Aaron Love, Trent Seegmiller, and Jared "Peaches" Pietras

Ones Ready

A Government , Education and Self-Improvement podcast

#29 in Government · 🇺🇸 #35 in Government · 🇿🇦

About the show

A team of active duty Combat Control (CCT), Pararescue (PJ), and Special Reconnaissance (SR) leveraging our 69 years of special operations experience to make the next generation of operators smarter, faster and stronger than we ever were. We are the PREMIERE resource for all things Air Force Special Warfare. The Ones Ready Podcast is honest talk about what it is like to go from a know-nothing high school graduate to an elite Special Operator. We will cover important practices for success including physical training, nutrition, recovery, and mindset traits essential to any team. Join us in The Team Room to get all your questions answered!! With battle-tested operators from across USAF SPECWAR and far-reaching web of recruiters, subject matter experts, and friends, there are no questions we can’t answer- and if we can’t, we know exactly where to look. See you in The Team Room!Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the OnesReady team are those of the team and do not reflect the official policy or position of the DoD. Any content provided by our Podcast guests, bloggers, sponsors, or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign the DoD, any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone.

Newest episodes

America Under Attack? Microsoft, FAA & Infrastructure Failures ⎹ LIVE!

Nov 14, 2026 34 min

Send us Fan Mail Microsoft services went down. The FAA ordered a nationwide ground stop after communications failures. U.S. personnel responded to suspected drone activity over RAF Lakenheath. A tanker struck a passenger vessel in New Orleans. Other communications, payment, and infrastructure disruptions were being reported at the same time. Aaron went live because individually, each event can have a perfectly ordinary explanation — but when enough strange things happen close together, people inevitably start asking the same question: are these isolated failures, or is something bigger happening? Aaron walks through the incidents, the vulnerabilities created by aging infrastructure, America’s dependence on Microsoft and interconnected digital systems, foreign access and supply-chain concerns, military installation preparedness, and what a coordinated infrastructure attack might actually look like. But he also argues against immediately jumping onto the outrage carousel. Technical failures happen. Ships lose steering. Networks crash. Systems built decades ago break. The episode is about asking questions without pretending speculation is confirmation. Then the conversation becomes practical. Whether these incidents were connected almost does not matter to your household. If payment systems stop working, communications fail, power disappears, or transportation shuts down, can your family function for several days? Aaron talks about maintaining basic food and water, staying physically capable, preparing without becoming consumed by fear, and focusing on the things you can actually control. You cannot predict every crisis — but you can make sure denial and complacency are not what take you out. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready Emergency Live 01:00 - Was This All Connected? 02:30 - What a “Fire Sale” Attack Would Look Like 04:00 - Suspected Drones Over RAF Lakenheath 06:30 - Why Military Bases Raise Security Postures 09:00 - FAA C...

You’re Not Running Enough ⎹ LIVE!

Nov 12, 2026 1 hr 3 min

Send us Fan Mail How should you actually train for Air Force Special Warfare before you ship? On this Veterans Day live episode, Aaron, Trent, and Peaches go straight at one of the biggest preparation mistakes they continue to see: candidates are not running enough. Trent explains why aerobic fitness has repeatedly correlated with better pipeline outcomes and why being roughly a minute faster than the minimum running standard has historically been such a useful readiness indicator. Building that engine takes time, which means you cannot wait until the last few weeks before shipping and expect strength training, motivation, or a few hard intervals to make up the difference. The guys break down why candidates often prioritize strength too early, how Zone 2 work builds the aerobic foundation required for long training days, why your easy days actually need to stay easy, and how increasing mileage too aggressively creates injuries instead of fitness. The same principle carries into the pool: if you want to become a better swimmer, swim more. Before worrying about buddy breathing, mask recovery, or advanced water-confidence events, learn to surface swim efficiently enough that being in the water no longer feels like a fight for survival. The live Q&A keeps going from there. Aaron talks about eliminating destructive negative self-talk, Trent and Peaches explain how strength supports rucking without replacing cardiovascular fitness, and the guys cover sinking versus floating, water confidence, eating enough carbohydrates during high-volume training, caffeine before BMT, shin pain, CCT versus SR contracts, SERE assignments, training programs, and realistic weekly running volume. Aaron also signs off with his Veterans Day response to “thank you for your service”: you were worth it. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:18 - Veterans Day Live Begins 03:00 - Training Questions Are Open 03:44 - Veterans Day With the Ones Ready Crew 10:55...

Veterans Day: Free Meals & Veteran Cringe - Ep 648

Nov 11, 2026 29 min

Send us Fan Mail Veterans Day is coming, and Aaron, Trent, and Peaches are here to make sure nobody turns it into the veteran version of Pokemon Go. The guys talk about free meals, military discounts, Golden Corral, stolen valor, and the strange annual competition to collect as much free stuff as humanly possible. They also make an important distinction: companies offering discounts or meals are usually trying to genuinely show appreciation. The weirdness starts when veterans begin acting like those gestures are something they are owed. The conversation moves into the awkwardness of “thank you for your service,” how different veterans respond, and one of Aaron’s favorite answers: “You were worth it.” From there the guys get into service animals, when programs genuinely help veterans, when people abuse the system, and how well-intentioned veteran support can sometimes reinforce an identity built entirely around being damaged or broken after service. But the episode lands somewhere simple. Veterans Day is not Memorial Day. You do not need to spend the day hunting discounts or reminding everyone what you did. Call your old teammates. Drop something in the group chat. Say hello when you recognize somebody from the community. Celebrate the fact that you got to serve with people you still care about — and maybe accept a free steak if somebody genuinely wants to buy you one. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:10 - Veterans Day Is NOT Memorial Day 02:23 - Golden Corral and Veteran Hell 03:00 - Stolen Valor on Veterans Day 04:36 - The Annual Stolen Valor Videos Are Coming 05:39 - Do Politicians Need Veterans Day Discounts Too? 06:55 - Should Companies Give Veterans Free Stuff? 07:42 - Veterans Day Pokemon Go 08:47 - The SHOT Show Trick-or-Treaters 10:11 - “Thank You for Your Service” 12:48 - The Best Response: “You Were Worth It” 13:43 - A Lesson From a Retired Chief 14:08 - The Edmund Fitzgerald Detour 14:32 - Should CROs Be EMT Qu...

Similar podcasts

Strict Scrutiny Strict Scrutiny

The Chris Plante Show WMAL | Cumulus Podcast Network | Cumulus Media Washington

The Lawfare Podcast The Lawfare Institute

The DSR Network The DSR Network

Red Eye Radio Cumulus Podcast Network

5-4 Prologue Projects

America, Actually with Astead Herndon Vox Media

American Power Chad Scott, Mr. Global, Nat Towsen

All episodes

The newest 50 of 949 episodes

America Under Attack? Microsoft, FAA & Infrastructure Failures ⎹ LIVE!

Nov 14, 2026 34 min

You’re Not Running Enough ⎹ LIVE!

Nov 12, 2026 1 hr 3 min

Veterans Day: Free Meals & Veteran Cringe - Ep 648

Nov 11, 2026 29 min

Why Air Force Combat Control Is Struggling to Recruit - Ep 647

Nov 11, 2026 19 min

Send us Fan Mail Why are fewer candidates choosing Air Force Combat Control when other AFSPECWAR career fields seem easier to sell? Aaron, Trent, and Peaches break down what may be a messaging problem hiding inside one of the Air Force’s most capable Special Warfare career fields. Pararescue has an immediate hook: rescue people and save lives. Special Reconnaissance has reconnaissance, drones, and electronic warfare. TACP integrates airpower with Army forces and calls in fires. But ask a Combat Controller what CCT does and the answer quickly expands into air traffic control, austere airfields, close air support, special operations, combat search and rescue, airfield access, and a long list of mission sets that are difficult to capture in one sentence. That complexity may be part of the recruiting problem. Trent and Aaron point out that Combat Control once practically marketed itself because CCTs were consistently appearing in high-profile combat operations, earning valor awards, embedding with elite special operations units, and doing some of the most dangerous work of the GWOT era. Today the mission is still happening, but much of that work is back behind the curtain. The guys discuss why Combat Controllers remain valuable to SOCOM, how they create access and bring airpower into places where other forces cannot, and why the “quiet professional” nature of the career field may now make recruiting harder. The episode also gets into the Dude 44 rescue mission and battlefield promotions, ridiculously fast Air Force promotion stories, and the larger question of how you communicate an entire career field to a generation that expects the idea to make sense immediately. Peaches ultimately gives himself the assignment: build a 30-second elevator pitch explaining exactly why someone should choose Combat Control. And the guys want candidates to help answer it—what about CCT actually resonates with you? LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready...

Midterms Stopping You From Joining? - Ep 646

Nov 10, 2026 15 min

Send us Fan Mail Should the midterm elections, the president, Congress, or the political direction of the country change whether you pursue Air Force Special Warfare or join the military at all? Aaron, Trent, and Peaches address the questions they are already getting from candidates and make the argument that Washington probably matters far less to your daily military experience than you think. If election results are enough to derail your plan, the guys argue that politics may simply be giving you a more respectable excuse for fear, hesitation, or uncertainty about committing to the pipeline. The conversation turns toward the things candidates can actually control. Your running, Zone 2 cardio, mobility, water confidence, strength, preparation, and ability to show up ready matter a hell of a lot more than the latest political headline. Aaron argues that candidates who keep waiting for the perfect administration, perfect military culture, or perfect moment are likely to remain on the sidelines when real-world missions happen — still wondering whether they should have taken the shot. The point is not that politics never matters; it is that political noise should not become an excuse to stop preparing for something you already decided you want. Then, because this is Ones Ready, the episode ends by watching a chaotic shooting-range instruction video that makes everyone’s blood pressure spike. The guys break down bad instructional tone, why mechanics should be drilled before adding stress and live weapons, and the universally recognizable former-E4-turned-range-instructor energy that somehow exists everywhere. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:06 - The Midterms Are Over — Now What? 01:48 - Should Politics Change Whether You Join? 02:38 - Don’t Let Politicians Plan Your Life 03:01 - The Stoic Approach to Elections 04:08 - Trent Offers Extremely Helpful Political Counseling 05:01 - Your Zone 2 Cardio Matters More 05:45 - Politics...

