Category: News Articles

Retired colonel strengthens company’s Air Force expertise and strategic engagement

Fuse Integration today announced that it has hired retired U.S. Air Force colonel and defense technology leader, Jon D. Klaus, as director of business development. Klaus brings to the role a 30-year Air Force career, government diplomatic experience, and 10 years of success as a defense technology business development executive. He will oversee the strategic direction of the company’s Air Force program, developing, implementing, and driving successful execution and portfolio growth.

“Fuse is expanding the delivery of our advanced networking products and solutions to strengthen Air Force platforms and enhance our nation’s warfighter capabilities across joint and coalition teams,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “Jon brings an impressive blend of military leadership and defense industry expertise to our team. His strategic vision will be instrumental in driving our USAF mission forward and delivering meaningful capabilities for the warfighter.”

Prior to Fuse, Klaus was the vice president/senior director for business development at Saab Inc., where he developed, marketed, and sold the company’s air-related product portfolio across the U.S. defense services. Previously, he served as the United States senior defense official and defense attaché to Sweden, combining diplomatic acumen, strategic leadership, and military expertise to strengthen U.S.-Sweden defense cooperation and shared security objectives. In the Air Force, Klaus served in a variety of aviation assignments, from instructor pilot and flight commander in the KC-135Q and an evaluator pilot in the C-141 to operations officer for C-21s and commander of a KC-135R squadron. Additionally, he was assigned as a National Defense Fellow for the Congressional Research Service in the Library of Congress, and as an executive officer to the Chief Information Officer of the Air Force.

Klaus has a master’s degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Iowa.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse is a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm providing innovative communications, networking, and computing solutions for defense customers. The company’s virtualized network systems, tactical edge network and airborne networking gateway products improve the sharing of information, video, text, and voice among warfighters throughout airborne, maritime, and ground environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business with headquarters in San Diego and a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Fuse today announced that the San Diego Business Journal has named three company executives as 2024 Veteran Leaders of Influence. Fuse CEO Sumner Lee, Director of Operations Natalie Caruso, and Director of Programs Dennis Wojcik are among 50 individuals recognized this year. The annual SDBJ honor celebrates influential veteran leaders who live and work in San Diego County for their contributions and commitment.

“I am incredibly proud to stand alongside fellow leaders at Fuse in receiving this recognition from the San Diego Business Journal,” said Lee. “I can attest that Natalie and Dennis, as part of the Fuse team, are driven by a mission to advance the capabilities of our nation’s warfighters. This recognition honors the commitment, leadership, and service that our team brings to the defense technology field each day, and I’m grateful to be part of such a dedicated team.”

Lee started his career as a naval aviator. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, he graduated first in his class from flight school and flew H-46 helicopters through two deployments with the HC-11 “Gunbearers” out of San Diego. He later founded Fuse to deliver critically needed capabilities to the warfighter through the application of Design Thinking processes. Combining deep operational experience of veteran operators with exceptional engineering expertise, Lee assembled a team that successfully applies cutting-edge technology to real operational issues for Fuse defense customers.

Caruso served in the Navy, flying in the F-14 as a Radar Intercept Officer, completing two combat cruises in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a Strike Instructor and Adversary Lead at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, she completed the Adversary course at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). She then led F/A-18 test missions at the Advanced Weapons Lab in China Lake before joining Fuse. Today Caruso leads Fuse’s infrastructure and support functions with a long-term vision and focus on the Fuse team and culture.

Wojcik served in the U.S. Navy as an Advanced Development Integrated Product Team Leader focused on E-2C/E-2D network-centric warfare and a naval flight officer flying E-2C Hawkeye aircraft. Before joining Fuse, he served as Director of Programs Common Mission Management Systems and HALE Mission Control Systems at Northrop Grumman. Today, he oversees Fuse’s daily operations and runs Fuse’s CORE® solution program. His commitment to the warfighter and drive for systems engineering excellence shows through with every client served and his interactions with the Fuse team.

For more on the backgrounds of these three leaders, review the full list of SDBJ 2024 Leaders of Influence online.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse is a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm providing innovative communications, networking, and computing solutions for defense customers. The company’s virtualized network systems, tactical edge network and airborne networking gateway products improve the sharing of information, video, text, and voice among warfighters throughout airborne, maritime, and ground environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business with headquarters in San Diego and a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Feature article outlines former Navy pilot’s journey from military service to business leadership

“When we start a project, we don’t just dive into engineering. We sit down with the users to understand their workflow and mission needs, ensuring the technology we develop makes their lives easier.”

That quote from Fuse CEO Sumner Lee appears in the Winter 2024 issue of U.S. Veterans Magazine, in its “Small Business Spotlight: Fuse Integration—Blending Design, Technology & Military Experience” article. The article outlines Lee’s background as a Navy H-46 helicopter pilot, working with Navy Technology Development Command (now, NAVWAR), and his leadership of Fuse Integration since its founding in 2010.

