Recent high-profile LEO satellite outages have highlighted the dangers and vulnerabilities military customers face when depending on a single satellite network for mission-critical connectivity and communications services. Speaking from experience as a retired Colonel of the U.S. Army, the loss of satellite communications (SATCOM) systems can be catastrophic for a mission, and these outages prove that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) should never put all its SATCOM eggs in one basket.

When access to a primary communications system is denied, degraded, or lost during a mission, it is imperative that warfighters are equipped with a pre-determined Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) plan that ensures an operation maintains the connectivity and communications capabilities it requires. If access to a primary radio, terminal, or satellite system is lost and the mission does not have alternate, contingency, or emergency communications options to fall back on, the operation has essentially failed, and warfighters’ lives could be at risk.

Through advancements in multi-orbit, multi-band satellite technologies, the DoD is now implementing PACE plans encompassing satellite systems across all orbits, leading to successful mission outcomes that are supported by a redundant and assured commercial satellite communications (COMSATCOM) backbone.

Satellite’s Evolving Role in PACE Plans
There was a time when the U.S. military was the leader in developing cutting-edge satellite technologies and capabilities. Twenty years ago, the DoD avoided COMSATCOM and tended to leverage military or government-built satellites for missions. But over time commercial satellite’s pace of innovation and the increased requirement for bandwidth overtook that of the military’s, and the DoD could not match industry’s speed in meeting and fulfilling the SATCOM requirements of warfighting missions.

Today, the military has undergone a sea change regarding its attitude towards COMSATCOM. Since legacy military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) satellites no longer have the capacity that most DoD missions require – combined with the fact that the commercial industry has become far superior in providing the enhanced security, greater bandwidth, higher throughputs, and lower latency military customers are seeking – COMSATCOM has become a critical component of modern warfighting.

The continued evolution of multi-orbit, multi-band COMSATCOM solutions has also reshaped the role satellite systems have played in military PACE plans. Not too long ago, SATCOM was simply a primary form of communication without a role further down the PACE plan.

Today, through the significant advancements in commercial multi-orbit and multi-band technologies, SATCOM’s role in modern warfighting has evolved to the point where the military now crafts PACE plans with multiple different forms of SATCOM connectivity acting as primary and alternative communication options.

This is due to the ability of multi-orbit and multi-band technologies to enable the DoD to seamlessly roll over a mission’s comms from one satellite, orbit, or band to another – providing redundant and uninterrupted access to mission-critical connectivity and capabilities.

Agnostic Integrators and Technological Advancement
This new reality, where COMSATCOM services and capabilities are more redundant and assured, is due to the evolution of multi-band and multi-orbit capabilities. But it’s also a result of technological advancements that make it easier to switch between satellites and satellite networks, and the emergence of agnostic integrators that help build resilient satellite networks for their DoD partners.

Satellite operators that also serve as agnostic integrators provide key advantages to military customers who want multi-orbit, multi-band COMSATCOM built into their PACE plans. Through partnerships with other satellite vendors, agnostic integrators deliver COMSATCOM services that combine satellite capabilities, spanning across orbits and bands.

This is extremely valuable in ensuring that warfighters are supplied with the redundant and assured connectivity their missions require. It is critical to note that agnostic integrators’ access to industry partners’ satellite systems allows them to not only create PACE plan redundancies across orbits, but within a single orbit as well.

Several technological advancements have played a role in enabling military PACE plans to leverage multi-orbit SATCOM capabilities. First is the proliferation of easy-to-deploy LEO satellite products. In the past, deploying satellite terminals at the tactical edge to support a battalion would require three Humvees, nine people, and three generators. Today, warfighters can deploy turn-key terminal devices that can fit in a carry-on bag and be up and running with the press of a button.

Another reason why the use of multi-orbit SATCOM in military PACE plans has exploded in the last few years is due to the technological breakthroughs of auto-PACE solutions like SES Space & Defense’s Secure Integrated Multi-Orbit Networking (SIMON™) capability. Solutions like SIMON can automatically select the best-suited satellite orbit for communications and data to traverse from point A to point B with the least interference. This ensures that any military mission will be supported with built-in redundancy and assured SATCOM.

To learn more about how SES Space & Defense’s SIMON solution is delivering auto-PACE capabilities to the warfighter, click HERE.

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“We were playing in an uncontested environment for so long, and we quite frankly, got comfortable operating that way,” said USEUCOM J63 SATCOM NC3’s Eric Kimery at this year’s GOVSATCOM Conference. “We’re paying the price a little bit for that now.”

During the GOVSATCOM session, “Protecting Space Communications – From a Solution’s Perspective,” Kimery joined representatives from Integrasys, SES Space & Defense, and the Luxembourg Directorate of Defense, to delve into what it will take to meet the resiliency, domain awareness, and capability requirements that will ensure the protection and security of MILSATCOM assets in space.

The MILSATCOM Security Groundwork
According to Geoffroy Beaudot, Head of Space for the Luxembourg Directorate of Defense, before global militaries begin identifying solutions for protecting MILSATCOM, there are a few initial considerations that must be made about the space domain.

First, U.S. and allied governments must have a complete understanding of the assets that are operating in the environment. “We need to know what is in space,” said Beaudot. “Space domain awareness is, from my point of view, the starting point.”

But identifying every single satellite is just the tip of the iceberg of space domain awareness, according to Beaudot. Global militaries must go a step further by categorizing these space assets and coming to a complete understanding of each satellite’s vulnerabilities.

After that preliminary work is completed and all risks have been identified, governments can then pivot to adopting systems that can bolster an asset’s security and ensure that vulnerabilities are unable to be exploited by adversarial interference.

The next step to secure MILSATCOM involves being able to identify where interference is coming from and being prepared to react, should it occur. “If you are interfered by something, you need to know where the interference is,” Beaudot pointed out. “A good geolocation system is important in order to know where interference is coming from.”

For Beaudot, the best defense against adversarial satellite interference is having a space architecture that has resiliency baked in via multi-orbit capabilities. “Resiliency is definitely key,” said Beaudot. “What we do in Luxembourg is leveraging O3b mPOWER. Using the MEO constellation with the MEO Global Services (MGS) project provides resilience and access to multi-orbits and protects our satellite communications system.”

Alvaro Sanchez, CEO of Integrasys, echoed Beaudot’s points about domain awareness, identification of asset vulnerabilities, as well as leveraging multi-orbit solutions to thwart adversarial actions in space. He also added that deploying automation security tools throughout MILSATCOM networks could provide increased levels of asset protection.

“As the complexity of networks grows exponentially with new orbits, [mitigating threats] needs to be completely automated,” said Sanchez. “It needs to be driven by an AI machine that helps to mitigate all those threats, while also interconnecting with each other. [Full automation] by having design interconnected with anti-jamming, geolocation interconnected with threat mitigation, while also having observational tools to understand when interference is happening…[will allow us] to react very well.”

