Preserving the Satellite Backbone by LTC Leonard Newman
As Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) winds down, ground satellite systems will still be necessary as a line of communi- cations at the small forward operating bases that could remain after 2014 if the United States and Afghanistan reach such an agreement.
Secure Internet Protocol Router/ Non-secure Internet Protocol (SIPR/ NIPR) Access Points (SNAPs) are Teater Provided Equipment (TPE) designed for use at the company echelon and small combat outposts. Tey enable units in austere environments to pull down SIPR/ NIPR-centric services and communicate with higher headquarters. As Warfighter Information
Network – Tactical
(WIN-T) Increment 1 equipment returns to the United States, SNAPs will fill some of the gap and support the small Army presence that could remain past 2014.
One of the challenges the Army will face will be
ensuring that enough SNAPs
stay behind in theater to fulfill opera- tional requirements as they arise. Today, SNAPs continue to support the last of the Army personnel still in Iraq, and they are expected to be among the last of the Army’s equipment to remain in Afghanistan.
Some of the SNAPs coming out of OEF will be refurbished in the United States
Packages (GRRIPs) as a bridge to future network programs of record.
Tis repurposing effort is expected to provide significant cost savings in the early stages of WIN-T Increment 1’s Transportable Tactical Command Com- munications (T2C2) program. T2C2 will provide small teams with robust voice and data communications capabilities in the initial phases of joint operations. Until the T2C2 capability is fielded, repur- posed GRRIPs and SNAPs will help fill those communications requirements.
Like SNAPs, GRRIPs are TPE and are fielded worldwide through operational needs statements (ONS). Tey provide voice and data capability without the need of fixed infrastructure. Tey are small enough to fit in the overhead bin of an airplane and take only a few minutes to set up. Unlike other network equip- ment being pulled out of theater, GRRIPs continue to be fielded into Afghanistan to fill ONS and support operations. Te Army is repurposing GRRIPS no longer needed to support units deploying back to the States to fill other ONS in OEF.
and used to fulfill U.S. Cen-
tral Command (CENTCOM) mission requirements in Kuwait and other locations in its area of responsibility. Additionally, over the next few years the Army plans to use 360 SNAPs and 550 Global Rapid Response Information
Te WIN-T network architecture in Afghanistan also includes Deployable Ku-band Earth Terminals (DKETs), which were designed to support larger hub locations for long-haul transport both intra- and inter-theater. Tey pro- vide much larger bandwidth capabilities and volume distribution than the smaller SNAPs. However, as the force in Afghan- istan shrinks and the Army retrogrades DKETs, SNAPs will provide the network
backbone necessary to support commu- nications for remaining forces.
Some of the retrograded DKET equip- ment will
stay forward to support
contingency operations, some will move to a warehouse to fill requirements as they arise, and the rest will return to the States for distribution to other services or combatant commands.
Already, one of CENTCOM’s new and unused DKETs was sent to fill require- ments in the Horn of Africa, avoiding the time and the $1.6 million needed to buy a new unit. In the future, the reuse and redeployment of each retrograded DKET could realize a cost avoidance of more than $1.1 million (the cost of buying a new unit, less the cost of refurbishing a used unit), as well as the significant time savings of not having to acquire brand-new equipment.
PM WIN-T is working to ensure that the proper mix of equipment remains in theater to support enduring operations, while keeping efficiencies at the forefront of its retrograde efforts.
LTC LEONARD NEWMAN is the Prod- uct Manager Satellite Communications, assigned to Project Manager WIN-T. He holds a bachelor’s of business admin- istration in accounting from Howard University and an MBA in information systems from Florida Institute of Technol- ogy. He is Level III certified in information technology and Level II in program man- agement. Newman is a member of the U.S. Army Acquisition Corps.
ASC.ARMY.MIL
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