Last December, President Biden signed the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22), but unlike previous years, FY22’s NDAA included some rather unique and noteworthy amendments and requests. For the first time in years, Congress has interestingly added a call in FY22’s NDAA which requires the DoD to report on its utilization of COMSATCOM services from non-geostationary orbits (NGSO) for delivering connectivity to the warfighter.

You may be asking, why are NGSO COMSATCOM initiatives all of a sudden such an important topic for Congress? Why does Congress care about the SATCOM connectivity for warfighters? And what COMSATCOM services does the military currently use, and what capabilities do they enable for the warfighter?

To answer these questions – and much, much more – the Government Satellite Report Podcast hosted SES Space and Defense’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Marketing and Corporate Communications – Jon Bennett.

During the discussion, Government Satellite Report Executive Editor, Ryan Schradin, asked Jon about the current state of military connectivity, what connectivity data Congress is looking to gather, as well as what would the process would look like for Congress to provide the necessary funds to embrace NGSO COMSATCOM.

To listen to the podcast, click the PLAY button below:

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The ABMS program is revolutionary and has the potential to deliver new command, control, situational awareness, and intelligence capabilities to the battlefield. And the incredible bandwidth requirements of connecting the immense ecosystem of sensors and devices on the battlefield makes a multi-orbit satellite service – like the one operated by SES – essential for the system.

So the selection of SES Space and Defense satellite services to power the ABMS really isn’t that surprising.

What is surprising? The contract that was signed between SES Space and Defense and the Air Force – an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract that allows SES Space and Defense to compete for individual task orders that together have a ceiling value of $950 million.

According to Jon Bennett, the VP of Government Affairs, Marketing and Corporate Communications at SES Space and Defense, the IDIQ contract that was awarded to SES Space and Defense for the acquisition of MEO and GEO satellite services is not only something completely new in the world of military satellite acquisition, it could also indicate an ongoing and radical shift in the military’s relationship with satellite providers.

We recently caught up with Jon to record a new episode of the Government Satellite Report Podcast. During our discussion, we asked about why this IDIQ contract is so special, what it means for the future of satellite acquisition in the military and why it’s an encouraging sign for satellite providers.

Click the PLAY button below to listen to the podcast:

For additional information on SES’s work toward supporting ABMS CLICK HERE!

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Ultimately, as climate change continues to melt polar ice, we’re beginning to see the Arctic as a potential pathway for international trade and other economic interests. But the Arctic is far from benign, uncontested territory. On the other side of the Arctic Ocean lies two of America’s largest adversaries – each of which is investing to strengthen their position in the region.

This is why Air Force Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, who leads U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), called the area the nation’s “first line of defense” at last year’s Sea Air Space Conference.

Unfortunately, there is significant investment that needs to be made to prepare our military to defend our strategic interests in this area. We need new ships and ice breakers. We need to retrain troops for the harsh environment. And – most importantly – we need to ensure that the communications infrastructure is in place to deliver the next generation, network-enabled tools that give today’s warfighter a strategic, tactical edge over their adversaries.

And that last area is one in which our military could certainly use some help. According to Jon Bennett of SES Space and Defense, the military’s current communications satellites may not be enough to meet their demands in the Arctic Region.

To learn more about the unique communications requirements of the Arctic Circle, the Government Satellite Report Podcast recently sat down with Jon. During our podcast discussion, Jon talked about why the military’s WGS wideband satellite constellation may not be sufficient to deliver the connectivity and bandwidth necessary for operations in the Arctic Circle, and how commercial satellite capacity could help to bolster what is already available – while also delivering new advanced capabilities to today’s warfighter.

Click the PLAY button below to listen to what Jon had to say:

For additional information on the unique communications challenges facing our military in the Arctic Circle, and the role that satellite can play in connecting warfighters in the region, click HERE.

The post PODCAST: Commercial Connectivity Critical for Communications at the Arctic Circle appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

But this year’s hurricane season – which has generated named storms much earlier in the calendar year than anticipated – isn’t the only thing that’s out of the ordinary. Simply turn on the news and you’ll see that we’re dealing with unprecedented times.

If our nation was impacted by a major hurricane tomorrow, those that would be responsible for responding to that hurricane would be doing so during a global pandemic. That same COVID-19 pandemic that has already taxed our nation’s communications and healthcare networks and resources.

When these disasters hit, government agencies that are working with an already-taxed infrastructure will still be expected to respond effectively and in a timely, coordinated fashion. And to accomplish that, they’ll need tools that enable communications and situational awareness – even if already-taxed terrestrial networks fail.

Recently, experts from SES Space and Defense, Verizon, and goTenna sat down with Government Technology Insider’s Ryan Schradin to talk about the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic could make this upcoming hurricane and wildfire season one of the most challenging ever for emergency responders. During their virtual panel discussion, they explained the role that communications networks play in enabling a coordinated, effectual emergency response, and how technologies like SATCOM and mobile mesh networking can help ensure communications even when multiple emergencies are raging simultaneously.

Click the play button below to hear their entire discussion.

The post PODCAST: Crisis upon crisis – how SATCOM can enable critical communications in emergency situations appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

Both the establishment of the new U.S. Space Force and that agency’s SATCOM vision are based on a universal understanding that the space domain is no longer an uncontested, benign environment for our military. Our adversaries today are increasingly capable of blocking, jamming or attacking satellites – making it possible for them to deny the technological and strategic advantage that space resources have delivered to the warfighter in the past.

The new NDAA, the new Space Force, and the new SATCOM vision are a reaction and answer to this new reality and new challenge in space.

Aside from the establishment of the Space Force, how does the new NDAA impact the way the military acquires satellite resources? What exactly is in that new SATCOM vision that will defend military satellite capabilities? How does the establishment of the Space Force change the way military interacts and engages with the commercial space and satellite industries?

Jon Bennett, the Vice President for Government Affairs, Marketing and Corporate Communications at SES Space and Defense, recently joined the Government Technology Insider Podcast to educate listeners about this and other topics. During his discussion with GTI Podcast host, Peter Jacobs, Jon talked about the provisions in the new NDAA, the revolutionary approach laid out in the Space Force SATCOM vision and the ways that the military is transforming how it approaches space and the acquisition of space resources.

Click the PLAY button below to listen to their conversation.

For additional information on the role that next generation commercial satellites can play in delivering essential government applications and communications, click HERE.

The post PODCAST – how the 2020 NDAA and Space Force revolutionize the military’s approach to space appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

Worse, these disasters have a tendency to destroy many of the things that first responders rely on to effectively do their jobs, including the terrestrial networks and communications infrastructures that enable them to coordinate their emergency response, collaborate in the field and communicate when they need direction, guidance or support.

Satellite services are one of a handful of advanced technologies that can be leveraged in the field to help assuage the lack of communication that often accompanies natural disasters and emergency response situations. Without the need for established, permanent terrestrial systems and infrastructure, today’s advanced satellite technologies can connect first responders even when terrestrial networks are denied. They can even provide communications infrastructure to residents after disasters have passed.

Recently, experts from SES Space and Defense, Verizon and goTenna came together with Peter Jacobs of the Government Technology Insider Podcast to talk all about the communications requirements during and after natural disasters and emergency response situations. During the podcast, they talked about why terrestrial networks are often compromised, the challenges this causes, and how advanced technologies are making it possible to communicate in even the worst conditions.

Click the play button below to hear their entire discussion.

Click HERE to download a complimentary copy of the “Emergency Response From Space” whitepaper and learn how satellite communications can keep first responders connected in disaster response scenarios.

The post PODCAST: The advanced technologies connecting emergency response efforts appeared first on SES Space and Defense.