Leveraging Government-Industry Partnerships
One of the hats that Kimery wears at the combatant command level within the J-6 is primarily focused on influencing capabilities that are coming into the theater, and the commercial industry is playing a pivotal role in providing those capabilities to the military. “We very recently have had some funding for COMSATCOM,” said Kimery. “What we’ve been trying to do is partner with industry…[to enable] the theater with COMSATCOM…in hopes that the U.S. Space Force can then come in later and leverage that technology or capability and build upon it.”

He explained that the U.S. military is at the point where there is not a single satellite communication system solution that is going to provide the level of persistency to capability on the battlefield when it is needed. A truly resilient space architecture is going to rely on proliferated systems and capabilities that enable PACE plans and multi-orbit solutions to fall back on in the event of adversarial interference.

On the industry side of the partnership equation, SES Space & Defense’s Senior Vice President of Engineering, Nitin Bhat, laid out the commercial industry’s answer to heeding the call for secure and resilient MILSATCOM capabilities.

For Bhat, implementing hardened security standards and guidelines across systems and networks is key to ensuring a resilient and protected space architecture. He pointed to FedRAMP, STIGs (Security Technical Implementation Guides), and RMF (Risk Management Framework) NIST controls as the first lines of defense when trying to balance between cost and risk, quantifying the impact levels of asset vulnerabilities, as well as maintaining a strong security posture.

“When you have a wave form or data that you need to transport, independent of whether it’s virtualized or not, you want to make sure the appliance is locked down from a cyber perspective,” explained Bhat. “A STIG helps you do that. From a security standpoint, it’s important that we have things that are FedRAMP certified and that it’s in the cloud with the right impact levels, so you can maintain the security posture.”

Bhat also pointed to leveraging open architectures to enhance space system security. “[Open architecture] allows you to implement transit FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) encryption and also hide in the noise with LPX.”

He also believes that working towards a more hybrid space architecture can better support capabilities that will provide bolstered security and protection to military space systems. “[A hybrid architecture] will help with the PACE plan,” said Bhat. “[Users] can move from one frequency band to the other, or one orbit to the other, or one constellation to the other.”

Moving between frequency bands or orbital planes has become a critical component of secure resilient SATCOM that the commercial space industry has been working hard toward. In a recent interview with the Government Satellite Report, SES Space and Defense’s Vice President of Product Management, Michael Geist, also touched upon the consequential role multi-orbit capabilities are playing in securing military space assets.

“Any application where SATCOM is the primary tether to a remote user’s network is going to benefit from multi-orbit solutions,” said Geist. “Our near-peer adversaries are going to attempt to eliminate our communications options, so as long as we have resilience relative to networks and orbits, then we’ll be in a better position, especially when our warfighters are on the front line. In some cases, SATCOM is the only option they have as far as reach back goes, so resilience is critical.”

To watch the full GOVSATCOM session, “Protecting Space Communications – From a Solution’s Perspective,” click the video below:

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To stay ahead of the threat, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is collaborating with its commercial space partners to ensure that warfighters are provided with satellite services and capabilities designed to outmaneuver and outlast the adversary. Last December, I had the opportunity to attend the DoD Commercial SATCOM Workshop, a special event – hosted by U.S. Space Command – where military and satellite industry leaders came together and tackled some of the DoD’s most pressing satellite communication (SATCOM) challenges, including how to ensure resilient connectivity and assured comms throughout special operations and warfighting missions.

DoD’s SATCOM Goals
One goal that the DoD is looking to achieve is quickly ramping up SATCOM services for special operations within hours of deployment. But with adversaries deploying space capabilities designed to degrade and deny connectivity and comms to the warfighter, the DoD wants to ensure that special operations SATCOM services are backed up with spectrum agility. When warfighting missions become more agile spectrum-wise, it becomes increasingly difficult for an adversary to narrow down its attack calculus.

Another goal that the DoD is getting after is to provide warfighters with SATCOM services that support multi-path communications in remote locations or extreme environments that lack terrestrial networks. Leveraging multi-path comms when executing operations in austere environments helps to ensure redundant, uninterrupted communications in the event an adversary was to breach, degrade, or deny any level of a mission’s PACE Plan.

Industry Answers the Call
A solution that the commercial industry is ready to put forward to support the DoD’s spectrum agility and multi-path comms goals is multi-orbit SATCOM. Providing the DoD with access to multi-orbit services that can switch spectrums mid-mission would ensure that warfighters are supported with resilient connectivity options and redundant communications pathways. Multi-orbit satellite capabilities would also give the military a competitive advantage in the space domain by making it increasingly difficult for adversaries to target and degrade an operation’s connectivity and comms services.

Last March, SES Space & Defense, Hughes, and ThinKom, successfully demonstrated these multi-orbit SATCOM capabilities. Together, the three companies proved their ability to effectively roam between SES’s satellite networks in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO).

When executing warfighting operations, if it becomes clear that an adversary is attempting to jam or attack a mission-critical satellite, having the flexibility to transfer mission services and capabilities over to another satellite in a different orbit guarantees connectivity resiliency and comms redundancy.

DoD Adopts Multi-Orbit Services
The DoD has taken notice of these multi-orbit solutions and plans to integrate them into its communications architecture. Last September, it was announced that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory awarded SES Space & Defense with a multi-year contract to conduct tests to integrate space broadband services across a multi-orbit satellite network that would support the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program. The DEUCSI program intends to leverage commercial space internet (CSI) constellations with the ability to alternate between Geostationary (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

“An integrated multi-orbit, multi-band satellite architecture is a requirement in today’s contested and congested environment,” said Jim Hooper, SES Space & Defense’s Senior Vice President of Space Initiatives. “The DEUCSI program is a great example to showcase…multi-orbit, multi-band holistic approaches to deliver seamless interoperability to the U.S. Air Force to achieve unparalleled situation awareness and strategic advances for mission success.”

Last September, the DoD made another step towards adopting and integrating multi-orbit services when the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) awarded indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts to satellite operators and integrators – including SES Space & Defense – for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellite services. Embracing PLEO services will deliver resiliency and assuredness benefits to DISA by having satellite capabilities that are both multi-band and multi-orbit.

“Today, the military is facing near-peer adversaries that have demonstrated their ability to disrupt, deny, and degrade our communications networks,” said Ben Pigsley, Senior Vice President of Defense Networks at SES Space & Defense. “Both multi-orbit and multi-band network solutions offer an elevated level of resiliency and increase availability to government customers.”

Events like the DoD Commercial SATCOM Workshop provide the private sector with opportunities to learn about the military’s top satellite and space challenges directly from DoD leadership. As the military and industry continue to foster this open dialogue, the private sector will be better equipped to redirect its attention and efforts toward developing and producing SATCOM solutions and services to support the DoD in reaching its goals.

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There are a number of things about these IDIQ contracts that are newsworthy and downright revolutionary for the DoD. First, this is the first time that a multiple award contract model has been leveraged to deliver PLEO COMSATCOM services to the government or military, a decision that DISA claims will, “…deliver capabilities to the warfighter faster and at [a] lower cost.”

