Lessons From Training Beside Tier-1 Operators

About this video

A former Navy SEAL recounts his contracting career in Israel, Gaza, Afghanistan, and Iraq from the early to mid-2000s. He describes how contracting exposed him to operators from CAG, Special Forces, and other units, which he credits with significantly expanding his tactical knowledge. After nearly 11 years deployed, he transitioned to law enforcement with the Phoenix Police Department, sharing candid stories about the hiring process and his reasons for leaving contracting.

Key takeaways

• The guest explains that contracting gave him access to train alongside Tier-1 operators from CAG, Special Forces, Rangers, and Force Recon, which he says accelerated his learning curve beyond his NSW experience
• Ritland shares that working with instructors from different military branches taught him more about shooting than he learned in the SEAL teams, which he attributes to exposure to diverse tactics rather than one-dimensional NSW approaches
• The guest describes how the contracting industry became ‘watered down’ as companies like Blackwater and Triple Canopy competed through bidding wars, lowering standards by hiring security guards and beat cops alongside special operations veterans
• After 11 years of continuous deployment, the guest decided to leave contracting when he realized his children had grown from toddlers to teenagers and he had fallen in love, prompting him to pursue a career with Phoenix Police Department

Episode details: published December 10, 2025 · 21.5K views · 27:37 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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