Dries Putter is an associate professor at the Faculty of Military Science (FMS) at Stellenbosch University. He teaches within the Defence Intelligence Studies Department. He is an active-duty senior naval and intelligence officer in the South African National Defence Force; commenced with service in 1988. As the Division Head for Security and Africa Studies at the Faculty, his interests include intelligence studies, specifically counterintelligence, grey zones, and hybrid warfare. Dr Putter is the Chair of the FMS Research Committee, a member of the Internationalisation and the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Committees. He is part of the Steering Committee for the newly established Defence Artificial Intelligence Research Institute South Africa (DAIRISA) actively searching for partner organisations. He is also affiliated with SIGLA at the FMS (Stellenbosch University), an affiliated member of the National Security Hub (University of Canberra), a researcher for the Africa Research Institute (Óbuda University, Hungary), an Advisory Board Member of the Center of Geopolitical Security and Strategy as well as an Extraordinary Research Fellow (North West University, South Africa). His research interests encompass intelligence, counterintelligence, covert action, grey zone and hybrid warfare, arms control, and the defence industry, with publications in the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, Journal of Applied Security Research, Journal of Information Warfare, Journal of Baltic Security, Journal of Central and East European African Studies, Global Policy, African Security Review, Global Change, Peace and Security, and Scientia Militaria. He has also published book chapters and has a co-edited book (Drones in African Battlespace) with Springer. The second co-edited book is with Routledge, titled Grey Zone Conflict in Africa (forthcoming in 2026). He has been invited to form part of the Editorial team for the Journal of Intelligence and Security Studies (National Intelligence Academy, Turkey) - first publications scheduled for 2027.