Meet Deus X Defense

The people on this page have written the doctrine, led the units, built the technology, and made the calls that others study. They come from Special Forces, the FBI, NASA, the Navy, Axon, McKinsey, IBM, and the front lines of public safety. Whatever the threat, whatever the environment, this team has seen it, solved it, or built the standard response to it. That is the edge Deus X Defense puts on your side.

Not a team that understands modern security. The team that built it.

Team Heritage

Axon

· Skydio

· NASA

· Navy

· McKinsey

· LEDA

· Marine Force Recon

· Gresham PD

· Dallas PD

· LAPD

· FBI

· Apple

· Nike

· GoPro

· BCG

· HBS

· Microsoft

· Accenture

· IBM

· Axon · Skydio · NASA · Navy · McKinsey · LEDA · Marine Force Recon · Gresham PD · Dallas PD · LAPD · FBI · Apple · Nike · GoPro · BCG · HBS · Microsoft · Accenture · IBM ·

Pat Madden

Founder & CEO

Marine Corps officer who led combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Strategic advisor at McKinsey & Company. Former SVP & GM at Axon, where he scaled mission-critical public safety technologies globally and led expansion into advanced drone and robotics platforms.

Founded Deus X Defense to close the execution gap between the technology that exists and the security postures that actually hold.

ross stinson

Head of Drone Operations

Law enforcement leader who built and ran the largest public safety tactical drone program in the U.S. at Dallas PD, proving drone operations at scale in one of the country's most demanding environments.

Natesh rao

Business Development & Partnerships

Navy aviator with 250 combat missions and NATO senior aide experience, building partnerships that scale under real-world pressure.

rob chadwick

GM, Public Safety & Defense

Former FBI tactical leader who built national training doctrine and led the FBI Tactical Training Unit. He brings 30 years of high-risk, high-visibility mission experience and the protection planning that performs when failure is not an option.

Rory O’Flaherty

GM, Enterprise Security

Built and scaled national security operations for decades, delivering consistent execution across complex enterprise environments.

michael egan

CFO

Wharton-trained Green Beret and BCG consultant who has built and scaled ventures across defense, finance, and technology.

winston gamso

Solutions Architect

Former Green Beret and D1 college football quarterback, Winston brings elite tactical training and high-performance leadership to client solution architecture. He works directly with clients to match their security needs with the right expert capabilities.

Kevin Hill

Strategic Partnerships & Projects

Army veteran and enterprise tech executive who has delivered billion-dollar public sector programs with precision and scale.

Rob robertson

Drone Regulatory & Operations

Public safety UAS visionary and DFR/BVLOS leader with extensive NFL, MLB, and NCAA operational experience. Known for achieving first-of-their-kind milestones by translating FAA complexity into real-world capabilities.

Nick Gilmour

Product

Product leader for over 20 years. Nick was Sr. Director of Product Management at Skydio, leading the Drone as First Responder (DFR) platform, and before that Director of Product for Axon's Body Worn Cameras. Past experience includes product leadership roles at GoPro, Amazon, and HP. His expertise is building complex, end-to-end systems for the mission-critical needs of public safety.

Jon Beal

Head of Training

Co-Founder of LEDA with hands-on operational history at LAPD and Gresham Police, Jon architects UAS training programs that move agencies from zero to fully operational, compliant, and field-ready.

Tyler Bayne

Operations

Global security operations executive who has managed +250 personnel and multimillion dollar budgets across GSOC and field operations at scale. He leads the integration of robotics and guarding into hybrid security programs that are fully operationalized.

tyler morris

Remote Operations Manager

Former Dallas PD helicopter pilot and UAS operator who trained over 70 drone pilots and integrated live aerial feeds into real-time crime centers. He brings tactical law enforcement experience across covert operations, federal taskforce support, and large-scale public safety events.

danny gritti

Customer Success & Drone Operations

Former Axon Air Customer Success Manager and ERT drone pilot with experience onboarding agencies, training pilots, and deploying to disaster zones. He combines operational drone credibility with the communication discipline built across six years at Axon, Apple, and Nike.

AJ Montgomery

Chief Marketing Officer

Enterprise marketing leader with deep experience driving go-to-market strategy, brand growth, and cross-functional execution for Fortune 500 clients, SaaS companies, and mission-driven organizations. AJ leads marketing, positioning, and demand generation across enterprise and public safety sectors.

james nguyen

Remote Pilots Manager

Former Dallas PD officer and top-performing drone pilot, James combines frontline law enforcement experience with advanced UAS expertise to lead remote aerial operations with precision and operational discipline.

Jeff Ventrella

GSOC Operations

Marine infantry officer and PSP-certified security professional with deep executive protection and red team experience. He brings structured threat assessment and proactive risk mitigation to every environment he operates in.

erik larson

Drone Operations & Research

US Navy veteran and NASA Aeronautics Research Engineer with FAA certifications as a Private Pilot, Instrument Rated Pilot, and Remote Pilot UAS. He supports Air Traffic Management research across simulation and live flight, bridging advanced airspace concepts with real-world drone operations.

Dean Pratt

Solutions Engineering

Former Senior Global Architect for Accenture's Physical AI and Computer Vision practice, and previously a technical solutions engineer at Kyndryl, Google, Dell and Cisco. He has deep experience in enterprise and agentic AI, emerging technology and cross-platform solution architectures, designing secure, scalable systems built to withstand scrutiny and emerging threats.

christian kellerman

Solutions Architect

Former U.S. Army Special Forces officer who built and deployed operational drone programs inside the military, including launching the Army’s first mobile drone labs. He brings real-world experience leading complex missions, integrating new technology under pressure, and turning advanced capability into something teams can actually execute.

ward ault

Chief of Staff

Marine infantry and force reconnaissance officer who led combat operations in Afghanistan and foreign military training in Brazil. Investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Former Chief of Staff at Axon. Two-time PE-backed CEO who led complex turnarounds and built organizations under pressure.

The future of security is here.

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Threats are evolving. The systems meant to stop them are not.

We deliver a new kind of safety through robotics, real-time response, and elite defense minds working as one.