The contracts are valued at $32,000 with a $2,000 minimum guarantee to each contractor. However, the total cumulative value of the contracts is $900 million over a period of five years. The government then has the option to add an additional five-year period of performance. Effectively, this gives the services and commands within the DoD the ability to acquire up to $900 million in LEO COMSATCOM services over a period of, potentially, up to ten years.

The 16 different satellite operators and integrators chosen for these contracts include:

• SpaceX
• Capella Federal, Inc.
• BlackSky Geospatial Solutions, Inc.
• SES Space & Defense
• Hughes Network Systems, LLC
• Inmarsat Government, Inc.
• Amazon’s Kuiper Government Services (KGS) LLC
• Intelsat General Communications LLC
• OneWeb Technologies, Inc.
• ARINC, Inc.
• Artel, LLC
• PAR Government
• RiteNet Corp.
• Satcom Direct Government, Inc. (SDG)
• Trace Systems Inc.
• UltiSat, Inc.

But the structure of the contract – as a new approach to acquiring COMSATCOM services – is just one aspect or element that makes it stand apart. The awarding of these contracts for what the military is calling “Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Satellite-Based Services” is illustrative of two major trends that we’re seeing as it pertains to the military in the space domain.

Integrating COMSATCOM
For the better part of a decade, the military has been debating whether to continue investing in its own, exquisite, purpose-built communications satellites or pivot to utilizing those developed and operated by commercial partners. While the allure of fully owning, operating, maintaining, and securing their own satellites delayed this shift, COMSATCOM innovations ultimately made it inevitable.

As Gen. Curtis Michael Scaparrotti (Ret.), former Commander of United States European Command, once told the Government Satellite Report, “Commercial satellite providers are the engines of innovation, providing capabilities today and on the horizon that are quite promising.” It’s this innovation that has pushed commercial satellite operators to expand into new orbits – including Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and LEO – and has led to the development of new capabilities that could effectively integrate with the existing MILSATCOM satellites.

These new PLEO IDIQ contract awards show that the military has truly embraced innovative COMSATCOM solutions and satellite services, making them readily available to the DoD as an essential tool in enabling connectivity and communications at the tactical edge. They’re also evidence that proliferation into new orbits, frequency bands, and waveforms is seen as essential in the new reality that the DoD faces in space.

Embracing multi-orbit satellite
Once seen as a benign environment where nations could operate safely without disruption, space is now universally considered an austere, warfighting domain.

As Gen. Kevin P. Chilton (Ret.) recently explained at a Mitchell Institute Schreiver Spacepower Forum, “…U.S. Space Command now operates in a domain where threats are on the rise. Adversaries like China are increasingly seeking to contest this domain…[and] their capabilities include everything from ground-based direct ascent missiles, to electronic warfare, jamming, and co-orbital rendezvous satellites.”

In this environment, it’s not enough to simply proliferate satellite resources within one orbit. For true assurance and redundancy, today’s military will need satellite communications that are both multi-band and multi-orbit.

As Ben Pigsley, the Senior Vice President of Defense Networks at SES Space & Defense, recently explained, “Today, the military is facing near-peer adversaries that have demonstrated their ability to disrupt, deny, and degrade our communications networks…Both multi-orbit and multi-band network solutions offer an elevated level of resiliency and increase availability to government customers. Higher availability is critical to the command-and-control networks operated by the DoD.”

Aside from the benefits to resiliency and assuredness, the introduction of commercial services at different orbits has the potential to deliver new capabilities to the DoD. LEO and MEO satellite constellations offer lower latency and the ability to deliver fiber-like connectivity to practically anywhere on the planet – making them the perfect solutions for high-bandwidth applications that may not have operated effectively over traditional satellite connectivity from Geostationary Orbit (GEO).

But now that the DoD has a contract vehicle in place to acquire these services from 16 different providers, what should they be looking for?

Integrate not just operate
Not all of the satellite providers and integrators on the list are identical or offer the same services and solutions. In fact, some of the recipients that received PLEO contracts don’t even operate their own LEO satellite constellations.

So, what should the disparate services and commands within the DoD be looking for when looking to purchase PLEO satellite services through this contract? Here are three considerations that they should keep in mind when evaluating PLEO satellite service offerings:

1) A secure, integrated space and terrestrial network
True end-to-end satellite solutions require more than just space assets – they require an integrated terrestrial and space network that is capable of getting data and information to where it’s needed from anywhere on Earth.

Often, to build a true end-to-end solution, an established terrestrial network will need to be integrated  with multiple satellite offerings. Also, without a dedicated terrestrial network, data often needs to be moved through insecure methods to its final destination – including through the Internet.

If the DoD is going to benefit from PLEO service anywhere on the globe, they need to be working with a provider that can integrate multiple satellite constellations and its own established terrestrial networks to offer true, secure global connectivity that does not require sensitive military data being directed through the public Internet.

2) EM&C capabilities
For the military to have seamless command and control of its integrated space and terrestrial architecture, it needs enterprise management and control (EM&C). As Frank Backes, Senior Vice President for Federal Space at Kratos explained, “[EM&C] allows military and commercial satellite communications systems to be tied seamlessly into the terrestrial infrastructure.”

Any provider or integrator that the DoD considers needs to offer EM&C capabilities if COMSATCOM, MILSATCOM, and terrestrial networks are going to be integrated and deliver capabilities seamlessly to warfighters on the battlefield. As Backes further explained, “Among the goals of EM&C are giving more satellite link choices, reducing resource allocation times, improving bandwidth efficiency, and providing situational awareness to SATCOM.”

3) Experience building global solutions
Building a global, integrated MILSATCOM, COMSATCOM, and terrestrial network, and providing a managed service is complicated and requires both experience and expertise.

In some instances, terminals or gateways may need to be installed to make a global solution work where needed. In other instances, frequency clearances, approvals, and landing rights may be required for a satellite service to be used in other nations.

It’s important that the DoD works to identify the providers and integrators with deep experience and knowledge in building and operating global networks. This is the only way to ensure that the personnel with the connections and expertise are available to navigate these challenges and get networks operating seamlessly.

To learn more about the PLEO contract award from DISA and U.S. Space Force, click HERE.

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To learn more about how the DoD will leverage the BPA, how it fits into the movement towards an integrated MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM space architecture, as well as how commercial partnerships played a role in delivering this global solution, the Government Satellite Report sat down with Hugh Keane, Senior BD Manager at SES Space & Defense.

GSR: This BPA – which was awarded through DISA and Space Force – essentially gives military organizations a contract vehicle to procure military X-Band COMSATCOM services. What types of organizations and services within the military do you anticipate utilizing this BPA? Why would these military organizations need access to this capability?

Hugh Keane: We see several types of organizations using this BPA. At the combatant command level, we see various use cases for X-Band as part of PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency) communications plans for main operating bases, or as a resource that they can distribute to their component users through something like a Satellite Access Request model – whether that’s for exercises or real-world missions.

