The Team House, Ep. 201

Guest: Dustin Ward (Former 75th Ranger Regiment Recce Platoon Leader)
Hosts: Jack Murphy & David Park
Date: February 18, 2026

Episode Overview

This throwback episode features a candid and in-depth interview with Dustin Ward, a military veteran who served as both a sniper and reconnaissance (“recce”) platoon leader in the U.S. Army, culminating with the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. The conversation takes listeners through Dustin’s early motivations, training and deployments, the evolution of U.S. Army reconnaissance, lessons from partner-force operations, reflections on special operations culture, and life after the military. The tone throughout is raw, often humorous, and highly informative—a must-listen for anyone interested in modern military operations, SOF realities, and leadership.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Early Life and Military Influences

• Military family background:
  Dustin’s father was a 22-year Air Force veteran; his family moved often, eventually settling in North Dakota at Minot AFB — “Great place if you ever get a chance to go.” (02:08)
• Childhood inspiration:
  Describes playing “manhunt,” wearing his dad’s BDUs, and an early affinity for outdoors and military service.
• Recruitment story:
  Attempted to join the Air Force as a Pararescue candidate, but pipeline delays pushed him to enlist in the Army, lured by “jump out of planes and shoot people, man” and a $20,000 bonus. (05:06)

“I was always wearing my dad’s BDUs... Always knew I was going to join the military.” — Dustin Ward (02:08)

2. Early Army Career – Sniper Section (2005–2008)

• Initial assignment:
  Fort Lewis, WA; Joined a newly formed sniper section by virtue of expert rifle qualification.
• Sniper platoon culture:
  The team trained together and learned to operate with significant independence, thanks to supportive leadership with an SF mentality: “Everyone needs to know everybody’s job and... spread the knowledge.” (11:53)
• Deployment to Iraq:
  Spent 15 months during the “surge” (’07–08), operating as both snipers and recce, focusing on time-sensitive target (TST) missions originally led by JSOC.
• Mission examples:
  Conducted silent raids, employed biometrics for curfew enforcement, and frequently found large weapons caches.

“We did, you know, silent entries... waking them up in their sleep and taking their guns from them while they’re sleeping.” — Dustin Ward (13:53)

• Impact:
  Active TST operations drastically reduced insurgent activity (“sigacts”) from 70 per week to 12, shifting the local balance.

3. Long Range Surveillance (LRS) – Evolution & Training

• Transition to LRS:
  Jumped at the opportunity to join a newly forming LURS (“Lurps”) unit; regarded as a major step up and a nod to military history.
• Differences from conventional recce:
  LRS operated as a more autonomous, six-man team mission-planning at battalion or brigade level, contrasting the more limited TLP-focused recce in line units.
  (27:08)

“There will always be a relevance for boots on the ground intelligence... Can a drone see through the clouds?... Can six guys sit in a hide for four to five days?” — Dustin Ward (28:36)

• LRS training & techniques:
  Taught at ARSLIC (Recon/Sniper Leadership course), which focused on small-team mission planning, MDMP, and advanced fieldcraft.

4. Operations on the Iranian Border (Iraq, 2009)

• Mission:
  Core focus on stopping Iranian lethal aid/equipment from entering Iraq, living in austere patrol bases on the border for weeks at a time.

• Environment:
  LRS teams enjoyed operational freedom, interdicting or deterring smuggling by their presence, and directly dealing with Iranian observation and occasional hostile fire.

“Iran scrambled their F-14s and we scrambled F-16s… we’re sitting there like, ‘we’re going to start World War 3.’” — Dustin Ward (39:43)

• Aviation support:
  Flew ISR missions in adapted Cessnas, often piloting themselves, tracking Iranian drone flights and innovating tactics/SOPs in real time.

5. Progression to the 75th Ranger Regiment (Regimental Recce Company)

• Exposure to Ranger Regimental culture:
  Many LURS leaders hailed from 2/75; they set high standards, pushing for discipline and professionalism.
• Selection process:
  Dustin describes the rigorous dual selection pathway:
  • RRC (Regimental Reconnaissance Company) selection—focused on land nav and endurance
  • RASP2 (Ranger Assessment and Selection Program for NCOs/officers)—focused on regimental history, leadership, and peer instruction

“Even if you were an enlisted Ranger... now you want to come back... you got to go back through RASP.” — Jack Murphy (50:21)

• Comments on Regimental culture:
  Regiment as a “snake eating its own tail”—high standards foster excellence but can prompt unnecessary attrition via RFS (“release for standards”), often for minor infractions.

6. Recce Platoon Sergeant – Creating Capability (2013–2016)

• Role:
  Became the youngest platoon sergeant in the senior-most recce slot, tasked with building a “real” recce capability rather than a resting spot for exhausted NCOs (“senior squad leader hangout”).

• Transformation:
  Upgraded training in-house (rather than relying on ARSLIC), focusing on bottom-up team leader empowerment and current battlefield needs.

