Electronic Military & Defense magazine was developed for engineers, program managers, project managers, and those involved in the design and development of electronic and electro-optic systems for military, defense, and aerospace applications.
Issue link: https://electronicsmilitarydefense.epubxp.com/i/350588
Trends Where Does Commercial Satellite Use Fit Into Military Communications? Understanding the need for commercial satellite integration By Robert Demers A ssured, reliable, and secure communications are necessary for military operations. An example of this was brought to life in the film, "Lone Survivor" (2013). Based on a true story, the film dramatized how a significant number of specialized warf- ighters lost their lives due to unreliable, low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communi cations. As a dependable means of facilitating connectivity across vast and remote geographical areas, commercial satellite communications have been used effectively by militaries in various operations and conflict zones since the 1990s. Going into the First Gulf War, the balance of govern- ment usage of commercial satellite capacity 1 was about 20 percent. By the end of that conflict, it had risen to about 80 percent due to increased requirements — primar- ily for satellite imaging. As more conflicts came into being — and in some cases, overlapped — the use of commercial satellite capacity peaked at about 96 percent. Though capacity use has come down in recent years, military demand for commercial satellite capacity remains robust due to the need to facilitate a wide range of intelligence, surveillance, and recon- naissance (ISR) programs. A recent report by Euroconsult 2 indicated that satellite capacity usage by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) increased five-fold to over 10 GHz between 2000 and 2012, with commercial satellites sup- plying about 70 percent of the capacity used for military satellite communications worldwide. Military operations today are highly dynamic and unpre- dictable. As such, defense agencies increasingly require robust satellite-enabled capabilities to support information- rich environments upon which operations now depend. Military communications must also be adaptable to the dynamics of modern-day conflicts, meaning the equipment used in joint military missions must be easily integrated across multiple locations across the globe. Coming To Grips With Budgetary Constraints Faced with budget cuts and economic limitations, military organizations constantly have to work under tight constraints to maintain secure military information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure. At the same time, how- ever, these organizations need to address the growing user demand for new technologies and innovative communica- tion capabilities. Whether funding is scarce or plentiful, defense agencies need to be able to adopt the latest communications systems for complex military applications. Commercial satellite tech- nology has proven to be an affordable yet resilient choice for military organizations to make the most of their resources and optimize their operations — without compromising information security. There are obvious military missions, such as nuclear command and control, which require hardened communica- tion links that only dedicated military satellite networks can provide. But, military satellite programs — built and operated by defense agencies on military-specific frequency bands — require massive capital investments and can often be hampered by sched- ule delays, cost overruns, and capacity shortfall. Therefore, for many other types of applications considered to be more "routine," commercial satellite systems provide the necessary perfor- mance and reliability to meet bandwidth needs and service requirements. These applications include establishing vital communication links in joint military exercises, providing connectivity between headquarters and lower-echelon warf- ighters, and enabling military communications-on-the-move (COTM) in remote locations. Unlocking Innovative Capabilities Through Commercial Satellites Cost-effective and immediately deployable forms of commu- nications compatible with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology enable rapid deployments and successful mission accomplishment. Electronic Military & Defense Annual Resource, 4th Edition 44 Figure 1: No matter where troops are deployed, they require mission-critical, instant, and secure communications — which can be provided via commercial satellite use.