EXECUTIVE PROTECTION LIFESTYLE

Structural protection: What type of tactics and principles go into physically and structurally making a piece of land safer and or easier to protect? With regards to your school, place of worship or corporate headquarters, what can you do to the configuration of barriers and various items on your campus in order to make it an overall safer place?

Body armor: Do you know what the various ratings of body armor are and how they impact you as a consumer? Did you know that there truly are only two primary classifications and ratings for body armor that are legitimately recognized? Do you know how to choose the body armor relative to your threat profile or how to tell good armor from bad armor?

In this episode, I spent time with Jeremy Gray who not only has a colorful military background but is also currently acting as the business and development manager for shoot houses and barriers within HESCO. During our time together we cover all of the above topics, questions and quite a bit more with regards to physical barrier protection as well as personal body armor.

This topic is something that any serious protector or modern-day warrior should take the time to understand thoroughly in my opinion, primarily because a mistake in this aspect of your game might not be realized until it is already too late.

www.hesco.com

https://www.hesco.com/armor/

https://www.hesco.com/solutions/training-ranges/

This is the first episode in my everyday carry series. In this series, I aim to understand exactly what security professionals are carrying out there in the field. I will investigate venue specific EDC, client-specific EDC and any other types of EDC relative to the security industry in order to understand what types of gear can ultimately help us achieve success more easily and we’re out operating with our clients. For the first episode I have Christian West and

-Christian West has been active in the executive protection industry since the late 1980s when he worked for Danish musicians who relocated to Hollywood. Upon returning to Denmark, he founded his own EP company, which he quickly grew into Scandinavia’s largest, before it was acquired by Securitas. Christian founded AS Solution in 2003, and again in 2009 followed his international clients to the US, where he is now based. An active member of ASIS and a leader in the corporate executive protection industry, Christian has personally planned and led high-profile engagements in over 76 countries for a wide variety of corporate and high net worth individual clients, including the international roadshow for the biggest IPO in history. https://assolution.com/people/christian-west/

-Ivor Terret, a preferred specialist partner of AS Solution, is currently based in Israel, where he was a founding member, team leader and instructor of a government Surveillance Detection and Covert Security Unit tasked with protecting Heads of State and Strategic Sites. Prior to joining the unit, Ivor was the first in South Africa to lead a security organization securing 60 medium to high-risk sites in Cape Town. In addition, Ivor has designed and implemented security master plans for covert counter-terror units and high-risk facilities and has consulted on a myriad of projects including business parks, hotels, residences, high-risk facilities, and factories. Ivor brings over 23 years of international counter-terror experience at both the official and private sector levels. In addition to consulting and operations, Ivor has instructed hundreds of students including high-risk facility security teams, government covert VIP units, government surveillance detection units, hotel security senior management, aviation security personnel, and senior management, specialized law enforcement and counter-terror units as well as corporate EP and SD units. Ivor is an authorized counter-terror instructor meeting the standards for counter-terror security procedures as set forth by the Israeli Police Force. Ivor served as a combat soldier in the IDF for a total of 13 years (including reserve duty) as well as in the Israeli Police Force in the Old City of Jerusalem. Ivor holds an MSc in Security and Risk Management from the University of Leicester where he was awarded the esteemed Dissertation of the Year Award for his research. Ivor was the elected Chairperson of the ASIS Israel Chapter in 2016. https://assolution.com/people/ivor-terret/

Erich is a friend and colleague of mine in the security industry that I’ve known for quite some time now. I believe our friendship spans over a decade and we just been reunited as a result of the trajectory of the security industry. Erich specializes in cybersecurity and is tied into this industry through his work with powers, entities, and agencies that won’t be mentioned here. He is also a speaker and instructor on open source intelligence and cybersecurity.

Erich also operates as an executive protection agent as well as a consultant /operator in realms such as human trafficking and fugitive recovery, so he is a professional with a number of skill sets that are valuable in our industry. In this episode, we aim to take a highly sophisticated topic, deconstruct it, and educate our listeners on how they can make themselves harder and less attractive targets simply by implementing a number of very simple habits. Once you understand these principles, it will be much easier for you to move around on the right radars and stay off of the more dangerous ones.

Note from Erich: Sorry for the poor microphone quality! New mic coming soon.

https://www.erichschmidt.com

Instagram and Twitter: @dfir_erich

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erich-schmidt

Life is a journey with mountains and valleys, seasons, storms and beautiful days. The path to greatness is an arduous one that will require us all to destroy ourselves in our current states in order to rebuild stronger versions of ourselves. Unfortunately, many people run from the deconstruction of who they are today and as a result never unlock the potential that can drive them to become the person they know they can be tomorrow. Personal evolution is a campaign and a commitment to finding a way to better your best through rigorous scrutiny and consistent, relentless effort.

In reality, the obstacle truly is the path in this poem and “IF“ really outlines that truth in a way that has improved the quality of my life and I hope will also affect your paradigm in a way that it will improve the quality of yours as well.

In this episode, I run through that poem and break things down the way I see them, through my paradigm in order to hopefully contribute and offer things to our listeners that may equip them for our everyday struggles in life, as well as the private security game.

