Ones Ready

Send us Fan Mail You've found the ultimate guide to the Combat Control pipeline, covering everything from the start to earning your beret and beyond. This is the comprehensive resource on CCT that you've been searching for.  Thank you for keeping up with us. If there's anything we missed, please inform us and we'll make sure to fix it. 00:00 Shout out to Christopher Wallace aka...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered who packs the parachutes for those "cool guy" videos of Air Force Special Tactics team jumping into enemy territory or pilots ejecting from high-speed aircraft? The answer lies with the Aircrew Flight Equipment personnel, also known as "Parachute Riggers." They have one of the most important jobs in the Air Force, ensuring that the parach...

Send us Fan Mail Changes in Air Force Special Warfare are coming fast and furious. Just recently, we had a podcast with Jarred Taylor where we dove deep into where we thought TACP was going, what fight would be next- and honestly, there wasn't a lot of agreement across the board. So, naturally, we wanted to peel back the layers of everything we are doing and explain it all to you so you have...

Send us Fan Mail We are thrilled to have Retired USAF CCT Legend Chief Mike Lampe back for Part III! His career is one that is filled with incredible stories and experiences, and he graciously shared some of his time in the Vietnam War and beyond with us. The rich history of CCT in the USAF and our sister service counterparts would not be complete without the contributions of remarkable individual...

Send us Fan Mail Pararescue Chief Master Sergeant (ret) Caleb Ethridge had a robust and exciting career as a PJ. He was kind enough to sit down with Peaches, Trent and Aaron and talk through a lifetime of chasing adventure and saving lives.  From the very beginning of his journey, Chief Ethridge had to deal with adversity like no other. From almost dying on a three-wheeler to his struggles in the...

Send us Fan Mail Enrique "Ric" Prado is widely regarded as one of the most deadly operatives in the history of the CIA. What many people don't know is that Ric started his career in the Air Force 00:00 Eberlestock and Ricprado.com  03:46 Intro and enlisting Looking for violence and Ric's background 09:38 Going through the pipeline as a team, SCUBA jumps, and intentional tree ju...

Send us Fan Mail Jarred Taylor is back in the Ones Ready team room, and he is ready to get into a lot of topics that we hear from all of you, all the time. Where are the career fields going? What is the future for TACP? What is really needed? What isn't? Do the Ones Ready guys agree, or do they feel differently? If you want to hear exactly how Jarred feels about the future of TACP, this one i...

Send us Fan Mail The Troop Leading Procedures are essentially a cheat code for how to lead military teams. Whether you are in the development program, in the pipeline, on a team, or a leader of a large organization, these procedures are a basic food group for all tactical operations.  For all of you folks who are thinking about a career in the military, this one is packed with information that wil...

Send us Fan Mail Carey Kight, the founder of Veteran Made Pod, has an inspiring story that is filled with valuable lessons, successes, challenges, and accomplishments. He served in the United States Air Force, pursued film school, and eventually started his own company, making him a true serial entrepreneur. His journey is a testament to the type of individuals that these pipelines attract. We ext...

Send us Fan Mail United States Air Force Colonel Russell "Bones" Cook is a Wing Commander and helicopter pilot with a lot of knowledge, experience, and wisdom to share. Col Cook commands the largest A-10 and Rescue force in a single geographical location at Moody AFB, Georgia.  Peaches, Trent and Aaron cover a lot of ground with Col Cook and there is a ton of knowledge dropped in this on...

Send us Fan Mail Problem-solving and the right mindset are two things that every candidate needs to be successful. From daily life to assessment and selection, to the pipeline, to a successful Air Force Special Warfare career, you will need high-level problem-solving skills and find new ways to get the mission done.  Aaron and Trent go down this leadership rabbit hole as only the Ones Ready team c...

Send us Fan Mail Will Markham has an extensive background as a Combat Controller and Command Chief Master Sergeant in Air Force Special Tactics. Despite having served for 25 years and seen it all, he remains committed to helping his fellow Special Operators. To that end, he established Project One Vet At a Time (Project OVAT) to educate others about the physical demands of these roles and how to c...

