WATCH OR LISTEN TO OUR LATEST EPISODES

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 20

Training & Tech - Recovering From Being Shot - Follow Up With Jordan Robison

Jon is joined by Jordan Robison in a follow up to last week's Critical Incident Review.

BPL 02

Making Difficult Decisions

Jon is joined by Kevin Cyr, an Inspector with Royal Canadian Mounted Policewho currently commands the RCMP Emergency Response Team in British Columbia.

BPL 03

Counter-Errorism and a Culture of Safety

Jon is joined by Gareth Lock, who spent 25 years in the Royal Air Force and runs an organization called The Human Diver.

Episode 21

Charged with Murder for Shooting a Hostage Taker

Jon is joined by Jordan MacWilliams, who was charged with murder for killing a hostage taker in 2012.

BPL 04

Key Leadership Concepts

Jon is joined by Chief Phil Hansen who recently retired from Santa Monica PD and comes to discuss leadership.

BPL 05

Building Resilience In Those You Lead

Jon is joined by Chief John Perez who comes to discuss how to inspire resilience in those you lead.

Episode 22

Lessons Learned From A Legendary Tier 1 Operator – CSM Tom Satterly (Ret.)

Jon is joined by Tom Satterly, a highly decorated combat veteran.

Episode 23

2017 Vegas Attack: Handling a Mass Casualty Incident

Jon is joined by Dr. Kevin Menes, who led a team that treated and saved hundreds of patients after the attack in Las Vegas.

Episode 24

Key Events in the Evolution of SWAT and CNT

Jon is joined by Chief Mike Albanese, who spent 52 years in law enforcement, including 37 at LAPD.

Episode 25

Lessons Learned From 5 Decades of Police Leadership

Jon is joined by Chief Mike Albanese for Part 2 of their conversation.

Episode 26

Hostage Rescue In A Trailer Home

Jon is joined by Adam Tschida, Daniel Salmey, and Jeff Hanson from South Metro SWAT to discuss a hostage rescue case from 2020 and the lessons learned from it.

Episode 27

Lessons From an Officer Down and Traumatic Hostage Incident

Jon is joined by Jonathan Bigelow and Chris Eklund to discuss a hostage incident in Florida.

Episode 28

Nationwide Issues in Special Tactics

Jon is joined by NTOA, CATO, Florida SWAT, RMTTA, and TTPOA to discuss a number of current topics in special tactics.

Episode 29

Lessons Learned As A SEAL Officer and As The Assistant Secretary of Defense

Jon is joined by Michael Lumpkin.

Episode 30

Becoming a Tactical Athlete

Jon is joined by Kelley Starrett, a world-renowned physical therapist, coach, best-selling author, speaker, and national kayaking champion.

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.

WANT TO BE IN THE KNOW?