When Leadership Fails in Combat: Lessons from Helmand Province | Ep. 293 | Pt. 2
From Mike Drop by Mike Ritland
May 28, 2026 · 1h 13m
About this episode
Ryan Kuperus shares harrowing combat accounts and discusses the consequences of leadership failures in the military.
Retired Marine Force Recon Gunnery Sergeant Ryan Kuperus returns for part two with some of the most harrowing combat accounts you'll hear. From a near-fatal friendly fire incident involving Cobra attack helicopters, to navigating an IED-saturated district center while rescuing a shattered sniper team, Kuperus pulls no punches on what it actually costs when leadership fails on the ground. He also recounts the operation that quietly identified a Taliban shadow governor in northern Helmand — the kind of mission that rarely gets told. The conversation shifts into a candid reckoning with the military's promotion system, the compounding damage of poor senior leadership, and why the men who fight hardest are often the ones the institution fails most. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Mike Ritland
Guest: Ryan Kuperus
Topics covered
- military leadership
- combat experiences
- friendly fire
- IEDs
- senior leadership failures
- Taliban operations
Keywords
- combat
- leadership
- military
- Taliban
- Helmand Province
- friendly fire
- IED
- sniper team
- promotion system
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Taliban
Places: Helmand Province
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