If you are a veteran or active duty personnel looking for some ways to go to tactical training schools for free, read on!
Unfortunately, there are only a few tactical training academies that accept GI Bill funding.
So we will be talking about some top schools which are VA-certified, along with their courses.
We also included the steps on how to use your GI Bill for this kind of training, as well as the possible career paths that you may take after accomplishing these certain courses.
To highlight: Yes, you can use the GI Bill to pay for tactical training schools. Some of these tactical schools cost around $12,000, and the GI Bill should cover the whole amount.
In case you are wondering what kind of skills you can get and learn in tactical training, here are the most relevant:
- DEFENSIVE TACTICS: It is an undergraduate study that focuses on personal safety. It teaches practical self-defense and develops skills in perception, analysis, escapes, and compromise, avoidance, blocking, throwing, and striking.
- EXECUTIVE PROTECTION: Also known as "Close protection", which is a training that involves security and risk reduction measures to protect a high profile person who is exposed to a threat. Maybe because of his/her social status, affiliations, employment, wealth, etc. Usually, celebrities and billionaires seek for this kind of protection. Some of the subjects to learn to include home security system, mail screening, background checks, etc.
- ARREST AND CONTROL: It is a course that teaches the basics of conflict management, handcuffing, and controlling a suspect as a part of security guard duties. It is useful knowledge for individuals working in the security or law enforcement fields.
How to Use the GI Bill for Tactical Training
Follow these steps in using your GI Bill for tactical training:
1. If you have already used your GI Bill in the past, make sure that you still have entitlement left. If you don’t have an account yet, create one here and check your status.
If you are already logged in, click the “View my status” and under the “Education” menu, click “Check Post 9/11 GI Bill Enrollment Status.”
You can view a summary of your used benefits in months and days. If it’s your first time to use it and you are awarded with 100% eligibility, you will start with 36 months.
2. Contact the school you have chosen to attend, at least 2 months before enrollment, and talk about your GI Bill.
Make sure they have been approved by the VA to accept the GI Bill.
They will then ask you to submit a Certificate of Eligibility (COE). You can download form VA 22-1990 here. Complete it and send it to a VA regional processing office near you.
3. You will receive a Certificate of Eligibility and present this to your school.
4. Payments are based on the length of the course and will be sent to your school directly. VA ask may ask your school to submit paperwork. Make sure you also call the VA for any proof of payments for reimbursement. It could be a hotel, supplies or meals expenses.
Top GI Bill Schools for Tactical Training
Here are our picks for top schools offering tactical training where you can use your GI Bill to cover your expenses. Find other VA-certified schools by clicking here.
1. Pacific West Academy
It accepts GI Bill funding which offers a special program called the Certified Executive Security Specialist (CESS). Here, you will be exposed to hands-on training by veterans from the US and Israeli Special Forces and Israeli Secret Service Operators.
The course needs 266 hours of classroom and physical training to complete and costs $12,947.00.
It prepares you in your transition from military personnel to being a civilian working to give protection.
After completion of this program, you may find yourself working as a bodyguard for a celebrity.
You can also pursue a career in:
- Residential Protection: With the training and skills you acquired with this course, you can be a security guard for properties. You will secure premises and personnel by patrolling, inspecting buildings, monitoring surveillance equipment, etc.
- Executive Driving: You do not only transport your employers to their destination safely but also protect them. You oversee and maintain the safety of your client. You should be able to identify destiny locations, have navigations skills and quick decision-making abilities.
- Technical Surveillance Countermeasures: Your clients may be government and non-government organizations, law firms, financial institutions, and major corporations. Your main responsibility is to detect spying devices like hidden microphones or listening devices. You, as a skilled technician, should suggest corrective plans to neutralize the risk.
Here are the classes included in the CESS program:
- Executive Protection Fundamentals (EP 1, 2)
- Executive Protection, Advanced (EP 3, 4, 5, 6)
- CA BSIS Exposed Firearms Permit (FA 1, 2)
- Firearms Course, Advanced (FA 3, 4, 5, 6)
- Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC 1,2)
- Behavioral Analysis and Aggression Course (HRA 1, 2, 3)
- Operational & Supervisory Skills (OSS 1, 2, 3)
- Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC 1, 2, 3)
- CA BSIS Guard Card
- A BSIS Baton Permit
- Arrest and Control
- CPR AHA
- Taser’
- Sexual Harassment
- Chemical Agents
- School Security Guard SB1626
- Job Placement/ Resume Writing
Find out more about this academy here.
