The Jack Carr Channel

Note: This interview was originally recorded in Jan. 2020 at the Las Vegas SHOT Show. Andrew Arrabito is retired Navy SEAL, bladesmith, hunter, outdoorsman, and entrepreneur.  He is the founder of the incredible knife company Half Face Blades, a creator of the apparel line Kill Bad Dudes, and the owner of War Paw Wines. He’s also a stuntman and actor who has appeared in films including Logan, 13 Hours and Transformers: Age of Extinction.   You can follow him and his businesses on Instagram @ specoperator, @ warpawwine, @ halffaceblades, and @ we_kbd .  Presented by SIG Sauer.

Simon Gervais is bestselling author, a veteran of the Canadian military, and a retired federal agent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police specializing in counter-surveillance, drug investigation, and anti-terrorism. Before retiring to focus on writing full-time, Simon received extensive training in advanced reconnaissance and small-unit tactics in the military where he served as an infantry officer and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.  During his time as a federal agent, he worked alongside the American DEA deploying to the Middle East and Europe, conducted classified anti-terrorism operations, and eventually became a close-protection specialist where he served on the protection details for high profile figures including President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II. Today, Simon is a bestselling author. His latest novel, The Last Protector, is on shelves now!     Sponsors:  SIG Sauer: Today’s episode is presented by SIG Sauer.  MTN Tough: Go to MTNTough.com use promo code "DANGERCLOSE" to receive 20% off.  Schnee’s: Go to Schnees.com and use the promo code JACK21 to save 10% off your pair of Schnee’s boots and logo wear.  Featured Gear and Groups:  Merging Vets and Players   Trinidad 3 Jeans  New West Knife Works - Western Chef

Note: This interview was originally recorded in May 2020 at Thunder Ranch. Today's bonus episode of Danger Close is with Steven Pressfield.  Steven Pressfield is a legendary author, Hollywood screenwriter and Marine Corps veteran. He has penned several bestselling novels including The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, Tides of War, The Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, and his latest, A Man at Arms, about the mercenary soldier Telamon of Arcadia.    Steven has also written numerous works of non-fiction including The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, The Lion's Gate: On the Front Lines of the Six Day War, The Artist's Journey: The Wake of the Hero's Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning, and others.    Presented by SIG Sauer.

Today's guest on Danger Close is Donnie Edwards.  Donnie Edwards spent 13 years as a linebacker in the NFL and is one of only eight players in the history of the league to have more than 20 interceptions and 20 sacks during his career. Inspired by stories from his grandfather, a Pearl Harbor survivor, and a life-changing conversation with a WWII veteran, Donnie founded the Best Defense Foundation in 2018 with the mission of “Taking Care of the Ones Who Took Care of Us.”  The foundation honors and celebrates our veterans from past conflicts including WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Through the foundation’s Battlefield Return program, more than 100 WWII veterans have been able to remember their fallen comrades and gain closure returning to the battlefields on which they fought: Normandy, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, Guam, Saipan and Tinian.   The Best Defense Foundation is also focused on educating future generations about the heroism and sacrifices of those who served through the preservation of their first-hand accounts, recording interviews with over 200 WWII combat veterans.  You can follow Donnie on Instagram @donnie_edwards and you can learn more about his work @bestdefensefoundation.  Presented by SIG Sauer.  Featured Gear:   Today’s gear highlight portion looks at companies that have supported Best Defense Foundation.  1170 Pelican Protector Case  Oakley Standard Issue Sunglasses   Black Rifle Coffee Club Subscription 

James Yeager is a former police officer, private security contractor, and founder and CEO of the firearm and tactical training company Tactical Response. He has been a firearms trainer since 1994 and founded Tactical Response in 1996 on the principle of “Student First – Instructor Second.”      His Law Enforcement experience includes serving as an undercover drug enforcement officer, SWAT team leader, K-9 handler, and as Chief of the Big Sandy Police Department in Tennessee.    In 2004 and 2005, he worked as a private security contractor in Iraq and was responsible for the protection of eight Iraqi Election Commissioners.  On April 20, 2005, his PSD was caught in an ambush on Route Irish between the Green Zone and Baghdad International Airport.  Three members of his team were killed.  James discusses it in detail in this conversation.        How much does a million dollars in $100 bills weigh and how does James Yeager know?     What do you do if you lock your keys in an armored vehicle?    Find out on the podcast.  James  is also the founder of libertv.com and its popular YouTube channel.  You can follow him on Instagram @mfceoyeager.    Sponsors: SIG Sauer: Today’s episode is presented by SIG Sauer.

Today’s guest on Danger Close is former SAS operator Mark “Billy” Billingham.   From 1983 to 1991 Billy served in the UK’s Parachute Regiment before joining SAS where he was a Mountain Troop specialist conducting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, South America and Africa. He is a certified SF and Counter Terrorist Sniper Instructor, an Advanced Evasive Driving Instructor, a Combat Survival/RTI Instructor, a Tracking/Jungle Warfare/Navigation Instructor, a Demolition/Sabotage Instructor, a Ski Mountaineering/Rock Climbing/Abseiling/Ice climbing Instructor, a Counter Terrorist Instructor.  He is also a philanthropist and highly sought-after speaker.   He is the author of The Hard Way: Adapt, Survive and Win and the new book Call to Kill: The Enemy Is Everywhere. Following his career in the military, Billy served as a personal bodyguard for high-profile clients including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Sir Michael Caine, Jude Law, Hulk Hogan, Kate Moss, Russell Crowe and Tom Cruise. Since 2015, Billy has been one of the lead instructors on the television series SAS: Who Dares Wins.  You can learn more about Billy at markbillybillingham.com or follow him on social @billingham22b.  Featured Gear:    Ten Thousand Tactical Short    Ten Thousand Interval Short    Kevin Aerolite 30 Sleeping Bag    Boot Campaign x BRCC Altama    Sponsors:    SIG Sauer: Today’s episode is presented by SIG Sauer.    Ten Thousand: Today's featured gear segment is brought to you by Ten Thousand. Ten Thousand is offering our listeners 15% of their purchase! Go to tenthousand.cc and enter code DANGERCLOSE15 to receive 15% off.

