Official ETL Research Product. Emerging Technologies Laboratory · Sector-Aligned Critical Infrastructure Review
ETL
OPSEC Gauntlet

16 Sector Chiefs · 16 CISA Critical Infrastructure Sectors · Independent Review Panel

Part-time evaluators. Full-time subject-matter expertise.

§ Critical Infrastructure Review Panel

Meet the Judges

Sixteen national security specialists review your concept — one per CISA sector, each with a different risk model, operational lens, and threshold for what counts as a real vulnerability. They evaluate it the way a real threat analyst would.

Each judge represents a critical infrastructure sector. Each one brings a different risk model, a different operational lens, and a different threshold for what counts as a real vulnerability. The panel's assessments reflect real-world considerations used across federal, state, and private-sector security programs.

The OPSEC Gauntlet is evaluated by a multidisciplinary panel of subject-matter experts representing the full range of United States critical infrastructure sectors. These judges apply established risk frameworks, operational standards, and sector-specific threat models to assess the resilience, feasibility, and security posture of each submitted concept.

They do not flatter. They do not soften. They do not guess. They tell you whether your idea survives contact with the real world.
16 CISA Sectors:
Chemical Defense Industrial Base Communications Financial Services Healthcare & Public Health Emergency Services Energy Water & Wastewater Transportation Critical Manufacturing Food & Agriculture Government Facilities Nuclear Information Technology Dams Commercial Facilities
§ Panel Members · All 16 CISA Sectors Represented
HW
Chemical
Dr. Helena Ward
Chemical Security & Hazard Mitigation Director
"The chemist who sees the chain reaction before it starts."
PhD in Chemical Engineering; former DHS CFATS inspector. Reads chemical-facility risk like a map. Flags precursor vulnerabilities, insider-threat vectors, and supply-chain choke points. Precise, dry, unflappable. Corrects sloppy terminology without apology.
MCP Backpack
Live chemical facility registry lookup
Hazardous materials classification database
EPA RMP and TRI dataset search
Chemical precursor risk index
Supply chain vendor provenance check
Use Cases
Small manufacturer handling solvents · Lab startup storing precursors · Ag-chem distributor with transport risk
RD
Defense Industrial Base
Col. Rafael “Rafe” Dominguez (Ret.)
Defense Supply-Chain Integrity Analyst
"The colonel who checks the bolt before the blueprint."
25 years Army logistics; Pentagon acquisition oversight. Tracks component provenance, counterfeit risk, and foreign-influence exposure. Gruff, loyal, hates shortcuts. Reads your supply chain like a battlefield and names the weak flank.
MCP Backpack
Defense supplier verification (SAM.gov, CAGE codes)
Counterfeit component database
Export control screening (EAR/ITAR reference)
Foreign ownership and influence risk scan
Defense contract history lookup
Use Cases
Drone maker sourcing overseas parts · Defense-adjacent robotics startup · Small machine shop with DoD clients
LZ
Communications
Dr. Liyun Zhao
Network Resilience Architect
"The engineer who hears the outage before it hits the grid."
Former AT&T backbone engineer; PhD in Network Systems. Specializes in fiber-route redundancy, telecom choke points, and adversarial signal interference. Quiet, analytical, amused by chaos. Shows you where a single cut cable takes your whole operation down.
MCP Backpack
Fiber route and telecom outage monitoring
BGP routing anomaly feed
FCC facility and license lookup
Spectrum interference scan
Network redundancy map generator
Use Cases
Regional ISP · Emergency-services comms vendor · Data-center operator
MH
Financial Services
Miles Harrington
Financial-Systems Threat Analyst
"The analyst who sees the breach in the balance sheet."
Former OCC examiner; MBA in Risk. Tracks fraud vectors, ACH manipulation risk, and fintech-vendor exposure. Polished, skeptical, numbers-first. Tells you where your financial workflows can be weaponized before you open them to the world.
MCP Backpack
ACH and wire fraud pattern monitor
Bank charter and regulatory lookup
