Brett Velicovich
Brett Velicovich in Somalia in 2012
NationalityAmerican
Alma materDuke University
(Master of Business Administration)[1]
OccupationDrone Expert
Notable workDrone Warrior: An Elite Soldier's Inside Account of the Hunt for America's Most Dangerous Enemies
SpouseJoyce Velicovich[2]
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Army[3]
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
Iraq War[4]
Websitewww.brettvelicovich.com

Brett Velicovich is an American drone expert, former U.S. Army intelligence and special operations soldier. He is known for drone strikes against terrorist leaders and advocating for the use of drones in the protection of African big game wildlife.

Life

Velicovich served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a U.S. Army special operations intelligence analyst [5][6][7] and former Delta Force.[8]

The story of his work in counter-terrorism operations and drone strikes against ISIS, Al-Shabaab, and other terrorist groups is the subject of a forthcoming major motion picture developed by Paramount and Michael Bay - an adaptation of the book on Velicovich's life story co-authored by Velicovich and Pulitzer Prize winning Wall Street Journal reporter Christopher S. Stewart.[9] Following his career in the military, Velicovich continued working in the field of drone operation by founding the African Eye Project,[10] focusing on tracking big game poachers in Somalia and Kenya.[11]

He earned his MBA from Duke University, and co-founded the first American retail chain focusing entirely on drones, Expert Drones.[12][13][14]

In May 2017, multiple news agencies reported that Velicovich had traveled into Mogadishu, Somalia to train the Somali government on using off-the-shelf consumer drones to find members of al-shabaab and uncover roadside bombs. The drones had been donated to the government by his team to help combat the widespread terrorist attacks plaguing the country.[15][16]

In June 2017, CBS News reported that Velicovich had spent years hunting the notorious leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, with drones.[17] At one point, Velicovich's team had missed al-Baghdadi by mere minutes after tracking him to a house and conducting a raid to capture one of his closest operatives in Baghdad. Velicovich’s team had tracked and killed the original leader of ISIS, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and the leader of AQI, Abu Ayyub al-Masri in a secret operation north of Tikrit, Iraq only months before in April 2010.[18] That same month, Velicovich told GQ Magazine that it was only a matter of time before al-Baghdadi would be found by American forces.[19]

In August 2017, Fox News reported that Velicovich went to Houston, Texas to assist victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and provide drone support to search and rescue operations.[20] His drones would be used to provide instant damage assessments and help quickly locate victims of the flooding for first responders.[21] Following Harvey, the same news outlet claimed he moved into the path of Hurricane Irma one week later in Florida with a team of volunteer medical personnel to help prepare for the disaster prior to the storm hitting the U.S. mainland.[22]

In July 2018, host Chris Stemp called Velicovich the "world's most dangerous drone expert."[23]

Following talk of plans by the United States Department of the Interior to reverse a ban blocking the importation of elephant trophies back into the U.S. from Zimbabwe and Zambia, Velicovich spoke out publicly against the idea, stating that the significant decline in elephant populations over the last decade was the result of poaching activities and corrupt African government actions. Velicovich further stated that by reversing the ban, it would increase the demand for the killing of elephants for their ivory, destroying years of global wildlife conservation efforts.[24]

As early as March 2022, Velicovich appeared to have crossed the Ukrainian border to extract trapped American citizens and other Westerners stranded during the initial Russian invasion. Further reports also allege Velicovich may have been quietly funneling life saving drone technology to the front lines of Ukraine to help Ukrainian soldiers fight Russian troops.[25]

Media

Velicovich is a frequent guest on major national news outlets, including CNN and Fox News, where he provides commentary on national security related issues. He has regularly appeared on shows including Hannity, Gutfeld, Fox and Friends, CNN Newsroom, and CBS This Morning.[26][27]

Velicovich became an official Fox News paid contributor in early 2022, focused on providing national security related commentary to the news network.[28]

In January 2020, CNN interviewed Velicovich about the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Velicovich's previous work tracking him, to which Velicovich replied that the intelligence community had been watching Soleimani for decades move around as if he was "untouchable" and "he had it coming to him."[29]

