Tactical Tangents

Latest Episodes:

147: Finding the Bomber Oct 15, 2023

Show notes

In the spring of 2018, the city of Austin, Texas was rocked by a string of package bombs, five in all, that killed two and injured five. The story of how local and federal agencies tracked down the perpetrator is almost all open source and a great illustration of how these investigations proceed. Listen to Jim and Mike tell the tale in this episode!

Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents You can join the conversation in our Facebook Discussion Group. Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website www.tacticaltangents.com

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Intro music credit Bensound.com

146: Put Me In, Coach! Oct 01, 2023

Show notes

Do you know what every great slugger in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown had in common? They all had hitting coaches. Today we have an abundance of riches in the form of internet videos to teach almost any skill, but at some point most everyone will benefit from the feedback of a skilled coach. In this episode Mike and Jim explore the value of coaching in skill building and team leadership. Whether its an athlete of the conventional sports kind or the tactical variety found on a SWAT team or military base, there's a tremendous value to be gained from a good coach. How can you spot a good coach? More importantly, what are the indicators of a bad one? How can you be a good coach for the people who look up to you? Listen in and find out!

Links:

The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey - https://amzn.to/463pWQZ

The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle - https://amzn.to/46qviWA

The Art of Learning by Joshua Waitzkin - https://amzn.to/3RAEP93

With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham - https://amzn.to/3RzwEtC

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

145: Both Sides of the Door - Breonna Taylor and Bad Outcomes Sep 15, 2023

Show notes

In the world of ugly warrant execution, there are a lot of bad scenarios that have happened with lessons to be learned for people on both sides of the door. In this episode, Mike & Jim break down a notorious recent incident: The 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor during a narcotics warrant service in Louisville, Kentucky.

While it's about the Breonna Taylor incident, we're focusing on the tactical issues surrounding the actual warrant service that night, not the plethora of issues that led to it. Risk is always involved in serving a warrant, so how can it best be mitigated for all involved? Remember that having a warrant doesn't make you any smarter or tactically proficient. The court just gave you permission; the skill department is all on you.

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

144 : The Real Burdens of Everyday Carry Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

If you're a habitual firearms toter, how do you carry to and from places where you can't carry? Do you? What if it's someplace where there's no provision for securing it at your destination? Whether going to and from the neighborhood BJJ gym or visiting a military base, this can be a real dilemma for the carrier. In this episode, Jim and Mike take a hard look at solutions.

One of our favorite topics at Tactical Tangents is realistic risk management, and this applies in the personal world as well as the operational one. While "EDC" has turned into a marketing term for everything from watches to para cord bracelets, what do you really carry every day. Listen to this episode for a deep dive into the topic. Remember, millions of people go unstrapped yet remain unclapped every day.

Photo credit: Tam at "View From The Porch", Booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com

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

143: Problem Solving As A Team Sport Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

In the pop-culture tactical world today it's common to see Col. Boyd's Decision Cycle, the famed "OODA Loop", applied to individuals and their actions, but indeed it has its origins as an institutional concept. If you need to solve problems as a team, or even an institution, it's important to know how it applies to group tactics and operations. In this episode Mike and Jim dive into just that. Institutional knowledge and memory are what gets used to solve problems, and that's why it's important for an organization to select compulsive problem-solvers as members. Everyone is going to bring their own viewpoint based on their specialty, but it's important for them to know when the problem is outside of their specialty, as well as how they can contribute when it's time to get…unconventional. Tune in to learn how to teach your team the difference.

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

142: Making Sure the Kids are Alright Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

In any organization it's almost a tradition to turn and look at the people coming up through the ranks behind you and bemoan how much better things were in the Good Old Days. Of course, things were better then because the people who had come up through the ranks before you helped mentor you into effective operators. In this episode, Jim and Mike talk about how you can pass that mentoring on. It's important to feel responsibility for, not just the organization, but also for the people who make it up. Those people include the newest noobs, and if you want to help the organization be effective, mentoring those recruits is essential. Mike and Jim are here to tell you that mentorship isn't a thing that can be established in an org chart, but has to grow organically, and in this episode, they'll tell you how you can foster mentoring in a place where it can't be foisted.

