Former CIA officer
Douglas Laux (born January 20, 1983) is a former case officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, having served undercover in the Middle East and Afghanistan for eight years. Upon leaving the CIA, Laux wrote a New York Times Bestselling memoir, Left of Boom, which details his experiences serving after the September 11 terrorist attacks.[1][2][3]
Early life and education
Laux attended Indiana University Bloomington, earning a bachelor's degree in political science and East Asian studies with a focus on the Japanese language.[4] He also received a masters from Loyola Marymount University.
Service with CIA
He joined the CIA after a short stint working for the shipping company DHL following his graduation from IU.[5] Laux was an officer in the Near East Division and served multiple tours in Afghanistan and the Middle East.[6][7] Frustrated with the bureaucratic handling of the Syrian Civil War, Laux resigned from the Agency in February 2013.[8][9][10] Upon his departure, Laux served with Joint Special Operations Command until 2016.
Career after CIA
In April 2016, Laux published his New York Times Bestselling memoir, Left of Boom: How A Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.[11][12] A year later, Laux appeared in six episodes of the Discovery Channel series Finding Escobar's Millions, which debuted on November 3, 2017.[13] He is also credited as the executive producer and creator of the series. In September 2017, Laux's photography was featured in a Playboy Magazine article entitled, "In The Path of the Totality: Notes of a Veteran Chasing the Eclipse."[14] Debuting on January 20, 2020, Laux appeared in eight episodes of the Bravo Channel series Spy Games.[15] Laux's role was as an "Assessor" responsible for building challenges for contestants and then critiquing them on their performance.
In the fall of 2019, Laux founded the non-profit organization CVLSRVNT to better support active duty Ohioans deployed overseas.[16][17]
Publications
Laux, Douglas (2016). Left of Boom: How A Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781250081360.
References
