Mark Sicat
Founder & Chief Architect
Building the Future of AI Operations
Mark Sicat is a 25+ year enterprise veteran and US Army National Guard veteran who has worked at the intersection of security, technology, and innovation throughout his career. Holding a Master of Business Administration in Information Technology and a degree in IT Security, he combines advanced technical education with real-world enterprise battlefield experience and a commitment to serving US national security interests.
As the founder of Fire Mission by Blackburn Tactical, he's building the industry's first all-in-one AI operations platformāunifying AI gateway, cost intelligence, and security scanning in a single solution.
With military service in the US Army National Guard, 8+ years at Microsoft, and security clearances for DoW and DoJ systems, Mark brings battle-tested enterprise experience to every aspect of Fire Mission's design. His certifications include CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and PMP (Project Management Professional), reflecting deep expertise in both security architecture and program execution. This combination of military service, government security experience, and enterprise technology leadership reinforces Fire Mission's US-focused security philosophy.
What makes Fire Mission unique is Mark's approach: the entire software development team is AI-powered. Mark provides overall direction and deployment strategy, while AI agents handle the implementation work. This creates a hyperagile development environment that moves at unprecedented speedāfeatures that take traditional software companies months to ship are delivered in days.
No committees, no bureaucracy, no VC pressure to sacrifice quality for growth metrics. Just direct customer feedback driving rapid iteration and innovation. This AI-powered development model allows Fire Mission to stay abreast with current AI trends and severely outpace traditional software development companies and AI integrators.
MBA Oath: Voluntary Commitment to Ethical Business
Mark is a signatory to the MBA Oath, a voluntary pledge by MBAs to create value responsibly and ethically. Over 10,000 students representing more than 100 schools worldwide have taken this oath, creating a community committed to professional standards and ethical behavior in business leadership.
This isn't corporate window dressing. It's a personal commitment to principles that directly shape how Fire Mission operates:
- Transparency: No hidden costs, no surprise overages designed to trap customers, no dark patterns.
- Accountability: Report platform performance and risks accuratelyāno sanitized metrics or misleading dashboards.
- Protection: Safeguard user data and human rights. Zero tolerance for exploitation or discrimination.
- Sustainability: Build for long-term customer value, not short-term extraction tactics.
The MBA Oath commitment means Fire Mission's business model prioritizes customer success over revenue maximization. Fair pricing reflects operational efficiency, not market manipulation. Security is foundational DNA, not a compliance checkbox. Ethical AI guardrails ensure legal data handling without compromise.
"As a business leader I recognize my role in society. My purpose is to lead people and manage resources to create value that no single individual can create alone.
I will manage my enterprise with loyalty and care, and will not advance my personal interests at the expense of my enterprise or society."
ā Excerpt from the MBA Oath
Plot Twist: The Gun Dealer Building AI
Yep, you read that right. Licensed firearms dealer building enterprise AI software. This shouldn't make sense at allāand that's precisely the point.
While "Blackburn Tactical" started as a firearms business, the tactical mindset runs deeper than hardware. It's about precision, reliability under pressure, and mission-critical execution. Whether you're trusting a weapon system in the field or trusting an AI platform with your company's data, the fundamentals are the same: zero tolerance for failure.
So yeah, a US Army National Guard veteran, gun dealer with a CISSP, DoW clearance, and 8 years at Microsoft decided to build the industry's first all-in-one AI ops platform. Solo. Leading an AI-powered development team. While still maintaining a federal firearms license. Because if you're going to serve US national security interests, you might as well do it across multiple domains.
Mission parameters accepted. Engagement authorized. Fire for effect. šÆ
Experience Timeline
Founder & Chief Architect
CurrentBlackburn Tactical (Mark Christopher Consulting Group, LLC)
Building Fire Mission, the industry's first all-in-one AI operations platform. Leading an AI-powered development team that delivers enterprise-grade features with unprecedented hyperagile velocity.
Enterprise Architect & Program Manager
Microsoft | 8+ Years
Led enterprise architecture and program management initiatives across cloud infrastructure, security, and developer tools. Gained deep expertise in scalable systems, compliance frameworks, and enterprise customer requirements.
Security Architect & Consultant
Department of Defense & Department of Justice | Security Clearance
Designed and implemented security architectures for classified government systems. Developed expertise in FedRAMP, FISMA, DoW IL2-Top Secret requirements, and air-gapped deployments.
Enterprise Technology Leadership
Various Organizations | 25+ Years Total
Commercial, SMB, enterprise, and government sectors. Expertise spanning cloud architecture, security compliance, program management, and strategic technology initiatives.
Vision for Fire Mission
"Enterprise AI shouldn't require stitching together 3+ separate vendors."
The inspiration for Fire Mission came from seeing organizations struggle with fragmented AI toolingāone vendor for monitoring, another for gateway/proxy, another for security scanning, another for compliance. Each with separate bills, separate APIs, separate support contracts.
Fire Mission changes that by unifying everything into one platform. AI Gateway + Cost Intelligence + Security Scanning = One Solution.
The competitive advantage comes from hyperagile velocity powered by an AI-powered development team. Features that take traditional software companies months to ship are delivered in days. This approach allows Fire Mission to stay abreast with rapidly evolving AI trends and severely outpace enterprise competitors. Customer feedback drives direct iteration without navigating committee approval processes or VC board politics.
Fire Mission is positioned as a premium innovation platform, not a budget alternative. Transparent pricing ($75-275/mo) reflects operational efficiency, not compromised quality. Battle-tested security is foundational DNA, not a checkbox feature.
Education, Certifications & Credentials
MBA in Information Technology
Master of Business Administration - Information Technology
IT Security Degree
Information Technology Security
CISSP
Certified Information Systems Security Professional
PMP
Project Management Professional
Security Clearance
DoW & DoJ Cleared (Classified Systems Experience)
MBA Oath Signatory
Voluntary Pledge to Ethical Business Practices
Enterprise Leadership
Microsoft, DoW, DoJ, Commercial & Government (25+ Years)
Get in Touch
Interested in learning more about Fire Mission or discussing enterprise AI operations challenges? Connect with Mark on LinkedIn or reach out via email.