Veteran of 25+ Years in Special Operations, Strategic Acquisitions, and Advanced Technology Integration Joins Safe Pro as Company Accelerates Government Contract Pipeline
Safe Pro Group, a developer of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled defense, security, and situational awareness solutions, announced the appointment of Colonel (Ret.) Jarret Mathews as its first Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Colonel Mathews brings more than 25 years of operational leadership, defense acquisition expertise, and advanced technology integration experience to Safe Pro as the Company accelerates its government contract capture strategy for its patented AI and computer vision solutions, ballistic protection products, and drone-based services.
Prior to retiring from the US Army, Colonel Mathews served as Director of the Joint Acquisitions Task Force within U.S. Army Special Operations Command (SOCOM), where he led the development and integration of AI and machine learning (ML) technologies and drove acquisition reform initiatives to accelerate SOCOM’s innovation pipeline. Colonel Mathews’ distinguished career includes serving in the Special Operations command in the Global War on Terror (GWOT) across the Middle East and Central Asia, assignment to the Pentagon, commanding of the Yakima Training Center, and holding a senior liaison role supporting U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) with strategic international partners.
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His appointment is a direct outgrowth of Safe Pro’s strategy to deepen its defense sector relationships and convert its technology pipeline into awarded contracts and revenue.
Dan Erdberg, Chairman and CEO of Safe Pro Group, commented: “Over the past six months as a special advisor, Jarret has demonstrated exceptional leadership, enhanced our operational execution capabilities, and brought unique insights into the evolving procurement needs of the U.S. military. His appointment as COO reflects our confidence in both his expertise and in the significant contract opportunities we see ahead.”
Colonel Mathews added: “I am committed to helping Safe Pro’s teams execute at the highest level and, most importantly, to delivering value to our current and future customers and government partners. The momentum building around our solutions in the defense and commercial markets is real, and I look forward to contributing to its acceleration.”
Colonel Mathews holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree in Global Affairs from the University of Kansas. He brings deep expertise at the intersection of national security, defense procurement, and emerging technology — directly aligned with Safe Pro’s core markets.
The Company’s Safe Pro Object Threat Detection (SPOTD) AI platform analyzes imagery and video from virtually any drone to automatically detect and classify explosive threats and other objects of interest. The platform converts raw video into high-resolution 2D/3D geospatial models that can be rapidly shared to support operational decision-making in defense, security, and humanitarian missions. SPOTD is capable of identifying more than 150 types of landmines and UXO, enabling scalable situational awareness across large, high-risk areas. SPOTD has been deployed in active operational environments in Ukraine for over three years and is supported by a growing proprietary dataset comprising over 2.6 million analyzed images, more than 47,800 identified threats, and coverage of approximately 32,800 acres.
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