Practically all of the panelists at the Defense One event seemed to agree that the end result of this AoA – and the Pathfinder and pilot programs feeding it – will be one of the biggest changes yet; a significantly increased reliance on industry partners in MILSATCOM to help deliver mission-critical communications and capabilities, and to effectively increase mission assurance.

But that’s not the only change that could be on the horizon to the relationship between the federal government and the COMSATCOM industry. A new Request for Proposal (RFP) is expected in the very near future could usher in giant steps towards erasing the line between the military’s satellite constellations and those of the Nation’s industry partners.

Game-changing RFP on the Horizon

The Air Force is preparing to release an contract that will turn over the operations and management of MILSATCOM constellations. Although the timing for this RFP is still TBD, according to Robert Tarleton, Jr, the Director of the MILSATCOM Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, “We’re working forward on that now. I expect to put an RFP out in the very near future.”

Originally only intended to include the military’s WGS satellite constellation, there are already tweaks to the RFP happening that would involve industry partners taking control of an even larger part of the military’s satellite infrastructure. As Mr. Tarleton said, “It actually got tweaked a little bit…it [isn’t] just WGS, but also the DSCS Constellation. We’re going to get both of those run…we’ll be bringing in contractors so that they can relieve the Blue Suiters…”

And the line could get blurred even further in the near future, according to Mr. Tarleton, there will be an, “off ramp or an option to eventually move to a contractor facility.” This means that the WGS and DSCS satellite constellations would not only be conducted by industry partners, but be done in a commercial operations center.

This approach is a far cry from the way the military has traditionally approached their space and satellite infrastructure. Traditionally, the military has relied on purpose built satellite constellations that they commission, launch and manage all themselves. This was well illustrated by Dr. David Hardy, the Associate Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force (Space), when he was once quoted saying, “We in the DoD space community like to keep control over our assets.”

So what changed?

Moving towards COMSATCOM Managed Services

There are multiple reasons why the military could be moving in this direction. According to Todd Gossett, the Senior Director of Hosted Payloads at SES Space and Defense, they most likely include cost and mission focus:

“Cost savings is certainly a part of it. The military is always looking for ways to operate more effectively and efficiently for the American taxpayer. COMSATCOM providers can manage these constellations for a fraction of the cost since there are efficiencies of scale. They’re already operating satellite constellations in operation centers – this would simply add to the number of satellites they’re operating. I would also assume that there’s a challenge with mission focus. Having to operate and manage the WGS fleet keeps service men and women from higher-value work.”

Mr. Winston Beauchamp, the Director of the Principal Department of Defense Space Advisor Staff and Deputy Under Secretary (Space) of the U.S. Air Force, claims that there could be more to it than that. According to him, “It’s going to be cost savings, it’s going to be freeing up of the Blue Suiters. But it’s also going to deliver the interoperability…that will be one of the key drivers to the enterprise ground system.”

It’s clear that outsourcing the management and operations of the WGS and DSCS satellite constellations could deliver some significant benefits to the military. But it’s also a change that could prove difficult to a military that has traditionally avoided risk and sought to keep as much control as possible in all phases of the mission and organization.

When asked if he felt is the military could effectively make this transition towards industry partners managing and operating its space infrastructure, Todd Gossett said, “I certainly think it’s possible – and it’s certainly in the military’s best interest if they’re going to make the management and operations of the constellations as efficient as possible.” He continued, “There are large, financially-stable commercial space operators with experience managing large constellations, that have integrated new satellites into their command and control system and are capable of executing effective Information Assurance operations. Finding the right partner with the right experience should take much of the risk out of this transition.”

Although the timing of the RFP remains unknown, the movement towards commercially-operated DSCS and WGS satellite constellations could be inevitable. If it does come to pass, it would certainly mark a new direction for MILSATCOM, and even further blurring of the lines between the military’s space infrastructure and the commercial satellite industry.

