Eric served over 4 years in the United States Marine Corps, conducting amphibious assault and security operations. Qualified by the USMC’s Special Operations Training Group, he was forward deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) from May till October of 2001. In this time he trained with military units from Spain, England, France, Italy, and Greece, and also provided overseas security operations before, during, and after 9/11. In March 2003 he participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force involved in combat operations. After receiving an honorable discharge he spent another 4 years working in critical infrastructure protection for the private security industry. Eric Ives has provided high risk security in over a dozen countries and throughout the United States. He has provided anti-terrorism and security operations at both US nuclear facilities and US military weapons instillations. He is highly experienced in the real world tactical application of small, medium and heavy weapons. He has been qualified to conduct operations involving the Tactical Rescue of Aircraft Personnel; Non-combatant Evacuation Operations, Military Operations in Urban Terrain, Enemy Prisoner of War handling, Dynamic and Deliberate Clearing Techniques, Low- Light/No-Light Tactical Operations, Active Shooter Response, and High Risk PSS/PSD operations. Eric has also been certified in Defensive Folding Knifes, Firearms Retention, Disarming, and Recovery, and Terrorist Tactics and Weapons. He has trained and completed courses at some of the finest training centers in the world, such as, Tactical Response Inc., Front Sight Firearms Training Institute, Awareness Protective Consultants, Northeastern Tactical Schools, the National Rifle Association and, the US Marine Corps. He is a certified Active Shooter Combat Operator Instructor, High Risk Operator, NRA Firearms Instructor, Home Firearm Safety Instructor, Range Safety Officer, and certified GLOCK Armorer. He has completed many courses such as Terrorism Awareness, War-fighting Techniques, War-fighting Tactics, and Personal Security Management to name a few, given by such places, as the Marine Corps Institute, the Department of Defense, and the Defense Security Services. He is associated with the International Association for Counter-Terrorism and Security Professionals, the International Counter Terrorist Officers Association, the International Defensive Pistol Association, and the International Practical Shooting Confederation. He is a Lifetime Member of FRONT SIGHT Firearms Training Institute, GLOCK Sport Shooting Foundation, The National Rifle Association, and a member of the Tactical Response Alumni.
