National Security

Technology Acceleration

Dense Urban & Subterranean Environments

The Challenge

Our nation recognizes that we must drive advances in science, technology, and innovation to assure that the nation’s military and homeland defense remains without peer and able to respond effectively to new challenges enabled by the globalization of science and technology.

Our military and national intelligence communities have determined that one of the greatest worldwide threats to our security in the 21st century is from asymmetric warfare. These threats are disproportionately serious to megacities with populations greater than 10 million, areas otherwise known as dense urban environments.

About Us

The National Center for Urban Operations is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization dedicated to providing expertise and insights to leaders operating in dense urban environments in fulfilment of national security, public safety, and urban resiliency goals.

We unify the community of practice in order to generate technology, material, educational, training, and conceptual solutions to the emerging challenges associated with the asymmetric threats and complex characteristics of operating in dense urban environments.

Our Team

 

John Wharton
Co-Founder & Executive Chairman
General Officer
Technology Development & Acquisitions
30+ Years of Uniformed Service

Patrick Mahaney, Jr     Co-Founder & Chief Executive
Special Forces Colonel (R)
Honorary FDNY Chief
30+ Years of Uniformed Servicee

Chris De Ruyter
Director
75th Ranger Veteran Lieutenant Colonel (Retired)
Asymmetric Warfare Expert
20+ Years Uniformed Service

Joe Vega
Deputy Director
Special Forces Sergeant Major (R) Counterterrorism Expert
35+ Years of Uniformed Service

Jose Gordon
Operational Advisor
75th Ranger Regiment
Senior Leader & Subterranean Expert
35+ Years of Uniformed Service

James Spencer
Operational Advisor
75th Ranger Regiment Battalion Command Sergeant Major (R)                20+ Years of Uniformed Service

 

Brendan O’Connor
Operational Advisor
Special Forces
Sergeant Major (R)
Trauma Medicine Expert
35+ Years of Uniformed Service

Stephanie Mahaney
Research Fellow
Columbia Master of Public Affairs
New York City Community Leader
20+ Years Community Service

Dense Urban & Subterranean Cell
Current and Veteran
Urban Security Practitioners

Brian Higgins
US Army Fellow
Lietenant Colonel
NYPD ESU (SWAT) Detective
30+ Years of Uniformed Service

 

Clay
US Army Fellow
75th Ranger Regiment  Infantry Captain      Georgetown Counterterrorist
Princeton Engineer

 

John Wharton
CEO
General Officer (R)
Research Development,
Technology and Acquisitions
30+ Years of Uniformed Service

Joe Vega
Deputy Director
Special Forces Sergeant Major (R) Counterterrorism Expert
30+ Years of Uniformed Service

Brian Higgins
US Army Fellow
Lieutenant Colonel
NYPD ESU (SWAT) Detective
30+ Years of Uniformed Service
Stephanie Mahaney
Research Fellow
Columbia Master of Public Affairs
New York City Local Leader
20+ Years Community Service
Clay
Operational Advisor
Veteran 75th Ranger
Georgetown Counterterrorist
Princeton Engineer
Patrick Mahaney, Jr
Director
Special Forces Colonel (R)
Honorary FDNY Chief
30+ Years of Uniformed Service

John Spencer
Senior Fellow
Infantry Major (R)
Urban Operations Expert
20+ Years of Uniformed Service

Jose Gordon
Operations Officer
75th Ranger Regiment
Senior Leader (R)
Subterranean Expert
25+ Years of Uniformed Service
Art Mogil
Law Enforcement Fellow
NYPD Counterterrorism Lieutenant
Special Forces Leader (R)
25+ Years Uniformed Service

Dense Urban & Subterranean Cell
Current and Veteran
Urban Security Practitioners

Our Organizing Principles

Whole of Nation

Ensure centralized direction and decentralized execution to solution development in a “whole of nation” approach, including but not limited to the leveraging of diplomatic, intelligence, military, and economic means.

Technology Acceleration

Accelerate and insert technology into the hands of security professionals to ensure decisive advantage.

Partnerships

Partner with the city of New York as a Virtual Urban Training Center (VUTC), Center of Excellence (CoE), and “smart city” to facilitate education and training of practitioners; validation of technology; and
dissemination of lessons learned globally.

Unity of Effort

Solidify Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, New York as a mission command center for federal, state, local, and private collaboration.

Our Laboratory 

New York City contains all the elements of a dense urban environment: high population density; an unparalleled interagency public service team; air, land, and sea mobility corridors; a diversity of high commercial and low residential building types; a complex subterranean transportation and utility system; critical transportation nodes; and a sophisticated communications and cyberinfrastructure. As such, it is an ideal real-world laboratory to test and evaluate new and disruptive technologies as soon as they emerge- and before our nation’s enemies can use them against us.

Our Solutions

We help inform our nation’s leaders as a thinktank for strategic thought and problem-solving. Education, leader development, and training will enhance the preparedness of those responsible for operating in this environment and related domains. Our understanding of and access to technology and material solutions will provide teams the necessary capability required for each unique operational context. 

Our Network

Our network consists of public-private partnerships with the government, academia and industry enterprises. These relationships provide unique opportunities for consultation and collaboration with the world’s finest and most experienced first responders, anti-terrorism forces, and incubators – allowing for real-world testing, analysis, and evaluation of new technologies and applications.