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The Debrief with Jon Becker is the no-holds-barred conversational podcast on the leadership principles of some of the most elite tactical units in the world. Through conversations with military and law enforcement unit commanders, this podcast covers key leadership concepts and strategies at their foundation. The Debrief examines how to form and lead a highly effective team – with guidance from premier voices in one of the most high-stakes fields of all time. After four decades spent working in tandem with some of the world’s top law enforcement and military units, Jon is sharing stories from some of these amazing team leaders – in the hope that it will make us all better leaders, thinkers, and people. Welcome to The Debrief.

ABOUT THE DEBRIEF

Tactical team leaders often have only minutes to make decisions that can impact the lives of many. In situations where lives are on the line, leaders need a broad skill set and a deep understanding of their team in order to succeed. That’s what The Debrief with Jon Becker is all about: lessons learned from leadership under fire.

Episode 48

Improving Tactical Decision Making

Jon is joined by Dr. Gary Klein, a pioneer in decision-making research, exploring models like Recognition-Primed Decision and the Pre-Mortem method.

Episode 47

November 11, 2023: Austin, TX

Jon is joined by Sgt. Rafael Rosales and Ofc. Kevin Olejar to discuss a SWAT response where Officer Jorge Pastore was killed during an ambush.

Episode 46

July 11, 2022: Warren County, OH

A tense hostage standoff at Baymont Inn ends with tactical resolution after hours of negotiation and intervention by the WCTRU team.

Episode 45

Training the Tactical Brain

Jon explores the emerging science of brain training for tactical operators with experts Jeff Selleg, Dr. Henry Mahncke, and Dr. Brittany Loney.

Episode 44

Resilience: Justin Dodge

Jon talks to Justin Dodge, a veteran SWAT leader who returned to duty after a life-altering injury during Denver's championship parade.

Episode 43

Parkland: Lessons Learned

Jon interviews Chief Clyde Parry on his leadership and response during the 2018 Parkland tragedy and its aftermath.

Each episode, The Debrief is sharing nuanced discussions with exceptional individuals who have led careers in law enforcement and military special operations – with lessons in leadership, training, personnel selection, and perseverance that will impact people from all walks of life. Our host, Jon Becker, is an expert in tactical equipment with over four decades of experience working with some of the world’s top law enforcement and military units. After founding AARDVARK at just seventeen, Jon built the company into one of the largest providers of tactical equipment in the world while also becoming an attorney with a focus on civil rights and police litigation. These two areas of expertise converged in his articles, his teaching, and his study of tactical leadership.

Throughout his career, Jon has had the continued opportunity and privilege to work with some of the foremost leaders in law enforcement and military units. The Debrief is Jon’s payback to the community and to the units and the leaders who trained him and helped make AARDVARK a success. Although The Debrief centers conversations in a tactical space, Jon and guests will cover conversations that are relevant to leaders in every sphere, including accountability, personnel selection, discipline, decision making, psychology, collaboration, risk taking, and much more. The Debrief shares these lessons and stories with the business and law enforcement community at large in hopes of making us all better leaders, better thinkers, and better people.

Join us every two weeks as we cultivate the skills you need to be a strong leader in any environment.

Jon Becker has spent the past four decades dedicating himself to protecting tactical operators. He is the founder and CEO of Aardvark Tactical, a leading provider of tactical equipment and custom solutions, and founder of the armor manufacturer PROJECT7, which provides purpose-built, scalable, and integrated tactical armor built to suit their operators’ unique mission needs.

After founding AARDVARK at just seventeen, It wasn’t long before AARDVARK’s customers began asking Becker to sell them tactical gear in addition to the climbing gear that AARDVARK originally specialized in. During this time, Becker spent thousands of hours training with the teams he was serving while also attending Loyola Law School. Once he became an attorney, his interest in civil rights and police litigation merged and developed into him writing for many of the top tactical publications on a variety of topics. As AARDVARK grew, it became involved in military system integration and eventually specially manufactured gear designed to enhance operator safety – and that has remained the company’s priority ever since. Along the way, Becker has had the privilege of working with some of the world’s top law enforcement and military units, including the amazing leaders who guide their teams through some of the most dangerous situations and encounters imaginable. Through The Debrief, Becker is able to share their incredible stories of leadership with the world.

Becker resides in Los Angeles, California, with his children and wife of thirty-two years. When he isn’t running the show at AARDVARK, Becker is running ironman triathlons, racing sports cars, speaking for tactical organizations across the country, and sharing in-depth conversations with the industry on The Debrief.