For the services, some are already users of X-Band on well-established contract vehicles. We see the X-Band BPA as being able to support those users on proof-of-concept work or for short-term requirements that may lie outside the scope of their usual contracting mechanisms.

This vehicle is creating a simple path for all U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) end-users to get access to X-Band, whether that’s raw megahertz capacity or full end-to-end services. And it is the first time that such a vehicle has existed to give this type of X-Band access to the DoD and its end-users. It’s really going to facilitate rapid time-to-order and time-to-activate for those X-Band services.

Many of the organizations are equipped with hardware that will work on WGS in X-Band. So, depending on the mission of the individual end-user, they might not always have priority on WGS. The X-Band BPA will provide an avenue for them to get service without having to change out expensive equipment sets and move to Ka or Ku, for example.

There are also those missions that do require the capabilities that are either inherent to the frequency range of X-Band itself, or some of the capabilities that are inherent to those X-Band satellites.

GSR:  Why is military X-Band important? What differentiates military X-Band from commercial Ka or Ku-band satellite services? Why would this be important for the DoD?

Hugh Keane: Military X-Band is important in many ways. It’s in wide use today because of the WGS satellites and there are many X-Band terminals out there, whether they are land, maritime, or aero terminals. The nature of WGS – and with a finite set of WGS satellites – means there’s not always sufficient capacity to fulfill all user requirements. As such, X-Band on commercial satellites supplements WGS very well, allowing those lower-priority missions to have non-preemptible capacity.

It also provides a greater battle space in which the DoD can operate with enhanced resiliency, by having access to both the military and the commercial X-Band satellites. In addition to that, one of the great advantages of the X-Band frequency spectrum, itself, is that it provides highly reliable and high link availability communications in regions where Ku band and Ka band might struggle due to the high rain fade. In fact, this makes it possibly the best solution in certain parts of the world.

“All the geographic combatant commands have access to X-Band capacity within their areas of responsibility (AOR) through the BPA…” -Hugh Keane

Also, given that X-Band is reserved for military and government use, the satellites themselves tend to be equipped with greater security than purely commercial satellites. With features like highly secure TTNC encryption, anti-jamming capabilities, and – in certain cases on some of the satellites – hardening against nuclear attack. All these features combined, contribute to the resiliency and the availability of the communications links, and as such, they become a bit more desirable for ”no-fail” missions.

GSR: SES Space & Defense has called the service that it’s offering the DoD a “global satellite capacity.” Is this solution truly global? Are there any locations or geographies where the solution will not be available?

Hugh Keane: The service offers the DoD global satellite capacity. All the geographic combatant commands have access to X-Band capacity within their areas of responsibility (AOR) through the BPA and there are multiple coverage options in many locations of significant activity; apart from a small gap in coverage in the Pacific. With regard to that, we will continue to explore options and opportunities throughout the life of the BPA to provide even greater coverage and alternative coverage as the customers need.

GSR: To deliver on this contract, SES Space & Defense claims to have, “partnered with several industry-leading players, including integrators, SATCOM, and teleport operators.” What does this mean? Why was a partnership with these other industry partners necessary to deliver a global solution for the military?

Hugh Keane: SES has a great X-Band asset capability in GovSat-1. This is a relatively new satellite launched in 2018 and it provides good, flexible coverage through both fixed and steerable beams for all types of missions,  whether maritime, land, or aero missions in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

However, those regions demand flexibility, redundancy, and alternative solutions so we look to our trusted industry partners for additional capacity. And in part, the SES acquisition of DRS GES plays a role here, due to GES’ background as an integrator, and also as a long-term provider of end-to-end X-Band services to their customers.

Drawing on those relationships, we created partnerships to have access to all the commercially available X-Band fleets. That includes partnerships with XTAR for access to the XTAR LANT and EUR satellites, Airbus for access to Skynet, and also the future Syracuse satellites – Syracuse 4A and 4B. And with Anuvu for access to other satellites and their Holmdel teleport. On the teleport side, we have access to multiple teleports, with partners at Telespazio, Santander, MBS, and USEI that deliver services in every combatant command AOR.

“One of the great benefits of the BPA is its flexibility of the broad scope it has when it comes to the provision of X-Band and its enabling elements.” -Hugh Keane

The whole globe is covered in terms of teleport requirements. We also have a number of major antenna providers enabling access to a range of terminals, whether commercial grade terminals or a full build spec standard terminal – depending on what the customer requires.

However, not all those capabilities reside in-house, that’s why we  partnered with several industry-leading players in order to offer the government the most comprehensive solution. The BPA also provides capacity throughout the life of the vehicle to update capabilities, so we can add new beams and new teleports as they become available.

GSR: What will the DoD need to utilize this global X-Band service? Will it have to buy specialized equipment and hardware – new antenna and terminal solutions?

Hugh Keane: One of the great benefits of the BPA is its flexibility of the broad scope it has when it comes to the provision of X-Band and its enabling elements. Through the BPA, we can simply provide raw megahertz of X-Band and we can provide end-to-end X-Band services. That is the space segment, the commercial teleport, and the terrestrial transport.

We can also lease or sell X-Band terminals. Because of WGS, if the user has an X-Band terminal that they use on WGS, they can utilize said terminal. The customer doesn’t need to buy any new equipment. And we can provide them with the service through the existing assets that they have, whether that’s simply bandwidth, or perhaps they also want to use that asset and access a commercial teleport and then have terrestrial backhaul to their home enterprise if needed.

Because of the flexibility of the BPA, if the customer doesn’t have the terminal today, or if they need to supplement terminals – we can provide them the full remote equipment set from scratch, both with buy and lease options. It’s very flexible.

In the end, if the customer already has the equipment, that’s great! We can provide them the services as they need it. But if they don’t have the equipment and they need access to it, we can do that as well.

GSR: How does this BPA play a role in the movement towards adopting the integrated MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM architecture that the DoD has been talking about for the past decade?

Hugh Keane: It certainly plays a role. We need to praise the U.S. Space Force for putting this BPA in place. Before we had this BPA, we worked with various DoD partners to provide an architecture that enabled roaming between WGS and COMSATCOM X-Band and that also included the provision of commercial teleports and peripheral backhaul.

“The BPA will have a positive effect – it allows rapid access to commercial X-Band satellite capacity and its enabling elements, not to mention greatly expands the capability sets of the DoD.” -Hugh Keane

I will say, though, in establishing the BPA, Space Force has now created an avenue that never existed before and is allowing all DoD users to access that type of service and capability for the integration of those MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM architectures. This is really enabled in the BPA allowing reduced time-to-order and time-to-activation of services. Space Force has greatly facilitated this integration by putting this vehicle in place.

GSR: What effect will the addition of this commercial global X-Band satellite capacity have on the military’s satellite architecture? Will it make it more secure? More assured? Why or why not?

Hugh Keane: The BPA will have a positive effect – it allows rapid access to commercial X-Band satellite capacity and its enabling elements, not to mention greatly expands the capability sets of the DoD. They now have COMSATCOM assets along with the ground infrastructure available in every AOR that can supplement and indeed work in tandem with WGS. By having that they increase the availability and resiliency of their communications pathways through access to a greater range of satellites, and ground assets.