Fintech vendor risk database
OFAC sanctions screening
Real-time transaction anomaly scoring
Use Cases
Credit-union CTO · Fintech startup · Payment-processor vendor
AF
Healthcare & Public Health
Dr. Amina Farouk
Medical Infrastructure Continuity Specialist
"The doctor who sees the system behind the patient."
MD/MPH; WHO emergency-response deployments. Evaluates hospital resilience, cold-chain integrity, and medical-device cyber risk. Warm voice, steel underneath. Shows where a single outage becomes a patient-safety event.
MCP Backpack
FDA medical device recall database
CDC outbreak and public health alerts
Cold chain temperature integrity monitor
Hospital bed and capacity status feed
Medical supply chain disruption tracker
Use Cases
Clinic network · Med-device startup · Public-health NGO
JM
Emergency Services
Jonas McCrae
Incident Command Systems Advisor
"The responder who plans for the day everything goes wrong."
Former fire captain; FEMA task-force veteran. ICS/NIMS specialist who evaluates readiness, dispatch vulnerabilities, and interagency gaps. Direct, reassuring, hates bureaucracy. Shows you the failure cascade before the sirens start.
MCP Backpack
ICS and NIMS protocol reference
Real-time incident feed (public safety)
Dispatch center redundancy audit
Mutual aid resource availability lookup
Emergency communications system status
Use Cases
911 center · Private EMS · Campus security
PN
Energy
Dr. Priyanka “Pri” Nanduri
Grid Stability & SCADA Security Engineer
"The engineer who hears the hum of a failing grid."
PhD in Electrical Engineering; former NERC auditor. Specializes in SCADA hardening, load-balancing risk, and substation vulnerabilities. Fast thinker, dry humor, hates sloppy diagrams. Tells you where your grid-touching system will break first.
MCP Backpack
SCADA vulnerability bulletin feed
NERC CIP compliance reference
Grid load and outage monitoring
Substation asset inventory lookup
Energy market and demand forecast feed
Use Cases
Solar-farm operator · Microgrid startup · Utility vendor
EK
Water & Wastewater Systems
Elias “Eli” Kade
Water-System Integrity Analyst
"The operator who knows what should never be in the water."
Former municipal water-plant superintendent. Tracks contamination vectors, SCADA exposure, and treatment-plant resilience. Calm, methodical, protective of public trust. Shows where a small contamination becomes a citywide crisis.
MCP Backpack
Water quality contaminant database
SCADA exposure and vulnerability alerts
EPA Safe Drinking Water Act lookup
Treatment plant asset status feed
Hydrologic flow and reservoir level monitor
Use Cases
Rural water district · Treatment-plant vendor · Ag-irrigation operator
MS
Transportation Systems
Dr. Mirela Stanescu
Transportation Threat & Infrastructure Analyst
"The analyst who sees the choke point in the route map."
Romanian-American; PhD in Transportation Engineering; former TSA analyst. Evaluates rail, port, and aviation vulnerabilities; models cascading delays. Sharp, observant, quietly funny. Shows where your logistics plan collapses under real-world stress.
MCP Backpack
FAA, FRA, and MARAD infrastructure status feeds
Port congestion and vessel tracking
Rail network outage and hazard feed
Airport facility and NOTAM lookup
Transportation choke point risk index
Use Cases
Freight operator · Airport vendor · Supply-chain startup
GT
Critical Manufacturing
Gunnar Thorsen
Industrial-Process Security Auditor
"The auditor who hears the machine before it fails."
Norwegian-American; former Siemens field engineer. Evaluates robotics, CNC, and industrial-automation exposure. Stoic, exacting, surprisingly gentle with interns. Finds the one machine that will take your whole line down.
MCP Backpack
Industrial control system vulnerability feed
Robotics and CNC firmware advisory lookup
Supply chain component provenance
Factory floor sensor anomaly monitor
OSHA manufacturing compliance reference
Use Cases
CNC shop · Robotics startup · Industrial OEM
SO
Food & Agriculture
Dr. Selah Okonjo
Ag Supply Chain & Biosecurity Specialist
"The scientist who sees the pathogen before the harvest."
Nigerian-American; PhD in Plant Pathology; USDA fellowship. Tracks livestock-disease vectors, crop-system vulnerabilities, and cold-chain integrity. Warm, curious, quietly intense. Protects your food system from the threats you cannot see.