Send us Fan Mail We have prepared a step-by-step guide to help you successfully pass the Air Force's Special Warfare Assessment and Selection Course. The key to success is to be a good individual and dedicated to your goals. Our team has created an entire episode to provide you with detailed information and ensure that you understand what it takes to achieve success. We want to clarify that t...

Send us Fan Mail Col James Oeser, an Air Force Special Tactics Officer, initially started his career as a navigator. However, after working alongside Special Tactics Airmen, he realized that he had found his true calling. With his vast experience, ranging from coaching wrestling at the Air Force Academy to leading Air Force Special Operations Command, Col Oeser is a treasure trove of knowledge and...

Send us Fan Mail The TACP pipeline is one of the hardest in the military. We have covered all the phases before- so make sure to check all those videos out-, but this one is different. A student just about to graduate came on the podcast to get you the most up-to-date information you need to succeed.  From struggles to leading as an NCO cross-trainee, to leading a team hard and being successful, t...

Send us Fan Mail Caleb Stillians is a big game hunter, guide, and all-around awesome human. The Ones Ready team came into Caleb's life with the help of our friends at Eberlestock, and it has been a great relationship since.  Trent and Caleb have a great conversation with a lot of lessons that apply directly to not only AFSPECWAR, but life in general.  00:00 - Check out Eberlestock and use our...

Send us Fan Mail Combat Controller Mike Blout has had an amazing career- 20 years of combat and experience in the special operations space. He ended his career as an instructor in AETC (Air Education and Training Command) and was one of the main guys that came up with the Special Warfare Candidate Course. Mike's experience and inputs during this podcast are invaluable to you, the folks that w...

Send us Fan Mail Major John Koren was a Combat Controller, then a Special Tactics Officer, and is the definition of the word "legend". From Vietnam to the Philippines, to the highest freefall jump of the time, to BrandX- his career is absolutely unbelievable.  John was gracious enough to share his time and story with all of us, so we can honor exactly what these legends of our career fie...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to our latest episode of Ones Ready, where we sit down with TACPO Capt Ryan McCary, aka Mil Spec Believer, a TACP Officer who has found a unique way to combine his faith and love of memes to help people gain insights about TACP, the Air Force, and being the best possible candidate. During our interview, Mil-Spec Believer shares his journey of becoming a TACP Officer, inclu...

Send us Fan Mail The Ones Ready team has been telling you that Air Force Special Warfare Cross-trainees, that is, folks trying to cross train career fields in the Air Force, are even less likely to graduate the pipeline than their first-term airman counterparts. Why? For a million different reasons. Cross-trainees' challenges are immense, from getting their packet together to physically prepa...

Send us Fan Mail Air Force Special Warfare Transition Guru Ramiro "V-Speed" Villalobos is a former Special Operator and combat veteran who has dedicated his life to helping service members transition to civilian life and navigate the challenges of retirement or separation from the Air Force. With years of experience serving his country and supporting his fellow service members, V-Speed h...

Send us Fan Mail Aaron and Trent sat down a while ago and answered a ton of questions, and then, as we do, we totally forgot to put it out.  Well, here you go! Hope y'all enjoy and let us know what you want to hear us record and release long after it's relevant!  00:00  Aaron and Trent Be Nice For the Camera, Squish Malone, And Ohio Food 06:45 Trent doesn't wanna talk about PME and...

Send us Fan Mail Special Reconnaissance is so hot right now. It always is. All branches of special operations have some sort of reconnaissance, or recon, capability, and the USAF is no different.  Trent and Aaron sit down and walk you through literally every single thing you need to know about SR- from the application process to graduation to your first unit to some of the unique mission sets that...

Send us Fan Mail The mental health stigma in the military has been worn away in recent years- but there is still a lot left to accomplish.  In this episode, we are joined by Steve Nisbet, a Pararescueman and President/Co-founder of Shields and Stripes, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving first responders' and veterans' mental and physical health.  Steve shares his journey as...

Send us Fan Mail Retired Pararescueman Doug Dicken has given his adult life in service to the Air Force and PJ community. Doug's life was forever changed on June 9th 2010, when he witnessed the crash of Pedro 66, in the Helmand area of Aghanistan. Doug talks us through all the lessons he learned while responding to one of the deadliest crashes the Pararescue and CRO community had seen.  Thank...