Stop Worshipping Special Operators - Ep 645

Nov 9, 2026 19 min

Send us Fan Mail Who are the smartest people in Special Operations — CAG, Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Warfare, intelligence personnel, or the people working behind classified doors most of the public never sees? Trent takes a solo episode to explain why the question itself is probably wrong. Academic intelligence, tactical judgment, problem-solving, discipline, motivation, emotional control, and the ability to execute under pressure are all different capabilities, and elite organizations are filled with people who combine those traits in very different ways. That matters in Air Force Special Warfare Assessment & Selection too. Trent has watched extremely intelligent candidates struggle because they cannot stop analyzing every task, calculating every possible outcome, or questioning whether the sacrifice is worth the uncertain reward. Meanwhile, someone who can absorb instructions, stay present, solve the immediate problem, and execute without fighting an endless internal monologue may outperform them. Special Operations does not select one personality or one type of intelligence — it brings together very different people who are willing to sacrifice toward the same mission. The same rule applies after someone earns the beret. A Ranger, SEAL, Green Beret, PJ, CCT, SR operator, or SMU member may be exceptionally capable at a very difficult profession, but that qualification does not automatically make them an expert on politics, policy, medicine, culture, or every other complicated subject. Trent argues that people deserve credit for the things they have actually earned — without turning elite military credentials into proof of universal wisdom. Sometimes the genius is also the guy who forgot where the zipper goes. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Special Warfare Assessment & Selection 01:06 - Trent’s Mustache Has Entered the Chat 03:20 - Who Are the Smartest People in Special Operations? 04:20 - Different Types of Intelligence 05:00 -...

VA Tech Upgrade: 13 Years and Counting - Ep 644

Nov 8, 2026 24 min

Send us Fan Mail The Department of Veterans Affairs has spent years trying to modernize its electronic health record system, but Aaron, Trent, and Peaches dig into why the project has become such a massive government-tech story. The original contract carried a roughly $10 billion ceiling, Oracle later acquired Cerner, the timeline moved from 2028 to 2031, and the contract ceiling increased to about $27 billion. The guys walk through how a project meant to simplify veteran healthcare instead became a case study in delays, added complexity, and questions about accountability. The Spokane rollout becomes the clearest example. According to the figures discussed in the episode, staffing increased, productivity dropped, and later inspections raised concerns about workflow, burnout, and patient safety. Aaron’s larger point is that inefficiency at the VA is not just an annoyance — when staff are overloaded and systems are slow, veterans waiting for medical or mental-health care feel the consequences directly. Trent and Peaches also compare those problems with their own relatively positive VA experiences in San Antonio and Las Vegas, highlighting how uneven the system can be across locations. Then the numbers get even harder to ignore. The transcript notes that by July 2026, the new system was live at only 14 of 164 facilities, while later estimates discussed in the episode put the total rollout and sustainment cost far above the original contract ceiling. Aaron, Trent, and Peaches also get into Oracle’s upcoming congressional testimony, proprietary software concerns, contractor accountability, and the difference between a contract ceiling and actual money spent. Their bottom line is simple: modernization is necessary, but veterans should not have to accept waste, delay, and poor performance as the normal cost of doing business. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:10 - The VA Has a Technology Problem 02:33 - Why VA Systems Feel So Ou...

Is the Air Force Running Out of Money? - Ep 643

Nov 6, 2026 29 min

Send us Fan Mail The Air Force is flying, moving, supporting and striking everywhere — but the money still has to come from somewhere. Trent and Peaches break down what happens when current operations consume existing Air Force resources while the service is simultaneously trying to modernize aircraft, rebuild munitions stockpiles and repair bases that spent two decades taking a back seat to GWOT requirements. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, operations dominated the priority list. Now aging HVAC systems, electrical grids, sewage, dorms and military construction are all demanding attention at the same time. The guys also get into why military construction costs so much, what “taking it out of hide” actually means, and why the next fight cannot be funded by simply stripping money from everything else indefinitely. The Air Force still has to buy aircraft, upgrade capabilities, replenish weapons and maintain installations while supporting missions around the world. Trent argues that if the Air Force continues carrying a disproportionate share of operational requirements without additional resources, something eventually has to give. Then the conversation turns nuclear. Peaches and Trent dig into small modular reactors and Air Force efforts to experiment with microreactors that could provide resilient power to installations even if civilian infrastructure goes down. They discuss Eielson AFB, potential projects at other installations, the limitations of wind and solar at large scale, and why nuclear power may ultimately be one of the most practical ways to make military bases truly energy-resilient. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:10 - Trent and Peaches Become GWOT Boomers 02:30 - Desert Wars vs Jungle Warfare 03:55 - The Air Force’s New Resource Problem 05:52 - How GWOT Changed Air Force Spending 07:46 - Twenty Years of Deferred Infrastructure 09:44 - Why Military Construction Costs So Much 11:06 - Operations...

Space Force Joins SOCOM - Ep 642

Nov 5, 2026 22 min

Send us Fan Mail The U.S. Space Force now has a formal component inside U.S. Special Operations Command, and Aaron, Trent and Peaches break down what that actually means for SOF. The new relationship is not about creating “Space Force commandos.” It is about putting Guardians who understand satellite communications, ISR, navigation, electronic warfare and space effects directly alongside the people planning and executing special operations. Instead of SOCOM requesting support from outside the organization every time a problem appears, the expertise is already inside the command and looking at the mission from the beginning. That integration could matter more than most people realize. Aaron argues that simply having Guardians in the room allows them to recognize problems other components may not even know can be solved with space capabilities. The guys also discuss the growing Space Force budget, commercial innovation from companies like SpaceX and Anduril, and why space and cyber are becoming increasingly important to modern warfare. Special operations does not necessarily need a new breed of Space Force operator — special operations needs immediate access to people who already understand how to create effects from the space domain. The episode also pushes back on the stereotype that Guardians have easy jobs because they sit behind screens. Aaron describes missions that can keep people cognitively engaged inside vaults for extremely long periods, where they may have only seconds to solve a complex problem with real consequences. The guys talk about the strange but high-performing Space Force culture, the growing pains of a young military service, and why exposure to USSOCOM could produce better leaders on both sides of the relationship. Naturally, they finish by designing the ultimate Space Force Ranger with jump wings, a dive bubble, free fall and a Weapons School patch. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:00 - Operator T...

Train for AFSPECWAR + Space Force Joins SOCOM | Ones Ready Live

Nov 5, 2026 1 hr 9 min

Send us Fan Mail What should training for Air Force Special Warfare actually look like before you ship? Aaron, Trent, and Peaches go live to break down how future AFSPECWAR candidates should approach running, rucking, calisthenics, strength, water confidence, recovery, durability, and overall preparation — including what candidates consistently get wrong and how to know whether you’re actually ready for the pipeline instead of simply capable of passing an IFT. Then the conversation shifts to Space Force inside the USSOCOM enterprise. The guys break down why special operations needs Guardians integrated directly into the command, what space-based ISR, communications, navigation, electronic warfare, and other space effects can bring to SOF, and why having Space Force expertise in the room could matter more than creating some mythical “Space Force commando.” onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND Apparel...

Ones Finally Ready - Ep 641

Nov 2, 2026 22 min

Send us Fan Mail The Air Force Special Warfare meme wars are apparently back. Aaron, Trent, and Peaches break down how a joke between Ones Ready and JT escalated into an entire AI-generated “Ones Finally Ready” universe, complete with fake movie posters, character transformations, campaign-style content and enough production value that people started messaging the guys asking whether the feud was actually real. The answer is both simpler and somehow more ridiculous: the boys are chirping, everybody has too much access to AI, and some people on the internet have completely lost their ability to recognize a joke. That leads into the bigger conversation about humor, military culture and cancellation. Aaron talks about people becoming genuinely angry over TACP jokes, including messages and discussions about fighting him in Vegas, while the guys point out that the actual people involved in the “beef” can still hang out, have drinks and laugh about it. They also discuss anonymous military meme pages, why AI keeps blending Trent and Aaron together, the strange professionalism behind JT’s parody campaign, and why being able to make fun of each other may actually be healthier than treating every joke like a personal attack. Naturally, it gets worse from there. The crew pitches Morgan Freeman narrating the fake movie, wonders whether Ones Finally Ready could outperform the Ground Truth documentary, talks about the LGBTACP shirt raising money for the TACP Foundation, and debates whether Peaches needs to retaliate or simply lean harder into the absurdity. Somewhere underneath all the chaos is a very Ones Ready message: you can disagree, roast each other, get chirped online and still be friends when the phones go away. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:10 - The Episode Immediately Gets Cancelled 02:00 - The Air Force Special Warfare Meme Wars Are Back 03:00 - Can Military Communities Still Take a Joke? 04:15 - Aaron Apologizes for...

Did VALENTINA GOMEZ SLANDER SEC ARMY - OTW

Oct 30, 2026 12 min

Send us Fan Mail Political ads are about to get louder, AI-generated content is getting better, and election-season outrage travels faster than context. In this Outside The Wire episode, Aaron breaks down a campaign attack from Valentina Gomez aimed at Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle over the scheduled execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan. Instead of reacting to the clip, Aaron walks through the underlying timeline, Army regulation and specific claims to show how a political narrative can change when the missing context gets put back in. The central dispute is timing. President Trump approved Hasan’s death sentence on October 2, 2026, and Army Regulation 190-55 requires the Secretary of the Army to select a date between 60 and 150 days later. Aaron argues that portraying Telle as delaying or protecting Hasan does not match that timeline: the execution is currently scheduled for December 3, just 62 days after presidential approval. He also addresses attacks on Telle’s lack of prior military service and explains the broader principle of civilian control of the military. But the bigger point is not Valentina Gomez, Adam Telle or even one campaign ad. It is how to consume political information without letting outrage do your thinking for you. Aaron breaks down appeals to emotion, ad hominem attacks, missing context and unsupported claims while arguing that viewers should apply the same standard to political messaging even when it comes from someone they generally agree with. Agreement on policy does not make a false claim true. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Outside The Wire: Political Misinformation 00:44 - Valentina Gomez Targets Adam Telle 01:58 - Nidal Hasan and the Fort Hood Shooting 02:31 - The Nidal Hasan Execution Timeline 03:10 - Army Regulation 190-55 Explained 04:00 - Why December 3 Matters 05:02 - Civilian Control of the U.S. Military 06:36 - When Political Attacks Become Personal 07:11 - Campaign Ads, Emotion an...