Watch the video of the Defense One briefing below:

The post The evolving role of industry partners in MILSATCOM appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

Ultimately, the largest trend that was discussed at the event was the need for the government and military’s space infrastructure to change in the face of a drastically more congested and contested domain. This topic  was well-illustrated by Dr. Brian Weeden, a panelist and Technical Advisor at the Secure World Foundation, when he said:

“There’s…a growing use of space for military and national security purposes by the US and other countries. And all of these things together generate challenges – physical congestion, greater frequency congestion, and also the potential for space to be part of future conflicts. That’s a huge set of challenges – and also opportunities – that the military is trying to deal with.”

Space is becoming increasingly incorporated in conflict planning and military exercises. CNN recently highlighted this new battleground in their special “War in Space: The Next Battlefield” which premiered last month. The domain is being relied on more heavily for the delivery of actionable intelligence and mission-critical capabilities and communications in theater. It’s also becoming a capability that the military is looking to better share and integrate with both international partners and the intelligence community.

These necessary changes were extoled by Mr. Winston Beauchamp, the Director of the Principal Department of Defense Space Advisor Staff and Deputy Under Secretary (Space) of the U.S. Air Force, when he said:

“Just look at all of the changes that we’ve made just in the last year. We’ve changed the way we exercise. In July at the Red Flag exercise, the Air Expeditionary Commander – someone that has always been an air operator – was Col. Deanna Burke, the Commander of the 50th Space Wing. We changed the way the relationship between air and space operates. We changed how we collaborate with our international partners…We’ve changed the way we present space forces to the combatant commanders by building a space mission force that understands what it takes to operate through a contested environment. We changed our Op centers and are well on the road to modernizing our battle management command and control capability. And we’ve changed the way we integrate with our intelligence community partners – much closer collaboration than ever – because – when you’re in a contested environment – you have to understand what your partners are doing in response to a threat…”

But these changes aren’t the only result of the shifting space domain.

Looking ahead and analyzing the best path forward

A more congested and contested domain has led the military to look forward to the future of their space and satellite infrastructure for 2030 and beyond. As we discussed in our previous post, this is beginning with an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) for military wideband satellite, which will analyze all possible ways in which the military can build a next-generation space and satellite network that will deliver the mission assurance that the military needs in space today, and into the future.

What is the current status of the military wideband AoA? It’s in its infancy.

The AoA is, unfortunately, very complex and intricate, with many disparate organizations and parties involved in its development. Instead of being done entirely with input from the DoD and Air Force, this AoA is being drafted with input from international partners and private industry – including the COMSATCOM providers whose networks will undoubtedly become more relied on to carry military communications and capabilities during conflicts.

This more complex AoA has taken significantly more time to coordinate and start than many outside of the government had anticipated. As of yet, the completion date remains “TBD.”

According to Robert Tarleton, Jr, the Director of the MILSATCOM Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, “It’ll be done when we’ve answered all of the questions that we have to address. [AoA’s] typically take around 18 months or so. But this one is going to be complex because we’ve got commercial partners in the planning and conduct of the AoA, as well as international partners that are participating as well.”

However, Mr. Tarleton did insinuate that COMSATCOM could be playing a larger role in military SATCOM needs in the future when he said, “…purpose built satellite, commercial systems – that’s hard to figure out right now. There’s going to be some mix, there’s no doubt about it.”

But the AoA isn’t being shaped with just input from international and industry partners, alone. There are other intelligence and information sources that are expected to help define and shape the AoA – and subsequently the nation’s military satellite infrastructure – moving forward.

Path forward defined by Pathfinders and Pilot Programs

In addition to gathering intelligence and information for the creation of the AoA from international partners and experts in private industry, the military is also conducting a series of Pathfinder and Pilot Programs. These programs are designed to create insights and information into the feasibility of disparate purchasing and operating models for SATCOM services.

<Click HERE to access a two-part podcast series focused on the Pathfinder Program and the benefits it has generated for the Air Force.>

The first COMSATCOM Pathfinder, which involved the Air Force acquiring a transponder on an in-orbit satellite over Africa, was widely considered a success by decision makers in the DoD. However, the next Pathfinder program, Pathfinder Two, has met some internal resistance and has been delayed and subsequently altered from its original intent and design – to purchase a transponder prior to launch and then have the ability to trade capacity on that transponder for capacity on other satellites that are providing coverage in geographic areas of need.