Note: Today’s podcast has been adapted from Jack’s October Video Update. Be sure to subscribe to Jack’s YouTube channel to never miss new videos and content.   In this edition of the Danger Close podcast, Jack reads—and responds to—a handful of negative Terminal List series reviews. It’s an honest, funny look at criticism, and how to respond to it.   Jack also breaks down this month’s reading list selections - seven books Jack recommends every American read by the end of the year.    Presented by SIG Sauer.  Featured Books:   1984 by George Orwell Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell  The Afghanistan Papers by Craig Whitlock  The Constitution of the United States  Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand  The Holy Bible   Three Felonies a Day by Harvry A. Silverglate

Douglas London is a retired senior CIA operations officer and the author of the new book The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence.   Doug served as a U.S. Marine before joining the Central Intelligence Agency in 1984 where he worked for 34 years - 17 years on either side of 9/11.  His job was the clandestine collection of HUMINT - intelligence that comes from people who provide secrets valuable to the United States.  By virtue of recruiting spies for an equal number of years on either side of 11 September 2001, Doug offers a unique perspective on the Agency pre and post that seminal date in history.    He served in the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and Africa including three assignments as a chief of station, the president’s senior advisor at post, and chief of base in a conflict zone.  Assignments at CIA Headquarters included executive positions at the Agency’s Counterterrorism Center, Information Operations Center, and Near East and South Asia Division.  He is the recipient of the CIA’s Career Intelligence Medal.    Today, Doug is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies, and is a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute.   On this episode of Danger Close, Doug discusses the state of modern intelligence, failures of the intelligence community, a lack of accountability prevalent in the post-9/11 CIA, and a lot more.    You can follow him on Twitter @douglaslondon5 and you can follow Jack on social platforms  @jackcarrusa.  Featured Gear:  Microsoft Surface   Premier Body Armor Bulletproof Laptop Case  Sponsors:  SIG Sauer: Today’s episode is presented by SIG Sauer.  Schnee’s: Go to Schnees.com and use the promo code JACK21 to save 10% off your pair of Schnee’s boots and logo wear.

Today’s special roundtable discussion episode of Danger Close was recorded at Thunder Ranch in May of 2020 with Jack in conversation with best-selling author of Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield, and Thunder Ranch founder Clint Smith.   They examine what sets America apart from our adversaries, the importance of preparedness, modern virtues, and a lot more.   About Clint Smith: Clint is the President and Director of Thunder Ranch, a 900-acre ranch in Southern Oregon that he operates with his wife Heidi.  It is one of the world’s most highly acclaimed firearm training facilities. Clint is a Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Vietnam. After being shot in combat, Clint returned and began a decade in law enforcement before becoming the operations officer at API, later Gunsite, under LtCol Jeff Cooper.  He then started his own training company and did a stint with the H&K training division before founding the legendary Thunder Ranch. He’s also the author of the books Urban Rifle: 45 Years of Teaching and Training and Urban Rifle 2: Close Combat Conflict Resolution.  About Steven Pressfield: Steven Pressfield is a bestselling author, Hollywood screenwriter and Marine Corps veteran. He’s penned several bestselling novels including The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, Tides of War, The Virtues of War, The Afghan Campaign, and his latest, A Man at Arms, about the solitary mercenary Telamon of Arcadia.    Steven has also written numerous non-fiction books including The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, The Lion's Gate: On the Front Lines of the Six Day War, The Artist's Journey: The Wake of the Hero's Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning, and others.   Presented by SIG Sauer.

Today's guest on the Danger Close podcast is Craig Whitlock. Craig Whitlock is a three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist who has specialized in reporting on national security issues for The Washington Post since 1998. Since 2001, he has covered the Global War on Terrorism as a foreign correspondent, Pentagon reporter, and national security specialist.   His new book, The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War, asks and answers the question every American is asking in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan: after 20 years of war, thousands of lives lost with even more suffering the physical and emotional trauma of the battlefield, and trillions of dollars spent - what went wrong in Afghanistan?  To gain access to what are now known as The Afghanistan Papers, The Washington Post had to sue the federal government twice under the Freedom of Information Act to force them to release unclassified interviews with 428 generals, diplomats, aid workers and Afghan officials. These documents along with 59,000 pages of Donald Rumsfeld’s memos obtained through another Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the National Security Archive at George Washington University and 600 unclassified interviews with veterans of the war conducted by the Army’s Combat Studies Institute and another series of interviews with Bush White House officials from the Miller Center at UVA form the foundation of research for Craig’s book.   If you suspected that elected and appointed officials, diplomats, government bureaucrats and senior level military leaders have been lying to congress, the tactical level troops, reporters and the American people about the war in Afghanistan for the past 20 years, this book provides you the truth - in their own words.    You can follow Craig on Twitter @CraigMWhitlock.  Presented by SIG Sauer.  Gear Spotlight:  The Life of General Ulysses S. Grant by J.S.C. Abott  Petzl Headlamps  Ten Thousand “Interval” Short