Should Air Force BMT Teach Everyone to Swim? - Ep 640

Oct 30, 2026 16 min

Send us Fan Mail After an Airman stationed at Shaw Air Force Base drowned during an off-duty boating trip on Lake Wateree, his family called for swimming instruction to become part of military training and, according to the discussion in this episode, filed a $50 million lawsuit against the federal government. Aaron, Trent, and Peaches wrestle with the tragedy while asking a much harder question: should Air Force Basic Military Training actually be responsible for teaching every Airman how to swim? The guys break down what that requirement would mean in reality. Air Force BMT receives roughly 800–1,000 trainees every week, the service has limited pool infrastructure, and basic swim proficiency is very different from being capable of rescuing another person in open water. Trent and Aaron argue that turning swim training into an enterprise-wide requirement would create enormous infrastructure, scheduling, sustainment, and follow-on training requirements — eventually leading to the completely reasonable Ones Ready solution that everyone in the Air Force should simply become a qualified rescue swimmer. Then the rails come off. The conversation shifts to the F-35, F-22, F-47, B-21 and F-15EX, why modern fighters are becoming airborne quarterbacks for autonomous systems, and whether the F-15EX should remain a two-seat aircraft. The episode finishes with the newly invented scientific category of “overbeast,” Airmen thanking Ones Ready for fat-shaming them into getting healthier, Roy Nelson’s legendary overhand right, and Trent choosing chaos on virtually every subject available. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:06 - Airman Drowning at Lake Wateree 02:20 - Should Every Airman Learn to Swim? 03:23 - Can BMT Realistically Teach Swimming? 04:35 - The $50 Million Lawsuit and Personal Responsibility 06:07 - Is Swimming an Air Force Responsibility? 07:19 - Everyone Becomes a Rescue Swimmer 08:05 - What OTS Can Teach in Two Days 08:44 -...

AFSPECWAR Pipeline Is 70 Days Faster - Ep 639

Oct 29, 2026 23 min

Send us Fan Mail Air Force Special Warfare trainees are reportedly reaching their berets roughly 70 days faster under the revised training pipeline, and Aaron, Trent, and Peaches dig into what that number actually means. The biggest improvement appears to be less wasted time between courses — reducing the periods where students are awaiting training instead of actually progressing through the pipeline. For Pararescue, Combat Control and other AFSPECWAR career fields with complex course schedules, cutting that dead time could be a significant improvement without removing actual training requirements. That distinction matters. The guys have been extremely critical of previous “optimization” efforts that shortened a pipeline on paper by simply moving requirements somewhere else. Removing dive training from the three-level pipeline, for example, does not eliminate the requirement — it pushes the scheduling, pre-dive requirements and administrative burden onto operational squadrons. A real improvement is different: keep the standards and capabilities intact while removing unnecessary waiting, improving course alignment and getting fully trained operators to their units sooner. And this time, Ones Ready gives credit where it’s due. The rollout of the Zulu Course and broader AFSPECWAR pipeline changes generated months of criticism, including plenty from this podcast, but Aaron, Trent and Peaches acknowledge that the current cadre and leadership appear to be moving the system in a positive direction. The unanswered question remains the most important one: are they producing the same quality operator? If the standards remain intact and the Air Force can genuinely graduate the same product faster, then cutting 70 days is a legitimate win. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:10 - Operator Training Summit Vegas Update 01:53 - The 90s Christmas Photo Shoot Goes Sideways 03:18 - Air Force Special Warfare Pipeline Changes 03:32 - AFSPECWAR...

New Guard Special Tactics Squadron - Ep 638

Oct 26, 2026 22 min

Send us Fan Mail A new Guard Special Tactics Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base could become one of the most desirable assignments in Air Force Special Warfare. Aaron, Trent and Peaches break down why Tampa is such a strong location, why experienced operators could immediately compete for those billets, and why a Guard STS gives Airmen another option besides staying active duty or walking away from the community completely. The guys argue that the demand could be enormous, especially among experienced CCT, SR and Special Tactics personnel looking for civilian careers, family stability and a way to stay connected to the team. The bigger conversation is talent retention. The Special Tactics Guard footprint is extremely small compared with the number of experienced operators who eventually leave active duty, and Trent argues that Tampa should be the first of several additional Guard STSs. The crew discusses the potential short-term hit to active-duty manning, but also the possibility of retaining people who might otherwise leave the Air Force entirely. They explore future locations in the Carolinas, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and the Southwest, along with the idea of Guard squadrons developing specialties in areas like drones, diving, global access and other mission sets. The episode also gets into MacDill’s potential role in hurricane and humanitarian response, Guard authorities, NASA support opportunities and the advantages of keeping experienced operators connected to both military and civilian innovation. The guys react to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s announcement about the unit and her emphasis on disaster-response capability, then close with the usual Ones Ready discussion about internet behavior, politicians, and why people say things online they would never say face-to-face. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 00:48 - The Entire Crew Actually Wears Ones Ready Merch 01:12 - Operator Training Summit Las Vegas Is Filling Up 02:28 - N...

Andruil's Drone Wingmen - Ep 637

Oct 23, 2026 36 min

Send us Fan Mail The F-22 is no longer just flying with other fighter jets. Aaron, Trent, and Peaches break down the emerging world of collaborative combat aircraft, autonomous drone wingmen, and Anduril’s YFQ-44A Fury concept — where a fighter pilot can act as the quarterback and assign high-level tasks to unmanned aircraft operating alongside the formation. The guys also talk about the possibility of ground forces eventually gaining access to those aircraft and what happens when the person on the ground effectively has their own airborne combat network overhead. The bigger conversation is about why companies like Anduril seem able to move so quickly. Instead of waiting years for the perfect government program, the model they describe is simple: find the warfighter’s problem, build a minimum viable product, let the military break it, fix what failed, and repeat until it works. Trent and Aaron compare that mentality to SpaceX and Tesla — organizations willing to crash prototypes, absorb failure, and keep iterating rather than treating every mistake like the end of a program. Naturally, the episode eventually gets completely off the rails. The guys talk about rocket-powered Teslas, autonomous Cybercabs, Knight Rider becoming real life, Aaron’s caffeine problem, Weapons School recovery data showing what Friday-night drinking does to performance, and the eternal military question of where high performance ends and team-room culture begins. Peaches also walks through the refreshed Ones Ready and Operator Training Summit sites before the crew tees up the MBRS-only follow-on discussion. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready 01:10 - Aaron and Trent Start Without Peaches 02:20 - Aaron’s 91st Squadron Leadership Talk 04:36 - Peaches Finally Shows Up 05:08 - The Rise Against Ticket Disaster 07:19 - War Room Recall and the Election Episode 09:05 - Are Ones Ready Actually Vet Bros? 10:24 - Anduril, F-22s and Autonomous Combat Aircraft...

Sneak Peek MBRS 99: Run More, Fix Your Hips, Nuclear Energy Is Safe, and Society Is Failing Young Men

Oct 21, 2026 1 hr 2 min

Send us Fan Mail This MBRS episode starts where most people get uncomfortable and keeps going. Peaches and Trent open with a simple truth from Taylor Starch: nobody runs enough, your hips are probably trash, and injury fear is mostly self-inflicted. From there, the conversation spirals—into broken leadership inside special warfare training, why loosening standards hurts recruiting instead of helping it, and how accountability actually attracts the right people. The back half dives hard into culture: nuclear power fear-mongering, why modern society is terrible at raising functional young men, the illusion of safety, bullying, discipline, violence, and the consequences of parents outsourcing responsibility. Add conspiracy detours, EU dysfunction, Army crime cases, and a brutal assessment of American cultural decay—and you get a classic members-only rant that doesn’t pretend to be polite. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Members intro and running truth bomb 01:00 Nobody runs enough—Taylor Starch wisdom 03:00 Hips, gait issues, and injury prevention 05:00 Zulu course chaos and leadership gaps 08:00 Pipeline frustration and entitlement mindset 12:00 Standards, accountability, and recruiting reality 15:00 Tightening discipline vs “unprofessional” complaints 18:00 Validation, war myths, and why people want testing 21:00 Younger generations: fitter, smarter, different 24:00 AI models, GPUs, and future warfare brains 27:00 Nuclear power fear vs reality 31:00 TSA, illusion of safety, and wasted money 35:00 Violence, bullying, and social correction 40:00 Army murder case and cultural breakdown 47:00 Parenting failures and lost male mentorship 55:00 Teaching basic life skills and confidence 01:00:00 Final rant, nuclear saves the world, wrap-up 🎯 Call-to-Actions: 👍 Like the episode 🔔 Subscribe 💬 Comment if standards should rise, not fall 🌟 Leave a review 🪖 Stay a Ones Ready Member 👕 Check out the merch store Support the show Join this channel to get access to p...

HE RAN TOWARDS THE FIGHT

Oct 19, 2026 14 min

Send us Fan Mail A 36-year-old father was driving home on his lunch break when he heard gunfire near Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon — the school his two daughters attended. According to the account Trent and Peaches discuss, he saw the teenage gunman entering the building, followed him inside, and stopped the attacker before police arrived. But afterward, his family said he wasn’t looking for recognition. He was struggling with the fact that he hadn’t gotten there sooner. That becomes the real conversation in this Outside The Wire episode. Trent and Peaches talk about survivor guilt, trauma involving children, combat experience, PTSD, and the difference between someone trained and conditioned for violence versus a civilian who suddenly finds himself walking into something no normal person expects to see. They also revisit the problem with the “hero tour”: society wants to celebrate people who perform extraordinary acts, but recognition can also mean forcing someone to repeatedly relive the worst day of their life. :chatgpt-content-reference{index="1"} The hardest question is also the simplest. Most people would hear gunfire, call 911, and wait for police. This father had every survival instinct telling him to stay outside — and still went in. Trent and Peaches break down what it takes to override that voice, why examples like this matter, and why being called a hero does not mean the psychological consequences simply disappear when the cameras leave. LINKS onesready.com operatortrainingsummit.com CHAPTERS 00:00 - Ones Ready Outside The Wire 00:34 - Silver Rail Elementary School Shooting in Bend, Oregon 01:35 - Father Runs Into School and Stops the Gunman 02:59 - Survivor Guilt After Heroic Action 03:25 - Uvalde and Why Children Change Trauma 04:50 - What Happens After Becoming a Hero? 05:47 - Combat Training, PTSD and Unprepared Trauma 07:25 - The Problem With the Hero Tour 07:55 - “If Not Me, Who?” 09:16 - Online Scrutiny After Public Heroism 10:...

