{"id":65420,"date":"2018-04-23T23:12:08","date_gmt":"2018-04-23T15:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/the-future-of-milsatcom-rests-on-interoperability\/"},"modified":"2018-04-23T23:12:08","modified_gmt":"2018-04-23T15:12:08","slug":"the-future-of-milsatcom-rests-on-interoperability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/the-future-of-milsatcom-rests-on-interoperability\/","title":{"rendered":"The Future of Milsatcom Rests on Interoperability"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) nears the final weeks of its wideband Analysis of Alternatives (AOA) study, one element of the government\u2019s shifting priorities has become abundantly clear. When it comes to the space environment, the crux of the U.S. Armed Forces\u2019 strategy will be improved collaboration with both commercial and international partners.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s true that we\u2019ve heard this song and dance before. Back in 2010, when President Obama issued an updated National Space Policy, one of its primary objectives was to \u201cpurchase and use commercial space capabilities and services to the maximum practical extent.\u201d Since then, the U.S. government has taken some steps toward this goal, such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency purchasing satellite data from a commercial Earth Observation (EO) company, Spire Global, for the first time. But to say the government has taken advantage of similar partnerships to the \u201cmaximum practical extent,\u201d especially for military operations, would be a massive overstatement at the very least.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ZkNEGscQZOKddw0Tbggs_01_VS_050118_Cover_DGTL-1-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"width: 120px; height: auto;\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ZkNEGscQZOKddw0Tbggs_01_VS_050118_Cover_DGTL-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ZkNEGscQZOKddw0Tbggs_01_VS_050118_Cover_DGTL-1-800x599.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ZkNEGscQZOKddw0Tbggs_01_VS_050118_Cover_DGTL-1-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ZkNEGscQZOKddw0Tbggs_01_VS_050118_Cover_DGTL-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"fs-5 mt-0\">Explore the May 2018 Issue<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-0 fs-smaller text-balance\">Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-primary\" type=\"button\" data-bs-toggle=\"offcanvas\" data-bs-target=\"#offcanvasMENU\" aria-controls=\"offcanvasExample\" aria-label=\"button\" style=\"white-space: nowrap;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tView More <i class=\"bi bi-arrow-right-circle\"><\/i><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<p>Now, along with the revival of the National Space Council, the Trump administration is echoing the same priority. And, although it has taken nearly 10 years (in typical bureaucratic fashion), the U.S. government appears to be slowly steering the ship in the right direction. During a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in February, Vice President Mike Pence said the administration\u2019s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal encourages private U.S. space companies to \u201cincrease their activity in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), where the government will be a partner and a customer, not a competitor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Deanna Ryals, chief of the International Programs Division within the Milsatcom Systems Directorate at the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), the desire to tap into commercial expertise has escalated all the way up the chain of command. \u201cWe have to find out how to tap into this unbelievable resource. A big part of our strategy is increasing use of the industrial base here,\u201d she said during a <em class=\"Annotation -emphasis\">Defense One<\/em> panel discussing the future of military satcom in March. If the U.S. government can also make use of its international allies\u2019 commercial bases, \u201cthe opportunities for partnerships are unlimited,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Col. George Nagy, chief of the Space Support to Operations Division at the Pentagon, pointed to the ongoing AOA as evidence of the U.S. government\u2019s newfound willingness to collaborate. \u201c\u2019We invited 16 of our allies along with [the North Atlantic Treaty Organization] NATO to participate, and we received great feedback from those nations,\u201d he said. Moreover, industry involvement in the analysis is \u201cthe most we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d he said. \u201cIt really is high time we look at how we bring those capabilities together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script>var AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a6daa7ae1272;googletag.cmd.push(function(){var AIMAP_29b58f13885ebf8ea6b032f958eb0748 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([992, 100], [[970, 90], [970, 250]]).addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_737ce075cc05dd766c8f8ea08f3faa73 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([768, 100], [728, 90]).addSize([320, 100], [320, 50]).build();var AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3 = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1200, 100], [970, 250]).addSize([768, 100], [600, 300]).addSize([320, 100], [300, 250]).build();AIAD_fcd45f981d570e35cee941b23edc69c7_6a6daa7ae1272 = googletag.defineSlot('\/987\/satellitetoday.com\/via-satellite-digital-issue-ads', [ [600, 300], [300, 250], [970, 250] ], 'div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a6daa7ae1273').defineSizeMapping(AIMAP_21fe3bcfb86a8660aba4e721ee9338f3).setCollapseEmptyDiv(true).addService(googletag.pubads());   });<\/script><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1774631144891- 0-6a6daa7ae1273'); });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Contrary to popular belief, integrating commercial capabilities doesn\u2019t actually start in space, but back on Earth. \u201cFully 75 percent of the costs for wideband enterprise lie on the ground, either in the user terminal segment or with the network enterprise management and control,\u201d Nagy said. As such, he believes it\u2019s critical to plan in interoperability and flexibility from the ground up when constructing new networks.