Author: Ashley Brumbaugh

Fuse announced today that the San Diego Business Journal has honored Dave “Duck” Miceli as a 2026 Veteran Leader of Influence. Miceli, Maritime and Expeditionary Business Area Manager at Fuse, is a former Navy helicopter pilot and squadron commanding officer who has long advocated for improved tactical communications within the Navy helicopter community. SDBJ’s annual awards celebrate influential veteran leaders who live and work in San Diego County.

“Flying and commanding a squadron taught me that mission success depends on the people beside you. San Diego has the strongest military community I know, and I’m grateful that SDBJ is recognizing what veterans contribute to this region,” said Miceli. “I’m honored to be included in such impressive company.”

Drawing on more than two decades of naval aviation experience, Miceli guides product and program alignment while helping expand Fuse’s impact across rotary-wing, maritime, and expeditionary missions. He brings firsthand operational insight to the company’s delivery of secure tactical edge networking solutions. He also represents Fuse within the broader naval aviation community, sharing his expertise on emerging technologies and operational challenges facing today’s warfighters.

“Fuse was founded by and for our nation’s warfighters, and veterans make up more than 40% of our team,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “We are committed to delivering secure networked solutions for warfighting effect at the tactical edge. Duck is among the best of us, and this well-deserved recognition reflects his outstanding expertise, character, and leadership.”

Miceli holds advanced degrees in aerospace engineering and has received numerous medals and decorations throughout his career.

The full list of SDBJ’s 2026 Veteran Leaders of Influence is available online. The publication will also recognize honorees at an evening event on November 5 at the University Club in San Diego.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Small feedback loops, user-centered design, and cross-functional teams help the firm deliver at the pace defense customers now demand

California Business Journal featured Fuse in a new article on how people-centered collaboration helps defense organizations turn complex requirements into fielded systems faster. Seven to 10 years was once typical. Customers now ask for a year or less.

“Defense customers have a requirement today and a threat that will not wait seven to 10 years for an answer,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse Integration. “Closing that gap takes people who understand the mission, work across disciplines, and put the warfighter in the room early. California Business Journal captured how our teams do just that.”

The article, “From Requirements to Reality: Why Fast-Turn Innovation Starts With People,” explains how Fuse shortens the path from requirement to fielded system. It covers the company’s practice of working in small, measurable increments with frequent customer feedback. It describes the company’s Warfighter Workshops, which bring service members into the design process so systems are intuitive on day one. It also explains how an open architecture lets engineers integrate new gear in days, so Fuse can say yes when customers ask for products and systems in just a few weeks or days.

Digital modeling and Fuse’s own Test Squadron keep engineering rigor in place at speed, and multidisciplinary teams across software, cyber, network, design, and systems engineering drive the pace.

Jason Wilden, Fuse Director of Engineering and Technology, is quoted in the article. He emphasizes how Fuse balances empowering team members to move quickly while insisting on quality outcomes. He says, “Yes, we go fast. We also do the analysis, we do the math, we do the modeling, we do the testing. “Moving quickly does not mean we’re sacrificing engineering rigor.”

To read the full article, go to California Business Journal.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

1968 Warbird brings tactical capability to development and demonstration of warfighting technology

Fuse Integration announced today it has added a newly refurbished OV-10 Bronco to its Test Squadron, expanding the company’s ability to support the fleet with demonstration, experimentation, and capability development. The OV-10, pulled from the Boneyard and fully refurbished, took its first flight on the Fourth of July and is now flying in support of Fuse activities. The announcement comes as Fuse joins industry leaders at the AFA Air, Space & Cyber Conference, taking place Sept. 14-16 in National Harbor, Maryland. 

“Fuse is growing fast, and we needed an aircraft that can handle heavier loads with a tactically relevant envelope of operations,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “The OV-10 is an exceptional platform that lets us support Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps customers across TACAIR, Bomber, and Rotary wing communities.”

