Anvil Defense Group
Executive Protection | Protective Intelligence |
Security Operations
Matthew La Torre, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Matthew La Torre is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Anvil Defense Group, providing strategic leadership and operational direction for the company’s executive protection, security, investigative, and intelligence capabilities. An experienced Executive Protection Specialist and security operations leader, Matthew founded Anvil Defense Group with the objective of building a security organization defined by professionalism, discretion, accountability, and an uncompromising commitment to the people it is entrusted to protect.
His operational background includes over seven years of executive protection and high-risk security experience supporting ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, senior corporate executives, elected officials, foreign dignitaries, high-profile public figures, and principals facing active or elevated threats. His experience spans close protection, protective intelligence, advance operations, residential security, secure transportation, motorcade movements, major-event security, emergency response, and complex protective operations across the United States and internationally.
Matthew has led protective teams and large-scale security operations in dynamic, high-visibility environments, including emergency-response missions involving more than 50 personnel and major events requiring the coordination of extensive security resources. His experience includes rapid deployment, contingency planning, crisis response, 24/7 protective coverage, high-value asset security, and the development of comprehensive operational plans for principals whose circumstances demand immediate and adaptable protection.
Throughout his career, Matthew has operated alongside and coordinated with federal, state, and local law-enforcement agencies, including the United States Secret Service, United States Marshals Service, United States Capitol Police, and numerous local agencies. These experiences have shaped his approach to leadership: disciplined planning, clear communication, adaptability, and the understanding that effective protection should remain as seamless to the client as it is comprehensive behind the scenes.
As CEO, Matthew is responsible for the strategic growth of Anvil Defense Group, development of its leadership team, operational standards, client relationships, and the continued expansion of the company’s capabilities. He maintains a hands-on understanding of field operations while empowering experienced directors to lead their respective disciplines in security operations, investigations and intelligence, training and compliance, and business development.
Matthew’s philosophy is that exceptional protection begins long before a threat reaches the principal. It requires the right people, accurate intelligence, meticulous preparation, disciplined execution, and a culture in which accountability is expected at every level of the organization.
Under Matthew’s leadership, Anvil Defense Group continues to build upon a simple standard: anticipate what others overlook, prepare for what others consider unlikely, provide clients with the confidence to move through their lives and business without security becoming an obstacle, and being better.
Tyrel “Ty” Armstrong, Director of Security | Head of Sales
Tyrel “Ty” Armstrong serves as Director of Security and Head of Sales, bringing extensive leadership experience across executive protection, security operations, military service, and client relationship management. He is responsible for overseeing protective operations, supporting the development of security personnel and operational standards, and working directly with clients to identify their security requirements and develop solutions tailored to their needs.
A 17-year United States Marine Corps veteran, Ty retired at the rank of Gunnery Sergeant after serving in leadership positions including Infantry Platoon Leader, Operations Chief, and Combat Instructor. His military background established a foundation in operational planning, personnel leadership, risk management, training, and disciplined decision-making that continues to shape his approach to private-sector security.
Ty has extensive executive protection experience supporting high-profile principals, corporate executives, elected officials, senior government leaders, and individuals operating in elevated-risk environments. His protective background includes advance operations, secure transportation, route and venue assessments, protective planning, and coordination with law enforcement and internal security teams. He is recognized for his sound judgment, discretion, executive presence, and ability to operate effectively in sensitive and high-visibility environments.
As Head of Sales, Ty combines his operational security experience with a client-focused approach to business development. His firsthand understanding of protective operations allows him to assess client concerns from an operational perspective, communicate realistic security solutions, and help develop programs that balance protection, discretion, efficiency, and the client’s lifestyle or business requirements.
Ty holds specialized training and certifications in executive protection, anti-terrorism, close-quarters combat, firearms instruction, remote emergency medicine, and water survival. He also brings more than 20 years of experience in wrestling, boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Joseph Andress, Director of Training & Compliance
Bio
Joseph Andress serves as Director of Training & Compliance, overseeing agent development, operational readiness, regulatory compliance, and professional training standards. A former United States Marine Corps Infantry Squad Leader and experienced executive protection professional, Joseph brings more than a decade of combined military, protective-services, critical-infrastructure, emergency-response, and leadership experience to the role.
Joseph served in the United States Marine Corps from 2013 to 2021. During his service, he led personnel and coordinated training, logistics, force protection, and mission requirements across domestic and overseas environments, including deployments supporting Operation Inherent Resolve and the Unit Deployment Program.
