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Thales Advances Tactical SATCOM for Dismounted Forces

Soldier in desert environment holds handheld device with small antenna.

At AUSA, we spoke with Aaron Brosnan, president of Tampa Microwave, a Thales company, about how the company is evolving tactical SATCOM to meet this demand.

Dismounted forces and the connectivity imperative

"Dismounted forces need reliable and secure connectivity to enable successful completion of mission objectives." That line, stated in the reporting, frames the core problem: soldiers operating on foot require communications that are both dependable and protected. The account links that operational requirement directly to a technology response — an ongoing effort to give those forces direct access to orbiting communications resources described in the reporting.

Direct access to LEO and MEO networks

The piece is explicit about the target of the push: direct access to LEO and MEO networks. Those two classes of satellite constellations are identified as the networks toward which access is being sought for dismounted troops. The reporting characterizes this as a "push" — a focused effort to change how dismounted users connect to space-based tactical SATCOM.

Aaron Brosnan and Tampa Microwave's stated role

The reporting records a conversation with Aaron Brosnan, identified as president of Tampa Microwave, which is described as a Thales company. According to the article, Brosnan discussed how Tampa Microwave is "evolving tactical SATCOM" in order to meet the connectivity and security demand voiced for dismounted forces. That description links a vendor-level development effort to the operational requirement laid out earlier.

AUSA as the venue for the exchange

The interaction took place at AUSA, where the author spoke with Brosnan. AUSA served as the setting in which the need for reliable, secure connectivity for dismounted forces and Tampa Microwave’s response were put on the record. The reporting therefore presents the conversation as part of a public exposition of emerging tactical SATCOM activity tied to LEO and MEO access.

What this means for dismounted forces, Tampa Microwave, and AUSA

  • Dismounted forces: The reporting emphasizes that these units "need reliable and secure connectivity to enable successful completion of mission objectives," making their connectivity requirement the central point of the story.
  • Tampa Microwave / Thales: The company, through its president Aaron Brosnan, is described as "evolving tactical SATCOM" to meet the demand for secure, reliable links — tying a vendor development effort directly to the stated operational need.
  • AUSA: As the forum where the discussion took place, AUSA is depicted as the venue where industry representatives are publicly describing their work on tactical SATCOM related to giving dismounted forces direct access to LEO and MEO networks.

The report captures a succinct chain: an articulated operational need (reliable, secure connectivity for dismounted forces), a stated technical direction (direct access to LEO and MEO networks), and a vendor response (Tampa Microwave, a Thales company, evolving tactical SATCOM). Taken together in the moment recorded at AUSA, those elements sketch a narrow but clear alignment between battlefield requirements and an industry-side effort to adjust tactical SATCOM. The conversation recorded in the reporting underscores that the move toward direct LEO and MEO access is being positioned as a practical answer to the connectivity imperative for dismounted forces.

Original story