Who we are

Fourth State Communications is built around a team with deep, complementary experience across atmospheric science, RF communications, military experimentation, systems engineering, and large-scale field operations. The company brings together researchers, engineers, and operators who have worked at the intersection of advanced communications research and real-world deployment, where performance is constrained not by theory but by environment, infrastructure, and operational realities.

The team’s background spans government research and development programs, defense experimentation, and hands-on infrastructure construction. This combination enables Fourth State to approach long-range communications as a complete system problem—one that includes propagation behavior, signal stability, power, physical infrastructure, logistics, and sustainment. Rather than optimizing individual components in isolation, the team focuses on end-to-end performance and reliability under changing and often adverse conditions.

Fourth State’s work reflects experience operating in environments where uncertainty, variability, and limited resources are the norm. That perspective informs the development of the Enhanced Thermo-Scatter System (ETSS), ensuring that advances in propagation control translate into deployable, maintainable systems capable of supporting time-critical and mission-critical data delivery across long distances. The team’s emphasis on disciplined engineering, operational feasibility, and measured validation underpins the company’s approach across defense, emergency response, and emerging commercial applications

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

John Edwards is an entrepreneur, innovator, and former U.S. Marine Corps officer with experience leading cross-functional teams across government, research, and private-sector environments. As Co-Founder and CEO of Fourth State Communications, he co-developed patented over-the-horizon telecommunications technologies and has built strategic relationships with industry experts, universities, and publicly traded companies to advance long-range communications research into operational systems.

Previously, John served as a Program and Management Analyst with the National Institutes of Health, supporting enterprise-scale IT systems and ethics policy, and held multiple roles at Headquarters Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, including project management and overseas advisory assignments in West Africa. He also co-founded Iron Mountain Contracting, a regional services company focused on infrastructure and field operations. John holds an Executive MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and a BA in Political Science from the University of New Mexico.

Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer

Levi Kunkel is a technology innovator and U.S. Marine Corps veteran with more than fifteen years of experience spanning military operations, advanced research, and civilian technology programs. As Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Fourth State Communications, Levi leads the company’s long-range communications research and technical development, with a focus on resilient telecommunications systems designed to operate in degraded, denied, and infrastructure-constrained environments.

Previously, Levi served as an Experimental Telecommunications Subject Matter Expert at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, where he planned and coordinated research and development efforts supporting beyond-line-of-sight communications and field experimentation. His civilian work has included roles in telecommunications policy, systems engineering management, and program requirements development. Levi is a named inventor on multiple U.S. patents related to over-the-horizon communications and holds a BA in History from the University of Wyoming, with advanced studies in Systems Engineering Management at Georgetown University.

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer

Deke Kunkel is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Fourth State Communications, where he leads operational strategy, infrastructure development, and day-to-day execution. His role centers on translating advanced communications designs into deployable, maintainable systems, with an emphasis on reliability, safety, and real-world performance under challenging conditions.

Prior to Fourth State, Deke built extensive hands-on experience managing large-scale commercial and residential construction projects across multiple trades. Through his work with Iron Mountain Contracting and other regional firms, he developed deep practical expertise in HVAC, gas piping, electrical systems, mechanical infrastructure, and field logistics. He holds multiple master-level trade licenses, including HVAC, refrigeration, and gas/pipefitting, along with advanced safety certifications. At Fourth State, Deke’s operational and technical background ensures that complex communications systems are not only designed effectively, but built, deployed, and sustained to meet demanding operational requirements.