Flying its own aircraft in support of reference missions has become central to how Fuse innovates. The company uses live flights alongside military platforms carrying Fuse products and KRAKEN integrated systems to demonstrate network-centric capability. The OV-10 brings seven external hardpoints, a 3,200-pound payload capacity, and a low cost per flight hour. The aircraft joins a Test Squadron that includes an O-2A Skymaster and access to Citation C550, Saab 340, Gulfstream, and T-38. “Integrating air and ground prototypes in a rapid cycle of build and experiment helps us move fast,” commented Lee.

The new Bronco will be on display at “America’s Air Show,” in Miramar, California, on Sept. 25-27. “There is no better way to celebrate 250 years of American spirit, innovation, and aviation excellence than attending the Air Show,” said Lee.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Deployment of scalable, production-ready tactical edge networking solutions fueling growth

Fuse today announced it has earned a place, for the fourth time, on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Companies on the list are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2022 to 2025. Fuse’s growth has been fueled by accelerated deployment of its communications and networking solutions at the tactical edge. The company’s scalable, production-ready systems are enabling mission effects across manned and unmanned platforms in theater.

“Modern defense operations increasingly rely on ready-now solutions for secure, resilient network connectivity across manned and unmanned platforms in theater,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “Our tactical edge networking solutions are joint and open by design and proven in deployed environments. As demand grows, our team is moving toward full-rate production of our multifunction network controllers and podded solutions.”

“Being recognized again as one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation is an honor and a testament to the team behind the growth,” added Scott Rosebush, Fuse President. “I couldn’t be more proud of how our leaders and team members have consistently stepped up to meet the moment with relentless follow-through.”

Fuse is ranked 3,655 on the 2026 list, which is available here: https://www.inc.com/inc5000

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

VP of Operations recognized for innovative approaches to delivering warfighter solutions

The San Diego Business Journal has named Dennis Wojcik, Vice President of Operations at Fuse, a 2026 Leader of Influence in Technology. Each year, SDBJ recognizes 50 top innovators, executives, and experts in the Southern California tech sector.

“San Diego’s tech ecosystem is unmatched for its cutting-edge defense technology collaborations and solutions,” said Wojcik. “I’m honored to engage with this community every day and to be recognized with such impressive company.”

Wojcik brings a distinctive combination of operational and engineering experience to Fuse. As an Advanced Development Integrated Product Team Leader in the U.S. Navy, he focused on E-2C/E-2D network-centric warfare, and as a naval flight officer, he flew the E-2C Hawkeye. At Fuse, he paired that firsthand warfighter experience with deep defense program management expertise, turning complex engineering challenges into mission-ready solutions that strengthen national defense. Today, he leads Fuse’s CORE® virtualized network systems program, driving experimentation and prototyping to solve warfighter challenges.

“Dennis has a track record of elevating quality management and introducing prototypes and innovations that speed the quality and production of our warfighter-focused solutions,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “He’s also a former naval flight officer, building solutions for the warfighter he used to be. That combination of operational insight and engineering discipline is exactly what our mission demands.”

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Profile traces how veteran’s frustration with disconnected acquisition cycles led to founding a defense tech firm built to move at the speed of the mission.

Fuse Integration Founder and CEO Sumner Lee is featured in a new WashingtonExec profile examining his path from naval aviator to defense technology entrepreneur. The piece, “Why Sumner Lee Took Design Thinking to the Warfighter,” follows how Lee’s experience as the Navy’s airborne networking lead, combined with a stint in commercial product design, shaped Fuse’s founding mission: applying human-centered design principles to military systems engineering.

“Fuse exists because the pilots, the sailors, and the soldiers on the ground were too often an afterthought in how military technology gets built,” Lee said. “We designed our entire company around listening to them first.”