Rappel Incident - Ep 636

Oct 18, 2026 41 min

Send us Fan Mail This episode starts with something none of us wanted to talk about. A member of the Air Force community was killed during a rappelling demonstration at a UTSA event in San Antonio. At the time Trent and Peaches recorded, next-of-kin notifications were still being completed and the member had not yet been publicly identified. First and foremost: Much love to his family, teammates, and everyone at the 6th Combat Training Squadron. Trent and Peaches walk through the publicly available footage from the perspective of two guys who have spent a lot of time around this type of training. And the first clarification matters: This was a RAPPEL. Not a fast rope. Those are different techniques with different equipment, different safety considerations, and different levels of risk. The available video raises obvious questions about descent speed, rope friction, routing, hardware, hand position, and whether the system was functioning correctly. But neither Trent nor Peaches claims to know exactly what failed. Equipment? Routing? Connection? Human error? Something else entirely? That is what the investigation is for. What they do know is that a roughly 170-foot free rappel gives you very little room for error. Buddy checks matter. Rigging matters. Equipment checks matter. And just because you have done something a hundred times does not mean evolution 101 deserves any less attention than evolution one. The conversation then moves into TACP, CCT, JTACs and the old ROMAD concept. Peaches explains how young Airmen who were not yet JTAC qualified could still become extremely useful members of the team by learning radios, aircraft integration, procedures and enough of the job to become an extra capability if somebody went down. Trent talks about his first Afghanistan deployment in 2006, where the TACP and Combat Controller on his team took the time to teach him enough of their job that he could help if things went sideways. Back then, that mattere...

Beret Inflation - Ep 629

Oct 16, 2026 41 min

Send us Fan Mail Apparently the Air Force looked around and decided what we were desperately missing was another beret. This time it’s EOD. Aaron, Trent, and Peaches react to the new rust-colored EOD beret and immediately ask the obvious question: Who was asking for this? This isn’t an anti-EOD episode. EOD technicians do an extremely difficult job, go through a demanding pipeline, and bring a legitimate capability to the fight. But does every specialized career field need its own funny hat? The boys break down why berets existed in the first place, why they were historically tied to unique units and qualifications, how PJ and CCT ended up with theirs, why Rangers changed colors after the Army adopted the black beret, and why distinctive headgear starts losing some of its meaning when everybody gets one. Also discussed: What happened to Goggins in the pipeline? Is SR actually being merged with CCT? What traditions do Combat Controllers have? Should EOD move under AFSOC? What does an EOD mission inside AFSOC actually look like? And why would you voluntarily leave Civil Engineering, where you’re the cool guy with the bomb suit and new beret, just to walk into a Special Tactics team room and immediately become another support function getting roasted by Controllers? The episode also takes a minute to remember Operation Gothic Serpent on its anniversary, including the legacy of the Airmen, Rangers, and special operations forces who fought through Mogadishu and the lessons that shaped the decades that followed. And eventually the crew discovers the most important possible follow-up question: If EOD joins the Special Warfare team room... where exactly do they rank? That one had to go to MBRS. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 00:54 - Does EOD Really Need a Beret? 03:08 - Who Was Asking for This? 04:32 - Are Berets Actually Functional? 05:36 - What Makes a “Sharp” Airman? 06:18 - Who the Hell Is Samson Kearns? 10:31 - The E-4 Maf...

Hurricane Ride Out - Ep 635

Oct 16, 2026 33 min

Send us Fan Mail What actually happens on a military base when a hurricane is headed straight at it? Trent and Peaches break down the stuff most people never see. Aircraft have to move. Families may have to evacuate. Training stops. Other bases have to make room. Commanders are staring at forecast models trying to decide whether they are moving too early — or waiting too long. And every decision costs money, training time, operational capability, and potentially lives. Both Trent and Peaches spent time around Hurlburt Field and the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, so they walk through what hurricane preparation actually looks like inside the Air Force. One of the coolest pieces: The ride-out team. When most people evacuate, selected personnel stay behind. Special Tactics. Security Forces. RED HORSE. Rescue-capable personnel. People with boats, communications, recovery equipment, and the skills to start working almost immediately after the storm passes. At the 23rd, that meant Zodiacs, inflatable boats, rescue equipment, and people already trained to operate in ugly conditions. Families get moved somewhere safer. The ride-out team stays. Then when the storm clears: Go to work. They also talk about how difficult the evacuation decision actually is. Move aircraft too early and you burn money, disrupt training, impact operations, and create problems for every receiving base. Wait too long and eventually the weather gets bad enough that you cannot safely fly the aircraft out at all. There is no perfect answer. There is only risk management. The conversation then expands into something useful for everybody — not just military people: How prepared is YOUR family? Power. Water. Food. Communications. Starlink. A bug-out plan. A vehicle. And enough capability to sit tight for roughly 72 hours while you figure out what the actual situation is. Trent makes the point that everybody loves talking about the bug-out bag, but if you have a family, your house is p...

Sneak PeekMBRS 98: Virtue Signaling, Doxxing, and an ANG Hero

Oct 14, 2026 1 hr 6 min

Send us Fan Mail This MBRS Only goes deep on internet outrage culture, hypocrisy, and why performative morality keeps collapsing under scrutiny. Peaches and Trent break down the Scotty K Fitness implosion—virtue signaling, selective Second Amendment outrage, and the moment he crossed the line by doxxing a private citizen and their family. From ICE protests and whistle tactics to media manipulation, AI-altered images, and why nuance dies online, the conversation expands into accountability, restraint, and how fast people rush to conclusions without facts. They also hit why leadership under stress matters, why mob energy is the goal—not justice—and why most people have no idea what they’d do in the chaos they’re cheering for. Messy, uncomfortable, and exactly why this stays behind the paywall. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Members intro and attributes-based mindset 02:00 Scotty K Fitness and internet hypocrisy 04:30 Selective outrage and Second Amendment takes 07:00 Kyle Rittenhouse comparisons and false equivalence 10:30 Doxxing a private citizen crosses the line 13:30 Sponsors drop him—consequences explained 15:45 Performative outrage vs real accountability 17:30 ICE protests, whistles, and sensory overload 19:30 Stress, restraint, and real-world decision-making 22:00 Media manipulation and AI-altered imagery 24:30 Mainstream media trust and incentives 26:30 Revolution rhetoric and manufactured chaos 29:00 Colorado ANG hero story and readiness 32:00 Fitness, composure, and community expectations 35:30 Drone pilot mental health study explained 40:30 PTSD, micro-stress, and long-term exposure 45:00 Medical establishment vs reality-based care 50:30 Brain optimization, performance, and bro science 56:30 Training vs real-world decision making 01:02:00 Black Hawk Down legacy and mindset 01:06:00 Final thoughts and member thanks 🎯 Call-to-Actions: 👍 Like the episode 🔔 Subscribe 💬 Comment if nuance still matters 🌟 Leave a review 🪖 Stay a Ones Ready Me...

Public Execution - Ep 634

Oct 14, 2026 34 min

Send us Fan Mail Should the government livestream an execution? Trent and Peaches get into the proposed public execution of the Fort Hood shooter — and immediately land somewhere that is probably going to piss off people on both sides. Neither guy has much sympathy for the man convicted of killing 13 people and wounding dozens more at Fort Hood. The argument is about something different: Should Americans be able to WATCH the punishment? They dig into why public executions disappeared from American culture in the first place, how old executions turned into massive public spectacles, and why the firing squad historically has one very practical advantage: It works. Then Trent asks the uncomfortable question. We live in a country where Game of Thrones became a cultural phenomenon, real combat footage lives on social media, police shootings appear online within hours, wars are documented almost in real time, and people willingly consume violent content every single day. So why does this particular violence suddenly become morally unbearable when the government makes it available to watch? Peaches can understand the argument that America should not put itself in the same category as countries known for public executions. Trent’s counterpoint: Nobody is forcing you to watch it. That leads into firing-squad procedures, why some rifles historically contained blanks, victims wanting to witness executions, political hypocrisy, and the difference between an execution being available online and turning it into a literal public carnival. Then the episode pivots into another outrage cycle: Pete Hegseth working out with Marines. Videos show him falling behind younger Marines and struggling through parts of the workout, and naturally the internet reacts like the Secretary of Defense just failed selection. Trent and Peaches have a different reaction. He’s in his 40s. They’re young Marines. They SHOULD smoke him. The weird part would be if they didn’t. They argue t...

Ready To Ship? - Ep 633

Oct 12, 2026 33 min

Send us Fan Mail How do you actually know when you’re ready for Air Force Special Warfare? Trent and Peaches are back with Part 3 of the Operator Training Summit FAQs, answering questions submitted directly by candidates. And this one gets into some of the stuff people obsess over before shipping. What actually helps people survive the hardest parts of selection? Should you tell everyone what you’re trying to do? What qualities matter most in a teammate? How much should you train your breath hold? Are peer reviews just popularity contests? What mistakes get candidates in trouble? How do you build mental toughness? How much recovery is too much recovery? Is there still a SWIC program between BMT and Assessment & Selection? And most importantly: How do you know when you’re actually ready to ship? Trent and Peaches make the case that candidates spend way too much time worrying about secret programs, pipeline changes, apps, recovery scores, and the exact training plan somebody else used. The bigger things are much less complicated. Be consistent. Be trainable. Tell the truth. Take responsibility. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Eat enough. Build an aerobic base. Get strong enough to handle volume. And stop relying on the pipeline to prepare you for the pipeline. The Air Force may change prep programs. Accessions may increase. SWIC may exist in one form and disappear in another. None of that changes your responsibility: Show up ready. Trent’s rough benchmark? If you’re running around a 9:00 mile-and-a-half, handling the rest of the IFT comfortably, and putting up strong pull-up numbers, you’re probably in a much better place than the person who barely passed an IFT and immediately accepted the first available ship date. Peaches adds another test: Could you pass an IFT tired, after you already trained, with almost no notice? If the answer is no, you might have more work to do. This is the stuff we wish candidates would focus on before they ge...

