TRANSFORMING IN CONTACT
FEEDBACK ADVANCES SATCOM
Implementing a Soldier feedback loop is a critical component in the Army’s efforts to enhance its Unified Network to support potential large-scale combat operations. Te Army is leveraging Soldier feedback in two high-profile efforts to cost-effectively deliver the resilient, multi-orbit satellite communications (SATCOM) it needs to be successful in future conflicts.
For several years, the Army has worked closely with commercial vendors through streamlined cooperative research and develop- ment agreements to securely integrate and explore the capabilities of emerging commercial low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit satellite constellations, as well as the services and ground terminals needed to access them. As some of these commercial solutions mature and expand in global coverage, the Army is beginning to conduct operational assessments to inform near- and long-term network design decisions. Since September 2023, the 51st Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced (ESB-E) has supported an Army assessment to inform the potential integra- tion of emerging high-throughput, low-latency (HT/LL) low Earth orbit commercial SATCOM into the Army’s expanding Unified Network transport arsenal.
Recent geopolitical conflicts continue to underscore the need for commanders to possess multiple transport options to enhance their primary, alternate, contingency and emergency commu- nication plans to ensure resilient, rapid and uninterrupted data exchange on the battlefield. Te more network pathway options that exist for data to travel through—especially in disrupted, disconnected, intermittent and low-bandwidth environments— the more resilient the network becomes to signal roadblocks, including enemy jamming.
Te HT/LL assessment supported by the 51st ESB-E leverages several different maturing commercial low Earth orbit solutions integrated with the unit’s organic baseband systems. Te purpose is to determine the best mix of solutions to potentially add HT/LL transport to the Army’s portfolio of SATCOM terminals. Te assessment will also inform concept of operations and tactics, techniques and procedures for future HT/LL use in Army units.
Te unit will deploy and use the commercial assets in a variety of training exercises, mission sets and locations, and provide its
feedback. Te valuable quantitative and qualitative data points and Soldier feedback collected from the assessment will help shape Army HT/LL requirements and drive decisions on what to procure and how to implement materiel solutions to meet those requirements.
Later this fiscal year, the Army plans to conduct a HT/LL medium Earth orbit assessment leveraging Scalable Class of Unified Terminal, or SCOUT, satellite terminals, to evaluate whether medium Earth orbit SATCOM could be a viable solu- tion for transport diversity at division and above headquarters.
SATCOM AS A MANAGED SERVICE Another pilot will inform Army decisions on a lease-versus-buy business model for acquiring and delivering scalable commer- cial SATCOM to support unit readiness and unique missions in future large-scale combat operations.
To kick off the pilot, known as Satellite Communications as a Managed Service (SaaMS), the Army fielded different bundled commercial equipment, bandwidth and service packages to units in several regional coverage areas around the globe. Instead of the Army having to procure, field, sustain and modernize equip- ment on its own for every unit and every mission, SaaMS could enable the Army to lease these capabilities at the point of need. Tis business model would be scalable to expand or contract as missions change, helping to reduce on-hand inventory, satellite airtime and cost. SaaMS would ensure bandwidth is allocated at the right place and time to support data exchange in a wide variety of mission sets.
As PEO C3T released in April 2024, Army will leverage the data and Soldier feedback from the pilot and other DOD efforts to make informed decisions on implementing SaaMS to meet the increasing demand for secure reliable SATCOM.
In line with the Army Unified Network Plan, a SaaMS model could potentially help the service to more affordably keep up with the accelerating speed of technology advancement, while reducing equipment obsolescence and other sustainment chal- lenges. Solutions will be flexible and tailorable to meet the needs of specific mission sets and enable SATCOM connectivity and
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Army AL&T Magazine
Summer 2024
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