THE PODCAST
Elevating the conversation about all things tactical.
Operationally Supporting Supporters who Operate
In both the military and law enforcement universes, there’s often an understandable amount of friction between the people out where the action is and those who help them get there and support them in their work. In this episode Jim and Mike discuss ways to smooth cooperation between the people behind the scenes and the officer on the street or the pilot in the seat.
Dangerous Driving
Not only does viewing driving from an Operational Risk Management standpoint apply to doing the high-speed stuff while sawing at the wheel to keep it between the ditches while running code, it entails a lot more aspects. How do you manage your driving to take into account the possibility of road rage from other motorists? Do you stay on top of vehicle maintenance in order to keep from getting stranded in a desert or a blizzard…or stuck on the side of the road and having to deal with whatever sketchy weirdo stops to “help”? Listen in as these topics and more are covered.
There’s Nothing “Friendly” About “Friendly Fire”
We know that fog and friction make it harder to be aware of the environment and cause simple tasks to become more difficult, so how do we mitigate these factors and prevent “own goals”? Listen to this episode to find out.
You Can’t Spell “Officer” without “Office”
Jim sounds off on his favorite topic: Management is not a dirty word, to be shunned in favor of “leadership”. Rather, management is part of leadership. It’s the art & science of allocating and coordinating resources to meet a goal.
Ending the Threat, Reasonably
Incapacitating a threat by means of lethal force requires certainfactors to be met in order to be considered reasonable, and it’s not a blank check. In the laws of war, there’s a difference between sailors boarding a small boat from a sinking ship because they’re out of the fight and marines climbing into small landing craft to get into the fight. In civilian self defense, each shot needs to be defensible, and that means reasonably explainable.
Growing into Solving Problems
Unlike the fixed mindset in which you’re dropped onto the planet as either Someone Who Can or Someone Who Can’t based on some immutable set of skills, a growth mindset is one in which you see yourself as an active participant, learning from each experience to better deal with the next one. Mike explains why one of these is not only better for dealing with the incident, but also dealing with the aftermath.
Spotting Zebras
Humans are excellent at pattern recognition…if they’ve gathered enough data to establish a baseline. Whether it’s noticing an abnormal heart rhythm, an unusual response to a squad car parked at an interdiction checkpoint, or the activity leading up to an ambush in some far-off deployment, being aware of what’s normal and what’s not can be a crucial skill.
The Power of Professionalism
There’s a high expectation of professionalism in the military and law enforcement worlds, but what does that mean? It’s easy to mistake the basics of bearing and rule-following as learned in early training for professionalism, but Mike and Jim point out that the professional is trusted to understand the situation well enough to take ownership of it, and the competence and expertise to make the hard decisions.
Accentuate the Positive
Positivity isn’t magic. You can’t optimism your way through a situation you aren’t ready for any more than you can mindset your way through a fight. Productive positivity, however, is never allowing yourself to say “this sucks” without adding “…and this is how I’m going to fix it.” Listen in as Jim offers his thoughts on a practical positive attitude.
Go Touch Grass
While “self care” is a term with a bit of a woo-woo feel to it, it’s necessary for people in high stress jobs to take time to depressurize, and getting out in nature is a great way to do it. Jim takes the time on deployments to plan his hikes for when he gets home; what’s your outdoor stress release?
Lights in the Sky: Aliens or Drones? Jim Spills the Beans on UFOs
Some of you are too young to remember the tagline “The Truth is Out There,” but Mike and Jim went full X-Files on this one… If you don’t know what any of that means, you definitely need to listen to this episode!
What’s up with the beards? Setting and Enforcing Standards
Green Berets have to work with a different rule book than the troops guarding nuclear weapons—and for good reasons. We explore the balance between strict adherence to rules and the often necessary flexibility to go off-script in tactical operations and your organization’s culture.
“Your Children Are Not Safe”: DC Beltway Snipers
In October 2002, a 17 and 41 year old carried out a series of serial murders, killing 10 and wounding 3 others in what were described as random attacks against people doing every day tasks like pumping gas and mowing their lawn. We cover lessons from this large scale, multi-agency investigation with takeaways for individual cops and police leaders related to public relations, investigative rigor, and interagency cooperation.
Use it or Lose it: The Essence of Officer Discretion
As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Discretion is important but it works both ways—it’s not something you should flex, it’s something you should protect.
I AM THAT B*TCH! Erica Gaines of TacMobility
Through eye-opening surveys, TacMobility highlights the not-so-funny truths about depression and the dusty corners where wellness programs sit unused. Advocating for a mix of low-effort, big-impact wellness habits, TacMobility proves you can indeed teach old dogs new tricks and balance the badge with a bit of brain and body harmony.
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Athletic Performance
THE "TACTICAL" ATHLETE: MEANT FOR FIGHTING! I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m not any sort of...
The role of good training
What is the role of training? Every day you spend doing “...whatever it is you do here,” you’re...
You can’t handle the truth!
YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH! One of the big focus points we have for the Tactical Tangents project...
Kids and School Attacks
Kids and School Attacks There is a kind of sense of nostalgia that I think a lot of my peers have...
Trauma Tips
5 MINUTES OF TRAUMA CARE Trauma care continues to become more common knowledge to the layperson....