To learn more about the Global X-Band BPA, read the official press release HERE.

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This new BPA will give the DoD access to an X-band communications satellite network capable of delivering assured, secure satellite connectivity in support of missions being conducted in virtually any location on the globe.

To deliver a near-global solution, SES Space & Defense has partnered with several industry-leading players, including integrators, SATCOM, and teleport operators. Together, the contracted satellite operators will deliver Global X-Band satellite capacity, teleport and network services over a highly secure global terrestrial network, and other ancillary services to meet enduring and emerging DoD requirements.

To provide secure satellite communications services, one of the many satellites that SES Space & Defense will leverage is the multi-mission GovSat-1 satellite.

“SES Space & Defense believes the BPA is one of the foundation blocks in accelerating MILSATCOM-COMSATCOM integration for the space enterprise. The US Space Force established this contract as a mechanism to enable access to commercial X-band capacity globally for the DoD,” said SES Space & Defense President and CEO David Fields.

The Global X-Band BPA is the first integration services agreement awarded to SES Space & Defense since the acquisition of DRS GES by SES was finalized in August 2022. SES Space & Defense is dedicated to delivering the most trusted end-to-end global communications through a fully integrated Information and Communications Technology Ecosystem to the U.S. government and military.

“We have partnered with industry-leading X-Band owners and operators as we understand the demand for secure, non-preemptible mission-assured capacity for critical operations,” Fields explained. “By combining satellite capacity, SATCOM services can achieve the highest availability with redundant X-Band coverage and diverse gateway connectivity within sovereign space.”

To learn more about this revolutionary BPA announcement, click HERE.

The post New Agreement with SES Space & Defense Will Deliver Secure X-Band Satellite Communications to the DoD appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

What was perhaps one of the most exciting takeaways from the numerous side sessions, panel discussions, and keynote addresses that we were able to attend was an incredibly overt change in the role and perception of commercial satellite across the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

For years, military leaders debated the benefits of integrating commercial satellite capabilities into the military’s larger satellite and network architecture. Those debates eventually gave way to a broad understanding across the DoD that an integrated COMSATCOM and MILSATCOM architecture would deliver increased resiliency and assurance to military communications networks at a time when near-peer adversaries were increasingly building and demonstrating the capability to deny our nation’s tactical advantage in space.

“…commercial technologies are outpacing purpose-built defense systems in terms of warfighter-specific performance, even in areas like anti-jam capabilities and cyber defense capabilities…” – Craig Miller

But this year’s SATELLITE 2023 Conference took that a step further, with multiple military and industry satellite experts and decision-makers acknowledging that the integration of commercial and military satellite capabilities is not just beneficial – but essential – for the DoD to meet the connectivity and communications requirements of the modern warfighter.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in a panel discussion entitled, “Transforming Battlespace Communications,” which involved multiple notable government and satellite industry leaders, including:

• Craig Miller, President, Government Systems at Viasat (Moderator)
• Mike Dean, DoD SATCOM Chief at the U.S. Department of Defense
• Rich Pang, Vice President of Corporate Development at Telesat Government Solutions
• David Robinson, Director of Government Programs at Iridium
• Dr. Frank Turner, Technical Director at the Space Development Agency (SDA)

During this panel discussion, the participants weighed in on how the satellite requirements have evolved and changed in today’s modern military, and how this evolution has impacted the role of COMSATCOM in the DoD. The panelists also shared their opinions on the things that need to happen before COMSATCOM can truly become an integrated part of the military’s satellite and network architecture.

Why COMSATCOM is mission critical
A decade ago, the debate within the military satellite community was whether commercial capabilities could be trusted and relied upon to carry military communications – and if the military should be purchasing, launching, and operating their own purpose-built satellites or leasing commercial capacity. But things have changed tremendously in the course of that decade.

“…if you’ve got that decision superiority, regardless of how you build it…that gives the United States significant overmatch over its adversaries. And that’s what we’re trying to achieve.” – Dr. Frank Turner

The evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT), the shift towards a more connected and networked warfighter, and the need to generate, analyze, and gain actionable insights from data have revolutionized how the DoD conducts operations and what warfighters carry with them in theater. Col. Joseph “Ward” Roberts (Ret.), the Assistant Program Executive Officer, PEO C3T for the U.S. Army illustrated this point clearly and succinctly during a panel discussion earlier in the conference when he said, “We are now getting to the point where every soldier on the battlefield is networked. He has [the] capability to both generate and consume data.”

That ability to generate and consume data has become increasingly important for the DoD, which is looking to leverage data from every conceivable source in theater – warfighters, unmanned vehicles, sensors, and other devices platforms – to gain better situational awareness and a tactical, information advantage over our adversaries.

“There is never enough intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). There’s never enough. As the commander of INDOPACOM said, he wants to be able to blind the enemy, see them, and kill them. And in order to do that, you need all of the data that you possibly can and turn it into excellent information to yield decisions, period,” Dr. Turner explained. “And if you’ve got that decision superiority, regardless of how you build it…that gives the United States significant overmatch over its adversaries. And that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”

Dr. Turner’s quote illustrates just how important it is for today’s military to have real-time access to accurate, quality data that can be used to inform decision-making. And that free flow of data both within and outside of the battlefield is only really possible if commercial capabilities are being leveraged in tandem with military space capabilities – a fact that led Dr. Turner to conclude that, “None of this works if you don’t completely blend commercial [capabilities] and…whatever the government is buying.”

But it’s not just about getting access to additional bandwidth and capacity to meet the military’s increasing communications needs and requirements in theater. There is another reason why COMSATCOM is becoming essential to military operations – innovation.

“We are now getting to the point where every soldier on the battlefield is networked. He has [the] capability to both generate and consume data.” – Col. Joseph “Ward” Roberts (Ret.)

“I think the real benefit, at least as I look across the enterprise, that I can get with commercial services is they’re innovating on such a faster cycle than what we can do internally,” Dean explained. “It’s a killer app. it’s such an advantage to be able to rapidly introduce new capabilities.”

But the kind of innovation that the government and military are seeing from the commercial satellite industry has changed, as well, over the past decade.

The military was originally excited about the proliferation of satellites in non-Geostationary orbits (NGSO) and the decrease in latency that comes with it. The military was also excited about the addition of high throughput satellites (HTS) to both GEO and NGSO constellations. But today, they’re seeing innovations that can help with security, assuredness, and resiliency.

“…commercial technologies are outpacing purpose-built defense systems in terms of warfighter-specific performance, even in areas like anti-jam capabilities and cyber defense capabilities,” explained Miller. “…commercial capability should be a part of any warfighting enterprise going forward.”

And, according to the panelists, there is a very good reason for that.

What is good for you is good for me
The proliferation of satellites in new orbits closer to Earth made sense for commercial satellite operators and service providers because it enabled them to deliver fiber-like connectivity from space to their government, commercial, and consumer customers. A similar thing could be said about the integration of HTS into existing constellations – which gave operators higher throughputs and more capacity that they could sell to customers onboard each spacecraft.

