Thorsten Steubesand, better known by his nickname “Toto,” was brought up by his devoted parents, both of whom were German. He and his family started a commercial laundry business not long after he graduated from high school. In light of what he had discovered, he settled on the idea of resuming his education and obtaining a bachelor’s degree in textile cleaning. Before the dawn of the twentieth century, he was employed by the business that was owned by his father. Toto Steubesand, who was an individual accustomed to putting in long hours, enlisted in the German Navy in the year 1995. After having served in the military for eight or nine years, he eventually joined the Navy and was assigned to a variety of different positions aboard different naval ships.
After serving in these capacities, he shifted his focus to ACINT (acoustic intelligence), which later on led him to HUMINT (human intelligence) (human intelligence). Toto Steubesand spent a significant amount of time at work gaining experience, and as a result, he was eventually promoted to the position of field HUMINT leader, and then later to the position of tactical HUMINT leader, within the community of international Special Forces. As a direct result of his persistent efforts and unwavering commitment, he was afforded the chance to move up in his field and attend the Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Piracy Class for Staff Officers in Pensacola, Florida in the year 2012 (National Internship and Training Center for Netsafa)/ During his time in the military, he served both on land and at sea in more than 15 different locations around the world, including Lebanon, Afghanistan, Europe, and Africa. Later that year, after having spent a sizeable portion of his life serving in the Navy, he made the decision to leave the service because he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that he shares with a large number of his fellow service members.
Toto Steubesand is a formidable man who could hold his own in any environment. Regardless of the situation, he would prevail. In 2013, he became the Chief Executive Officer of ZST Security Service consulting and Technology GmbH, which is located in Bordesholm (not far from Kiel). He persevered in spite of the difficulty of the situation. After another seven years, he was elevated to the position of executive partner. In conjunction with the launch of ZST, he and his business partners established the International Academy for Security (IAS) to serve as a training facility for their personal security team in order to better prepare them for high-stakes close protection missions. Approximately one hundred students would make up this group on a monthly basis. Because of his companies’ proven track record of successfully thwarting pirate attacks on commercial vessels, they are recognized as PMSCs, which stands for private military security companies. The German Task Force for Marine Security approached Toto with the proposition of putting him in charge of the BDSW, and he gladly accepted.
In the same year, he established his own school of martial arts in Kiel under the name AbwehrKraft (2016). He currently gives lessons on close combat and weapon use to people all over the world, including civilians, members of the armed forces, law enforcement officers, and other government officials. His students come from all walks of life. During the year 2021, he was highlighted in the series “Celebrity Hunted Germany” that was broadcast on AMAZON PRIME GERMANY. Because of the coronavirus, production was halted, but it is anticipated that it will begin again in 2023. Since that time, he has established himself as a highly sought-after trainer, coach, expert in military security, and public speaker.
