Episodes

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Jared Pietras knows the unbridled power of Close Air Support. With over 11 deployments and 25 years of service as an Active-Duty Air Force Combat Controller, he's worked with dozens of different special forces units across the globe, dispensing aerial resources wherever necessary. He's also one of the creators behind Ones Ready, an unparalleled resource providing information...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop The Mike Drop Podcast supports active-duty police officers in all capacities. The views and opinions expressed by Zach Pfannenstiel on this podcast are reflective of Echelon K9 and not of the San Diego Police Department. Patrol Officer. Gang Suppression Team Officer. Canine Handler. Training Sergeant. For Zach Pfannenstiel, these aren't just familiar titles - they're positi...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop The Mike Drop Podcast supports active-duty police officers in all capacities. The views and opinions expressed by Zach Pfannenstiel on this podcast are reflective of Echelon K9 and not of the San Diego Police Department. Patrol Officer. Gang Suppression Team Officer. Canine Handler. Training Sergeant. For Zach Pfannenstiel, these aren't just familiar titles - they're positi...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Benjamin Sledge is a wounded combat veteran. He served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, serving most of his time under Special Operations Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. He's received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and two Army Commendation Medals for his actions overseas. He's also a multi award-winning author, having penned several viral articles and two ...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Benjamin Sledge is a wounded combat veteran. He served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, serving most of his time under Special Operations Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. He's received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and two Army Commendation Medals for his actions overseas. He's also a multi award-winning author, having penned several viral articles and two books, the most recent being 'Where Cowards Go To Die', an unflinchingly honest detail of his time served overseas and the haunting experiences that followed. Since then, Ben's dedicated himself to his family and his creative works, tapping into his unique narrative voice characterized by a rare blend of poetic eloquence and unfiltered authenticity. But how does an aspiring comic-book artist end up going to Afghanistan, anyway? What's the story behind that Purple Heart of his? And when a soldier…

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop AI isn't always welcome when it comes to advanced warfare capabilities - we've all seen Terminator 2, after all. But when it comes to saving lives overseas, safety is always a top priority. Just ask Brandon Tseng - with 7 years in SEAL Teams under his belt, he's seen firsthand just how dangerous an aptly-named fatal funnel can really be. That's why he started Shield AI, a gr...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop AI isn't always welcome when it comes to advanced warfare capabilities - we've all seen Terminator 2, after all. But when it comes to saving lives overseas, safety is always a top priority. Just ask Brandon Tseng - with 7 years in SEAL Teams under his belt, he's seen firsthand just how dangerous an aptly-named fatal funnel can really be. That's why he started Shield AI, a gr...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Sean Lake and Glen Doherty were best friends from the start. Right out of high school, the two traveled the country, hitchhiking across America via odd jobs and offbeat adventures in a quest to uncover the unbridled freedom at the heart of every American dream. Eventually, Glen would go on to enlist and serve as a Navy SEAL (where he would go on to meet our very own Mike Rit...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Sean Lake and Glen Doherty were best friends from the start. Right out of high school, the two traveled the country, hitchhiking across America via odd jobs and offbeat adventures in a quest to uncover the unbridled freedom at the heart of every American dream. Eventually, Glen would go on to enlist and serve as a Navy SEAL (where he would go on to meet our very own Mike Rit...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Mark Greene is a surprisingly down-to-earth retired Navy SEAL. Born an Air Force brat (his words), Mark played college ball before dropping out, only to subsequently enlist and pursue SEAL Teams. He served on Teams 5 and 8, deploying to multiple combat theaters in the Pacific, Iraq, Afghanistan, and he even spent a little time serving alongside Mike in country, too. And most...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Mark Greene is a surprisingly down-to-earth retired Navy SEAL. Born an Air Force brat (his words), Mark played college ball before dropping out, only to subsequently enlist and pursue SEAL Teams. He served on Teams 5 and 8, deploying to multiple combat theaters in the Pacific, Iraq, Afghanistan, and he even spent a little time serving alongside Mike in country, too. And most importantly, Mark got very, very good at performing extremely calculated maneuvers as a SEAL Sniper, until a fateful accident began tearing it all down. Since then, Mark's penned a memoir in 'Unsealed - A Navy SEAL's Guide to Mastering Life's Transitions' and dedicated himself to sharing his story, in the hopes that other Veterans may find comfort when they too begin to feel isolated. The way Mark sees it, nobody expects you to go into combat all by your lonesome - so how could anybody be expec…

