Strength in Smiles: Filipino Military Fortitude and Friendship

  By Bryan “Yogi” Berletch Brutal is a term thrown around a lot. There are brutal PT sessions, brutal deployments and brutal drill instructors. If there were one thing brutal about the Philippines, I’d say it was the humidity. My buddy Koa and I would wake up around 0500 and catch a water taxi into […]

My Burden, Downfall and Recovery from Police Work-Related Post Traumatic Stress

By Brad Carlson, MTI Contributor 2011. Graveyard shift on patrol. I had been a police officer for 5 years, and had recently made it onto SWAT as a collateral assignment. I was working the south end of town when the triple tone went off alerting that a priority call was about to be dispatched. I […]

The Pursuit of Craftsmanship

Last night, I watched a 90-minute video of a man building a log cabin. It had no narration, music, or conversation: just a guy and his dog. This man used no power tools aside from an ATV to haul the logs he had cut on his property to his work site. The logs were peeled […]

Arete 11.29.23

Military, National Defense, Foreign Policy DoDEA America’s Chief of Staff Arrested in Human Trafficking Sting Operation in Georgia, DOD News End of an Era: The Last Class of Marine Scout Snipers, Task & Purpose Marine Infantry veteran says enlisted shouldn’t become officers — mayhem ensues, Task & Purpose The Pentagon is facing hard decisions about […]

Designating Mexican Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Implications and Challenges

Recent proposals by politicians, attorney generals, and the State Department to label Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) has far-reaching implications, from law enforcement strategies to international politics and economics. This move could reshape U.S.-Mexico relations, impact border security, and influence the global fight against drug trafficking. The push for such designations often […]

My Confusing and Inconclusive Attempt to Define and Measure “Military Mental Toughness”

By Matt Lensing, MTI Contributor As an instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point part of my job included assessing and evaluating future Army officers. After three years in the assignment, and my experience as an infantry officer, I felt especially qualified to judge a West Point cadet’s mental toughness during their […]

Mistakes Made and Insights Gained: PT Student Addition

By Ansley Bucknam, MTI Contributor As a PT student in 2023, I am inundated with the internet as a means of learning alongside my didactic education and clinical experiences. This is a blessing, as I can find a podcast, blog, or social media post on virtually any topic I learn about in the classroom. But […]

Arete 11.22.23

Military, National Defense, Foreign Policy Marine veteran killed in Ukraine was attacking a Russian infantry fighting vehicle, Task & Purpose Amid recruiting woes, Army sent letters to soldiers separated for vaccine refusal, Task & Purpose No, Gen Z has not embraced Osama bin Laden, Task & Purpose 75th Ranger combat camera releases video on Afghan […]

Owning My Marine Corps Leadership Failures

By Anonymous In many military, fire, and law enforcement tragedy events, we can find deviation from basic principles as a common denominator in the after-action reports. Similarly, as a young US Marine platoon commander and executive officer in 2018, my biggest leadership failures were a result of deviation from Leadership 101. The disasters occur when […]

Mountain Athlete Seeking Graphic Designers

Mountain Tactical Institute started as Mountain Athlete and we’re looking for graphic designers to help us reinvigorate our Mountain Athlete apparel line. From skiing to mountain biking to backcountry hunting (and beyond), we have a huge population of incredible Mountain Athletes. The intent is to design for Mountain Athletes, by Mountain Athletes. We’re giving near […]