Tim Kennedy WOUNDED in CONGO?! MOH Drama Update - War Room Recall

Oct 10, 2026 2 hr 30 min

Send us Fan Mail The War Room is back — Aaron Love, Jake Zweig, Nate Cornacchia, and Ben Pappas — and this one goes off the rails almost immediately. The biggest story: Tim Kennedy was reportedly seriously wounded during a contracting operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The crew works through what is currently known, what is still unverified, and what appears to connect the operation to companies associated with Eric Prince. According to the information discussed on the show, Kennedy was reportedly part of a small private military/security element supporting Congolese government interests involving mineral revenue protection, border security, and tax enforcement when the team was ambushed. A former New Zealand SAS operator was reportedly killed. Kennedy was reportedly shot multiple times — including wounds to the foot, ankle, femur, and upper body — before eventually being evacuated for advanced medical treatment. :chatgpt-content-reference{index="1"} Aaron breaks down what a catastrophic femur injury can actually mean medically, especially when combined with a prolonged tourniquet time and additional wounds farther down the leg. The crew also asks the uncomfortable question: Why was Tim Kennedy there in the first place? At nearly 50 years old, after a Green Beret career, UFC career, businesses, media success, and everything else he has already accomplished — what keeps somebody going back? Combat addiction? Identity? Adrenaline? Trying to prove something? Or simply taking another contract because that is still the world he knows? Nobody on the panel celebrates what happened. In fact, all four make the same point: They hope Tim recovers. But accountability and empathy can exist at the same time. From there, the War Room moves into another wild story: The proposed public firing-squad execution of the Fort Hood shooter. The panel agrees the punishment itself is not the issue. The livestream is. Do Americans really want the government bro...

TRUST COLLAPSE with Aaron and Ben Pappas live

Oct 9, 2026 1 hr 46 min

Send us Fan Mail Why don’t Americans trust institutions anymore? Aaron Love joins Ben Pappas for a live conversation about collapsing confidence in government, media, the justice system, major institutions, and the people who are supposed to tell us the truth. Ben starts with polling discussed on the show showing confidence in major U.S. institutions near historic lows — while the military and small business remain among the most trusted. So what happened? Aaron’s argument is that there wasn’t one single event. It stacked. Vietnam. Watergate. Iraq and the WMD claims. Afghanistan. The 2008 financial crisis. Government surveillance. COVID. Epstein. Every time an institution gets something wrong, hides something, spins something, or refuses to provide accountability, another little piece of trust disappears. Aaron argues that COVID accelerated that collapse more than anything else in recent memory because distrust spread across multiple institutions at once — government agencies, health authorities, employers, media organizations, and political leadership. :chatgpt-content-reference{index="1"} That leads into another question: Why are people increasingly getting their information from podcasts, YouTube, X, and independent creators? Aaron makes the case that long-form podcasting is simply better suited for difficult subjects. You can hear context, disagreement, tone, nuance, and people actually challenging each other instead of compressing everything into a short scripted news segment. :chatgpt-content-reference{index="2"} But that creates responsibility too. Aaron and Ben talk about the difference between skepticism and paranoia, why independent voices still have to check themselves, how leaders rebuild trust once it is lost, and why sometimes restoring credibility means exposing everything — even when the truth is painful. Aaron’s answer: Sunlight is the best disinfectant. The conversation then expands into leadership, accountability, personal agency,...

Drone Command - Ep 632

Oct 9, 2026 34 min

Send us Fan Mail Apparently the military needs another combatant command. This one, though, might actually make sense. Trent and Peaches break down the proposed four-star command focused on autonomous warfare — unmanned aircraft, robotics, counter-drone systems, networks, software, offensive capabilities, defensive capabilities, and all the other technology that has gone from “cool science project” to absolutely essential on the modern battlefield. Ukraine made the problem impossible to ignore. Iran reinforced it. And every service trying to independently invent, purchase, regulate, fund, and operate its own version of the same technology probably is not the fastest way forward. A centralized command could mean common standards, dedicated funding, fewer duplicated programs, faster development, better interoperability, and hopefully fewer situations where the Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy all show up with equipment that somehow still cannot talk to each other. But there is another side to it. The military is simultaneously talking about reducing the number of general officers by roughly 20%. So how exactly do you create a new four-star headquarters without immediately growing another pile of generals, colonels, chiefs, staffs, deputies, directorates, and all the positions required to feed that headquarters? That leads into a bigger conversation about military bureaucracy, SOCOM funding, Special Tactics, why Special Warfare probably does NOT need to become another assault force, and what SOCOM actually expects Air Force operators to be world-class at. The answer is pretty simple: Be exceptional at the capability nobody else can provide. The guys also get into drone warfare on the Ukrainian front, how difficult it has become to hide from persistent surveillance, civilian police departments using organic ISR, counter-UAS requirements around military installations, and why some of the Air Force’s aviation rules may be making small-drone training unneces...

Just Listen - Ep 631

Oct 7, 2026 34 min

Send us Fan Mail Trent and Peaches get into a problem the Air Force needs to think about now — not five years from now. Airmen are coming home from combat experiences that may look very different from what the GWOT generation went through. And one of the fastest ways senior leaders can screw this up is by immediately saying: “I know what you went through.” Maybe you don’t. Trent talks about coming home from early deployments and hearing people try to relate to experiences they had never actually shared. Peaches tells his own story about saying the wrong thing to Will Markham after Afghanistan and realizing how badly even good intentions can miss the mark. That becomes the larger point of the episode. Some Airmen today are dealing with repeated attacks, large explosive events, exhaustion, high operational tempo, and potentially significant blast exposure. Trent argues that leaders with Iraq and Afghanistan experience need to be careful about turning their own deployments into the measuring stick for somebody else’s experience. Listen first. Give people space. Know what resources exist. And understand that somebody may not want help the week they get home — but they may need it months or years later. The crew talks about True North, lessons learned from POTFF and SOCOM, decompression programs, the strange transition from being in combat to suddenly sitting at home with your family, and why resources have to remain available long after the welcome-home ceremony is over. This is not about treating returning Airmen like they are broken. It is about recognizing that the environment changed — and making sure our leadership changes with it. Also: Aaron apparently has a tanning emergency, Peaches accidentally congratulated a combat veteran for surviving Afghanistan, PJs still dress like granola-powered slackline instructors, and OTS has some bigger changes coming in 2027. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 00:54 - Aaron Has a Tanning E...

Where Are They? - Ep 630

Oct 6, 2026 26 min

Send us Fan Mail Trent and Peaches start with the completely normal question of whether Noah’s Ark has finally been found after 4,300 years. From there, naturally, they end up fixing marriage, military careers, Air Force talent management, bureaucracy, government civilians, and the apparent disappearance of larger-than-life Air Force leaders. The Noah’s Ark claim kicks off a conversation about truth, archaeology, UFOs, and the uncomfortable reality that even if somebody definitively proved something world-changing tomorrow, most of us would still be arguing about gas prices and whatever nonsense is trending online. Then the episode shifts into something a little more useful: Who you marry may be the most important decision you ever make. Trent and Peaches talk about why people settle, why “we’ve been dating long enough” is a terrible reason to get married, and why careers are far easier to change than the person you build your entire life around. That leads into military careers and why 20 years in the Air Force does not necessarily mean doing one thing for two decades. Different units, missions, deployments, staffs, schools, and responsibilities can make the career far broader than outsiders realize. Then Trent asks the bigger question: Where are today’s Robin Olds, John Boyds, and other disruptive Air Force legends? His theory is not that the talent disappeared. The talent is still there. The system just got better at suppressing it. Too many regulations. Too much bureaucracy. Too many people who see initiative as more work. Too many leaders unwilling to identify a talented Airman, give them room, and tell everyone else to stay out of the way. They also get into the role of long-term government civilians, continuity, contractors, and when institutional knowledge stops being an asset and starts becoming a roadblock. Also: Noah, Lindsey Clancy, Adam Carolla, marriages, Spencer going back somewhere he apparently should not, PJ merch, and Peaches once ag...

Air Force PJ vs SEAL on Chapman Medal of Honor, Iran Escalation?

Oct 2, 2026 2 hr 24 min

Send us Fan Mail Ben Pappas brings Aaron Love and Jake Zweig into the War Room, and they start with one of the most emotionally charged stories in modern special operations history: Takur Ghar. More than two decades after the battle, a new documentary is challenging major pieces of the accepted account surrounding Medal of Honor recipient John Chapman. Aaron lays out why Ones Ready is approaching the controversy differently. No character assassination. No anonymous dirt. No SEAL-vs-PJ nonsense. No pretending an unreleased documentary has already settled the issue. Just look at the claims, look at the evidence, and wait for the complete case. They walk through the ISR footage, the Medal of Honor process, Britt Slabinski’s connection to the story, competing interpretations of what happened on the mountain, the questions raised by Chapman’s autopsy, the Ranger QRF, Jason Cunningham’s actions, and why revisiting these events carries consequences far beyond internet arguments. Aaron’s bigger point: Some things in the community should remain sacred. Then the War Room moves to another rapidly changing battlefield — drones. Cartels are already using drones for surveillance, smuggling support, and other capabilities. Ben, Aaron, and Jake discuss where that technology could go, what Ukraine has demonstrated about cheap unmanned systems, and why counter-drone technology may become one of the most important capabilities in the next fight. From there, the conversation moves into current geopolitical uncertainty, energy, military readiness, and finally something everyone can actually control: Leadership. How do you lead a family, military unit, business, or yourself when everything around you feels unstable? Forecast. Prepare. Communicate. Make hard decisions early. And stop waiting until the organization is already on fire. This is War Room Recall. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 00:07 - Welcome to War Room Recall 03:01 - The John Chapm...

BMT Next with CMSgt Colin Fleck - Ep 628

Oct 2, 2026 31 min

Send us Fan Mail Trent sits down at AFA with 2nd Air Force Command Chief CMSgt Colin Fleck to talk about what may be one of the biggest shifts in Air Force Basic Military Training in decades. The conversation starts with legacy. Trent wears his father’s jacket and talks about how one generation of service can change the trajectory of an entire family. Chief Fleck shares his own family story — grandparents who served, a father in the Army, joining after September 11th, a son who became a Marine, another who just graduated Air Force BMT, and a daughter who married an Airman. Then they get into why BMT is changing. The goal is not to trash what came before. BMT built generations of successful Airmen. The question is whether the Air Force can do more to prepare the next generation for a fight that probably will not look like Iraq or Afghanistan. That means putting the Air Force back into Air Force Basic Military Training. Instead of learning discipline, teamwork, attention to detail, and military bearing without always seeing where those skills connect to the mission, trainees are now getting hands-on mission context. There is already an F-16 on the ground. C-130s are coming. Trainees are working simulated weapons loading, cargo movement, aircraft refueling, runway repair, casualty movement, planning, risk management, debriefs, and after-action reviews. The point is not to make every trainee a maintainer, defender, or weapons troop. The point is to make them understand what it means to be an Airman first and how every career field contributes to generating airpower. Chief Fleck also explains where the culminating exercise is headed: an austere airbase environment, ground and air threats, small UAS, CBRN, limited sleep, noise, pressure, aircraft generation, cargo, refueling, and a real test of whether trainees can operate as a team. And for the NCOs waiting for these Airmen? Do not squash them. They may show up more mission-focused, more willing to plan, more curious abo...