In the private sector, Joseph has built a diverse operational background spanning executive and close protection, protective intelligence, residential security, protective driving, secure transportation, advance and reconnaissance operations, emergency response, and critical-infrastructure security.
As Director of Training & Compliance, Joseph is responsible for helping ensure personnel are prepared not simply to meet minimum requirements, but to perform consistently at the professional standard expected in executive protection.
Joseph remains active in protective operations, allowing the company’s training program to evolve alongside the realities agents encounter in the field. His approach emphasizes disciplined fundamentals, sound judgment, continuous development, and the ability to perform effectively under pressure.
Mr. Frank, Director of Investigations & Intelligence
Mr. Frank serves as Director of Investigations & Intelligence, bringing extensive experience across federal investigations, protective intelligence, threat assessment, executive protection, and high-consequence security operations. He leads investigative and intelligence initiatives designed to identify threats, uncover critical information, and provide clients and operational teams with actionable intelligence to support informed security decisions.
A former Special Agent with the United States Department of Justice, Frank brings a strong investigative foundation developed through work requiring discretion, analytical judgment, information development, and disciplined decision-making. His subsequent private-sector experience has expanded that foundation into protective intelligence and security operations supporting Fortune 50 executives, high-net-worth families, diplomatic personnel, foreign dignitaries, and other principals operating in complex or elevated-risk environments.
As Director of Investigations & Intelligence, Frank oversees intelligence collection and analysis, threat and vulnerability assessments, investigative support, protective intelligence, and specialized projects. He works closely with security leadership and protective teams to transform information into practical operational guidance—helping identify emerging risks, evaluate potential threats, and develop strategies before those risks can affect the client, organization, or mission.
Frank’s approach integrates human intelligence (HUMINT), investigative methodology, protective strategy, and risk analysis into a unified intelligence-led framework. His combination of investigative experience and field operations allows him to evaluate threats not simply as information, but through the lens of how they may affect people, assets, reputation, and operational continuity.
Known for calm command, discretion, and disciplined leadership, Frank approaches investigations and intelligence with an emphasis on accuracy, accountability, and sound judgment. He views effective intelligence as more than the collection of information—it is the ability to recognize what matters, understand its implications, and provide decision-makers with the clarity necessary to act.
Capabilities
Threat Assessments & Advance Operations
Anvil Defense Group provides comprehensive threat assessments and advance operations designed to identify vulnerabilities, anticipate potential threats, and establish secure environments before a principal, family, or organization arrives.
Our team conducts detailed site surveys, route and transportation assessments, access-point reviews, emergency and contingency planning, and coordination with venues, transportation providers, security personnel, and law enforcement when appropriate. Each advance is developed around the specific principal, location, movement, and threat environment rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all security plan.
By combining thorough preparation with real-time monitoring and protective intelligence, Anvil Defense Group works to identify problems before they become incidents. From a single executive movement to complex events and transnational operations, our objective remains the same: reduce exposure, maintain operational control, and create the conditions for safe, seamless movement.
Executive Protection
Anvil Defense Group provides tailored executive protection solutions designed around the client, their lifestyle, and the environment in which they operate. From a single protection professional or security driver to low-profile coverage and fully coordinated protective teams, every detail is structured to provide the appropriate level of security without unnecessarily disrupting the principal’s daily life.
Our protection professionals operate with discretion, sound judgment, and adaptability across corporate, residential, travel, public-event, and high-profile environments. Depending on the mission, our teams can maintain a discreet presence that integrates seamlessly into the client’s surroundings or establish a more visible protective posture when circumstances require it.
Anvil Defense Group provides more than a physical security presence. Our objective is to give clients the freedom to live, work, travel, and conduct business with confidence while we manage the security environment around them.
Training & Professional Development
At Anvil Defense Group, training is built around a simple principle: professionals perform to the level of their preparation. Our programs emphasize disciplined fundamentals, sound judgment, physical readiness, and practical skills that translate directly to real-world environments.
Training can be tailored for security professionals, protective teams, organizations, and private clients, with instruction encompassing combatives, practical marksmanship, vehicle protective operations, client integration, and scenario-based decision-making. Programs are structured around the individual or team’s experience, responsibilities, and operational requirements rather than a standardized qualification.
Our approach combines professional instruction with a realistic, hands-on application, to develop capable individuals who can think, adapt, and perform effectively under pressure. The objective is not simply to complete training—it is to build competence, confidence, and preparedness when performance matters most.