Air Force Special Operations JTAC veteran Conan Higgins joins the show to break down what a Joint Terminal Attack Controller actually does on the battlefield—and why he believes air power could have changed the outcome of missions like Operation Red Wings. Conan deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Philippines, earning two Bronze Stars for combat action, while simultaneously serving as a Washington State trooper, undercover narcotics detective, and SWAT team leader—all while finishing law school. Today he's the president of an international law firm based in D.C., advising security, defense, and risk consulting clients in 19 countries across six continents. We get into calling in airstrikes under fire, the raw power and vulnerability of close air support, and his blunt take on where the current strikes on Iran could be headed.
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Chapters
00:00:00 - Red Wings Scenario
00:01:21 - Guest Introduction
00:01:42 - Ad: Team Dog
00:02:04 - Ad: NHTSA
00:03:32 - Killed By Radio
00:05:32 - What Is JTAC
00:10:34 - Enlisting With Goggins
00:12:02 - Growing Up Maine
00:15:29 - Father's Vietnam Advice
00:17:07 - Fieldcraft With Dad
00:20:37 - War On Masculinity
00:22:32 - Favorite Childhood Memory
00:23:30 - Favorite Smell
00:24:52 - First Duty Station
00:30:04 - Ad: Helix Mattress
00:33:52 - Kuwait Deployment 1997
00:35:37 - Green Beret Decision
00:36:47 - 9/11 Memories
00:38:13 - Balancing Two Roles
00:40:53 - Career Bookends
00:42:59 - Boots On Ground
00:48:43 - First CAS Call
00:54:19 - Seven Month Tour
00:55:35 - Nor Muhammad Raid
01:00:31 - Ad: True Nutrition
01:03:11 - Preferred Airframe
01:05:46 - Transition Home
01:07:11 - Engineering Iraq Trip
01:09:00 - Iraq Jump Buildup
01:26:59 - Reaching Kirkuk
01:28:08 - F-15 Recovery
01:29:50 - Ad: NHTSA
01:32:03 - Friendly Fire Incident
01:33:37 - Pilot Refusals
01:34:45 - Talking To Pilots
01:36:03 - SWAT And Undercover
01:42:57 - Pitbull Encounter
01:47:36 - Adriana Jackson Case
01:52:56 - Hands-On Encounters
01:53:03 - Gun Grab Incident
01:57:47 - Redeploying To Afghanistan
01:59:35 - Patreon Promo
02:00:47 - Watching Team Hit
02:03:39 - Deployment Areas
02:05:11 - Toughest Challenge
02:06:15 - Team Mahalik Firefight
02:07:05 - Revisiting Red Wings
02:08:22 - Deciding Law School
02:13:05 - Blackbird Technologies
02:17:09 - Philippines Deployment
02:23:06 - Becoming A Lawyer
02:24:32 - F-35 Vs JTAC
02:28:02 - TACP Being Cut
02:32:15 - Ukraine Drone Warfare
02:34:57 - AI Replacing JTAC
02:37:49 - Fighting A Near-Peer
02:39:56 - Afghanistan Withdrawal
02:42:36 - War With China
02:44:42 - Iran Deployment Hypothetical
02:48:01 - Iran Strategy Debate
02:52:59 - Life After Blackbird
02:59:46 - Current Business Services
03:04:29 - Maverick's Blueprint Book
03:20:00 - Belt Buckle Story
03:21:17 - Wrapping Up
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