“IF”

BY RUDYARD KIPLING

(‘Brother Square-Toes’—Rewards and Fairies)

If you can keep your head when all about you   

 Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

 And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

 And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

 And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

 To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

 Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Patrick McNamara

Mac is a high-octane man amongst men! My time with him was valuable on a number of different levels but what I found to be the most intriguing value about this man was his driving desire to aggressively spread positivity. The conversation went to many different places from EDC tools and principles to physical fitness workouts and routines and even into social dynamics of spy work that he used during the Cold War.

The man seems to be elegant and rough, sophisticated and brutish dichotomy of intensity, intellect, focus, and compassion. To sum it up succinctly I’d say that true warriors understand that being a protector or warrior is one of the highest acts of service and therefore whether they are on the battlefield or back here in the first civilian division fighting the hordes of busyness in civilian life with the rest of us, they are warriors who are busy not only serving the people they love but also humanity in their own personal ways.

Pat is no different. Although he does serve humanity in his own special way by equipping civilians with the protector mindset, bodies that are ready for war and skill sets that can help them manipulate our current tools of battle. I have the utmost respect for this man and it was an absolute honor to have this conversation with him.

Background

Patrick McNamara spent 22years in the United States Army in a myriad of special operations units. When he worked in the premier special missions unit, he became an impeccable marksman, shooting with accurate, lethal results and tactical effectiveness. McNamara has trained tactical applications of shooting to people of all levels of marksmanship, from varsity level soldiers, and police officers who work the streets to civilians with little to no time behind the trigger.

His military experience quickly taught him that there is more to tactical marksmanship than merely squeezing the trigger. Utilizing his years of experience, McNamara developed a training methodology that is safe, effective, and combat relevant and encourages a continuous thought process. This methodology teaches how to maintain safety at all times and choose targets that force accountability, as well as provide courses covering several categories, including individual, collective, online, and standards. While serving as his Unit's Marksmanship NCO, he developed his own marksmanship club with NRA, CMP, and USPSA affiliations.

Mac ran monthly IPSC matches and ran semi annual military marksmanship championships to encourage marksmanship fundamentals and competitiveness throughout the Army. He retired from the Army's premier hostage rescue unit as a Sergeant Major and is the author of T.A.P.S. TacticalApplicationofPracticalShooting) and sentinel.

Source: https://www.tmacsinc.com

Barry Mozian

Workplace violence is something that has affected so many of us over the course of the last few years and it seems to be increasing. I believe principally that the antidote has much more to do with developing an educated public who knows what to look for and how to look for it in the right people at the right time in order to address small problems before they turn into violence. In this episode, Barry Mozian and I go deeply into this subject in order to give the listener some understanding that may lead to decisions that can foster a safer environment for everyone in your workplace as well as hopefully the world.

I met Barry as a result of working for Talon Executive Services, a boutique private security company out of Southern California. I remember vividly, that it wasn’t like other companies where you could just walk in the front door with a decent resume and get put on a roster. You may or may not have needed someone to vouch for you and put their reputation on the line in order to get you taken seriously. Once that happened, the “street cred” of the agent who recommended you would be on the line during your time with the company and by proxy, you would also be judged based on that relationship. Needless to say, this company operated in such a way that I really felt honored to be working with these gentlemen once I started to wear the Eagle on my jersey as well. Barry was someone I worked within the field and really that was the only time I saw him. While he is the President of the company, he is also the type of operator who has his stuff very well thought out. When you see the way he sets everything up, organizes everything and approaches the art of executive protection, it’s very obvious that he’s a seasoned tactician who has a passion for what he does.

Barry brings a level of excellence, accountability, and forethought to every encounter I’ve had with him so far. He’s not uptight, he’s a relaxed, confident professional, he’s also the type of person that you can tell is probably smarter than you which I always find fascinating. Because he is so technical and thorough when it comes to this craft of protection I knew that a conversation with him on the show would be extremely valuable for many protection agents out in the field. This is an industry episode of the podcast that covers many topics ranging from nearly getting arrested in Mexico during a security detail, to all the way on how to restore hope in clients who feel that they have been taken advantage of by the enemy. I’m sure you will enjoy it!

https://www.taloncompanies.com

John Nettles

Is the type of man that I’ve always only heard stories about... The gentleman that I know and look up to would say things like, “John Nettles says this or does it this way” and so we would often adopt those principles or aim to implement those tactics. There are many different types of agents in this game who do what they do for any number of colorful, honorable, dishonorable, immature and/or noble reasons but John has his own reasons for doing the things he’s done over his lifetime which he sums up in this interview simply as, “doing the right thing.”

Maybe Leonardo da Vinci was right when he said that, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” John is also the type of man who has enough field experience on such a wide variety of

principles, techniques, and tactics that it was almost paralyzing trying to figure out what exactly to ask him in an interview. For these reasons I chose to aim at his core, to try and understand what exactly it is that drives a man to a life of warrior ship. I aimed to understand the foundation that he stands on inner psychically that has given him the bravery and grace to go into the belly of the beast repeatedly for over three decades.

