The OpsLens Team

FOUNDER AND CEO

Ron Hammond is Senior Advisor and Board Member for OpsLens. Hammond is a former CIA Operations Officer and US Army Guard Officer. He has over 28 years in the Intelligence Community where he focused on the Middle East and South Asia, more specifically on combating terrorism and stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Following his career in the intelligence and military communities, Hammond started and sold several highly respected companies in the defense industry. Additionally, he serves as a Board Member for several technology companies.

SENIOR ADVISOR

Gary Berntsen is a Senior Advisor and Contributor for OpsLens. He is also the bestselling author of Jawbreaker and a former senior CIA Case officer who was among the first into Afghanistan following the attacks on 9/11. Gary frequently makes appearances on Fox News, NewsMax and other major outlets to comment on matters of national security.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Jon Harris is a former Army NCO, Sergeant Morales Club member, civilian law enforcement officer, and defense contractor with over 30 years in the law enforcement community. He is published in Army Trainer Magazine, authored regular columns in several newspapers, and is the author of the Cold War novel Breakpoint. His adventures as a security contractor in Afghanistan and Iraq can be found on www.dispatchfromdownrange.com. He holds a B.S. in Government and Politics and an M.S. in Criminal Justice and is currently completing his Juris Doctor degree.

EDITOR

Shelly Mateer is a former CIA officer and author of Single in the CIA, Mission: Stand Down and the Mingling in the CIA series, as well two children’s picture books, Mommy Thinks She’s a Monster and The Lemon Seed. She’s also the creator of the Cooking in the CIA app, the BurpMitt® product line and a comical children’s music album Mommy’s Gone Mad!

Her books are inspired and influenced by her experiences working undercover for the CIA’s Directorate of Operations.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Dennis Ross is a retired Senior Intelligence Analyst with 27 years experience within the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. He specialized in Middle East weapons of mass destruction programs (DoD) and homegrown violent extremism (DHS). Ross was the recipient of numerous accolades to include the Director of Central Intelligence, National Medal of Achievement.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Bart Marcois (@bmarcois) was the principal deputy assistant secretary of energy for international affairs during the Bush administration. Additionally, Marcois served as a career foreign service officer with the State Department.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Chris Carter is the Director of the Victory Institute, and deputy regional director of the U.S. Counterterrorism Advisory Team. His work appears at SWAT Magazine, Human Events, Canada Free Press, Deutsche Welle, NavySEALs.com, Lifezette, and other publications. Chris is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, warrant officer in the South Carolina State Guard, and retired firefighter.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Dr. Katherine (Kat) Harris is a veteran spouse, expat, and former military contractor with over 20 years of expertise in military/family transition, career counseling, higher education, organizational strategic planning, and international relations. She has conducted seminars and workshops for many Department of Army commands, plus many non-profit and community associations. She served as a translator and liaison for American, British, French, and German civilian/military communities in Berlin and Helmstedt, Germany. Academically, Dr. Harris holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from The University of Maryland European Division, a Master of Arts in International Relations from Boston University, and a Doctorate in Education from Rowan University with an emphasis in leadership and higher education in a global context.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Samuel Siskind studied intelligence research at the American Military University in West Virginia. He served as a squad commander in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Corp of Combat Engineers, in the Corps’ ground battalions and later in its Intelligence Wing at regional and divisional stations. For the past five years, Samuel has worked as a consultant and researcher on physical and information security issues for private and governmental institutions, in the US, Africa, India, and Israel. He currently lives in Jerusalem.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Grant Mattox spent 10 years in the US Army, where he served first as a platoon leader and then entered Special Forces Assessment and Selection in 2001. Upon Special Forces Qualification Course graduation, Grant served as a Special Forces Officer from 2004-2008 and deployed to the Middle East twice from 2004-2006.

Grant is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and is currently an executive at a fortune 500 company.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Stew Peters has spent over a decade searching for some of the most violent criminals wanted by the Court. He’s the host of The Patriotically Correct Radio Show, also known as “PC Radio”, which is co-hosted with fellow fugitive hunter Richard Leonard.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

The mission of the Committee on the Present Danger: China is to help defend America through public education and advocacy against the full array of conventional and non-conventional dangers posed by the People’s Republic of China.

OPSLENS CONTRIBUTOR

Kevin Freeman is the Host of Economic War Room, a digital media and weekly broadcast financial news show that provides new market insights to the challenges America and Wall Street face today. Kevin Freeman is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the issues of Economic Warfare and Financial Terrorism. He has consulted for and briefed members of both the U.S. House and Senate, present and past CIA, DIA, FBI, SEC, Homeland Security, the Justice Department, as well as local and state law enforcement. His research has been presented in critical DoD studies on Economic Warfare, Iran, and Weapons of Mass Destruction presented to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense, Intelligence. He has traveled extensively with research trips to Russia and China and throughout Europe and the Americas. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Policy.