Ed Spitler
For more than three decades, Ed Spitler has pursued a passionate commitment to support the American warfighter by supplying best-in-class satellite communications systems to power the success of the US Armed Forces.
The US Army is where he began his career. He specialized in Cryptographic Communications (COMSEC) as a Telecommunications and Systems Specialist and gained a profound understanding of the strategic and tactical environments in which they operate. Upon completing his military service, Ed went to work for the US Department of Defense Contractor, rising from Senior Technical Engineer to Regional Program Manager, OPMAS-EUR, 5th Command, where he played a pivotal role in transitioning seven Defense Communications Sites (DCS) throughout Germany from analog to digital technology.
In 2001, he joined Artel as Vice President of Managed Network Services, in which role he served as program director for more than eight critical DOD and Department of State programs and supported missions including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan. Leaving Artel in 2012, Ed went on to hold a series of leadership positions, including COO of Vizada, CEO of Astrium Services Government, and President of the Satcom Services Government Division at Airbus Defense and Space.
By 2017, he was back at Artel as Head of Satcom, where he led the company into a multi-orbit future that delivered resilient GEO to LEO connectivity to the government. His many achievements included enabling CENTCOM and AFCENT to develop and expand their strategically critical ISR platforms and initiating Eutelsat Quantum Satellite Services to DOD and CENTCOM. He also won and led development and delivery of the SPACE FORCE Pathfinder 2 program, which embedded the Pathfinder 2 payload aboard Hispasat’s Amazonas Nexus HTS. The goal was to provide dependable access to connectivity while saving money for Federal agencies compared with short-term satellite capacity leasing. The program produced savings of more than 60 percent over equivalent service.
During Ed’s career, the US Government came to value the power of the private sector to accelerate innovation in connectivity and digital infrastructure. But innovation is not enough. Balancing his drive to innovate on behalf of his government customers, Ed has also provided a deep understanding of how the government makes decisions and adopts new solutions. Striking that balance has been critical to progress that maintains readiness in a fast-changing world.