Today's guest on this bonus episode of Danger Close is A.J. Tata. A.J. Tata is a defense expert, novelist, and political commentator who served for nearly three decades in the United States Army before retiring with the rank of brigadier general.

He attended the United States Military Academy and served as a National Security Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Catholic University of America as well as a master's degree in Military Art and Science from the School of Advanced Military Studies. 

Since retiring from the military, A.J. has gone on to serve as the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and later became an advisor to Defense Secretary Mark Esper. 

Tata is the bestselling novelist behind 14 books, including the Jake Mahegan series, the Reaper Series and the Threat Series. His latest book, Chasing the Lion is on shelves now.  

You can follow him on Twitter @ajtata.

Presented by SIG Sauer.