The profile details Fuse’s rapid-response approach to defense acquisition, including a recent instance where the Air Force asked the company to deliver a complete system in six days. Lee attributes this speed to a deliberate departure from traditional acquisition timelines. “We’re taking a year or less to be able to field a new system,” he told WashingtonExec. “We’re taking weeks instead of years to turn around updates and enable field changes.”

The article also highlights Fuse’s growth, including back-to-back appearances on Washington Technology’s Fast 50 and multiple placements on the Inc. 5000, as well as the addition of President Scott Rosebush, whom Lee credits with strengthening the team as the company scales. “Scott is a transparent leader with a track record of successfully growing defense tech organizations at an inflection point,” Lee said. “He’s doing a better job building our team than I ever could.”

Read the full profile on Sumner Lee and Fuse Integration’s mission to modernize military systems engineering at WashingtonExec: https://washingtonexec.com/exec-profiles/why-sumner-lee-took-design-thinking-to-the-warfighter.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Trusted executives recognized for role in firm’s accelerating growth trajectory

Fuse Integration today announced the promotion of three leaders. Dennis Wojcik, Allen McAfee, and Rebecca Unetic are now vice presidents of operations, engineering and technology, and growth and capture, respectively.

“Efforts like Fuse’s new expeditionary communications for ground forces program, the start of the latest Low-Rate Initial Production build for KRAKEN 18 helicopter and MUAS pods and recent activities in support of emergent overseas operations, signify a new phase in our growth journey,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “Dennis, Allen, and Rebecca are instrumental leaders in our success.”

“These promotions reflect added responsibility for executives who have played critical roles in the company’s growth,” added Scott Rosebush, Fuse President. “We expect more inspiring leadership as their responsibilities, teams, and span of control continue to expand.”

Dennis Wojcik, Vice President of Operations

Wojcik oversees facilities, production, manufacturing, human resources, security, quality and other operations disciplines. He leads the AS9100 quality management processes while delivering the company’s products at quality and speed. As Fuse’s product production accelerated over the past two years, his team doubled in size.

Allen McAfee, Vice President of Engineering & Technology

McAfee leads the engineering, technology, innovation, and test disciplines. Under his leadership, Fuse’s growing product portfolio continues to deliver warfighting effect at industry-leading speed-to-fleet. McAfee’s team develops and introduces new products, including the emerging CORE 6® multi-function network controller, which delivers encryption, scalability, and interoperability for coordinating SWaP-constrained platforms like swarming drones.

Rebecca Unetic, Vice President of Growth & Capture

Unetic leads the company’s growth and capture, from business development and customer needs to product alignment, bid, proposal, sales, and marketing. She identifies and establishes industry partnerships, shapes investment decisions, and informs company strategy. Under Unetic’s leadership, Fuse was named a San Diego Fastest Growing company two years in a row.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Analysis highlights importance of persistent connectivity in contested operational environments

Fuse Integration has released a new white paper, D2C pLEO: Reshaping Military SATCOM, examining how direct-to-cell (D2C) technologies, enabled through non-terrestrial networks (NTN), are emerging as a new layer in military communications architectures. The paper explores how proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) satellite networks could help support resilient command, control, and coordination for mobile forces and autonomous systems operating in degraded and contested environments.

“Modern defense operations are increasingly mobile, distributed, and autonomous,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “Defense organizations need communications architectures that can reliably function through disruption, mobility challenges, and contested conditions, and D2C is emerging as a key part of that conversation.”

The white paper highlights that standards-based 4G and 5G D2C connectivity is becoming a valuable new layer in military communications, emphasizing that it complements existing tactical communications capabilities like MANET radios and broadband SATCOM systems. The analysis focuses on the operational value of persistent, low-rate connectivity for dismounted troops, ground vehicles, and drones and other uncrewed systems (UxVs), particularly when traditional communications paths are degraded or denied. The paper also examines the growing role of layered networking architectures designed to improve resilience, link diversity, and operational continuity across dynamic mission environments.

