"Wisdom is better than weapons of war..."

James A. Acevedo, CPP, CPS, is a battle-hardened security disruptor, Risk Management powerhouse, and visionary author with over 30 years of boots-on-the-ground experience protecting people, critical infrastructure, supply chains, and high-value assets across more than 60 countries and nearly every U.S. state.

A former key player on the elite post-9/11 team that conducted comprehensive vulnerability assessments for the City and County of Denver, James has led hundreds of high-stakes investigations, security audits, and consulting engagements. His expertise spans critical infrastructure protection (utilities, power, water/wastewater, NERC CIP), supply chain security (CTPAT, ISO 28000), investigative operations, quality control, production standardization, and – most crucially – the dual-use revolution in unmanned systems (air, land, and sea).

Known as The OG Drone Guy, James didn’t just study the threat – he lived it. A lifelong tinkerer with roots in aviation engineering, he was pulled into the unmanned arena in 2014 by his mentor Lt. Colonel Bruce E. Wimmer (Ret., USAF, OSI). What started as a conference presentation turned into a decade-plus obsession: building, hacking, crashing, and weaponizing prototypes in his garage so others don’t have to. He has spoken at major conferences, authored influential articles and podcasts, and become the go-to expert on how cheap, accessible technology is rewriting the rules of security, warfare, and asymmetric threats.

His forthcoming book, The Drone Revolution: How Unmanned Systems Are Changing Security Forever (2026), distills hard-won lessons from real-world incidents, battlefield innovations (Ukraine, cartels, Houthis, etc.), AI integration, swarm tactics, and pragmatic countermeasures. Written in two voices – tactical for professionals and straight-talk for everyday citizens – it is part playbook, part wake-up call: knowledge beats fear, and proactive adaptation is the only winning move.