• Demonstrating capability:
  At NTC, recce platoon outperformed expectations, conducting advanced observation, target marking, and live-force OPFOR “cheating”—resulting in success and validation for their approach. (69:35)

“The BC called from the TOC... ‘Dustin, do what you gotta do to win.’” — Dustin Ward (66:26)

7. Interagency Operations & Partner Force Missions (Afghanistan)

• Interagency assignments:
  Recce teams were frequently assigned as enablers for “three-letter agencies”—providing access to military fires, medevac, JTACs, and rapid response unavailable to civilian partners.
• Maturity factor:
  Recce received complex liaison missions due to higher average rank, experience, and professional demeanor required for sensitive tasks.
• Indigenous partner forces:
  Afghan partner units (INGO/commando types) were highly effective and cohesive, thanks to vetted recruitment and high standards—Dustin emphasized their loyalty and skill, noting zero “green-on-blue” attacks.

“Those guys... genuinely wanted Afghanistan to be better and they genuinely liked each other and worked together.” — Dustin Ward (85:13)

• National strike ‘proof of concept’:
  Detailed a logistical feat where the team infiltrated via civilian vehicles, commercial air, and even a private jet, proving the ability to execute “national asset” scale raids or captures across Afghanistan. (91:03)

8. Leadership Reflections

• Mentorship:
  Dustin preferred “disappointed dad” leadership over punishment or “Ranger smash” mode, emphasizing trust and treating soldiers as men, which he believed directly reduced disciplinary incidents.

• On ambition and mediocrity:
  Advocated for Rangers and others to attempt the hardest selections: “Throw enough sh*t at the wall, eventually something will stick. Don’t self-select out. Mediocrity is rampant.” (137:07)

• Officer evaluation:
  As a senior NCO, Dustin worked with five platoon leaders: “All rock solid. They all left and went to SF.” (144:34)

9. Life After the Regiment and Transition to Civilian World

• Departing Regiment:
  Cited growing bureaucratic frustrations and a desire for greater fulfillment; refused assignments at less-desirable posts (“I’ll go AWOL before I go to JRTC.” (116:05)), instead pursuing an instructor role.

• Pathfinder School:
  Taught drop zone and sling load operations—lamented the school’s shutdown and the Army’s loss of its unique skills for future conflicts (125:27).

• ROTC duty:
  Found great satisfaction teaching and mentoring future Army officers at UAB, describing it as “one of the most rewarding assignments I’ve ever been to.” (129:04)

10. Entrepreneurship and Post-Military Life

• New venture:
  Started “The Light Sleeper” company, producing lightweight field sleeping systems inspired by a child’s nap mat.

  “I was rolling up my son’s nap mat and thought: why is this not a thing for adults?” (149:46)

  • thelightsleeper.com — launched with great initial success.
• Other pursuits:
  Certified as a bounty hunter for “keeping things spicy at home,” aiming to try his hand at post-military adventures.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On boots-on-ground recce vs. drones:
  “Technology is awesome, but… can a drone see through the clouds? Can six guys watch an objective for five days? No.” (28:36)

• On Army recce platoon culture:
  “The Regiment is a snake eating its own tail… keeps moving, keeps getting rid of good guys.” (52:59)

• Story: Saving a wounded JTAC:
  “Meanwhile my JTAC had the wherewithal to scoop his helmet back up, put it on, key up to the birds, while he’s bleeding out, and told them he’s hit, take all commands from me. That was pretty cool.” (97:51)

• On partner forces:
  “I trusted them with my life. I had to. It was five of us and 100 Afghans.” (109:15)

• Leadership style:
  “I don’t think I yelled one time. I did more of the ‘disappointed dad’ leadership.” (88:56)

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment / Topic | |------------|---------------------------------------| | 01:14 | Dustin’s Introduction & early life | | 07:50 | Infantry basic & first sniper section | | 10:29 | First Deployment – Baghdad & Baqubah | | 26:48 | LRS/LURC vs. conventional recce | | 35:02 | Iranian border operations | | 44:04 | Regimental Recce Selection | | 57:38 | Arrival at 3/75 Recce; leadership | | 66:26 | NTC rotations and proving capability | | 75:02 | Afghanistan, interagency, partner ops | | 91:03 | National asset, complex strikes | | 97:51 | Story: Wounded JTAC rescue | | 109:15 | Working with Afghan partners | | 118:06 | Pathfinder School, Army’s changes | | 129:04 | ROTC assignment reflections | | 148:00 | Entrepreneurship (“Light Sleeper”) |

Audience Q&A – Highlights

• Cross-pollination between BN Recce & RRC:
  Some, but most BN Recce NCOs still pursue CAG selection instead. (135:14)
• Favorite career moment:
  Graduating Ranger School: “One of the proudest moments... premier leadership school of the Army.” (146:55)
• Officer leadership in Regiment:
  All PLs he worked with were “rock solid,” mainly focused on managing tasks, shielding the platoon, and serving as effective liaisons with higher commands. (144:34)

Closing Thoughts

The episode is a master class in the development, application, and demands of military scouting and reconnaissance at the small-unit level, as told by a combat-hardened leader who values professionalism, flexibility, and mission first. Dustin’s reflections on leadership, organizational change, and adapting old-school skills for future conflicts offer practical wisdom for military professionals and civilian audiences alike.

Further Resources

• The Light Sleeper: thelightsleeper.com
• Support The Team House: Patreon Link
• Up Next: FBI negotiator Gary Noesner (Waco, American Apocalypse)