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

141: Having Public Affairs Without Screwing Up Jul 15, 2023

Show notes

Mike reminds us that "Responsibility to the Community" is not just a slogan on a squad car door in this episode, where he and Jim talk about the necessity of keeping the public informed in a manner that is both helpful to the public and not harmful to ongoing investigations. "Public Affairs" is more than just a job title, and requires keeping in mind the emotions that surround complex situations. In a job where having to come to terms with the possibility of inflicting lawful violence, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that most normal people haven't had those conversations with themselves. Avoiding dehumanizing statements or flippant "FAFO" statements is crucial to effective community relations. In this episode, Jim and Mike discuss the balance between keeping the public informed and protecting information that actually needs protecting for civil or criminal reasons.

Links: The Elements of Style By William Strunk Jr and E.B. White - https://amzn.to/3rnuWkg

The Five Languages of Apology by Gary Chapman and Jennifer M Thomas - https://amzn.to/3NLqrY1

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

140: The Case of "The Mission v. The People" Jul 01, 2023

Show notes

In dangerous career fields like the military or law enforcement, there's an unavoidable tension of priorities between the mission and the safety of the people on the team who need to accomplish it. It's one thing to say you put your people first, but if it was a safe job, they wouldn't issue body armor. In today's episode, Mike and Jim demonstrate the ways this can be a false dichotomy and how to keep everyone on the team on the same page.

It's important to take care of your people because you can't do the mission without them, but if the mission doesn't get done because of an excess of caution, there's no point in any of y'all being there in the first place. A conundrum, truly! This episode looks at ways to manage the expectations of team members by bringing them up to speed as they come on board, and other considerations to take when (here's that word again) managing highly motivated people.

Links:

Scouting, For Boys by Rabert Baden Powell - https://amzn.to/43CsVPb

Uncontrolled Spread: Why COVID-19 Crushed Us and How We Can Defeat the Next Pandemic by Scott Gottlieb - https://amzn.to/43yfkIS

The Art of Clear Thinking: A Stealth Fighter Pilot's Timeless Rules for Making Tough Decisions by Hasard Lee - https://amzn.to/45Z2u7Q

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

139: We Don't Like Bombs, The Bombs That Go Boom Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

Bombs are scary. You can't shoot back at an explosion or talk it into surrendering or leaving you alone. But you can learn ways to spot the bad guy's device before it does its thing. In today's episode, Jim and Mike delve into some basics of the hows, whys, and wheres of improvised explosive devices to help you develop a risk picture based on likelihood and severity.

Just like there are certain weather conditions that are likely to breed hurricanes or other severe storms, we're currently experiencing social weather, both globally and at home, that's creating favorable conditions for bombers. There are enough angry people, with enough information, and ample opportunity to make things explode. Tune in for some info on what to look for. (Hint: It's not a bundle of red sticks taped to an alarm clock with an "ACME" label.)

Links:

The Bombs, Bombers, and Bombings of Los Angeles by Michael Digby - https://amzn.to/3J7ROKn

Greenwhich Village Townhouse Explosion - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Village_townhouse_explosion

October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2018_United_States_mail_bombing_attempts

Bath School disaster - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster

Harvey's Casino Bombing - https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/newss-harveys-casino-bomb/view

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

138: Your Candle Only Has Two Ends Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

High-stress jobs, such as those in the military or law enforcement fields, tend to attract mission-oriented people, dedicated to the team and the public, who thrive on stress. Well, plants thrive on water, too, but you can still wind up drowning them with too much of it. In today's episode, Jim and Mike look at job-related burnout, its negative effects on the team, and how to mitigate or avoid it.

In any tight-knit organization, attitudes are contagious, and that goes double for lousy ones. It's common for the word of hard-chargers attracted to "tactical" work to brag about the amount of time they put in, for example, the number of hours worked, and treat it as a benchmark. But the more the workload piles up, the more easily frustrated you get, and that can feed the bad attitude spiral. Listen in as we talk about ways to reduce work-related fatigue and maintain a healthy work/life balance…tactically.

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.

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