I’m not sure if I got it but I definitely learned lots. He’s not just some cool guy from Instagram or flavor of the month among the myriad of shooting stars in the “tacttardosphere.”

He’s the guy you don’t notice and nudge your way past in the grocery store, who doesn’t say anything to you because he knows who he is on the inside in the dirt under his fingernails that day comes from some distant third world country where he was just snatching the souls from evil men and delivering the innocent back into the

hands of those they love, probably less than only 18 hours ago. I learned a lot from this interview and I believe it has much to give the world, the private security community, warriors and Americans alike. It’s with honor that I bring this conversation to light.

JOHN NETTLES

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Background

John Nettles has over 29 years of Military Special Operations experience through his involvement with the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and the U.S.

Government. He has multiple combat deployments from the first Gulf War, West Africa to recent multiple tours in each theater of Iraq (OIF/OND) and Afghanistan(OEF).

John was an Instructor with the U.S. Army Special Forces Sniper Course Level II (SOTIC) as well as the Senior Instructor with the U.S. Special Forces Close Quarters Battle Course (SFAUC). He has trained thousands of US and foreign Special Operations Forces members in marksmanship and tactical skill sets.

John has been an Adviser to multiple Special Operations Units within U.S. Special Operations Command as well as the Adviser to the New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS), advising and training in all aspects of Special Operations from tactical to national level areas.

Source:

https://www.ultrashootingsolutions.com

As a private security professional aiming to have a fruitful career in a digital age there are many considerations and things that should be noted or talked about that can spell success or disaster to an individual’s reputation. If a practitioner is able to market himself effectively, he can deliberately place himself into a situation where his work cycle is no longer feast or famine but rather, he has solid books with a steady flow of clientele or he can get himself discovered by the types of companies and people that can change his life and career with one decision.

Conversely, if an agent fails to represent himself correctly or make one or two branding faux pa’s, one can easily find himself and his reputation damaged irreparably and or blackballed from the industry altogether. Always remember that the executive protection community is still very small and it is very easy to find out who’s who in the zoo. Aaron Mouldin is a fellow practitioner I’ve worked with and taken marketing advice from for years, we’ve implemented and discussed many different marketing strategies and ideas and as a result have seen a number of things work and vice versa.

Aaron has built a number of different companies and has emerged as a name within the security industry that is recognisable and appreciated. His reputation has helped his personal brand place him in a situation where he is very busy on numerous projects and is no longer chasing work or clients around the private security industry. This is an episode that will give lots of value to those seeking to get into the private security industry, those who are already in the industry and want to make sure they have options. Additionally, professionals who are looking to gain visibility in ways that will help them catch the eyes of employers and clients to improve their professional careers will benefit from this conversation as well.

T3

I’ve never really known too much about K9s or even been really all that interested in working with them but I’ve always respected their tactical applications.

Their amazing sense of smell, agility and the very useful psychological effect

they have on humans.

The K9 is truly man’s best friend in the animal kingdom I believe and so I find it only fitting that they are also helping us achieve our goals in the private security industry. I must admit that I was a bit skeptical and cautious initially learning about some of the concepts these gentlemen are implementing within the private security with these dogs but I must also admit that I was also impressed to hear about their victories and also the capabilities they are bringing to the many security teams out there.

Depending on the client’s security needs, it seems a canine can be a somewhat unusual but perfect answer to various security concerns within a larger overall security strategy, conversely for some a canine might actually be all that they need depending on the clients threat level and the sophistication of the security concerns. I might even dare go so far as to say that more people on the planet could benefit from just a protection dog

more than that actually need an entire security detail of qualified agents.

Not that the dogs are better than agents but there is a demographic out there that is right underneath the ultrarich VIP and just above the wealthy

consumer that doesn’t necessarily need a human level of protection but could definitely benefit from all of the canine’s attributes.

I had the honor of speaking with Felipe Gonzalez CEO of T3 & Erick Innis Lead trainer and consultant for the company during this episode. I learned a whole bunch and I’m genuinely looking forward to bringing this episode to the industry , enjoy!

Rafa Conde is truly an amazing man in my opinion! Many of us do great things during our time on this planet but there are few of us who do great things that really positively impact the lives of others on a large scale or even outside of our own organic sphere of influence.

People who deliberately aim to elevate the quality of other people’s lives are people that I truly believe were sent here for a reason and are very special. Rafa is not only a warrior but he’s also one of those types of people and the work he is doing during his time on this earth is speaking for itself and giving men of this forgotten generation something that reminds them to take pride in themselves.

With a background in law enforcement, considerable time on the streets in a number of different ways, experience in security and also a heavy journey into martial arts; Rafa and I had no shortage of things to talk about! With Rafa’s brand and podcast “Man of War” he positively influences men of today’s society to rise up as the Warriors they were always destined to be.

Ladies, when men are acting as honourable men, everyone wins because there’s more provision and protection for all of us, this episode has something for absolutely everyone is always. This episode turned out to be a fusion of the critical and career advice mixed with warrior code and ancient philosophy that applies to everything we are all doing in life

today, ENJOY!