The thread for that journey is an intentional blend of design and technology. The feature article touches on:

• Lee’s vision for Fuse Integration to merge user-centric design principles for defense technology
• How Fuse’s “warfighter-focused engineering and design” approach to develop military technology solutions is truly centered on military users’ needs
• An example of when Lee trusted his instincts to do a spontaneous flight test, leading to successful program development for NAVAIR

When asked to reflect on why veterans excel as entrepreneurs, Lee responded, “Veterans have gone through tough situations—whether on a ship in the Pacific, in a desert fighting hole, or flying a bomber over the North Pole. They know a resilience and knowledge that’s hard to find elsewhere.”

The full story is available now in the Winter 2024 issue online and in print, on page 63. 

About Fuse Integration

Fuse is a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm providing innovative communications, networking, and computing solutions for defense customers. The company’s virtualized network systems, tactical edge network and airborne networking gateway products improve the sharing of information, video, text, and voice among warfighters throughout airborne, maritime, and ground environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business with headquarters in San Diego and a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Results-driven leader to optimize financial processes and systems for sustained growth

Fuse today announced that financial growth executive Peter J. Gondek has joined the company as CFO. A results-oriented financial leader, Gondek brings to the role nearly 30 years of success, guiding defense contractors and technology-focused commercial companies to achieve their growth and profitability milestones. As CFO, he will develop and guide strategies for Fuse’s economic success.

“Fuse is on a steep growth trajectory, as more of our tactical edge networking solutions move into production and support defense programs of record,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “Peter is an astute leader with a wealth of financial acumen and his expertise will be crucial as we move through this significant period of expansion.”

Gondek joins Fuse from Systems Technology, Inc., where he served as head of finance and treasurer. While there, the company achieved record growth and profitability. Previously, he served as director of finance and controller at Referentia Systems in Honolulu.

“Fuse has a strong foundation and a clear growth path,” said Gondek. “I’m looking forward to helping the company achieve its long-term goals while continuing to deliver exceptional value to its defense customers.”

He holds an MBA from the University of Arizona and a BBA from San Diego State University. Gondek is an active member of Financial Executives International and the CFO Leadership Council.  He is also a certified International Mergers and Acquisitions Expert through the Institute for Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances (IMAA).

Fuse was recently awarded a $16 million production contract from NAVAIR for its CORE® 4.0 virtualized network systems on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye program and earned a place on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse is a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm providing innovative communications, networking and computing solutions for defense customers. The company’s virtualized network systems, tactical edge network and airborne networking gateway products improve the sharing of information, video, text and voice among warfighters throughout airborne, maritime and ground environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business with headquarters in San Diego and a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Fuse today announced that it has earned a place on the 2024 Washington Technology Fast 50 list of the fastest-growing small businesses in the government market. Honorees are ranked based on their annual growth rate from 2019 to 2023.

“Over the past five years, Fuse has matured our advanced tactical edge networking capabilities to meet the persistent and evolving needs of our defense customers,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “Earning a spot on the Washington Technology Fast 50 reflects our team’s ability to rapidly scale and successfully deliver communications and networking solutions that support our customers’ programs of record and, ultimately, our nation’s warfighters.” 

2024 is the first time Fuse has appeared on the Fast 50 list. The full list of companies and their rankings are available online.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse is a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm providing innovative communications, networking and computing solutions for defense customers. The company’s virtualized network systems, tactical edge network and airborne networking gateway products improve the sharing of information, video, text and voice among warfighters throughout airborne, maritime and ground environments. Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business with headquarters in San Diego and a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Live demo showcases flow of data across a Tactical Edge Network in flight

Fuse Integration has completed a live, over-the-air demonstration of its TENTaCLE network capability for U.S. Navy operators. The three-day demo in a desert environment included multiple airborne nodes receiving mission-relevant data from mission commanders thousands of miles away. TENTaCLE successfully enabled remote, globally sourced ISR and C2 data to flow between dispersed nodes and a remote mission operations center.

“Combat search and rescue, close air support, ISR, and strike missions all rely on a flexible tactical edge network that seamlessly interconnects many different users,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “Working closely with the warfighter, we’ve been able to deliver and demonstrate a flexible yet resilient network. As we ramp up production this year, we are regularly testing and flying our systems in live events to evaluate the performance of our capabilities in dynamic, operationally relevant environments.”

Each demonstration provides insights on the challenges that warfighters face in critical missions, and how Fuse systems can address network and communications gaps. This most recent test demonstrated measurable improvement compared with the performance of just legacy radios.

This demo enabled successful mission execution on all three days, employing both TENTaCLE ground and airborne nodes with the Fuse CORE® multifunction network controller and T3 network management software.

Distribution A – distribution unlimited SPR2024-0660.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse is a warfighter-focused engineering and design firm providing innovative communications, networking, and computing solutions for defense customers. The company’s virtualized network systems, tactical edge network and airborne networking gateway products improve the sharing of information, video, text, and voice among warfighters throughout airborne, maritime, and ground environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business with headquarters in San Diego and a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com