Dirk W. van der Vaart

Dirk has 30 years of experience in the defense and security industry and has served in executive, operations and business development roles throughout his career, including overseas projects in more than 22 countries. Dirk most recently served as President of Ultra Intelligence & Communications 3eTI, a subsidiary of global defense and aerospace conglomerate, Ultra Group. Prior to 3eTI, Dirk held the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Gatekeeper Inc., an advanced technology company dedicated to the development of intelligent optical inspection systems. Prior to Gatekeeper, he served as President of GardaWorld Government Services. Earlier in his career, he served in senior business development and strategy roles at Global Group, Raytheon, American Systems and Mantech. Dirk's start-up experience includes a role as vice president and general manager for an Israeli tactical radar innovator. He also formed a company in Iraq, spending nearly two years in Baghdad at the height of the conflict there. Before entering the defense industry, Dirk served 11 years as a special operations officer in the Intelligence Community and was also a Port Security officer in the Coast Guard Reserve. He is fluent in Italian, Dutch, French, German and Spanish; and is currently studying Hebrew and Arabic. Dirk holds a BA degree in journalism and political science from Messiah College and an MBA in international business from The George Washington University. When not riding horses, he shoots in the Precision Rifle Series and competes in the Kayak Bass Fishing regional circuit.