Recent high-profile LEO satellite outages have highlighted the risks military customers face when relying on a single satellite network for mission-critical connectivity. 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, underscoring why the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) cannot depend on any single system.
When access to a primary communications system is denied, degraded, or lost during a mission, warfighters must have 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 the rapid pace of innovation and rising bandwidth demands exceeded what government systems alone could provide, and the DoD faced challenges 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 cannot meet all current demands, and commercial systems offer additional capacity, flexibility, and performance, 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 transition 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 integrators capable of combining capabilities across multiple networks.
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 reliable connectivity their missions require. It is critical to note that agnostic integrators’ access to industry partners’ satellite systems allows them to enable 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 have grown in the last few years is due to the emergence of automated tools, including solutions such as SES’s SIMON solution, that can evaluate the best satellite pathway for a mission and assess link conditions. These tools support the redundancy required for resilient communications, reduce disruptions, and simplify network management.
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