According to Mr. Tarleton, “The intent was to look at the business and acquisition processes. So, what has actually changed is our approach to how we’re going to do Pathfinder Two. We hoped to initially have – at contract award – access to the whole constellation of whichever company we had bought from, equal to the bandwidth we had bought. With the funding and some of the other regulations we had run into, we just weren’t able to do that. We’re actually going to not have that capability available to us until after the satellite itself is launched.”

But, despite these setbacks, the military is optimistic that some Pathfinder data – as well as learning from other pilot programs – can be incorporated into the wideband AoA. However, they’ll have to move fast to complete Pathfinder Two, and its successor – Pathfinder Three. Unfortunately, similar setbacks and challenges in how the military is using funds could make it difficult for these programs to be completed in time to influence the AoA.

According to Mr. Tarleton, “With Pathfinder Three, we are also trying to get the funds recolored. That’s going to have to happen very quickly. And, an action was taken and I’m not sure if that’s going to be able to be completed on time…”

Whether findings from the Pathfinder programs are incorporated or not, the wideband AoA marks a clear and deliberate attempt by the military to evolve their space and satellite infrastructure to better meet the challenges of an increasingly congested and contested domain.

By incorporating private industry in both the planning and construction of the nation’s next-generation satellite network, the military is working hard to ensure that this network not only can deliver communications and capabilities effectively and efficiently to the warfighter, but also has the mission assurance necessary to ensure that these capabilities are never compromised.

In our next article on the GovSat Report, we’ll look at another program that was mentioned at the morning briefing, which could fundamentally change the way the military approaches the command, control and management of their military satellite constellation.

*Featured image courtesy of Defense One

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I had the opportunity to attend the event and listen to the all-star panel discuss the challenges, changes and opportunities facing the military’s space operations and satellite infrastructure. The panel included:

• Winston Beauchamp – Director, Principal Department of Defense Space Advisor Staff and Deputy Under Secretary (Space), U.S. Air Force
• Chirag Parikh – Director of Source Strategies, NGA
• Robert Tarleton, Jr. – Director, MILSATCOM Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California
• Brian Weeden – Technical Advisor, Secure World Foundation

Despite representing separate entities , all four of the panelists had a similar perspective on space – The U.S. needs to adopt new technology and expedite acquisition processes quickly to ensure continued mission assurance and superiority. There are multiple trends and changes in the domain that are forcing the military’s hand.

Paramount among the changes and challenges facing our nation in space is the fact that space is no longer host to a party of two. There are an ever-increasing number of players in space. This challenge was highlighted by Dr. Weeden when he said:

“We’ve been doing things in space since the 1950s. And it’s only been in the last decade or so that those that work in the field have started to see a pretty drastic amount of change, and that’s being driven by several trends. One of those is that space is becoming more international. Early on, only two countries were operating in space, now there are more than 60 countries that have at least one satellite, and more of them joining the club every year.”

But it’s not just other governments that are starting to launch and maintain satellite constellations. As Dr. Weeden explained, there is an increasing field of commercial satellite providers that are launching spacecraft for a wide range of capabilities and use cases.

According to Dr. Weeden, “Space started as a government endeavor, but that’s changing very rapidly. We’re on the cusp of seeing a revolution or renaissance in commercial space that will see it start doing all sorts of interesting things that government has done in the past…and also a whole bunch of new things we haven’t seen before.”

This congestion in space is not a new topic of discussion. In fact, we’ve covered the issues and challenges that can arise from the expanding ecosystem of satellites in space at great length and in great detail in the past on the GovSat Report. Ultimately, increased congestion greatly increases the chances of collisions between spacecraft.  The increased investment of foreign nations – and adversaries in particular – into their satellite constellations only serves to erode the advantage that space used to provide to the United States military.

What’s more, the U.S. military’s reliance on satellite and the advantages that satellites deliver in theater are no longer exclusive or unknown. Our adversaries know that SATCOM is mission critical to the military, and will look for any way to take SATCOM and other satellite capabilities away from our military during conflicts. This sentiment was shared by Mr. Parikh when he said, “…the environment has changed. War is extending to space. Some are now considering [space] part of a conventional conflict.“

If war is extending to space, then U.S. satellite infrastructure and the capabilities they deliver need to be protected to ensure they’re available to the warfighter during conflicts.

