Frank Larkin ( Tactical Medicine, Navy SEALs and Traumatic Brain Injuries) - Episode 962

Behind The Shield

Frank Larkin is a former Navy SEAL, police officer, flight medic, Secret Service Agent and current firefighter. Frank lost his son, Ryan to suicide and has been a powerful voice in the military and first responders mental health and TBI conversation. We discuss his journey into the military, pre 9/11 SEAL training, some career calls, CTE and suicide, working though grief, sleep deprivation, institutional bretrayal and so much more.

Frank Larkin is a national advocate for veteran suicide prevention and traumatic brain injury research relative to military blast exposure and “invisible wounds”. He currently serves as chief operating officer for the Troop’s First Foundation, leading the National Warrior Call Day initiative. He is a board member for Cohen Veterans Bioscience, a non-profit research organization, along with being an active supporter of the Navy SEAL Foundation.

Frank was the 40th United States Senate Sergeant at Arms. As chief law enforcement and executive officer of the Senate, the Sergeant at Arms enforces rules of the Senate; provides a range of technical and administrative services to Senators in their Washington D.C., and state offices; and maintains security in the Capitol and Senate office buildings. He had direct oversight of the US Capitol Police Department, a 2200-member agency, and led numerous national security events.

Frank was a member of the federal Senior Executive Service for almost 15 years, serving as both the Acting Director and the Vice Director of Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and Director of the Counter IED Operations-Intelligence Integration Center (COIC) within the Department of Defense. He led the integration of technical capabilities, information analysis and human resources against the global IED threat and terror networks.

Frank served for more than two decades as a special agent and senior leader in the United States Secret Service (USSS). He conducted complex criminal investigations and protected four US presidents, until his retirement as the Deputy Assistant Director for Protective Research and the agency’s Chief Technology Officer.

In the private sector, Frank continued to support the defense and intelligence communities. He recently was the vice president for Corporate Development at SAP National Security Services. In the past, he was the Director for Program Management & Leadership for the Raytheon Company and Senior Program Manager at Lockheed Martin’s Defense & Intelligence Solutions.

A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Frank served as a special warfare operator in the Navy SEALs. After his military service, he was a uniformed patrol officer with the Norristown (PA) Police Department, a homicide detective with the Montgomery County (PA) District Attorney’s Office, and a Maryland State Trooper-Flight Paramedic. He has been a nationally licensed paramedic for 40 years and still serves Maryland as a firefighter-paramedic for the City of Annapolis Fire Department.

Frank holds a BA degree in criminal justice and a MS degree in public administration from Villanova University. He is the recipient of numerous awards, to include the USSS Valor award, the Department of the Army’s Exceptional Civilian Service award and the Superior Civilian Service award.