What Will Commercial Satellite Communications do For the Military After Next?

Abstract

Abstract : In the eight years from 1995 to 2003, over 890 commercial communications satellites comprising 34 new system constellations will be placed into service orbiting our planet. Many recent studies of the future United States military have identified satellite communications as key to the of the future force. The military's requirement for command and control on the move (C2OTM) and its penchant for often deploying to areas where little or no infrastructure exists further validate this satellite communication requirement. Although the military has its own satellite communications systems in use now and planned for the future, those systems have relatively low throughput and therefore do not satisfy the gross future requirements. As military budgets shrink and military constellations wear out without our ability to replace but a very few justified hardened systems, DoD must acquire the best possible mix of satellite communications support for the warfighter via commercial means. The three keys to military success for the force after next in this dual use area of technology will be: (1) knowledge of our own requirements, (2) knowledge of the technology's limitations, and (3) close cooperation with industry to insure our service specific requirements are met.