“I think the real benefit…that I can get with commercial services is they’re innovating on such a faster cycle than what we can do internally. It’s a killer app. it’s such an advantage to be able to rapidly introduce new capabilities.” – Mike Dean

However, when it came to the integration of features that the military would want – features designed to increase security and assuredness – industry partners simply didn’t have a lot of motivation to make the investment. But that, too, has changed.

As our military’s focus has shifted to a new generation of near-peer adversaries that are incredibly capable, the importance of protecting space assets has increased. The new pacing threats that face our military have demonstrated the capability to deny or degrade satellite networks and communications. And these capabilities – including kinetic attacks and jamming capabilities – are a threat to both military and commercial satellites.

“I think that some of the threats that may be posed will be equally felt on both the DoD side and the commercial side [and will be] indiscriminating between commercial birds and military birds,” Robinson said. “I think – fortunately, or unfortunately – there’s actually a pretty significant compliment of things that you need to worry about on both the commercial side and the DoD side – in the space segment, at least.”

That extends beyond the space domain to the cyber domain, as well, where cyber threats have emerged that could impact both commercial and military satellites and their end-users. Luckily, the industry is taking steps to address these, as well. As Pang explained, “…from a network perspective, I think our commercial customers demand cybersecurity as much as our government customers…”

The post Conversations at SATELLITE 2023 Show MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM Converging appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

During our discussion, we asked Ram about the challenges that an austere space domain creates for the DoD, the technological challenges that the military faces when trying to integrate satellite networks with coalition and industry partners, and what some industry leaders are doing to make the seamless management of unified global networks a possibility for our military.

One of the advancements and innovative solutions available to the United States Department of Defense (DoD) is the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Portal, a recently-released application that can enable military users to see their entire network – including both space and ground assets – on a single pane of glass. This new solution gives the military transparency into everything on their networks and allows for the easier management and operations of both terrestrial and space network assets and capabilities.

In the second part of our conversation with Ram, we asked specifically about the ICT Portal – what functionality it offers, how it can help the DoD, and what it will enable for the warfighter.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): In our last discussion, you talked about the sheer number of different space and ground networks that the DoD needs to see and manage as they work to integrate their own space assets with those of coalition and industry partners. How does the lack of a single, all-encompassing view of the network impact the military’s ability to manage its networks to overcome denied or disrupted capabilities or services? How does this impact the warfighter in the field?

Ram Rao: I have heard every high-ranking official in our military discuss the need to increase the speed of delivery and the speed of operations. But to accomplish this, they need end-to-end communications and data-centric global networks.

They are also looking to reduce the latency in satellite networks from the 600ms offered by satellites in Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) to the 150-50ms offered by satellites in Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO).

Timing is everything for warfighters. It’s no surprise that our adversaries are working towards pursuing efficient delivery capabilities. To continue to compete and win in the future, we need to remain faster and more effective despite their efforts.

“The ICT Portal is a web-based NetOps set of tools providing end-to-end situational awareness in a consumable “single pane of glass” user interface.” – Ram Rao

Global integration of our networks is crucial for seamless connectivity from one end of Earth to the other through various space and ground connections. The lack of a unified network will significantly and adversely impact the speed at which we deliver information and capabilities to warfighters, drastically reducing their effectiveness. However, with an integrated, resilient network – and agreed-upon access – there should not be any denials or disruptions.

GSR: What is the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Portal? What was the initial concept and intention for the portal? What tools or capabilities does the ICT Portal give to military and government users?

Ram Rao: The ICT Portal is a flagship capability we offer to our customers and mission partners as a part of our network solutions. The ICT Portal is a web-based NetOps set of tools providing end-to-end situational awareness in a consumable “single pane of glass” user interface. The consolidated network visibility provides our mission partners something they generally don’t have with COMSATCOM networks – a near real-time view into the network.

Even when COMSATCOM networks work in tandem with MILSATCOM networks, the ICT Portal gives users a view of their space segment, teleports, gateways, hubs, and terrestrial circuits – all the way to the individual user terminals.

The ICT Portal offers users five views into their network – each with multiple capabilities. These capabilities and functionality include an operational dashboard, terminal console, capacity management tool, and reporting tools. Within each capability view are a variety of sub-views, each with dozens or sometimes hundreds of data points to observe, filter, and use to improve the understanding of the SATCOM network.

“Our ICT Portal’s satellite coverage overlays allow users to see both EIRP and G/T maps of the satellite coverage in their network. The intent of this capability is to show users their satellite coverage within the deployment area.” – Ram Rao

SES Space & Defense’s intention has always been to support our mission partners with capabilities that deliver complete visibility and transparency into their networks and provide the situational awareness required to make timely, informed decisions.

GSR: Can you provide an example of how and why the ICT Portal could be useful to the military doing a mission or operation? What could it enable them to do?

Ram Rao: Our ICT Portal’s satellite coverage overlays allow users to see both EIRP and G/T maps of the satellite coverage in their network. The intent of this capability is to show users their satellite coverage within the deployment area.

This enables them to know – before they deploy – the minimum terminal specification required in that location. For example, if they are in the 50 dBW contour, they will need a minimum of a 1.2-meter antenna with a four-watt BUC. Users can also select multiple footprints to see where they have overlapping or redundant coverage. This capability immensely helps quick and efficient planning.

Another useful example is our VSAT Point Assist tool. While it is best practice to always do a site survey prior to deploying a VSAT terminal, we understand that it’s not always possible for DoD missions. The VSAT Point Assist tool provides field techs with a way to do site surveys virtually.

“We are continually working with our customers to improve and expand the capabilities of the ICT Portal.” – Ram Rao

The VSAT Point Assist tool allows users to input a location and choose a satellite. It then generates an estimated pointing angle and provides other necessary information, such as elevation and azimuth angles. Users can also drag the icon to different locations to ensure a clear path to the satellite.

The goal is to enable the military to conduct site surveys without a physical presence in theater and save significant time and costs while allowing them to better prepare for missions in advance.

Another useful example I’ll share is the ICT Portal Weather Overlay capability, which offers more than 150 different options of illustrating near real-time, historical, and forecasted weather information. This tool allows users to select as many of these events as they want and add them to the active list – such as active fire points, lightning strikes, tropical cyclones, and other live weather events. They can even see hurricanes and their paths.

These overlays are essential to improve situational awareness for our warfighters. It allows them to visualize how rain, snow, or ice may affect satellite connections and identify any alternatives they may have.

GSR: Is the ICT Portal available today? If not, when will it be available? Also, who will be able to utilize it?

Ram Rao: The ICT Portal is available today for SES Space & Defense network customers and is being utilized by some of our current government partners.

We are continually working with our customers to improve and expand the capabilities of the ICT Portal. We have an extensive road map to add new capabilities and features to the ICT Portal, including AI/ML capabilities, a complete cyber monitoring package, and fully customizable reporting packages. We also plan to enable select mission partners to control portions of the network as needed for critical mission success.

