Tactical Tangents

Countries, terrorist groups, and various shady actors have developed their information warfare capabilities into an effective weapon. They are counting on you to be a sucker - Jim & Mike will help calibrate your BS detector to keep them from wielding active influence measures against you. Links: Active Measures by Thomas Rid Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer 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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com

Admit it, people like us tend to be "tactical" hoarders. But if you want your gear to actually be functional when the time comes that you need to use it, you have to put hands on it from time to time. Make sure your screws are thread locked, check your zero on your optics, pack enough water and socks, etcetera. Like any TacTangents episode it's not just about your gear. This also has a lot to do with things like leadership, personal responsibility, and risk management.  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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com

Learning about emergency medical care is more complicated than knowing how to slap on a tourniquet and a chest seal. Understanding the importance of getting your patient to a trauma center ("Bright lights and cold steel") is a good first step in establishing priorities of work when minutes and seconds matter to a person who is seriously wounded. This episode is a starting point to help steer your training and treatment philosophy for trauma medicine. Listen now to learn more. Links: Deployed Medicine Approved Tourniquets 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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com

Mike Pannone of CTT Solutions spent years as a Recon Marine, Special Forces Soldier, and SFOD-D Operator. After losing an eye from a blast injury he medically retired and worked as a high-risk contractor overseas and now spends most of his time training people all over the world. "Noner" shares some pearls of wisdom related to mental conditioning, theories and assumptions in tactics, and skills competence. Links: CTT Solutions Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents. You can join the conversation in our Facebook Discussion Group. Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website www.tacticaltangents.com 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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com

Jim explains how to analyze, exploit, and change the terrain you are fighting in to gain an unfair advantage over your opponent - whether in a parking lot or a battlefield. Walking you from Thermopylae to the Taiwan Straits to the engine block of your police car and the desks of your classroom, we help you assess and understand your operating environment. Red Platoon by Clinton Romesha 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. Intro music credit Bensound.com

One of our favorite and recurring guests, Isaac, just got back from Army Basic Training and shares some insights and stories that might help anyone getting ready to ship out as an enlisted soldier. This is a useful conversation if you want to know what to expect from Basic Training aka Army OSUT (One Station Unit Training). He is one step closer to his dream of becoming a Special Forces Soldier/Green Beret. Past Issac Episodes: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com

In the mid-90s a little girl was reported to be kidnapped but was later found dead in the basement of her large, Boulder CO home. The case remains unsolved today, and several procedural errors on behalf of the officers and investigators who responded to the scene tainted our best chances to identify and prosecute Jon Benet's killer. Many believe the parents or her older brother were to blame. We may not ever know the truth. Mike and Jim give a synopsis and talk about some of the lessons. 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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com

Most of us have daydreamed, imagined, and rehearsed what certain survival or self-defense encounters will look like in our minds, so we are going to make fun of our younger-selves and shed some light on something we are all guilty of: The Tactical Fantasy. This episode is about making sure that we ground those fantasies in reality. This goes beyond truck guns and the Zombie Apocalypse, it also speaks to the OODA loop, tactics, risk management, and other important concepts. Mike and Jim walk through some practical steps to stage our equipment, preparedness, and mindset accordingly. 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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com

A terror plot at the turn of the century was thwarted by the professionalism of CBP Agent Diana Dean. For those of us old enough to remember the Y2K drama, you might not have heard of the foiled plot to bomb the Los Angeles International Airport amidst New Year's celebrations for the year 2000. This Al Qaeda sponsored terrorist attack was halted in its tracks by a squared away Customs and Immigration Agent, who noted Ahmed Ressam's suspicious behavior and sent him to a secondary inspection.  Mike and Jim share their overview and analysis of the event to help you stay vigilant as we approach the 20th anniversary of this success story. We also touch on pre-attack indicators, the radicalization process, and a defense and risk mitigation strategy called "The Swiss Cheese Model." The Seattle Times: The Terrorist Within Swiss Cheese Model (wikipedia) 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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com

Chief Master Sergeant Keaton shares some war stories with us, including the time he won the Pitsenbarger Award after saving the lives of 5 women and children who were used as human shields by an enemy force in Afghanistan. Along the way he illustrates some lessons learned and leadership pointers that he picked up while leading some of America's most elite operators throughout his 30 year career working in special operations as a PJ and reaching the highest enlisted rank in the United States Air Force.  Article about Chief Keaton's Pitsenbarger Award "In the company of heroes:" Retirement announcement after 30 years of service 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.  Intro music credit Bensound.com