Closing the Tactical Connectivity Gap

This latest SOFX article, “Closing the Tactical Connectivity Gap: Why Elsight’s Halo Is Gaining Ground with U.S. Defense Leaders,” argues that U.S. defense leaders face a persistent vulnerability in tactical edge communications and presents Elsight’s Halo platform as a solution.

For years, U.S. defense leaders have identified the same persistent vulnerability: resilient communications at the tactical edge. As near-peer adversaries refine electronic warfare capabilities and contested spectrum operations become the norm rather than the exception, legacy communications systems are increasingly exposed…Future operations will demand: Low-signature communications, Seamless interoperability, Dynamic network management, [and] Resilience under persistent electronic attack 

Modern unmanned systems depend on resilient, beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) connectivity in contested environments where electronic warfare threatens traditional RF-based communications. The article shows that Halo integrates multiple communication pathways to sustain connectivity despite adversary disruption and the challenges of undetectable emissions.

The platform is already being used globally in real-world, contested environments to keep unmanned systems, sensors, and edge nodes connected using a true multi-bearer approach…more than 500,000 operational hours in contested environments, in several areas of conflict worldwide… Elsight was awarded the BLOS connectivity portion of the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)’ s Project Gl and is currently in the final stages of training special forces.

“An Exploration of Data Superiority as a Warfighting Concept” (Aug. 2025, Small Wars Journal) makes a parallel argument that modern military advantage depends on resilient data transmission in contested environments. It emphasizes that autonomous systems, AI-enabled targeting, and distributed operations require secure, low-latency communications that can endure cyber and electronic attack. Together with the SOFX article, both works argue that future battlefield effectiveness will hinge on the survivability of the networks that connect them.

The post Closing the Tactical Connectivity Gap appeared first on Small Wars Journal by Arizona State University.