“The value of D2C is the continuity it offers,” said Allen McAfee, Vice President of Engineering and Technology at Fuse. “It can help preserve command-and-control functions, status updates, and coordination when higher-capacity links become unavailable.”

In the paper, Fuse advocates for accelerated test and experimentation of the D2C/NTN technologies under realistic operational conditions, including motion and representative terrain, to determine the true strengths and limitations of the architectures at scale.

The full white paper, D2C pLEO: Reshaping Military SATCOM, is available here: https://www.fuseintegration.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Fuse_WP_D2C-pLEO.pdf

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Dave “Duck” Miceli to represent tactical edge networking perspective at premier naval rotary-wing aviation event

Fuse Integration, a warfighter-focused non-traditional engineering firm, today announced that Dave “Duck” Miceli, Program Manager and Rotary Wing and Expeditionary Warfare Subject Matter Expert at Fuse, will serve as a panelist on the Captains of Industry panel at the Naval Helicopter Association 2026 Annual Symposium. With a theme of “Forged to Fight,” NHA 2026 will take place May 12–15 at Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center, California.

On May 13, the panel will bring together senior industry leaders to explore how defense companies are delivering operational advantage through speed, integration, adaptability, and real-world relevance for the warfighter. They will examine the capabilities shaping the future of maritime and expeditionary aviation.

“The NHA Symposium is exactly where this conversation belongs, in a room full of the warriors who fly the missions and understand what operational relevance truly means,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “We are proud to have Duck contribute to a dialogue that puts the warfighter first.”

SESSION INFORMATION

The Captains of Industry panel is designed to move beyond traditional platform discussions and focus on how industry partners are delivering operational advantage through speed, integration, adaptability, and real-world relevance for the warfighter.

Event: Naval Helicopter Association 2026 Annual Symposium | “Forged to Fight”

Panel: Captains of Industry

When: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | 1345–1500 PT

Where: Harrah’s Resort Southern California, Valley Center, California | TEC 11–13

Members of the media interested in scheduling an interview with Miceli before, during, or after the symposium should contact Joyce Bosc at jbosc@boscobel.com.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com

Fuse Integration CTO and Vice President of Engineering and Technology, Allen McAfee, recently appeared on TECHNE Connect’s Behind the Mission podcast to discuss his career journey, the opportunities that defense technology careers offer, and what both professionals and hiring managers should keep in mind in this space. Launched in response to the sector’s growing talent shortage, the podcast amplifies voices from the defense and aerospace industry and inspires the next generation to explore engineering careers in defense.

In the conversation with TECHNE Co-Founder Ferris Aitchison, McAfee traced an unconventional path to defense tech: from a Navy corpsman and Iraq veteran to 3D printing startup to Fuse, where he has spent the past seven years helping shape the company’s mission around airborne networking and seamless connectivity across defense systems.

A thread running through the entire conversation was Fuse’s commitment to warfighter-driven design and McAfee’s conviction that it should shape how engineers at every level approach their work. “We are adamant about the warfighter,” he said, describing it as a defining part of Fuse’s culture and engineering philosophy. For engineers considering the defense space, he framed that ground-level connection not simply as a company value but as a career asset: “Sitting behind a screen is fine, but understanding the context of where your product is going is going to benefit your career.”

On the question of purpose, McAfee was direct: his personal mission at Fuse is to “lift the fog of war.” Drawing on his own combat experience, he described the real cost of information blackouts in the field and the satisfaction of hearing from users that what once took an hour now takes five minutes.

For engineers considering the defense space, McAfee highlighted key skill areas currently in high demand while offering broader career notes as AI tools take on more routine coding and testing work. He also reflected on Fuse’s growth trajectory, as the company has career openings across engineering roles, with more production hiring expected later this year.

Listen to the full episode on TECHNE Connect’s Behind the Mission podcast.

About Fuse Integration

Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com