To learn more about the SES Space & Defense ICT Portal or request a demonstration, click HERE.

The post The SES Space & Defense ICT Portal – Meeting Military Transparency and Network Management Requirements for Multi-Domain Operations appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

Gen. Allvin’s sentiment was an eloquent way to say that the U.S. military will need to work as a single unit and not disparate services – and will need to work hand-in-hand with coalition and industry partners – if it’s going to be victorious in the battles of the future.

This is not the first time we’ve heard a senior leader from one of America’s military branches discuss the need for collaboration to ensure success against the near-peer adversaries of tomorrow. This has been one of the fundamental cornerstones of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) as it builds its future force for the year 2030 and beyond.

However, collaboration, integration, and interoperability in one domain, in particular, have long been a challenge for the military. In space, where allied and industry partners each bring their own constellations of spacecraft and ground networks, getting everything to work together remains a challenge. And that challenge only grows more significant as the space domain continues to evolve from a benign domain into a warfighting domain.

To learn more about the need for interoperable space and ground networks as joint multi-domain operations become essential, we recently sat down with Ram Rao, the Director of Business Development Engineering, Technologies, and Solutions at SES Space & Defense. During our discussion, we asked Ram about the challenges that an austere space domain creates for the DoD, the technological challenges that the military faces when trying to integrate satellite networks with coalition and industry partners, and what some industry leaders are doing to make the seamless management of unified global networks a possibility for our military.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): It’s apparent that the battles of tomorrow will cross domains – requiring capabilities to be delivered from the space and cyber domains to joint warfighters from the U.S. and its allies on land, in the air, and at sea. How do military networks become more complex and complicated when the space domain and space capabilities are added to the equation?

Ram Rao: Correct. The U.S. DoD’s JADC2 framework is all about our warfighters and decision-makers from every service area – such as the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Guard, and now the Space Force – participating in and sharing quality data to make effective and timely decisions before our adversaries can act. Of course, this seems easy at a high level, but it’s very complicated to implement, albeit required.

It is not a secret anymore that our adversaries – especially China and Russia – have been advancing and testing their space and cyber war capabilities in the last few years. In fact, they’ve been developing and testing these capabilities aggressively in the space domain over the past year.

We have read about anti-satellite (ASAT) tests conducted by Russia and China that resulted in the destruction of satellites in orbit. We also have witnessed China grabbing its satellite from the GEO orbit and maneuvering into a graveyard orbit. It is obvious they are preparing and testing various capabilities that can enable them to deny our nation’s access to satellite connectivity. Capabilities like these have turned space from a benign environment into a warfighting domain.

Warfighting in domains such as land, water, and air has existed for a long time. There have been hundreds or thousands of strategies and tactics developed in these domains that have evolved. The space domain is a new warfighting domain, and defensive and offensive capabilities are still being developed and tested.

“…the interaction between different networks is not as integrated, automated, or seamless. It’s often done through the direct interfacing of circuits with VPN or HTTPS connections. Or lower-tech, less efficient methods are utilized – such as email, DVD, or paper.” – Ram Rao

Also, in space, there are no area limits or rules. The traditional warfighting domains have rules of engagement and occur in space-restricted arenas. Space is huge, there are no established rules of engagement, and the capabilities are still evolving. This makes the space domain much more complicated.

GSR: What impact does the introduction of commercial satellite services have on the resiliency and assuredness of space capabilities?

Ram Rao: The DoD figured out long ago that the commercial industry and the integration of COMSATCOM services into their MILSATCOM solutions is crucial for mission-critical capabilities. I believe that integrating LEO, MEO, and GEO capabilities from the U.S. military, allied militaries, and commercial partners is a massive deterrent to our adversaries.

These capabilities tremendously increase our resiliency in space and on the ground, making it difficult for adversaries to deny our satellite capabilities. The high speed, high bandwidth, low latency, and pole-to-pole coverage that COMSATCOM can provide is unparalleled and well-positioned for integration with MILSATCOM.

GSR: What challenges does the added complexity of integrating multiple satellite resources and services create from a network transparency, assurance, and management standpoint?

Ram Rao: There are multiple challenges. But the government and its industry partners are well aware of these challenges and are working collaboratively to solve them.

When we say COMSATCOM and MILSATCOM, we’re not just referring to two disparate networks. We are talking about hundreds, if not thousands, of disparate networks that need to be integrated worldwide.

“The DoD figured out long ago that the commercial industry and the integration of COMSATCOM services into their MILSATCOM solutions is crucial for mission-critical capabilities. I believe that integrating LEO, MEO, and GEO capabilities from the U.S. military, allied militaries, and commercial partners is a massive deterrent to our adversaries.” – Ram Rao

Network transparency, assurance, and management require agreed-up visibility and a standardized network interface. For example, the U.S. Space Force Enterprise Management & Control (EM&C) system requires network management systems from different DoD and commercial networks to be integrated at different levels.

That is a challenging task. Every participating COMSATCOM network may not follow the same standards. Also, when we start integrating the satellite capabilities of allied and coalition nations, we have to expect that different countries may follow different standards.

Assurance requirements for all countries are not the same. It’s difficult to ensure that various networks align on multiple requirements, including access levels. However, leading COMSATCOM industry players like SES Space & Defense have the infrastructure, capability, and experience necessary to integrate and operate as a part of a global military network.

GSR: How is the visualization and management of the whole military network – including military and commercial space assets and capabilities – done today? What tools exist that enable the military to see and manage everything?

Ram Rao: Most individual networks with their network management systems (NMS) have required visualization and management capabilities. However, the interaction between different networks is not as integrated, automated, or seamless. It’s often done through the direct interfacing of circuits with VPN or HTTPS connections. Or lower-tech, less efficient methods are utilized – such as email, DVD, or paper.

“The U.S. DoD’s JADC2 framework is all about our warfighters and decision-makers from every service area…participating in and sharing quality data to make effective and timely decisions before our adversaries can act. Of course, this seems easy at a high level, but it’s very complicated to implement, albeit required.” – Ram Rao

Not only is this laborious, but it doesn’t move at the pace of battle. Speed of delivery – especially during warfighting times – is a top priority for every military decision-maker.

A number of tools and platforms are being developed and introduced across the industry that provides a unified view of the network. Solutions such as the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Portal, recently introduced by SES Space & Defense provides transparent and consolidated network visibility improving performance and operational decision-making.

To learn more about the SES S&D ICT Portal, click HERE.

Featured image: U.S. Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, set up a Satellite Transportable Terminal (STT) system at Orzysz, Poland. The STT is an optimized, over-the-horizon communications system ideally suited for tactical communications missions. (U.S. Army photos by Charles Rosemond, Training Support Team Orzysz)

The post Creating a Unified, Global Satellite Network to Power Joint, Multi-Domain Operations appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

But successes are usually accompanied by setbacks and challenges. Even after witnessing these incredible use-case wins for COMSATCOM integration and adoption, the federal government has still been slow and hesitant to fully implement and deploy these satellite technologies that can support the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) mission of providing its military with a resilient space architecture.