2. Covered Six Academy
A VA-certified school that accepts GI Bill to cover your expenses as you train with them. It designed a certificate program with 40 | 80 | 200-hour courses. It combined classroom and hands-on interactive training.
Some of the topics and skills that you will learn in the curriculum are:
- Tactical Medicine (TECC): It is an intensive training that teaches medical skills to individuals that provide medical care to law enforcers, specifically the SWAT team and the military in a highly dangerous operation. Some of the topics include hemorrhage control, shock, advanced airway, chest compromise, mass casualties / active shooter response, hostage rescue, and others.
- WMD/ Terrorism Awareness: Learners will have a broad understanding of terrorism in this course. It also teaches how to recognize it, report, and react to a possible threat around a terrorist. It also talks about Weapons of mass destruction. Its definition, examples, components of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and a list of some weapons that terrorists usually use.
- Career Development: Designed to allow individuals to evaluate and plan their future employment, as well as enhance and expand their knowledge and skills related to their jobs. Topics include Communication, Management, Negotiation, Writing, and Computer security.
- De-escalation: It is a training that teaches a learner how to communicate with a person with mental illness. It is a course that instructs a student how to asses as well as how to respond in a situation involving a mentally sick individual. It teaches violence prevention and recommends proper evaluation practices.
Other Skills Taught Include:
- Defensive Tactics
- Firearms Training
- Arrest and Control
- Legal Aspects
- Surveillance
- Powers of Arrest
- Less Lethal (Taser, Chemical Agents)
- Imminent Threat/Active Shooter
- Executive Protection
- Report Writing
- FIRST AID / CPR / AED
You can learn more about Covered Six Academy here.
3. SECFOR International
Another institution that is GI Bill-friendly, which offers a variety of training to choose from.
Let’s look at one of the certifications they offer and the skills and knowledge you can get from this program:
PROTECTIVE SECURITY CERTIFICATE (PSC). It is a 53-day (410 hours) protective education training. You have to undergo rigorous training protocols and prove your skills in challenging realistic conditions. You shall be given a certificate upon completion of this course that proves your skills and knowledge in the field of protecting high-threat environments.
These are the skills that you acquire while in this course:
- PSD Driving Package. Considered the most comprehensive program among others, which provide hands-on experience. You will be trained in the most difficult condition of roads, like asphalt and unimproved roads. No easy parking lots of training, rather than a 1.2-mile road with dangerous surfaces like cut-outs and crossroads. This 7-day training lets you experience to drive a variety of vehicles with competent instructors.
- High-Risk First Responder. This is medical training that teaches responders how to rescue and provide initial care to patients with different medical attention like Cardiac Arrest, Stroke, Environmental Injuries, etc. These skills will be combined with other skills such as live-fire evacuations and other protective scenarios.
- Corporate & Celebrity Executive Protection. You will be trained in mission planning, threat & risk assessment, route mapping, daily activity reporting, after-action reports, expense tracking, basics of moving with a client, 3 different types of protective advances, in & out of vehicles, restaurants, public events, handshake lines, office spaces, autograph signings, entertainment venues, and stage work.
- High Threat Protection. It is a 19-day course which teaches you protective skills in diverse highly-threat situations. All the skills and knowledge you acquired from the first 3 courses will be combined here and ask you to act in difficult situations. These include High Threat-Low Profile operations. Combat-Marksmanship, Live-fire Immediate Actions, Foreign Weapons training, Unlawful detention, UTM/MGRS Grid Coordinates, and Practical Surveillance Detection.
- Surveillance Detection/Counter Surveillance/TSCM. Students will learn different techniques on how to detect, track and detect surveillance through high-tech devices. This is usually useful in protecting VIP’s. It lasts for 10 days with extensive training.
- Testing & Validation. Graduates will undergo a test, which assesses more than 75 skills they learned throughout the program towards their graduation.
Other courses, with different subjects, include:
- Executive Protection Essentials
- Tactical Combat Casualty Care Certification (NAEMT)
- Online Executive protection Course
You can learn more about SECFOR International here.
What Kind of Job Can I Get With This Tactical Certification?
You can be a bodyguard of diplomats, CEO's, celebrities, and high-profile individuals.
Get Your Certificate of Eligibility
In order to use your GI Bill for tactical training, you're going to need a GI Bill Certificate of Eligibility, also called a GI Bill Letter.
Here you can check out the seven steps required to quickly and correctly get your GI Bill Certificate of Eligibility.
