Andrew Bustamante Uses His CIA Background to Assist Research on ‘Skinwalker Ranch'

History Channel's Beyond Skinwalker Ranch has retained much of the fanbase of the original show's exploration into otherworldly phenomena. The series, which features researchers delving deeper into the finds unearthed on The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, has a recurring cast of experts, including former CIA intelligence officer Andrew Bustamante.

Fans of the show are fascinated with his background.

In addition to assisting with covert operations for the Central Intelligence Agency, Bustamante is also a military veteran. He graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and engaged in active combat. For most of his career, he specialized in nuclear ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) operations.

The latter specialty skill set is primarily focused on the maintenance, management, and deployment potential of launching missiles that could hit targets more than 3,400 miles away.

Decorated for his forays into Iraq and Afghanistan, Andrew was recruited by the CIA as part of the agency's National Clandestine Service (NCS).

The work he conducted for the CIA is still purportedly classified, but according to his author bio for the Hachette Book Group, he engaged in secretive operations for seven years. Currently, he runs the EverydaySpy podcast, which is described as a "training platform for adapting the skills of intelligence operatives for business and life."

He's published a series of books that highlight some of the principles he's adopted while being employed with the agency as well. The Everyday Spycraft Module is a self-help publication that delineates how these principles can be incorporated into their personal and professional endeavors.

Andrew creates a framework in the book that folks can adhere to. Bustamante co-wrote another book with his wife, Jihi, a fellow former CIA operative, called Shadow Cell, which promises to provide "an insider account of America's new spy war."

The title is set to drop on September 9, 2025.

In addition to lending his expertise on Beyond Skinwalker Ranch, Andrew has also been enlisted as a consultant for corporations, giving him 20 years of experience in sharing and cultivating intelligence in both the public and private sectors.

His work also takes him beyond the show, as his History biography page references the fact that he partakes in "intelligence operations abroad."

Andrew and Jihi currently reside in Southern Florida with their two children. On an episode of the Julian Dorey Podcast, the former CIA agent discussed his decision to join the Skinwalker Ranch team.

He says that he received a call from an investigative team out in Utah looking into strange anomalies associated with the property that serves as the setting for the popular paranormal/UFO research series.

The official term for what is going down at Skinwalker, according to Andrew, is defined as "high strangeness" which runs the gamut of various activities taking place in the area.

Andrew went on to state that whenever he's been asked to partake in any of these endeavors he's "usually...pretty skeptical."

However, upon seeing the passion and acumen of the Skinwalker team, along with the purported activity going down at the ranch, he was intrigued to learn more. This ultimately led to Andrew's involvement with the study of said high strangeness in the area.