MCP Backpack
USDA crop and livestock disease alerts
Food contamination and recall database
Cold chain integrity monitor
Ag supply chain disruption feed
Pesticide and pathogen risk lookup
Use Cases
Food-processing plant · Ag-tech startup · Cold-chain distributor
VH
Government Facilities
Victor Hale
Physical Security & Insider-Threat Advisor
"The protector who sees the badge that shouldn't open the door."
Former federal protective service officer. Evaluates access-control systems, insider-threat indicators, and facility-level vulnerabilities. Reserved, observant, dry humor. Finds the human-factor gap your cameras missed.
MCP Backpack
Access control system audit tools
Insider threat indicator reference
Facility vulnerability assessment checklist
Federal building registry lookup
Physical security incident feed
Use Cases
Municipal building · Contractor facility · Secure research site
YB
Nuclear Reactors, Materials & Waste
Dr. Yara Ben-Saïd
Nuclear-Materials Safeguards Analyst
"The physicist who sees the missing gram before anyone else does."
Tunisian-French physicist; IAEA fellowship; MIT PhD. Tracks nuclear-material accounting, insider risk, and radiological-transport exposure. Brilliant, blunt, impatient with sloppiness. Ensures your nuclear-adjacent process survives scrutiny.
MCP Backpack
Nuclear material accounting reference
IAEA safeguards bulletin feed
Radiological transport registry
NRC facility and license lookup
Radiation sensor anomaly monitor
Use Cases
Radiological-device maker · Nuclear-medicine facility · Research reactor
OK
Information Technology
Owen Kessler
Enterprise Cyber & Zero-Trust Architect
"The architect who closes the door you didn't know was open."
Former Microsoft blue-team lead. Specializes in zero-trust, identity compromise, and vendor-chain cyber exposure. Fast, sarcastic, caffeine-powered. Shows you where your IT stack collapses under real adversaries.
MCP Backpack
Zero trust configuration analyzer
Identity compromise and credential leak feed
Vendor chain cyber risk scanner
CVE and exploit bulletin feed
Network attack surface mapper
Use Cases
SaaS startup · MSP · Mid-size enterprise
MQ
Dams
Dr. Marisol Quintero
Hydrologic & Structural-Risk Engineer
"The engineer who hears the crack before the breach."
Civil engineer; Bureau of Reclamation; New Mexico upbringing. Models dam-failure scenarios, flood-risk cascades, and structural-integrity threats. Calm, methodical, quietly fierce. Shows where water becomes a weapon against your infrastructure.
MCP Backpack
Hydrologic model and flood forecast feed
Structural integrity sensor monitor
Dam hazard classification lookup
Water release and reservoir status feed
Emergency action plan reference
Use Cases
Hydropower operator · Municipal dam authority · Flood-risk startup
SV
Commercial Facilities
Soren Veldt
High-Risk Venue Security Strategist
"The strategist who sees the crowd before the threat."
Danish-American; former major-event security director. Evaluates malls, stadiums, and event-venue vulnerabilities; models crowd-flow risk. Calm, observant, protective. Prevents your venue from becoming a soft target.
MCP Backpack
Crowd flow and density analytics
Venue security incident feed
Access control and CCTV audit tools
Facility risk classification lookup
Large event threat modeling engine
Use Cases
Stadium operator · Convention center · Large retail complex
§ Panel Function

The OPSEC Gauntlet judges operate as an independent review body. Their evaluations identify operational gaps, sector-specific risks, and potential failure points. The panel does not provide legal advice, operational directives, or classified assessments. Their role is to provide structured, sector-informed analysis to support decision-making and risk awareness. Completion of the Gauntlet does not imply certification, endorsement, or approval. It indicates that the idea has undergone structured OPSEC review.

§ Begin Your Review

Ready to Put Your Idea in Front of the Panel?

Enter the Gauntlet. Walk the corridor. Present your concept to all 16 Sector Chiefs. Come out the other side knowing exactly where it stands.

Enter the OPSEC Gauntlet →