Kris "Tanto" Paronto and Ian Scotto

 Kris Paronto “Tanto” is a former Army Ranger from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and a private security contractor who has deployed throughout South America, Central America, the Middle East and North Africa. He also worked with the US Government’s Global Response Staff conducting low profile security in high threat environments throughout the world. Kris’ experience within the military and government contracting work spans 18 years. 

Kris was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the US Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, September 11th, 2012.  Kris’s story along with his brothers in arms from that night is told in the book 13 Hours, written by Mitchell Zuckoff.

Kris' experience and knowledge has led to national speaking events on leadership, faith and overcoming adversity.  Kris owns and operates Battleline Tactical, a firearms and tactical training company. He is also author of USA Today Bestseller, The Ranger Way as well as The Patriot's Creed. 

 Ian Scotto is the host/executive producer of Battleline Podcast with former CIA contractor and Army Ranger, Kris "Tanto" Paronto. He is also a digital media producer for New York based identity management company Nyedis, and the voice/writer of various other podcasts including In the Wild, a top ranked show overall on Apple Podcasts. 

Working in the media industry for over 18 years, Ian got his start at WRHU, the highest ranked college station by the Princeton Review, and home of The New York Islanders. From there, he went on to work at Sirius XM on various shows including Fangoria Radio with legendary rock icon, Dee Snider, The Wilkow Majority with conservative firebrand, Andrew Wilkow, and producing American Voices with Senator Bill Bradley, where he won a New York Festivals award for production. 

Ian's voice has been heard on CNN, other major media outlets, and narrating various audiobooks and commercials. Outside of media, Ian is a NASM certified personal trainer who has helped various clients reach their individual fitness goals. Additionally, he is a self-described 80’s hair metal enthusiast.  

 This episode we are joined by Rudy Reyes, Marine Recon combat vet, arguably best known from HBO's "Generation Kill" series. More recently, Rudy has been active with his group Force Blue helping to rebuild and restore coral reefs. 

Brad Thor is a New York Times best-selling author. He is the creator of the Scot Harvath military-thriller series based on the fictional Navy SEAL protagonist. 

Jeff Depatie served with Joint Task Force 2 as a sniper/assaulter. JTF2 is known as Canada's “Jewel in the Crown” of special operations and they hold the current record for longest confirmed kill at an amazing 3,540 meters. Currently Jeff runs The Special Forces Experience as the Chief Course Architect. 

Jack Carr is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL turned fiction author with over 20 years experience in Navy Special Warfare, serving in several SEAL teams with combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and more. 

Sgt. 1st Class Elana Duffy is a retired Army interrogator & counterintelligence agent. She is a combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, and also has a master's degree in engineering from Cornell University.  

Hollie McKay is a national bureau correspondent, human rights journalist, and global risk specialist. She frequently reports on affairs in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, and Myanmar from on the ground.