About Lawrence N. Nadeau,
R.A.D. Systems Founder

 

 

RAD Programs

Lawrence N. Nadeau is an honorably discharged United States Marine, who served as a base military police officer and special weapons and tactics team sniper from July 4, 1980 to July 4, 1984. Upon leaving the Marine Corps he entered the civilian law enforcement profession, working in the Virginia state university police system for five years, primarily at the Old Dominion University Police Department in Norfolk, Virginia. While at ODU, in 1989 Larry started The R.A.D. Systems of Self-Defense with colleague Sheri Iachetta. He served as the organization's Executive Director until June of 1998, when he turned organizational management over to an Executive Board made up of four of his senior female Staff Instructors. Today R.A.D. is an internationally recognized alliance of self-defense educators dedicated to enhancing defensive options for those most at risk. R.A.D. is the largest organization of its kind and the only such organization or program ever supported by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), the National Self Defense Institute (NSDI) and the National Academy of Defense Education. Larry currently serves the Executive Board of R.A.D. Systems as the Director of Instructional Development (1998-present), where he continues to guide and oversee all system Directors, Staff Instructors, Instructor Trainers and active R.A.D. Instructors within the alliance. Larry's self defense philosophies have been taught at over forty three hundred (4300) known colleges, universities, city, county, parish, state and federal law enforcement agencies nationwide and internationally, in addition to being taught at hundreds of sexual assault and women's resource centers across the country. His unique curriculums are offered at many educational institutions as fully accredited courses of study and are currently being taught on numerous military installations worldwide (USAF, USA, USN and the USMC).

 

Serving for many years as a sworn police officer in the city of Poquoson, Virginia, Larry was the Department Training Officer and Field Training Coordinator in addition to his normal shift patrol duties. During this same period, he taught basic and instructor level programming as an adjunct instructor and/or subject matter expert at the Hampton Roads Regional Academy of Criminal Justice from 1987 to 2001. Larry is a nationally recognized police defensive tactics instructor who has trained under Robert Koga, Bill Belt, Gary T. Klugiewicz, Bruce Siddle and Phil Messina. He had been one of the few senior level instructors responsible for teaching Instructor Certification Courses for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1989 to 2001, and his 200 page Instructors Curriculum is still predominantly used for instructor development and certification training today. He is also an accomplished marksman (Marine Corps: 5th Award Expert Rifle {M16A1} and 6th Award Expert Pistol {1911}) and Police Academy Firearms Instructor from 1987 to 1998, teaching basic and instructor level courses under the direction and guidance of Virginia DCJS Guru Sgt. Zeti Damron. In addition, Larry was an adjunct instructor for the International Training Division of Heckler and Koch (HK) located in Sterling, Virginia from 1996 to 2001. With his professional ally, Gary Klugiewicz , Larry designed and taught the very first RedMan Simulation Instructor Certification program in 1996, held in Kettering, Ohio. He continued to teach these programs for HK and RedMan Training Gear for six (6) years from 1996 to 2001. These programs were taught around the country and Larry was often accompanied by one of his two Senior Staff Instructors Scott Barlow or Kathy Wright.

 

As a former member of the RedMan Advisory Board and Assistant to the Director of Training for RedMan Training Gear (1995-2001), Larry's design input and testing refinements resulted in the world's first manufacturer produced self-defense training suit, which was in turn called the R.A.D. Systems Aggressor. This suit became, without modification, the Enhanced RedMan Suit for police survival oriented defensive tactics training. Larry remains a respected consultant to RedMan Training Gear and Macho Products, Inc., producers of police training gear and martial arts training equipment. In fact, RedMan and Macho Products manufacture an exclusive line of training gear for Larry and his training efforts to this day, called R.A.D. Aggressor Gear.

 

The American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers (ASLET) appointed Larry to the position of Regional Director in 1993 where he spearheaded the promotion of quality law enforcement training in the mid Atlantic region and nationally until 2000. Larry was an ASLET Staff Instructor from 1994-2000, teaching in conferences and seminars around the country for ASLET. He is a Charter Member of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA) and has been published in numerous law enforcement magazines, journals and newsletters. Larry and his articles have been featured in SWAT magazine, The Campus Law Enforcement Journal, Law Enforcement Trainer magazine, The Police Marksman magazine, and most recently Black Belt magazine. He has also appeared on the Law Enforcement Television Network (LETN) over twelve (12) times with regard to police defensive tactics, self-defense and simulation training methods. In addition, he is a frequent presenter at state, national and international training forums, and he has been the guest speaker at numerous professional and awareness oriented functions.

 

Larry holds a 3rd Degree Black Belt and Instructor Credentials from the International Hapkido Karate Association (IHKA), given to him by 9th Degree Grandmaster Lee Jung Bai , a first generation student of Hapkido founder Grandmaster Yong-Sul Choi . Grandmaster Lee personally trained Larry in the martial art of Hapkido and its many nuances of self-defense and subject control. Although Larry has trained in numerous martial arts over the years, his loyalty and admiration for Grandmaster Lee's traditional version of Hapkido is second to none, and was very influential in the development of the R.A.D. Systems.

 

Currently, Larry's home office is the National Academy of Defense Education, a ten plus (10+) acre complex located in rural Denham Springs, Louisiana. A Charter Member of their Hall of Fame, he may be reached through the R.A.D. International Headquarters Offices and is always available to currently certified R.A.D. Instructors for consultation and/or collaboration. Larry is also available to interested individuals by appointment through the R.A.D. office. Lawrence N. Nadeau is truly an iconic figure in modern self defense training, and remains an active facilitator. The author of numerous training programs and manuals which are a concise summary of the military combat strategies, police defensive tactics and self-defense philosophies he has learned, developed, refined and shared over the last thirty five (35) years (1980-2015).