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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 32

Most Profound Moments of 2023

Jon ends the second season of The Debrief with a behind the scenes view of this year's critical incident reviews, as well as the most memorable moments of each.

Episode 33

Andy Stumpf

Jon starts the third season of The Debrief by talking to Andy Stumpf from the Cleared Hot Podcast about his diverse career and the lessons he has learned along the way.

Episode 34

Dr. Claire Park

Jon talks to Dr. Claire Park, a Consultant in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine for London HEMS, and Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine at Kings College Hospital in London.

BPL Episode 6

Marc Polymeropoulos

Jon is joined by Mark Polymeropoulos, a retired Senior Intelligence Officer for CIA who spent 26 years working in field operations and leadership roles and comes to share his real world experience leading people in high risk clandestine operations.

Episode 35

Pete Blaber

Jon talks to Pete Blaber, who commanded at every level of one of the most elite counter-terrorist organizations in the world. The US Army's First Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta.

Episode 36

Rich Diviney

Jon talks to Rich Diviney, a retired Navy SEAL officer whose career spanned more than twenty years and whor spearheaded the creation of a directorate that fused physical, mental, and emotional disciplines.

BPL Episode 7

Bill Kirst

Jon is joined by Bill Kirst, an author, poet, podcast host and one of LinkedIn's Top Thought Leadership Voices on Change Management who has worked for nearly two decades to lead companies, institutions, and government agencies through digital transformation journeys

Episode 37

Dr. Dan Dworkis

Jon talks to Dr. Dan Dworkis, a board-certified emergency physician, an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the founder of The Emergency Mind Project, and the Chief Medical Officer at the Mission Critical Team Institute.

Episode 38

Heath Ayres and Logan Smith

Jon is joined by Sgt. Heath Ayers and Trooper Logan Smith from the Kentucky State Police Special Response Team to discuss rural operations and the dangers of unexpected challenges as seen in a 2020 incident.

Episode 39

Lionel D. Lio

Jon is joined by Lionel D. Lio, a retired team leader who spent 15 years with the Belgian National Police - Directorate of Special Units or DSU also know as Group Diane.

Episode 40

Texas Tactical Police Officers Association

Jon is joined by three infuential figures in Texas Tactical Police Officers Association (TTP0A) to talk about the evolution and history of SWAT in Texas as well as the history and impact of TTPOA.

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.

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