Though officials frequently point to this space architecture as a top priority for the department, the government acquisition process of commercial space assets – which could truly propel the U.S. ahead of its foreign adversaries and near-peer competitors – was still sluggish and arduous in 2022.

To learn more about the trends, progress, and challenges the commercial satellite industry faced within the federal acquisition space in 2022, and to get an outlook on how COMSATCOM can support the federal government and the DoD’s mission requirements in 2023, the Government Satellite Report was able to catch up with SES Space & Defense’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Development, Jay Icard.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): Over the past year, what overarching trends is the commercial satellite industry seeing and experiencing as it pertains to government acquisition? What successes has the industry experienced? What new challenges have come up?

Jay Icard: We’ve seen the government shift away from the lowest price technically acceptable procurements to using best value, which is good! The number of networks has remained flat, meaning the commercial industry repeatedly competes for the same contracts.

Having said that, the U. S. Space Force awarded some significant COMSATCOM contracts last year, such as the CSSC II contract for the U.S. Navy, which is over $900M ceiling – not a small effort. They also released some new solicitations, such as the Global X-band Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), which should prove to be an enabling contract for MILSATCOM-COMSATCOM integration in the near future.

One concerning challenge that has been popping up these last few years pertains to the current talent pool. If you look at the needs for talent on the government acquisition side, they need personnel to develop the requirements with their customers. They need personnel to evaluate the proposals, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find experienced personnel that wants to work on COMSATCOM acquisitions.

“Along with assuming full acquisition and procurement authorities for COMSATCOM, Space Command should work with Space Force to create Program Objective Memorandum (POM) budgets for select procurements of COMSATCOM.” – Jay Icard

It’s not common for people to go to college and major in COMSATCOM engineering. The government and industry compete from the same resource talent pool. Our industry is not something you learn in a couple of months.

The 2016 “Analysis of Alternatives” study, mandated by Congress, required the Department to look at how military and commercial systems could collectively provide a resilient enterprise architecture. The study found that leveraging both military and commercial systems into an integrated hybrid architecture would save taxpayer dollars. That said, we need government professionals that understand the SATCOM acquisition business.

U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command are working to integrate COMSATCOM, and they choose from that same talent pool, because there’s still a finite number of professionals with the required skillsets. It’s an industry-wide dilemma. I’ve had a number of discussions with Space Force, Space Command, and industry leaders about this topic.

GSR: What are the possible solutions for those skill gaps in the workforce?

Jay Icard: We’ve spoken with Space Force about immersion. For example, in the past, there have been immersion programs where civilian or military personnel would spend time at a vendor’s facility within an operations or engineering team to learn about how the vendor works and operates.

I participate in the U.S. Space Command’s Commercial Integration Cell (CIC), a group of ten industry partners that work with the command to improve the operational effectiveness of space operations. Within the CIC, we have explored several ideas about bridging that skills gap. Immersion of personnel is one of the ideas that are out there. We know it is an effective method, but it requires a deliberate plan that makes sense for all parties to invest the resources to make it successful.

GSR: Has the government and military made any headway with tearing down the bureaucratic challenges that hinder commercial satellite acquisitions? Has there been any progress or new challenges that have come up? How can government and industry work together to make the process faster while meeting military requirements?

Jay Icard: I believe the government is working on it. They have stabilized their organization and where the COMSATCOM purchasing organization is going to sit within Space Systems Command.

Along with assuming full acquisition and procurement authorities for COMSATCOM, Space Command should work with Space Force to create Program Objective Memorandum (POM) budgets for select procurements of COMSATCOM. For example, the government should consider the POM budget for ground infrastructure and network configuration projects to use existing commercial space assets and place into service MILSATCOM-COMSATCOM roaming configurations discussed in the Space Force Vision for SATCOM. But in general, Space Command and Space Force should see where the POM process can be used to ensure a stable and methodical approach to accelerating the availability of COMSATCOM solutions for military requirements.

“First, we must address where we anticipate conflict and where there may be surge needs. That’s first and foremost.” – Jay Icard

We’re not talking about billions and billions of dollars. Small investments could create a lot of capability with COMSATCOM integration in a short amount of time. But first, the organization needs to be set, and the roles and responsibilities tightened up, and I think they have that now.

GSR: Has establishing the U.S. Space Force and having one centralized service for space simplified the commercial satellite acquisition process?

Jay Icard: I believe it will, and I think the measures of success are straightforward. When presented with a mission need from a service or COCOM:  1) Have we reduced the time to acquire a COMSATCOM service? 2) Have we reduced the time to activate a COMSATCOM service? Those are the fundamental measures of success.

So if I have a need for a certain amount of throughput or network availability in a specific area – How long did it take me to acquire? How long did it take you to activate? That’s where the rubber meets the road.

GSR: What are the top SATCOM needs and requirements that the military and government are looking to fulfill in 2023?

Jay Icard: First, we must address where we anticipate conflict and where there may be surge needs. That’s first and foremost. Are we ready to surge? Do we have the capacity in place to fulfill a surge requirement? In any other networking discipline, it’s busy hour traffic management. Are we ready for the busy hour traffic?

Second, do we have plans to fulfill the future capacity needs? As our capacity consumption grows over the next five years, do we have enough MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM to fulfill that need? Where are the gaps? What are the plans to fill those gaps?

And it could be that we have the space assets to fill the gaps. But do we have the ground assets configured to utilize the space assets that are available to us? Do we have the contracting mechanisms to access the space and ground assets in a timely manner?

“Are we using our assets and skills and implementing those capabilities now and in a short timeline with small amounts of money? Or are we studying to do it five years from now?” – Jay Icard

GSR: On December 23, 2022, President Biden signed the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In the 2023 NDAA, there is a portion that directs the DoD to lay out a strategy and requirements for the protection of DoD satellites. How can the satellite industry assist in realizing these strategies and requirements for a more resilient and defendable national security space architecture, as the law states?

Jay Icard: Accelerate the employment of COMSATCOM integration into military missions, making the enemy’s targeting calculus more complicated. It’s a low-cost and near-term solution to protect MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM assets.

Suppose an enemy focuses their resources into a space asset and successfully disables it. In that case, they will only affect a small percent of the traffic if effective COMSATCOM integration has been employed. To me, that’s been the priority for years now, and that’s the purpose of COMSATCOM integration.

I think the other “tests” we ask in an effort to accelerate COMSATCOM integration include: Are we utilizing the contracts that we have? Are we using our assets and skills and implementing those capabilities now and in a short timeline with small amounts of money? Or are we studying to do it five years from now? Are we studying a problem that we could solve with small and timely investment that could have real mission effects in the near term?  I think that is a test that all of us in the industry and in the policymaking side need to ask ourselves.

To learn about how SES Space & Defense’s new O3b mPOWER constellation can support missions across the federal government and military, click HERE.

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