End Malaria with Dr. Steiger - Ep 627

Sep 30, 2026 30 min

Send us Fan Mail Aaron sits down with Dr. Bill Steiger to talk about a problem most Americans assume belongs somewhere else: Malaria...Except it doesn’t. Dr. Steiger explains why global health is directly connected to American national security, military readiness, economic stability, and early warning for infectious disease. Stopping an outbreak overseas is a whole lot easier than dealing with it after it reaches American shores. And malaria is not some ancient problem we already defeated everywhere. The parasite evolves. Mosquitoes evolve. Drugs lose effectiveness. Insecticides lose effectiveness. And even the diagnostic tools used to detect malaria are being challenged. The good news? This is solvable. Dr. Steiger walks Aaron through an explosion of private-sector innovation: new medications, improved mosquito-control tools, longer-lasting repellents, new diagnostic methods, vaccines, malaria-free mosquito technologies, and artificial intelligence that could connect disease, weather, supply-chain, and healthcare data in real time. They also get into why private pharmacies overseas may detect outbreaks before governments do, why the U.S. military is paying attention to new mosquito-control technology, and how countries can move from American assistance toward genuine self-reliance. The goal is not permanent dependency. Build the capability. Transfer responsibility. Get to zero. Malaria once existed inside the United States. It has been eliminated here before, and Dr. Steiger argues that the same thing can happen elsewhere. What if this generation actually ends it? Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com MalariaNoMore.org Chapters: 00:54 - Who Is Dr. Bill Steiger? 02:58 - Why Should Americans Care About Global Health? 05:27 - How Does Disease Become a National-Security Problem? 07:01 - Why Does the Private Sector Matter So Much? 10:50 - How Big Is the Malaria Problem? 12:49 - Could Malaria Come Back to America? 14:33 - Are We Creating “Super Mal...

UK BEHAVIOR PAMPHLET

Sep 28, 2026 17 min

Send us Fan Mail Apparently, there’s a pamphlet for that. Border problems? Public safety concerns? Hand out some reading material. That should handle it. Peaches and Trent head Outside the Wire to break down “Understanding Behaviors and Expectations in the United Kingdom,” a guide for asylum seekers covering gender equality, domestic abuse, consent, and public conduct. Their biggest question: what do written expectations accomplish if the government won’t enforce them? The guys discuss Channel crossings, taxpayer-funded support, and the pressure migrant accommodation can put on small communities. They debate assimilation, national identity, and whether fear of political backlash stops governments from addressing difficult problems. If you’ve ever sat through military training because somebody, somewhere couldn’t act right, this conversation will sound familiar. Except Peaches and Trent argue that the stakes here go well beyond another mandatory briefing. Expect British-government roasting, blunt opinions, and a recurring question: where does public information end and government responsibility begin? This episode reflects the hosts’ commentary on the pamphlet and the events they discuss. Subscribe to Ones Ready, drop your take in the comments, and tell us what you want covered next on Outside the Wire. Chapters: 00:00 - Outside the Wire With Peaches and Trent 00:27 - Britain Has a Pamphlet for That 02:18 - Channel Crossings and Border Questions 04:46 - The Rules Britain Is Spelling Out 06:38 - Can a Pamphlet Change Behavior? 07:45 - Consent, Enforcement, and Accountability 10:10 - A Small Village, a Big Accommodation Question 11:00 - Political Fear and Government Control 12:51 - Public Conduct and the Dundee Case 15:05 - Assimilation and National Identity 16:36 - Why Americans Should Pay Attention Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com...

Chapman Cliffhanger - Ep 626

Sep 28, 2026 36 min

Send us Fan Mail Aaron, Trent, and Peaches get into the Ground Truth documentary controversy and the growing fight over what happened at Takur Ghar. The crew’s position in this episode is pretty simple: the documentary is not out yet, so the evidence still has to speak for itself. Aaron explains why he is refusing to get dragged into character attacks, anonymous DMs, off-the-record conversations, or internet games designed to turn disagreement into personal warfare. If the documentary team believes it has evidence that changes the long-standing account of John Chapman’s actions, then release it. Put the timestamps up. Put the ISR up. Put the claims next to the supporting evidence and let people examine it. Truth should not need a hype campaign. That leads into Aaron’s exchange with the Ground Truth account after he posted a reel about Jason Cunningham. Aaron says his reel was based directly on Cunningham’s Air Force Cross citation, which describes repeated exposure to enemy fire, moving casualty collection points, continuing treatment after being mortally wounded, and helping get ten gravely wounded Americans to lifesaving care. Peaches reads the citation on the episode. The crew also digs into what they see as a recurring problem in the way Air Force operators are discussed: reducing a combat controller to “the JTAC,” questioning why a medic was not treating casualties during an active firefight, or judging a career field you have never actually done. Then they turn the lens the other direction and make the same point about SEALs. Service rivalry is one thing. Mocking operators who died during a dangerous maritime boarding is something else entirely. The larger message is consistency: Critique claims. Critique evidence. Critique framing. But stop pretending you understand every other career field from the outside looking in. And if you say you have the full video? Release the documentary. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 01:05 -...

Airman First - Ep 625

Sep 25, 2026 34 min

Send us Fan Mail Aaron, Trent, and Peaches are back, and Trent just returned from AFA with a firsthand look at where the Air Force is trying to take Basic Military Training. Apparently some people at AFA thought BMT was a company selling rockets, so we are off to an excellent start. Underneath the jokes, though, there is a serious shift happening. Trent talks about seeing senior Air Force leaders getting behind a renewed investment in the enlisted force and asking a question that probably should have been asked more often: How do we prepare Airmen from day one for the missions they may actually have to perform? That means connecting BMT to the Air Force mission earlier. Not just marching, folding clothes, saluting, and surviving basic training — but understanding how every Airman contributes to generating combat airpower. Aaron gets into why that matters strategically. America’s enlisted force is one of its biggest advantages, and developing Airmen earlier means introducing mission context before they are an E-7 sitting through their first serious brief on the threat. Then Trent casually reveals he has been teaching MTIs palm strikes and muzzle strikes because apparently BMT needed more violence. Naturally, that turns into drill-sergeant tough-guy fantasies, Ohio, night jumps, Air Advisor tabs, retired PJ reunions, and Vegas weather. The crew also checks back in on the Chapman documentary discussion, JTAC qualifications, the difference between being JTAC-qualified and doing air-to-ground integration professionally, and why CCTs exist on other SOF teams in the first place. That leads into a bigger issue: why are Special Warfare communities still fighting each other like staff sergeants in the team room? Competition is built into these communities. People compete for schools, deployments, opportunities, reputation, and resources. But eventually somebody has to stop fighting over beret colors and start solving the actual problems. Especially when the latest SWAS number...

SEALs Want Chapman's Medal - Ep 624

Sep 19, 2026 35 min

Send us Fan Mail Aaron, Trent, and Peaches jump straight into the renewed fight over MSgt John Chapman, Takur Ghar, and the Medal of Honor narrative after new reels and an upcoming documentary challenge the accepted account of what happened on that mountain. And this one is personal. The crew lived through the era, knew people directly connected to the event, watched the years of investigation that went into Chapman’s Medal of Honor upgrade, and remember the resistance surrounding it. So when a new documentary suggests Chapman was killed within minutes of the second insertion — and questions whether he deserved the Medal of Honor — the standard for evidence gets very high, very fast. Aaron lays out the central problem: if you are going to overturn an account supported by years of ISR analysis, AC-130 crews, ground participants, Pentagon review, and the eventual Medal of Honor decision, you need something more than a different interpretation. You need evidence strong enough to completely change the picture. Trent questions the timing, the framing, and the long history surrounding the controversy. Peaches pushes back on attacking individual SEALs, including Slabinski, while also asking the uncomfortable question: who benefits from reopening this fight now? They also dig into the allegation that the ISR timestamps are wrong, radio-call arguments, conflicting accounts, the Medal of Honor Museum controversy, the difference between questioning evidence and simply introducing doubt, and why this documentary has put itself in a brutally difficult position. Nobody on this episode claims to have watched the full release yet. In fact, they repeatedly say the opposite: they intend to watch it, look at the evidence, and change their minds if the evidence earns it. But the bar is simple: If you are going to overturn the call on the field, the replay better be undeniable. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 01:01 - The Chappie Controversy Is Back 01:47 - Why...

OTS FAQs II - Ep 623

Sep 18, 2026 58 min

Send us Fan Mail Peaches goes solo to finish another stack of Operator Training Summit questions — or at least tries to before the ribs downstairs start calling his name. This is OTS FAQ Part 2, and it starts with one of the biggest questions candidates ask: what actually gets people through the hardest parts of selection and the job? Peaches’ answer is pretty simple. Train your ass off. Build confidence through preparation. Get comfortable spending a lot of time on your feet. Run. Swim. Ruck. Be durable. And understand that the physical version of you that gets through selection may not be the version of you that your operational team eventually needs. Then he gets into what actually makes a good teammate: integrity, reliability, communication, stress tolerance, teamwork, trainability, fitness, and drive. The inverse is just as important. If people cannot trust you, cannot rely on you, or have to constantly motivate you to do your job, you become a liability fast. The episode also hits peer reviews, breath-hold apps, the four stupid mistakes candidates keep making, why dangerous jobs are still worth doing, and an easy way to build push-up volume without pretending every workout needs to be some heroic event. Then things widen out: drone warfare, one-way attack drones, counter-UAS, and why the next fight will probably look very different from Iraq or Afghanistan. Peaches also gives his mental-toughness trick: get on a treadmill, shut off every distraction, remove the clock, and live inside the suck. If you say you are running six miles, run six miles. Stop when the job is finished, not when it becomes uncomfortable. He also breaks down Whoop recovery scores, why yellow does not mean “take the day off,” how people sabotage themselves by redlining every workout, and why backing off to 70–80% can actually produce more useful weekly training volume. Then there is pipeline-specific stuff: possible two-week prep between BMT and SWAS, when spouses may join you, BAH questio...

