Dr. Treston Wheat is a security strategist, researcher, and educator who has spent more than a decade studying and practicing the theory and application of private security. He currently serves as the Director of Physical Security at Georgetown University, where he leads the University’s physical security program, oversees strategic security risk assessments, and helps shape the long-term protection and resilience of the University.
Previously, Treston served as a geopolitical and strategic cybersecurity analyst at AS Solution, a red team analyst at Milestone Technologies, and Senior Advisor for Global Safety & Security at Save the Children US, where he advised on global security operations, crisis management, travel risk, intelligence, and organizational resilience in support of humanitarian programs around the world.
Alongside his professional work, Treston serves as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, where he teaches on intelligence and corporate security. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of The Close Protection and Security Journal, contributing to the advancement of scholarship and professional practice across the security industry.
His research has been published by Military Review, Modern War Journal, the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation, and the Institute for Homeland Security. He has also participated in the National Security Fellows Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Department of Homeland Security’s Public-Private Analytic Exchange Program, experiences that have further informed his work on intelligence, security, and emerging risks.
Treston earned his Bachelor of Arts and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Tennessee and his Master of Arts in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. His doctoral dissertation examined the ethics of drone warfare through the lens of Augustinian Just War Theory, reflecting his longstanding interest in the relationship between technology, morality, and conflict.
In addition to his academic and professional work, Treston writes Geopolitics & Gin, a newsletter exploring geopolitics, intelligence, history, security, and strategy through accessible essays and commentary. Across all of his work, he is driven by a commitment to strengthening institutions, fostering resilience, and translating complex security challenges into practical insight.
A proud East Tennessean from a large family, Treston is an avid Epicurean, cinephile, and bibliophile who believes that the best conversations often begin over a well-made cocktail, a great film, or a well-worn book.