Jon Becker Announced as Keynote Speaker for CNT 2026!

From tactical innovation to transformational leadership, Jon Becker knows what it takes to build elite teams.

Join us at CNT 2026 Opening Ceremony as we welcome Jon Becker, founder of AARDVARK Tactical, bestselling author of Culture First and host of The Debrief with Jon Becker.

With four decades of experience working alongside elite tactical teams, Jon brings a unique perspective on leadership, organizational culture and lessons learned from the field. His insights will be particularly relevant to crisis negotiators, who rely on communication, adaptability, sound decision-making, and strong team dynamics when navigating complex and high-stakes incidents.

Jon Becker Biography

Jon B. Becker has spent four decades at the intersection of elite tactical operations and business leadership. At seventeen, he launched AARDVARK Tactical from a desk in his mother’s den. What began as a small climbing-gear business evolved into one of the world’s premier tactical equipment companies. He is also the creator of PROJECT 7, a top-of-market tactical body armor brand.

He is a TEDx speaker and frequent keynote speaker for agencies and conferences nationwide. He is a recipient of the Spirit of the NTOA Award from the National Tactical Officers Association.

Becker’s articles have appeared in Entrepreneur, Jane’s International Defence Review, the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Journal, CATO News, Officer, POLICE, The Tactical Edge, and Police and Security News. He writes a quarterly “Lessons Learned from The Debrief” column for Tactical Edge magazine.

Becker is the author of Culture First: 9 Leadership Practices That Build Elite Teams, drawing on four decades of lessons from elite teams to help leaders build high-performance cultures.

Becker hosts The Debrief with Jon Becker, now in its seventh season with more than 1.5 million views and listens, ranked among the top government podcasts worldwide. A documentary filmmaker, Becker directed Confronting Hate: Responding to the Tree of Life Attack and Priority of Life.

Becker holds a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola of Los Angeles Law School and a BA in Philosophy from Cal State Los Angeles. He is an attorney admitted to practice in California. He is a 5x Ironman triathlete.