doi:10.7916/gege-w506Oral history interview with Jeremy B. Bash 2021Bash, Jeremyoral historiesmixed materialGay military personnel--Government policy--United StatesWomen in combat--Government policy--United StatesPresidents--Staff.--United StatesTorture--Law and legislation--United StatesLibya History Civil War, 2011-Bash, JeremyObama, BarackPanetta, Leon E., 1938-Bin Laden, Osama, 1957-2011United States. Department of DefenseUnited StatesUnited States. Central Intelligence AgencyBudget Control Act of 2011Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010Jeremy Bash reflects on his service during the Obama administration as chief of staff to the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 2009 to 2011 and chief of staff to the secretary of defense from 2011 to 2013. Bash describes his responsibilities at the CIA and the genesis of his working relationship with Leon Panetta. Bash details several key CIA operations during his tenure, including the 2010 operation to arrest a dozen Russian intelligence officers living in the U.S. under deep cover and subsequent spy swap brokered by Panetta. Bash also narrates key events and internal communications strategies surrounding the killing of Osama bin Laden. Additionally, Bash describes Obama's efforts to end enhanced interrogations and CIA detentions through executive orders, as well as the thinking behind his cooperation with an ACLU lawsuit to release documents related to these activities. Focusing on his tenure at the Department of Defense (DOD), Bash reflects on the operationalization of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and describes Panetta’s process of consensus-building around budgetary decisions. Bash details his and Panetta's involvement in key DOD personnel decisions, namely the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and opening of combat roles to women. Bash surveys on a number of other key moments during his tenure, including efforts to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program, the winding down of troops in Iraq, nation-building exercises in Afghanistan, the Asia Rebalance, and U.S. military intervention in Libya