For years, Sarah Adams has worked where threat warnings begin, not where they end.
She is a targeting officer and global threat advisor with deep expertise in counterterrorism, threat network analysis, and overseas intelligence operations.
Sarah served in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Counterterrorism Center and in the Near East and Iran Operations Divisions, working on complex operations against both state and non-state adversaries.
Her deployed field work spans Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.
Across those theaters, her focus has remained consistent: identifying, assessing, and disrupting terrorist networks, hostile state activity, and emerging threats to the United States and allied interests.
After leaving the CIA, Sarah served as a Senior Advisor to the United States House of Representatives following an executive appointment from the Agency, applying operational experience directly to national security policy, oversight, and accountability.
She later led research and development initiatives for the Department of Defense, advancing innovation, tradecraft modernization, and intelligence capabilities with enterprise-level impact.
She was deployed to Libya in 2012 and is the co-author of Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy, a cold-case, open-source investigation that identified the al-Qaeda operatives responsible for the attack on the U.S. Mission Compound and CIA Annex in Benghazi.
Today, Sarah is the host of The Watch Floor at Vigilance Elite, a podcast focused on emerging threats, global affairs, and homeland security risks for everyday audiences.
The Watch Floor delivers need-to-know insights, explaining what matters, why it matters, and what comes next.
Shawn and Sarah answer the question: Will Khamenei be ousted as Iran's Supreme Leader by March 31?
Chapters
00:00 Vegas Biolab Raid & Al-Qaeda Lab Fears
04:13 Epstein ‘JMail’ Leak, NDAs & Silenced Victims
20:30 Homeland Plot Frustrations & FBI Roadblocks
21:57 Taliban Funding, Doha Deal & Hostage Diplomacy
34:42 Taliban Propaganda & Homeland Plot Update
46:02 Terror Cells on U.S. Soil & New Structure Explained
51:50 TSA Screening Changes, Shoe Bomb Risks & Timeline Slips
01:02:01 Border Threats, Cartels & Law Enforcement Gaps
01:13:02 Fusion Centers, Suppressed Warnings & Intel Failures
01:17:54 AQAP Propaganda, Sticky Bombs & Suicide Bomber Gaps
01:26:16 DC Suspect Case Study & CIA Vetting Myths
01:30:51 Sponsor Break – Fabric by Gerber Life
01:33:58 Terrorist Training vs. U.S. Readiness
01:39:15 Taliban Cash, Disinformation & Framing the U.S.
01:42:26 Ukraine Schemes & Benghazi Update
01:55:22 Iran Nuclear Tensions & Intelligence Failures
02:06:20 Syria, ISIS Prison Breaks & Fake Counter-ISIS Ops
02:13:01 China Strategy Shift & Grid Security
02:15:26 Al-Qaeda’s Africa Surge & Somaliland Strategy
02:30:00 FBI Pressure & Clearance Drama
02:42:15 Spy Ops on Screen & Media Narratives
02:46:53 Gaza, Hamas & War Funding Debate
02:56:23 Havana Syndrome & Intelligence Coverups