Building a new, more resilient architecture

These new challenges and changes in space come at an interesting and pivotal time in our nation’s space infrastructure.  The Department of Defense (DoD) is now looking forward to the next space architecture for 2030 and beyond.

Regardless of what decisions the military makes regarding its future satellite infrastructure, a focus on resiliency is guaranteed.  One of the ways that the military is exploring to help increase resiliency and enable other benefits is to look to those outside of the U.S. government and military for support – including commercial industry and international allies. This sentiment was reflected by Mr. Parikh, who said:

“We are in a huge transition phase right now. We are already – in the government – talking about the architecture after next. And so as we try to figure out what’s happening in 2030, we have to first figure out what’s happening in the commercial climate, what’s happening in the foreign climate, understand what’s happening in the security climate, and then – based upon that – apply our capabilities towards what we do best, which is solve the hard problems with the resources that we have and then leverage commercial and foreign capabilities to the maximum extent practical.”

The future vision for the military satellite infrastructure is expected to be established in an upcoming Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) that will be conducted by the DoD. This AoA is expected to begin shortly, and will function to identify the path forward for military satellite communications.

Despite the fact that the process for completing the AoA has yet to begin, almost all experts – including the panelists at the event – agree that COMSATCOM will play a vital role in the future of the government satellite infrastructure when it’s completed and released.  One of those reasons involves private industry’s ability to bring new and innovative satellite technologies to market faster than the government could ever dream of. The other relates directly to one of the largest challenges facing us in space – resiliency.

More layers means more mission assurance

The existing constellations of purpose-built military satellites, WGS, is capable and effective for delivering communications and capabilities to warfighters in theater. They’re also easy targets for adversaries.

During a conflict, adversaries may look to eliminate U.S. SATCOM and other capabilities delivered via satellite, and there are multiple ways they can accomplish that – including jamming and kinetic attacks. If these capabilities are being delivered exclusively through the WGS satellite constellation, targeting the correct satellite and compromising them is exceptionally simple. According to Mr. Beauchamp, “Right now, if somebody wanted to deny SATCOM services they pretty much know what satellite they’re being delivered from.”

The military can change this by distributing their SATCOM capabilities and delivering them multiple layers or constellations of satellites. By distributing capabilities across multiple satellites and constellations, it becomes increasingly difficult to identify which satellites are carrying mission-critical communications and capabilities and makes it more difficult to attack them.

This point was validated by Mr. Beauchamp who said, “…If we can evolve from an architecture where we deliver capability from a single layer of identical nodes in space to one where we maintain the exquisite national systems that we have and that we have enjoyed the services of for so long, and augment them with systems that are delivered with commercial capability, international capability and possibly something that is responsive in nature, then it would be very difficult for any of those threats to hold our capability at risk because they wouldn’t know where the capability is being delivered from.”

Aside from distribution of SATCOM signals and capabilities, commercial providers can also help increase mission assurance through their advanced HTS technology. Today, COMSATCOM providers are building and launching a new generation of High Throughput Satellites that utilize high powered spot beams to deliver higher throughputs and increased bandwidth. These high powered spot beams can also be useful in helping protect satellite signals from jamming.

According to Mr. Beauchamp, “…on the COMSATCOM side, (we’re) going to take advantage of the industrial trend towards smaller spot beams of higher power so that jammers would have to be much more numerous and much more close to the action than they would have before to deny a signal.”

With benefits that align directly with the military’s need to increase mission assurance and protect satellite capabilities, it’s no surprise that COMSATCOM is will be a significant mission partner in the future. The challenge for the DoD will be to accurately incorporate the capabilities and benefits of COMSATCOM in their developing AoA.

In our next article on the GovSat Report, we’ll look at the status of the AoA and some of the individual pilot and Pathfinder programs that the military is utilizing to help those conducting the AoA make more informed decisions.

*Featured image courtesy of Defense One

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