Following the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019, Fox & Friends hosts interviewed Velicovich, where he discussed the significance of al-Baghdadi's death and the critical intelligence information behind the scenes that went into the special operations raid in Syria.[30] Velicovich played a critical role in the death of al-Baghdadi's predecessor in 2010, the original leader of the Islamic State, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.[31]

Velicovich has been quoted on various news outlets warning about the dangers of ISIS modifying consumer drones to conduct improvised attacks in the United States. On Fox News Fox & Friends, he noted that ISIS fighters overseas have been adapting easily accessible consumer drone technology to conduct attacks against security forces in Iraq and have returned home from the battlefield with the knowledge to conduct similar strikes.[32][33]

References

  1. ↑ "Brett Velicovich". The Daily Beast. August 17, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Brett Velicovich". Global Outreach Doctors. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Life as A 'Drone Warrior'". NPR.org.
  4. ↑ "Life as A 'Drone Warrior'". NPR.org.
  5. ↑ Goldstein, Gregg (May 13, 2016). "Michael Bay to Develop Biopic on Drone Warfare Fighter (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com.
  6. ↑ An Interview with Brett Velicovich on Counter-Drone
  7. ↑ "Brett Velicovich: Video of al-Baghdadi raid is a show of force against our enemies". Fox News. October 31, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Here's What It's Like to Control a Predator Drone". Wired.
  9. ↑ Busch, Anita (May 24, 2017). "Andy Bellin Comes Aboard To Adapt 'Drone Warrior' For Michael Bay". deadline.com.
  10. ↑ "Come Watch Brett Velicovich Race Drones At Dew Tour - Green Label". July 20, 2016.
  11. ↑ "This Army Vet Led The Hunt For ISIS—Now He's Using Drones To Save Kenya's Wildlife". Fastcompany.com. July 6, 2017.
  12. ↑ Weiss, Jennifer (March 5, 2016). "Brooklyn Lands a Drone Store". Wall Street Journal. wsj.com.
  13. ↑ "Drone retailer to open at N.J. mall to feed growing market". nj.com. December 10, 2015.
  14. ↑ "US tops with military drones, but China owns consumer market, says former special ops analyst turned CEO". CNBC. July 13, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Exclusive: Somali police get first drones to combat Islamist bombings". Reuters. May 26, 2017.
  16. ↑ "How drones could be game-changer in Somalia's fight against al-Shabab". Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  17. ↑ ""Drone Warrior" Brett Velicovich on the "incredible responsibility" of hunting terrorists". CBS News. June 27, 2017.
  18. ↑ Getlen, Larry (June 29, 2017). "Drone soldier missed killing notorious ISIS chief by mere minutes". nypost.com.
  19. ↑ Willis, Jay (June 29, 2017). "What Drone Warfare Does to a Soldier's Brain". GQ.com.
  20. ↑ "Professional drone pilots join Harvey rescue effort". September 12, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  21. ↑ "How drone technology is changing hurricane outcomes". September 12, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Drones used to assist hurricane and flooding victims". September 12, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  23. ↑ "The World's Most Dangerous Drone Expert". Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Elephant trophies? Seriously? This is what Washington is spending its time on?". FOX News. November 20, 2017.
  25. ↑ NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2022/04/12/1091694698/project-dynamo-extracts-americans-trapped-in-ukraine. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ↑ "Brett Velicovich". IMDb. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  27. ↑ How drones could save lives in Somalia's battle against al-Shabab, retrieved December 16, 2020
  28. ↑ "Gutfeld! : FOXNEWSW : February 20, 2023 8:00pm-9:00pm PST". Archive.org. February 21, 2023.
  29. ↑ Qasem Soleimani believed he was untouchable, says former Army Special Ops - CNN Video, January 3, 2020, retrieved December 16, 2020
  30. ↑ "Brett Velicovich: Video of al-Baghdadi raid is a show of force against our enemies". Fox News. October 31, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  31. ↑ Getlen, Larry (June 29, 2017). "Drone soldier missed killing notorious ISIS chief by mere minutes". New York Post. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  32. ↑ "How can US prevent ISIS from using drones for attacks?". Fox News. July 9, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  33. ↑ "New device zaps rogue drones out of the sky". Fox News. August 10, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
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