Mark Kahanding is a U.S. Army officer, combat veteran, and FAA Part 107–certified drone pilot specializing in modern drone warfare and counter-UAS operations. During a recent deployment to Syria, he served as an Air Defense Artillery Battle Captain and became one of the first officers in the California Army National Guard to experience and engage in real-world drone warfare. In that role, he played a direct part in defeating a hostile unmanned aerial system, helping prevent a potential mass-casualty event and protecting more than 100 American and Syrian personnel from imminent harm.

Mark holds a Master of Arts in Government (Security Studies) from Johns Hopkins University, where his academic work focused on insurgency, airpower, and irregular warfare. He now bridges battlefield experience with policy analysis to examine how drones function not just as weapons, but as networked systems reshaping escalation, deterrence, and modern conflict.

He is a Young Professionals Board Member of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and writes and speaks frequently on the strategic, technical, and policy implications of unmanned systems through his platform Eyes in the Skies.