Who We Are
Built by people the government trusted first
Orbital Federal is a boutique physical-security consultancy — service-disabled veteran-owned, principal-led, and hyper-focused on the infrastructure behind economic growth.
Why this firm exists
The United States is building physical infrastructure at a pace not seen in generations — data centers and AI campuses above all. The security doctrine equal to that buildout already exists; it was written inside government, for facilities where failure was never an option.
The people fluent in that doctrine rarely leave government. We did — deliberately. Both of us are service-disabled veterans whose careers ran through the federal space across multiple agencies, and both of us took MBAs into the private sector because we wanted to work at its speed.
Orbital Federal is the result: government-grade physical security, delivered like a professional service — small, senior, and accountable to the owner alone. We are not an integrator, not a guard company, and not a body shop. We are the counsel on your side of the table.
The Principals
Two names on the door. Both show up.
Chief Executive Officer
Tristan Flannery
Tristan has spent more than two decades in and around government security — from the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment community through intelligence and corporate-risk work spanning multiple federal agencies — before crossing into the private sector. A service-disabled veteran, he founded Orbital Risk, the firm’s private-client sister practice, in 2020, and leads Orbital Federal’s client work personally.
- Service-disabled veteran
- U.S. Army · 75th Ranger Regiment community
- MBA · Chicago Booth
- ASIS International · since 2008
President
Ryan Bauernschmidt
Ryan is a service-disabled veteran whose federal career spanned multiple agencies before he transitioned to the private sector. An MBA with a builder’s temperament, he leads delivery and operations at Orbital Federal — translating government-grade security practice into programs private owners can actually run, and making sure every engagement lands the way it was scoped.
- Service-disabled veteran
- Federal service · multiple agencies
- MBA
- Private-sector operator
Credentials
The short version
What We Value
How we practice
- Candor over contract value. If you don’t need us, we say so. If the cheaper fix works, we recommend it.
- Vendor neutrality. We sell no hardware and take no referral fees. Our only product is judgment.
- Discretion. We don’t name clients, publish case studies with fingerprints, or market on your risk.
- Standards as floor, not ceiling. Compliance is where protection starts, not where it ends.
The Orbital Family
Two practices, one standard
Orbital Federal protects the infrastructure the economy runs on. Our sister practice, Orbital Risk, protects the founders and families who build it — discreet private security for principals, events, travel, and estates. Same leadership, same discretion, different perimeter.
Next Step
Talk to a principal, not a pipeline.
Every conversation starts and ends with one of the two people on this page.
Prefer to talk? 866.960.7475 · info@orbitalfederal.com