda
(33:04) - Operation Wandering Soul
(39:44) - The Cold War’s PSYOP ‘Master Plan’
(43:10) - Operation Mockingbird
(46:46) - The CIA and The National Endowment for Democracy
(56:06) - Edward Bernays and a Coup in Guatemala
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
3 Mar 2026
Chapter 5: Are UFOs Government PSYOPs?
In the summer of 1952, strange objects began appearing in the skies over the White House and major military installations. More than 70 years later, “drones” and odd lights were seen hovering over sensitive sights in New Jersey and across the east coast. What were they? Clues might be found in an elaborate PSYOP conducted on an unsuspecting veteran who had been working with intelligence agencies to prevent what he believed was a coming alien invasion.
Target Intelligence: PSYOP with Shawn Ryan is an IRONCLAD Original
Chapters:
(01:26) Similarities Between Encounters in 1952 and 2024
(06:57) UFOs Over the White House in 1952
(09:15) The Formation of the Robertson Panel
(11:50) The Kenneth Arnold Sightings and Real Life ‘Men in Black’
(18:34) The Story of Paul Bennewitz’s UFO Encounters at Kirtland Airfare Base
(30:00) The PSYOP Claims of Leon Davidson
(36:46) The New Jersey Drone Incident: A PSYOP
(45:39) Chase Hughes Explains How to Tell if You Are in a PSYOP
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
24 Feb 2026
Chapter 4: The Price of Admission - The CIA and Hollywood
The CIA, the military, and foreign countries are now major players in Hollywood. But, how did defense and intelligence agencies get seats in the writers’ rooms that are scripting blockbusters and TV shows? In this chapter, we find out.
Chapters:
(01:30) Investigating Ben Affleck's Emails
(06:43) How the CIA Works in Hollywood
(10:15) The Military and the Media in WWII
(14:40) Political Films in the 1960s
(19:50) Entertainment Liaison Offices and the Military
(28:55) Foreign Propaganda in Movies
(33:05) The CIA Moves Out of the Shadows
(44:00) Military Influence on Reality TV
(40:55) When Things Began to Change in Hollywood
(45:50) Military's Influence in the Gaming Industry
(49:10) "The Interview" and North Korea
(53:20) Where Things Go From Here
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
17 Feb 2026
Chapter 3: The Engaged Follower
What does it take to turn a normal person into a killer? What’s behind a recent string of assassinations and assassination attempts? In this chapter, we do a deep dive into the psychology of “engaged followership” and a dark experiment that proves just how easy it is to get a seemingly normal person to kill.
Chapters:
(02:31) - Infiltrating a Mind Control Cult
(10:30) - How Mind Control Cults Work
(13:15) - Mind Control Techniques in PSYOPs
(16:05) - Screens Influence Behavior
(23:51) - Creating a Manchurian Candidates?
(25:55) - The Milgram Experiment
(33:15) - The Crimes of Nazis
(38:43) - Chase Hughes on the 4 Core Aspects of a PSYOP
(46:12) - Sparking Political Violence
(50:15) - The Lesson of the Milgram Experiment
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
10 Feb 2026
Chapter 2: The Smoke-Filled Room
Traditional PSYOPs try to affect what people think. But, a new kind of warfare – Cognitive Warfare – aims to change how people think. In this chapter, experts like Bill Gertz explain how China is using apps like TikTok to slowly damage users’ cognition and create an environment where truth and fiction become indistinguishable. And Chase Hughes breaks down the psychological experiment that makes in possible.
Target Intelligence: PSYOP with Shawn Ryan is an IRONCLAD Original. Go to https://thisisironclad.com/ to learn how IRONCLAD can help elevate your brand
Chapters:
(01:35) The Reality of Cognitive Warfare
(06:44) The Growing Threat of China
(08:15) Chase Hughes Explained the Smoke-Filled Room Experiment
(13:11) The Danger of TikTok
(24:00) Drugs, Cartels, and a “Smokeless War”
(32:02) Individualized Social Media PSYOPs
(35:02) The Tartaria Conspiracy
(44:47) The Warning from Yuri Bezmenov
Sponsors:
SBIR Advisors:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
3 Feb 2026
Chapter 1: The Zone
When Frances Haugen worked on Facebook’s counter-espionage team, she uncovered massive PSYOP operations intended to spark violent uprisings. In this chapter, we hear Frances’ story, learn how troll farmers in Russia have evolved, and author Gregg Hurwitz uncovers the methods they use to try to destroy America from within.
Target Intelligence: PSYOP with Shawn Ryan is an IRONCLAD Original. Go to https://thisisironclad.com/ to learn how IRONCLAD can help elevate your brand
Subscribe:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/target-intelligence-psyop-with-shawn-ryan/id1872168845
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Fxa70NUTinE7MeeN4wyOz?si=e5cf45494a674892
Chapters:
(00:52) - The Murder of a College Professor
(05:13) - Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen Speaks Out
(09:15) - The Birth of Unrestricted Warfare
(10:40) - Lessons From ‘The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street’
(15:42) - Vladislav Surkov and a New Approach to PSYOPs
(24:50) - Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Rise of the Internet Research Agency
(29:51) - Uncovering PSYOPs on Facebook
(42:57) - A PSYOP Unfolds in Real Time
(47:59) - The Algorithm Effect
Sponsors:
SBIR:
If you’re serious about selling to the military, visit https://www.sbiradvisors.com Mention PSYOP and get your first month free.
MAREK HEALTH:
Take control of your health today! Head to http://marekhealth.com and use code PSYOP for 10% off at checkout.
GHOSTBED
Take an extra 15% off sitewide with code PSYOP and that’s on top of their already amazing prices. Visit https://www.ghostbed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP at checkout for this exclusive offer. Terms and conditions may apply, see site for details.
SPARTAN FORGE:
Go to http://spartanforge.ai/PSYOP and use code “PSYOP” to save 40% on an annual subscription
(Discount automatically applied at checkout.)
26 Jan 2026
Prologue: Who's Really Pulling the Strings?
An introduction to Target Intelligence: PSYOP from Shawn Ryan
In each episode, we look at a different method of psychological operations, how they’ve evolved, and how they are being deployed. Here’s why getting to the truth about PSYOPs matters.
Sponsors:
GHOSTBED:
Go to https://www.GhostBed.com/PSYOP and use code PSYOP for an extra 15% off sitewide.
Inside a recent episode
Real Disclosure About UFOs, UAP, Reverse Engineering Programs and Secret Military Black Projects?
Published 9 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] So it's not to say that, you know, it obviously has jet engines, but Through the work of a guy called Thomas Townsend Brown, who had also done some interesting work on electrogravitics in the 1940s and 50s, there was some conjecture that some of that Thomas Townsend Brown technology had gone into the what's called a kind of flame jet generator. […]
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