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop As our cultural landscape changes, so do our leaders. Few know that better than Ken Valentine, of course; a retired Secret Service agent, Ken served under three Presidents - Clinton, Bush, and Barack Obama - as each wrestled with their own challenges of office, in their own time and in their own ways. For Ken, keeping up with the President wasn't just a challenge - it was a ...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop As our cultural landscape changes, so do our leaders. Few know that better than Ken Valentine, of course; a retired Secret Service agent, Ken served under three Presidents - Clinton, Bush, and Barack Obama - as each wrestled with their own challenges of office, in their own time and in their own ways. For Ken, keeping up with the President wasn't just a challenge - it was a ...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop John McPhee, widely known as “The Sheriff of Baghdad” or “SHREK,” is a retired U.S. Army Special Operations Sergeant Major with over 20 years of distinguished service. A retired DELTA Force Operator, John was responsible for countless solo missions in country across a number of combat theaters all through out the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from active duty, ...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop John McPhee, widely known as “The Sheriff of Baghdad” or “SHREK,” is a retired U.S. Army Special Operations Sergeant Major with over 20 years of distinguished service. A retired DELTA Force Operator, John was responsible for countless solo missions in country across a number of combat theaters all through out the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from active duty, ...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Daniel Corbett provides unique solutions to those with unique problems. An elite Navy SEAL operator, Daniel deployed to Iraq with SEAL Team 5 in the summer of 2005. Later, he joined DEVGRU at SEAL Team 6 in 2007, deploying to various classified locations around the world before shifting into instructing at NSWBTC. After that, he fell into private military contracting, where ...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Daniel Corbett provides unique solutions to those with unique problems. An elite Navy SEAL operator, Daniel deployed to Iraq with SEAL Team 5 in the summer of 2005. Later, he joined DEVGRU at SEAL Team 6 in 2007, deploying to various classified locations around the world before shifting into instructing at NSWBTC. After that, he fell into private military contracting, where ...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Jeff Gum has a complicated career history. He served 10 years at SEAL Teams with SEAL Team Five, deploying to Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, after which he helped develop the Combatives Instructor Course to train SEALs how to lead training for their own platoons. He spent time in Denmark training Danish Frogmen, and shortly after launched his own swimwear line with 2-tim...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Jeff Gum has a complicated career history. He served 10 years at SEAL Teams with SEAL Team Five, deploying to Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, after which he helped develop the Combatives Instructor Course to train SEALs how to lead training for their own platoons. He spent time in Denmark training Danish Frogmen, and shortly after launched his own swimwear line with 2-tim...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Zack Ferguson is a former Navy SEAL Team 7 veteran with multiple deployments to Iraq, Yemen, Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, where he served as his platoons Lead Sniper/Point man, JTAC, Combatives Instructor, and Weapons Ordnance Specialist. He's also an instructor and co-owner at Defense Strategies Group, a collective of Special Operations Combat Veterans dedicated to...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop Zack Ferguson is a former Navy SEAL Team 7 veteran with multiple deployments to Iraq, Yemen, Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, where he served as his platoons Lead Sniper/Point man, JTAC, Combatives Instructor, and Weapons Ordnance Specialist. He's also an instructor and co-owner at Defense Strategies Group, a collective of Special Operations Combat Veterans dedicated to...

Jay Dorleus has seen more than his fair share of explosive engagements. With 2 Iraq and 4 Afghanistan Deployments under his belt, he's served 14 years in country as a Green Beret, with his first 4 years served as a Combat Engineer specializing in demolitions - tracking IED's and disarming charges that would otherwise devastate forces on the ground. And devastate they did - to hear it from Jay, he's picked up parts of his squad mates (literally) on more than one occasion. But violent beginnings ...

Jay Dorleus has seen more than his fair share of explosive engagements. With 2 Iraq and 4 Afghanistan Deployments under his belt, he's served 14 years in country as a Green Beret, with his first 4 years served as a Combat Engineer specializing in demolitions - tracking IED's and disarming charges that would otherwise devastate forces on the ground. And devastate they did - to hear it from Jay, he's picked up parts of his squad mates (literally) on more than one occasion. But violent beginnings ...

Subscribe to the Mike Drop Patreon Page to see Ad-Free Episodes Early + Bonus Content at https://www.patreon.com/mikedrop The United States Special Forces are a force to be reckoned with, but like any great nation, they weren't built in a day. Just ask Colonel Rich Wall, a Vietnam Green Beret with three tours under his belt - two with Special Forces before pivoting into the MACV-SOG Program, a highly classified Special Operations unit that conducted covert and unconventional warfare operations....