Tactical Tangents

In a crossover episode of Tactical Tangents, Mike sits down with Danimal of The Thin Brewed Line to talk about setting up a training program to keep officers alive on the streets…and in the training environment. In a dangerous profession, the danger shouldn't be coming from inside the program! Inspired by a tragic story of another preventable training fatality, Mike and Dan go over what's needed to build a training program that resists complacency and challenges officers with pressure tested scenarios while avoiding the dreaded mindset of "It can never happen here!" Training to be adaptable, getting buy-in for quality training from superiors, and building a sustainable program that can be passed on to the next generation are all covered in this wide-ranging discussion. Links: Training at the Speed of Life by Kenneth Murray 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

What are we doing here and why are we doing it? With an assist from Mike, Jim lays out the secret; the keys to the whole mission of Tactical Tangents. These are the key concepts to helping the Doers do things better in the tactical world, whether military, law enforcement, or general personal defense. There are recurring concepts here at Tactical Tangents that are core to our mission, and this episode serves as a sort of Cliff's Notes to lay them out for you, the listener. Understanding how innovation drives ideas, the importance of good decision-making, practicing and testing tactics and soft skills under pressure and the importance of repetition in building proficiency are covered, as well as the applicability of Boyd's decision cycle from the strategic level down to that of personal tactics. 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

It's easy to find yourself thrust into a position where others regard you as an "expert", but what really constitutes expertise? Do you have it? Can it be acquired? When will you feel like you have it? (And why feeling like an expert should be a warning sign…) What makes an expert? Are you one? Do your friends or your employer consider you one? How does one go about seeking expertise? Relatedly, it's a big and confusing internet out there and every day you are confronted with people who claim to be experts. Jim and Mike have some tips for separating the expert wheat from the poser chaff, especially when that purported expert is in the mirror. Links: Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin Research study How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer The Invisible Gorilla: How our Intuitions Deceive Us by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simmons From Beginner to Expert by Patricia Benner 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 lone gunman killed 5 Dallas police officers and wounded several others in this 2016 attack following a series of contested officer involved shootings throughout the country. Lessons include ambush and counter-ambush tactics, the militarization of law enforcement, and a use of a bomb robot rigged with explosives to subdue the attacker. Link: Fire and movement among the pillars YouTube video 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 this short episode, Jim introduces the idea of layering safety and security to "trap errors" and mitigate the risk of human error. We want to help you do dangerous jobs safely. 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 Photo Credit : BenAveling

School Shootings seem to be on the rise, is gun control the answer? How many red flags does someone have to show before you intervene? Let's look at the evidence and learn from the recent cases like Parkland and Uvalde. Links: A Study of the Pre-Attack Behaviors of Active Shooters in the US ALERRT Active Attack Data Why Meadow Died by Andrew Pollack and Max Eden 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

*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "request-67245502-ea58-8012-9dd0-db230dc4bb0e-1" data-testid= "conversation-turn-108" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> Mike and Jim break down how tactical commanders accelerate decision-making in dynamic, high-risk environments by clearly framing the problem, establishing commander's intent, and defining acceptable risk. They discuss how clarity of purpose and trust in subordinates reduce friction, enable decentralized execution, and allow decisions to be made at the speed of the problem rather than the speed of approval. We discuss how disciplined initiative and violence of action are cultivated through pre-established decision thresholds (the "line in the sand"), implicit communication, and a command climate that rewards decisive action when plans degrade and uncertainty is unavoidable. 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 has a quick rant about when someone says "Be safe tonight!" What does that even mean? Link: The "X" defined 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

People who have worked together long enough can almost read each other's minds, and that sense of shared consciousness and implicit communication is the secret sauce to taking a team dynamic to the next level. Mike and Jim discuss group dynamics and ways to develop the bonds to take teamwork to the next level. Links: Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War By Robert Coram The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman Shared Consciousness and High Performing Teams by Khe Hy: 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

An ex-police officer went off the deep end and committed a series of ambushes as he sought revenge for alleged injustices that lead to his firing. Christopher Dorner declared "unconventional, asymmetric warfare" against LAPD and targeted police officers and their families, resulting in 4 murders and several other attempts. Dorner's story ended when Deputies cornered him in a cabin and set the place on fire with burning chemical munitions. Mike tells the story with some editorial on tactics and mis-steps of law enforcement along the way. Warnings Unheeded by Andy Brown Dorner Wikipedia Article LA Times Series 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