Tactical Tangents

Back in the day when we went to junior high or high school there was plenty of structure to learning but we were also easily distracted. It's a little different when you fast forward into a profession or hobby built around saving your own life, so Mike and Jim discuss some thoughts for students and instructors on how to learn or teach well, whether it's related to physical skills or the softer more academic stuff. Kind of administrative but relevant to learning how to fight, shoot, and perform. 

John Johnston is the host of Ballistic Radio and teaches firearms with Melody Lauer at Citizen’s Defense Research. CDR has a one-day shooting class called Tests and Standards which is an entire day of assessments. We discuss how people identify metrics for performance and how they apply in context. CDR also has a course for The Armed Parent and Guardian, which led to an interesting discussion about the dichotomy of taking training and performance seriously while also enjoying life and having fun.

Jim spends some time to define and explore terrorism, what is it? What are we doing about it? Why do the "bad guys" hate us so much? He will discuss radicalization and Islam along the way, but this is a much more fundamental overview. Who else do we consider a terrorist? Why or why not? Like what we’re doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe. 

Mike uses three aviation emergency case studies to illustrate how human factors apply to real life situations, and touches on things like the importance of training, the value of good after-action debriefs and what makes them effective, and a little about interpersonal communication. 

Military, LE, and Concealed Carriers are armed for a reason - to reduce or mitigate risk. Jim breaks down what that means and how to apply risk management as part of your tactical equation. This isn't a safety class, this is a class on making the right call on whether that new gun, tactic, or training class is helping you or hurting you.  Like what we’re doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe. 

The F-35 is our fancy new stealth fighter, and we got Justin Lee to talk with us about what makes the new 5th-generation jet special, how we use it as a force multiplier, what John Boyd would probably say about it, the differences between a flying solo versus a crew-served aircraft like Jim is used to, and what kind of coaching he gives to new Fighter Pilots as an instructor. Justin is also the host of The Professional's Playbook podcast, which Mike was a guest on to talk about being on a SWAT team.

Isaac the Rookie Cop joins Mike back on the show for an update on the beginning of his career. Isaac is going to share some thoughts and lessons on being the new guy in Law Enforcement and reflect back on the things he would have done before the academy or when he first started on his path to becoming a police officer. Like what we’re doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. patreon.com/tactangents

In many areas there is both an art and a science-tactics, training, leadership, music, sports, and so on. In this solo Mike rant we'll cover Boyd's paper "Destruction and Creation" and how we need to look in two different directions to come up with new ideas and adapt to an ever-evolving world.  Like what we’re doing? Head over to Patreon.com/tactangents and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe.com/tactical-tangents

Two radicalized brothers built several bombs out of pressure cookers and other readily available items and detonated two of them near the finish line of the Boston Marathon back in April 2013. Mike runs us through an overview of this incident and several talking points for public safety personnel. We also touch on security for large public venues or events, the threat of improvised or homemade explosives, and potential warning signs for an attack. 

MJ the Marine talks to us about her time at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, her path to becoming a Marine Officer upon commissioning, and some lessons learned while become a helicopter pilot. MJ also went through training for an upcoming ground tour calling in air strikes and is a fully qualified Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC). She also touches on gaining credibility as a young leader in the US Marine Corps, mental toughness, and one particular life lesson “back in the day…”

Brian Willis is a police trainer and speaker who's company focuses on leadership and professional development for law enforcement but is also relevant to others in the military, public safety, or who are serious about survival and personal defense. He also did a TED talk which exemplifies what a good presentation should look like. Hear his thoughts on lesson plan design, use of visual aids, improving engagement, and the role of imagery and mental rehearsals in training.

Mike and Jim examine courage, bravery, and valor. Can it be taught? We go over a few examples and also discuss the element of choice. There are some leadership/moral courage lessons in here as well. Thank you to our Patreon and GoFundMe supporters! Funds raised go back into improvements for the show. Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe.

Thomas Yoxall is a regular guy who makes his living as a photo journalist and enjoys shooting in his free time. He carries a concealed Glock 26 and takes that responsibility seriously - Which is a good thing, because on January 12, 2017, he saw a State Trooper in serious trouble. DPS Officer Ed Andersson had been shot, pistol whipped, and was in a close-quarters fight for his life until Thomas drove by and stopped to help. Concealed weapon carriers and police officers alike need to hear this story.

Some time ago, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow wrote up a list of human needs in roughly the order people need to satisfy them: food and water at the bottom of the pyramid, social and family needs in the middle, and self-esteem and purpose at the top. Mike and Jim discuss some ways we can apply this to tactical and leadership settings by figuring out how to influence behavior.  Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. The money goes back into the show.

A federal weapons investigation into a doomsday cult known as the Brand Davidians, formed by a guy name David Koresh, led to a 51-day standoff that resulted in the death of 75 people and at least 4 Federal Agents back in 1993. This was a high-profile event and there are several lessons learned that every one in public safety should hear about. Mike discusses some of those details in this solo episode.