Dale Bendler Highlights the Resurgence of Covert Conflict: What Assassinations, Influence Ops, and Proxy Tactics Say About the Future

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Dale Bendler

Dale Bendler Points Out That Covert Conflict Is Back
Washington, D.C. - July 3, 2025 - In a rare public conversation, former CIA Chief of Station Dale Bendler is shedding light on a reality long obscured by official narratives and public noise: covert conflict never left-it just evolved. From targeted killings to influence campaigns and proxy wars, Bendler says today's geopolitical power plays are more discreet, more strategic, and more consequential than ever. "Just look at Ukraine (drones), Lebanon (exploding mobile phones), and now Iran losing much of its leadership in airstrikes based on psyops and intel."

With decades of experience in clandestine operations and intelligence leadership, Bendler isn't looking to sensationalize. His aim is to explain how behind-the-scenes decisions shape the global balance of power in ways that the public rarely sees.

"War doesn't always start with a bang," Bendler said. "It often begins with a whisper, like an agreement, a contract, a name quietly removed from the board."

A Renewed Era of Silent Leverage

Bendler points to a sharp uptick in covert action globally, often carried out through state-sponsored or state-tolerated means. From high-profile assassinations to cyber-enabled sabotage, he argues that the rules have changed but the game itself hasn't.

"Assassination hasn't vanished from global politics," he noted. "It's just gotten smarter-more targeted, more deniable, and often buried under layers of proxy action, diplomatic noise, and tons of web-based open source information, most of the latter of dubious authenticity."

As nation-states and non-state actors increasingly rely on asymmetrical tactics, the lines between espionage, warfare, and diplomacy blur, leaving traditional security frameworks struggling to adapt.

Why the Public Narrative Falls Short

Bendler is particularly critical of oversimplified takes on American power, including the notion that the U.S. "doesn't win wars." In his view, such narratives ignore the shift away from clear-cut battlefield outcomes toward murky, strategic objectives that take decades to unfold.

"The days of raising a flag on a hill and calling it victory are gone," Bendler said. "That doesn't mean the U.S. is losing. It means the metrics have changed."

He stresses that while some view ambiguity as weakness, it is often the defining feature of modern strategic success-especially in intelligence and influence-based conflict. And besides, ambiguity can confuse the enemy.

A Call for Strategic Literacy

Now retired, Bendler isn't offering policy prescriptions or ideological talking points. What he does advocate for is deeper public awareness, especially around how global actors project power without tanks or troops.

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Understand how disinformation can serve as a soft-kill weapon.

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Recognize how seemingly local instability is often fueled by foreign hands.

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Question why some assassinations make global headlines while others vanish without trace.

"This isn't about fear-it's about pattern recognition," Bendler said. "If we don't understand how power moves in the shadows, we're always two steps behind."

About Dale Bendler

Dale Bendler is a retired CIA officer and three-time Chief of Station, with experience spanning global conflict zones, covert operations, and strategic intelligence. A former Marine Force Recon operator, he holds degrees from Rutgers University and the U.S. Naval War College. Bendler now writes and speaks on modern geopolitics, unconventional conflict, and the anatomy of influence.

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