PJ reacts to the rescue of Dude 44B - Ep 622

Sep 14, 2026 21 min

Send us Fan Mail This isn’t analysis. This isn’t politics. This is raw. Aaron unloads on what just happened—and why it matters more than anything you’re arguing about online. Helicopters shot off target. Aircraft lost. Teams hit, patched up, and went right back on alert. Because someone was alone, injured, and needed help. That’s it. That’s the mission. This is CSAR stripped down to its core: no ego, no Instagram, no “pipeline hype.” Just one question—are you going to risk everything to bring someone home? Aaron makes it painfully clear: nobody cares about your run times, your programming, or your opinions. When it’s real, the only thing that matters is whether you’re willing to go when everyone else can’t. If that question makes you uncomfortable… good. It should. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Turn This Off If You Want “Safe” Opinions 01:30 This Was a Historic CSAR Event 03:30 Helicopters Hit—And They Still Went Back 05:00 This Isn’t Sexy. This Is The Job 06:30 Are You Going or Not? 08:00 No One Cares About Your Fitness Stats 09:30 The Reality of Risk & Sacrifice 11:00 Why CSAR Is Different 13:00 The Dumbest Internet Arguments Right Now 15:00 The Only Thing That Matters—Did You Bring Him Home? 17:00 Brotherhood, Duty, and Zero Hesitation 19:00 This Career Field Isn’t What You Think 21:00 Final Thought—Earn It Every Day 🎯 Call-to-Actions: 👍 Like if this hit you in the chest 🔔 Subscribe for real conversations that matter 💬 Comment—would you go? No BS 🌟 Leave a review if you respect the mission 🪖 Join the Ones Ready Membership 👕 Check out onesready.com for merch Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND A...

Run More! - Ep 621

Sep 14, 2026 35 min

Send us Fan Mail Peaches is stuck at home with FOMO while the boys are at Operator Training Summit Pennsylvania, and somehow that turns into exactly what candidates need to hear again: you are probably not running enough. Trent and Peaches start with OTS updates, CrossFit Hershey, Pennsylvania, Miami University in Ohio, and Vegas in December. Then Peaches brings up something he has been noticing online: everyday recruiters and MTIs are putting in real mileage. Not candidates training for one of the hardest pipelines on the planet. Recruiters. MTIs. Air Force members with normal jobs who are running 20, 25, even 40 miles a week because they care about fitness, mental health, professional image, and being ready for life. Which raises the obvious question: if they can do it, why are pipeline candidates still acting like a mile and a half is the finish line? The boys break down the difference between passing the test and preparing for the life. Air Force Special Warfare candidates need more than a passing Initial Fitness Test. They need the aerobic base to absorb long days, recover, move under load, ruck, run, swim, train again, and not fold when volume stacks up. They also talk about why OTS exposes people so quickly. It is not selection. It is not a pipeline smoke session. It is two days of coaching: land day, water day, running, rucking, mobility, pool work, instruction, and mentorship. And still, people get absolutely smoked. That should tell you something. Then the conversation swings into MTIs, BMT, cones, cadre wakeups, student shenanigans, Air Force investment in Basic Military Training, and why trainees need to understand that MTIs are not the enemy. They are the people trying to turn 60 random civilians into Airmen in seven and a half weeks. Bottom line: minimum standards are not the goal. If you are serious about Air Force Special Warfare, stop training like a normal person trying to pass a test. Build the engine. Run more. Recover better. Stay consistent. An...

Teamroom LIVE with Nate, Jake, Ben, and Aaron

Sep 11, 2026 4 hr 37 min

Send us Fan Mail Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND Apparel...

MTI Love - Ep 620

Sep 10, 2026 17 min

Send us Fan Mail Trent goes solo for a short one before heading to Washington, D.C. for AFA, and somehow the haircut actually matters. He explains that he’ll be at the Second Air Force booth for his day job, helping highlight work being done around Basic Military Training and the future of how the Air Force builds new Airmen. But this episode is not really about Trent, the booth, or anyone trying to turn AFA into a Ones Ready meet-and-greet. It is about the MTIs. Trent makes the case that Military Training Instructors are the single most important link between civilians and the Air Force during those seven and a half weeks of basic training. Policies change, commanders change, paperwork changes, standards get debated forever, and everyone online has an opinion about whether BMT was harder “back in my day.” But the MTIs are still the ones standing in front of flights every day trying to turn brand-new civilians into Airmen. Basic training may not be the most physically demanding thing in the world, especially for people headed toward Air Force Special Warfare, but that is not on the MTIs. Their job is bigger than push-ups and yelling. They are teaching standards, legacy, expectations, discipline, and what it means to put on a uniform that says U.S. Air Force. So if you are going to AFA, especially if you are a chief, colonel, general officer, or anyone with enough rank to make someone’s day, Trent has one request: go talk to the MTIs. Ask them about the job. Ask them about the work. Show them some appreciation. A few honest words from the right person can change how someone sees the last few years of their life and the next few years of their career. Also: Ones Ready, Outside The Wire, members-only chaos, OTS, AFA awkwardness, contractor-life boundaries, and Trent asking you not to tell the MTIs he said nice things because that would be embarrassing. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 00:02 - Trent Solo With a Fresh Haircut 01:02 - Ones Ready,...

Sneak PeekMBRS 97: Posting Your Dream Online Won’t Save You—Performance Will

Sep 9, 2026 1 hr 3 min

Send us Fan Mail This members-only episode goes off the rails in the best way. Peaches and Trent start with social media hopefuls broadcasting their Special Warfare dreams—and break down why visibility without performance can come back to haunt you in the pipeline. From authenticity vs cringe, performers vs non-performers, and why teams eventually protect their own, the conversation rolls into accountability, medals, general officers, Mark Milley, CQ Brown, and why shiny ribbon racks don’t equal integrity. Toss in meme culture, Delta legends, fitness across generations, alcohol, Shot Show chaos, gun safety, and why the military still self-corrects faster than the internet thinks. Messy, funny, real—and exactly why this one stays behind the paywall. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Members welcome and no-filter mode 02:30 Social media candidates and pipeline reality 06:00 Visibility vs performance 09:30 Authentic weirdos who make it 13:30 Teams protect performers 17:30 Generational shifts and social media pressure 21:00 Meme culture and internet obsession 27:00 Accountability and firing senior leaders 31:00 Ribbon racks, medals, and meaning 36:00 Mark Milley, CQ Brown, and double standards 42:00 Leadership, legality, and obedience 48:00 Delta legends and quiet professionals 52:30 Fitness baselines then vs now 56:00 Alcohol, discipline, and balance 59:30 Shot Show chaos and gun safety 01:02:00 Final member thoughts 🎯 Call-to-Actions: 👍 Like the episode 🔔 Subscribe 💬 Comment if performance still matters 🌟 Leave a review 🪖 Stay a Ones Ready Member 👕 Check out the merch store Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESRE...

SECWAR Out? - Ep 619

Sep 7, 2026 36 min

Send us Fan Mail Aaron and Peaches are back in the team room talking through the rumors around Pete Hegseth, the future of the Secretary of Defense/Secretary of War role, and what all this political turbulence actually means for people thinking about joining the military. This is not a “pick your team and scream online” episode. The point is bigger than one administration, one secretary, or one headline. If you serve long enough, administrations change. Secretaries change. Policies change. Generals get fired, retire, or quietly disappear into the defense-industrial mist. If your entire decision to serve is based on liking or disliking the current political lineup, you are thinking too small. Aaron lays out the Hegseth ledger: if you stripped the name off and only looked at the policies and outputs, there are real wins. But the job is not cable news. The job is not dunking on people online. The job is leading a massive organization, communicating clearly, and not turning every press moment into a viral clip. Peaches and Aaron also get into the tension between cleaning house and creating chaos. Maybe some fired leaders needed to go. Maybe some people speaking out have legitimate concerns. Maybe both can be true. That is the uncomfortable part nobody online wants to hold in their head at the same time. Then the episode detours into GWOT lessons, senior leaders finally pushing back, Afghanistan moral insanity, General Mattis, Dan Driscoll, Tom Tillis, midterm timing, and why big changes usually happen when the public is distracted by football, holidays, and food comas. Also included: Canada slander, Fox News habits, workout optics, fake-weight internet detectives, dog-and-pony shows, General Welsh in Djibouti, BG almost getting Aaron with shenanigans, and the eternal truth that if you want to join, stop waiting for perfect politics and go serve. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 00:00 - Ones Ready Intro 01:04 - ATACLETE and Partner Discounts 02:1...

LINDSAY CLANCY MISTRIAL

Sep 4, 2026 22 min

Send us Fan Mail One juror held the line—and the Lindsay Clancy trial ended without a verdict. Aaron and Peaches react to the mistrial in the case involving the deaths of Clancy’s three children. They discuss her insanity defense, the reported pressure surrounding the holdout juror, the possibility of another trial, and whether an impartial jury can still be found after years of national attention. Aaron also challenges the online movement defending Clancy and argues that mental illness can explain someone’s actions without erasing accountability. The conversation expands into justice, political violence, gender double standards, social-media radicalization, and the dangerous precedent created when hormones or psychosis are treated as a complete moral excuse. This is an angry, unsanitized episode about three children Aaron and Peaches believe cannot be forgotten amid the arguments over their mother. Links: OnesReady.com Chapters: 00:00 - Aaron Has Had Enough 01:27 - The Online Defense of Clancy 03:01 - How Did One Juror Hold Out? 04:00 - What the Trial Was Actually About 06:36 - The Defense Targets the Holdout 08:01 - Aaron Called the Mistrial 08:50 - Juror Pressure and Doxxing 10:03 - What Happens After a Mistrial? 11:10 - Could the Holdout Juror Be in Danger? 12:15 - The Double Standard for Fathers 14:20 - The Backlash Against Women 16:17 - Another Collapse in Public Trust 17:12 - Special Pleading and Accountability 18:09 - Remember the Three Victims 18:54 - Can an Impartial Jury Exist? 20:29 - Are Hormones Becoming an Excuse? 22:03 - Aaron’s Final Verdict Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND App...

