Meet Our Team
A school is only as good as it’s teachers. Active Shooter Defense School employs the best instructors in the industry, and we pride ourselves on using the correct professional for the correct job. We have former SEALs, Rangers, engineers, SWAT officers, combatives instructors and current top performing competitive shooters on staff to ensure students master each technique being taught.
Our mission is to provide the most up to date tactical weapons training available to the public, law enforcement and military. ASDS is staffed by Former Seals, Rangers, Combat Engineers and Law Enforcement. We pride ourselves on our easy going and fun training environment.
Matt Klier – Tactical Specialist | Veteran | Stuntman | Pilot | Racer
San Diego, California
Matt Klier is a dynamic force with over 25 years of operational experience spanning elite military service, law enforcement, tactical instruction, competitive shooting, and film/media consulting.
A 12-year U.S. Navy veteran, Matt served 9.5 years in direct support of SEAL Teams as a Mobility Team Specialist, where he played a key role in hundreds of combat missions and multiple direct action missions with SEAL Team 5 in Iraq. Fully embedded as a member of the platoon, he brought expertise as a weapons specialist on platforms including the 240B, MK48, MK46, MK18, MP5SD, SIG 226, and M79.
As a mobility and boat operations expert, he led high-risk movement using HMMWVs, DPVs, RG31/33s, and Kawasaki Tyrex vehicles. Matt was also the lead coxswain and architect of the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) coxswain qualification course, developing and instructing boat handling on 8- and 11-meter RHIBs and Zodiacs.
Following his military career, Matt transitioned into law enforcement, serving eight years with the LAPD as a SWAT Sergeant assigned to the U.S. Marshals Emergency Response Team. His primary mission: border, cartel, and human trafficking interdiction. He operated at the highest level of tactical response in some of the most volatile environments along the southern border.
A seasoned competitor, Matt has 30 years of USPSA pistol experience and competed at both regional and national levels in 3-Gun Nation. He is a recognized specialist in pistol combatives and close-quarters battle (CQB) tactics.
In the film industry, Matt’s unique skill set brought authenticity to the big screen as a utility stuntman in Transformers 3, portraying a member of Josh Duhamel’s Lennox team—the elite military unit battling Decepticons. As a military advisor, he was responsible for training actors to perform with the realism and discipline of actual SEALs. His film and media credits also include two TV pilots, several shorts for Congressional candidates, and national commercials, including on-camera work as a model for Levi’s and Lee Jeans.
Outside of the tactical world, Matt is a licensed pilot and aircraft owner, flying both helicopters and fixed-wing planes. He’s also an accomplished professional motocross and desert racer, having taken on the legendary Baja 1000 on a motorcycle in 2008.
Based in San Diego, Matt Klier continues to push boundaries in every domain—tactical, aerial, cinematic, and beyond. He is a relentless professional whose skill, leadership, and versatility make him a standout in any arena.
Jamie Franks
Throughout his Navy career, Jamie spent a total of 7 years assigned as a direct support for SEAL Team 3 and EOD Mobile Unit 3. From 2009 – 2013, he instructed courses in Intermediate and Advanced Combat Skills to qualify Navy EOD technicians for Naval Special Warfare integration training. Outside the Navy, Jamie is an NRA certified Instructor and Range Safety Officer, and National Registry Emergency Medical Technician
Kevin Kent
Chief Special Warfare Operator Kevin Kent retired after 20 1/2 years of active duty with Naval Special Warfare. He graduated Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL Training with class 200 & spent more than 15 years with SEAL Team Five, in Coronado, CA, where he completed 9 special operations combat deployments. His other commands include the Naval Special Warfare Center’s Advanced & Basic Training Commands, where he taught a vast array of special operations tactics, techniques, & procedures. His personal awards include the Bronze Star Medal w/ Valor, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, 7 Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medals (3 w/ Valor), the Army Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, 3 Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, as well as several other campaign medals & awards.
Since his retirement, he’s worked in the film industry as an Actor, Stuntman, & Military/ Technical Advisor. Most recent film credits include “Daddy’s Home”, “13 Hours”, “Suicide Squad” & the remake of “The Magnificent Seven”. Additionally on TV, he’s done “Agent X” & all 3 seasons of “The Last Ship”, for TNT.
See Our Upcoming Firearms Courses
Join a training course with one of our skilled firearms instructors. Course offerings change monthly!