Beards in Valhalla?- Ep 618

Sep 4, 2026 38 min

Send us Fan Mail Trent and Peaches are back, and somehow the episode starts with Valhalla, Norse paganism, Air Force beard waivers, and whether everybody suddenly developed shaving trauma at the exact same time. The boys talk about the lengths Airmen will go to for beards, shaving waivers, religious accommodations, fake individuality, and why spending half your professional life trying to dodge grooming standards might be more damaging than the beard itself. Peaches, as the only truly bearded member of Ones Ready, gives the hard truth: beards are not magic, they are more expensive, more maintenance, and your daughter might still roast your old clean-shaven photos. Then it turns into a bigger conversation about military culture. Why has so much of the U.S. military, especially special operations, adopted the whole Norse/Viking/Valhalla thing? Trent and Peaches push back on the cosplay version of warrior identity and make the case that the American military fighting legacy is already heavy enough. You do not need to pretend to be a Viking, samurai, or anything else. The legacy is already right here. From there, they move into fitness, running, and the idea that being better at physical training absolutely makes you better at leadership. It shows discipline, commitment, consistency, and the ability to lead from the front. They break down why most candidates hate running because they train like idiots, why every run does not need to be a death sprint, why heart rate zones matter, and how slowing down can make you faster over time. Also included: maintainers tracking macros, cinnamon rolls with chili, treadmill lies, pavement reality checks, San Antonio hills, Taylor Starch blood-doping at Colorado altitude by existing, the Manitou Incline, and Peaches nearly getting saved by a Ones Ready fan on a mountain trail. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 00:00 - Ones Ready Intro 01:03 - What Is Valhalla? 01:23 - Norse Pagan Beards in the Air Force 02:46 -...

Sneak PeekMBRS 96: Accuracy Isn’t Optional—And Hype Is Breaking the Force

Sep 2, 2026 1 hr 11 min

Send us Fan Mail This members-only episode is a blunt, no-filter conversation between Peaches and Trent—and it goes exactly where it needs to. They bounce from Operator Training Summit updates and deliberate training to beards, uniforms, recruiting hype, Special Reconnaissance misinformation, and why accuracy matters more than motivation. They break down why scale matters in the U.S. military, why influencers selling fantasy jobs are doing real damage, and why being an extension of a capability isn’t the same as being the capability. Add in AI, psyops, SMUs, deterrence, and why some truths will never be public—and you get a classic Ones Ready reminder: the job is harder, messier, and more professional than the internet wants it to be. ⏱️ Revised Timestamps (unchanged, attribution corrected): 00:00 Ones Ready intro and attributes-based reality 02:30 OTS updates and deliberate training explained 06:30 “Hazing” vs skill building 09:00 Scale problems: U.S. vs partner nations 13:40 Beards, uniforms, and morale myths 18:50 Fitness standards and readiness 23:30 Recruiting hype and false expectations 28:40 Special Reconnaissance misinformation 34:30 Accuracy vs motivation reels 40:30 SMUs, CQB, and why you won’t see it 46:00 Venezuela, psyops, and deterrence 51:30 AI, Grok, and truth vs narrative 57:30 Government contracts and incentives 01:03:00 Why transparency has limits 01:08:30 Final thoughts for members Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND Apparel...

Stop Redlining - Ep 617

Aug 31, 2026 1 hr 9 min

Send us Fan Mail Trent and Peaches bring in Taylor Starch, the mad scientist himself, to answer the questions candidates keep asking at Operator Training Summit. This is part one of the OTS FAQ dump, and it covers a lot: whether dependents can move with you during Zulu, how personal belongings work at selection, how to prevent ear infections, whether you should swim freestyle or combat side stroke, what the pipeline looks like, and what candidates should actually be doing when they have months or years before shipping. Taylor gets into the big one: stop testing your limits every day and start expanding them. Training is not about aggressive overload. It is about progressive overload. Tiny steps, stacked over time, beat the “I destroyed myself on Tuesday and can’t train until Friday” nonsense every time. The crew also talks water confidence, buddy breathing panic, mask and snorkel issues, why you have more air than your brain thinks you do, and why getting water in your mouth is not a crisis — it is part of the job. Then Taylor opens the mobility church: your hips suck, your joints matter, and if something is supposed to move but does not, that is going to show up in treading, running, rucking, pull-ups, and everything else. Rubbing it with a foam roller and pretending it is fixed is not a plan. The episode closes with the answer candidates still do not want to hear: cardio, cardio, cardio. If you are training for Air Force Special Warfare and your aerobic base is trash, everything else gets harder. Build the engine. Strength matters. Water confidence matters. Mobility matters. But if you cannot absorb volume, recover, and keep stacking work, the pipeline is going to find you. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com 00:00 - Ones Ready Intro 01:02 - Why We’re Answering OTS FAQs 01:31 - What Gear and Training Discounts Should I Use? 03:56 - Taylor Starch Joins the FAQ 04:33 - What OTS Events Are Still Open? 05:04 - Why We Started Tracking Candidate Questions 06...

USAF Promotion Fix - Ep 616

Aug 28, 2026 33 min

Send us Fan Mail Aaron, Trent, and Peaches are back in the team room talking about something the Air Force should have fixed forever ago: when someone turns down a promotion or loses a line number, that stripe should not just vanish into the bureaucratic shadow realm. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Wolfe is pushing an initiative that would allow those unused promotions to go to the next qualified Airmen in line. Wild concept: if the Air Force says a career field needs ten Tech Sergeants, and two people cannot or will not take the stripe, maybe promote number eleven and twelve instead of kneecapping the career field for no reason. The boys break down how cutoff scores actually work, why the number is not magic, how career fields get hurt when stripes disappear, and why this is one of those rare Air Force changes that is just objectively good. Then it turns into classic Ones Ready: AFPC smoke, Total Force Service Center manning insanity, why knowing a guy at Randolph can magically make the system work, why centralizing admin into one mega-machine broke the personal side of personnel management, and why treating every Airman like a number is not actually fair. To close it out, Aaron pulls up audio from then-Lt Col Dave Goldfein after being shot down over enemy territory. Calm voice. Dead airplane. “Start finding me, boys.” The crew talks about the rescue team, General Tom Palenske leading the helicopter package, Robbie Bean, missiles flying through rotor discs, and why sometimes you launch with incomplete information because Americans go get their people. Also: Trent’s new headphones, Peaches explaining crypto delay, Fat Tony-adjacent bureaucracy energy, Operator Training Summit updates, and the ongoing demand that Ones Ready deserves 100K subscribers. Links: OnesReady.com OperatorTrainingSummit.com Chapters: 00:00 - Ones Ready Intro 00:59 - Peaches Steals the Team Room 01:39 - Trent’s Headphones Deserve Respect 02:06 - What Is Going on in the Air Force? 02:15...

Sneak PeekMBRS 95: This Is What Happens When Reality Finally Breaks Through the Internet

Aug 26, 2026 58 min

Send us Fan Mail Peaches and Trent go deep into a brutally uncomfortable reality check—law enforcement use of force, public outrage, double standards, fraud, entitlement, and how the internet distorts people’s ability to think clearly. This isn’t a clean “pick a side” episode. They walk the gray space between legality, morality, stress responses, and lived experience in high-risk environments. From ICE shootings and Venezuela to fraud, taxes, shoplifting, privilege, and the illusion of permanence, the through-line is simple: most people have opinions without context, experience, or accountability. If you’re here for easy answers, you’re in the wrong place. If you’re here to think, welcome back. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Ones Ready intro and members-only tone 01:30 The ICE shooting and why nuance matters 05:40 Standing in front of vehicles is a bad idea 08:50 Stress responses vs internet certainty 12:30 Use of force, legality, and hindsight traps 16:45 Double standards, fraud, and taxpayer reality 19:50 Bots, outrage cycles, and social media brain rot 24:00 Privilege, entitlement, and embarrassment 29:10 Venezuela, sovereignty, and selective outrage 34:30 Greenland, isolationism, and strategic reality 40:00 Self-care vs capability and responsibility 46:00 Crime, shoplifting, and social decay 52:00 Leadership, risk, and saying the quiet part out loud 🎯 Call-to-Actions: 👍 Like the episode 🔔 Subscribe 💬 Comment your take (if you can keep it coherent) 🌟 Leave a review 🪖 Stay a Ones Ready Member 👕 Check out the merch store Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Find an Air Force Recruiter: AirForce.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND Apparel...

Jungle School - Ep 615

Aug 24, 2026 1 hr 5 min

Send us Fan Mail Aaron, Trent, and Peaches sit down with Justus, a Security Forces airman out of Moody Air Force Base, to talk about one of the nastiest, coolest, and most under-discussed opportunities in the Air Force: jungle warfare training in Panama. Justus walks through how he ended up in the Air Force, why Security Forces was not what he expected, and how a career field that gets roasted constantly can still open doors if you are fit, positive, prepared, and willing to say yes when opportunities show up. He breaks down life in Security Forces, deploying to Prince Sultan Air Base, supporting the F-22 demo team, competing in Defender Challenge, and eventually getting to the 820th Base Defense Group at Moody — a unit built around defending and opening forward air bases in contested environments. Then the episode gets into the real reason he is here: Panama Jungle School. We talk tents, heat, humidity, malaria meds, mosquitoes, botflies, leaf cutter ants, black palm, trench foot, dysentery, wet boots, wet uniforms, and the harsh reality that the jungle itself is usually the hardest enemy. Justus explains the combat water survival assessment, jungle 5K, knot tests, survival phase, food and water procurement, firecraft, shelter building, rope systems, Z-pulley, one-rope bridge, jungle tactics, and the final Green Mile. The best part? He is not bitter, negative, or trying to scare anyone away. His message is simple: Security Forces has opportunities everywhere, but you have to be ready when they appear. Be in shape. Ask questions. Find the people doing hard things. Say yes. If you are in Security Forces, stop telling yourself the job is just gates and patrol cars. There is more out there. Go find it. 00:00 - Intro and Ones Ready 01:04 - Panama Jungle School Preview 03:44 - Justus Joins the Team Room 04:20 - How Justus Joined the Air Force 06:08 - Security Forces Is More Than the Jokes 06:42 - Basic Training and Tech School 09:10 - Langley, Gates, Patrols, and Reality...

See all 200 episodes

–

0 ratings from members

Rate this podcast

No reviews yet — be the first member to rate "Ones Ready".

This podcast, its content and its artwork are not owned by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Castquire.

America Under Attack? Microsoft, FAA & Infrastructure Failures ⎹ LIVE!

Share this podcast

Live Chart rankings

Chart history

🇺🇸 Government Best #29

🇿🇦 Government Best #35

Podcast details

Created by: Aaron Love, Trent Seegmiller, and Jared "Peaches" Pietras
Status: Active
Latest episode: Nov 14, 2026
Episodes: 949
Release period: Daily
Avg. episode length: 39 min
Explicit: No
Language: English

Links

Official website ↗ Apple Podcasts ↗ RSS feed ↗

Is this your podcast?

Claim it to show it on your profile. Using the email from your RSS feed approves it instantly.

Keep listening

Discover more podcasts like this.

Browse podcasts See the charts