<\/p>\n<p>Ryals also noted that the U.S. government\u2019s incessant habit of classifying everything and anything has thus far hampered its ability to work alongside its allies and partners. This policy concern has existed for years, but came into particularly sharp relief during the email debacle of the 2016 presidential campaigns. At the time, after being lambasted for her handling of emails on a private network server, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton complained that government information is too often overclassified and poorly labeled. According to Ryals, the DOD is now in the midst of figuring out a more efficient system for managing sensitive data. \u201cIf we\u2019re building an integrated network, we have to be able to share data. If we can\u2019t do that we\u2019re going to continue to build stovepipe systems,\u201d Ryals said. \u201cI think we\u2019ve got leadership that\u2019s willing to listen to these concerns and I\u2019m hoping we can see some improvements soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the U.S. government wants a military architecture in space that is as resilient or defendable as possible \u2014 \u201csomething that will degrade gracefully when under stress and not immediately collapse,\u201d as Brian Weeden, director of program planning for Secure World Foundation, described it. Commercial partnerships will not solve all of the issues associated with resiliency, but they will certainly be a part of the \u201cbasket of different solutions\u201d it will take to reach a satisfactory level of dominance in this new battlefield, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Douglas Loverro, president of Loverro Consulting and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, also emphasized the importance of having a multitude of resiliency solutions. Architecting a system that will be difficult, if not impossible, for someone to take apart may take at least six elements, he said:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"px-8\">disaggregation of dissimilar capabilities onto separate platforms;<\/li>\n<li class=\"px-8\">diversification, or having multiple systems contributing to the same mission;<\/li>\n<li class=\"px-8\">distribution of functions across multiple nodes;<\/li>\n<li class=\"px-8\">deception, or hiding strengths and weaknesses from adversaries;<\/li>\n<li class=\"px-8\">protection such as nuclear hardening;<\/li>\n<li class=\"px-8\">and proliferation of a larger number of spacecraft.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Altogether, effective resiliency in space will require a \u201ccombination of steps,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>According to both Nagy and Loverro, the U.S. military is weighing the pros and cons of operating assets in Non-Geostationary Orbits (NGSO), much like the commercial satellite industry is today. Until now, government launches were dictated by economic convenience \u2014 that is, launch into GEO because you can cover the entire globe with just four satellites. \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t happen to be a very good place to fight from,\u201d Loverro said. \u201cLEO orbits are better because they\u2019re proliferated by nature. They can\u2019t be jammed easily because you can only see the satellite that\u2019s overhead and not the other 4,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How quickly the U.S. government will implement the lessons it has learned from the AOA remains a big question. But with actors like China and Russia catching up to \u2014 and in some cases, surpassing \u2014 the U.S.\u2019 capabilities in space, the pressure is on. Most likely, the AOA will help guide some of thinking around the next Wideband Global Satcom satellite, WSG 10, set to launch in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>However, during a panel discussion at the SATELLITE 2018 Conference &amp; Exhibition, Spire CEO Peter Platzer urged the U.S. government to transition from just \u201cbuying stuff\u201d from commercial partners, such as a single satellite, to buying services. Unfortunately, he said, no easy processes exist just yet to do so. \u201cWe need to find a way to give people in the government the ability to spend opex and not just capex,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The government\u2019s molasses-like procurement process simply isn\u2019t sustainable when satellite technology evolves as quickly as it does, Platzer added. \u201cIt\u2019s important we bring the mindset of rapid change on a monthly basis to the people who oversee the security and safety of the people of this country, [so they] realize that taking three months to write a report to make a committee to start making a decision just doesn\u2019t cut it in a world where this technology is becoming rapidly available to everyone,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>,<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"widget-title\">In This Issue<\/h2>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 407176:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TzXZDgbJQFaEZawXDknq_VS_050118_CyberSec-300x180.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TzXZDgbJQFaEZawXDknq_VS_050118_CyberSec-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TzXZDgbJQFaEZawXDknq_VS_050118_CyberSec-800x480.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TzXZDgbJQFaEZawXDknq_VS_050118_CyberSec-640x384.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TzXZDgbJQFaEZawXDknq_VS_050118_CyberSec.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tAI Elevates Cyber Threat to New Level<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 407164:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"258\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qu2Yz8tTUmtVfivuzjx0_AI_050118-1-300x258.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qu2Yz8tTUmtVfivuzjx0_AI_050118-1-300x258.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qu2Yz8tTUmtVfivuzjx0_AI_050118-1-800x687.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qu2Yz8tTUmtVfivuzjx0_AI_050118-1-640x550.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qu2Yz8tTUmtVfivuzjx0_AI_050118-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tAI Heads to Space with a Constellation of Use Cases<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 407170:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yZVMKLXTCGdYCvsgx0Py_Falcon_Heavy_Side_Boosters_landing_on_LZ1_and_LZ2_-_2018__25254688767_-300x200.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yZVMKLXTCGdYCvsgx0Py_Falcon_Heavy_Side_Boosters_landing_on_LZ1_and_LZ2_-_2018__25254688767_-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yZVMKLXTCGdYCvsgx0Py_Falcon_Heavy_Side_Boosters_landing_on_LZ1_and_LZ2_-_2018__25254688767_-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yZVMKLXTCGdYCvsgx0Py_Falcon_Heavy_Side_Boosters_landing_on_LZ1_and_LZ2_-_2018__25254688767_-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/yZVMKLXTCGdYCvsgx0Py_Falcon_Heavy_Side_Boosters_landing_on_LZ1_and_LZ2_-_2018__25254688767_.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tCalculating the Economics of Reusable Launch Vehicles<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 407197:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"246\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qX7WKcTETTegc2jYEboA_Connected_Transport_050118-300x246.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qX7WKcTETTegc2jYEboA_Connected_Transport_050118-300x246.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qX7WKcTETTegc2jYEboA_Connected_Transport_050118-800x656.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qX7WKcTETTegc2jYEboA_Connected_Transport_050118-640x525.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/qX7WKcTETTegc2jYEboA_Connected_Transport_050118.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tPostcard from a Cruise Ship: Behind the Scenes of a World Record Attempt<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 407203:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hkbIPAofRCma72ZoOcJq_EdNote_Header_Web-300x167.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hkbIPAofRCma72ZoOcJq_EdNote_Header_Web-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hkbIPAofRCma72ZoOcJq_EdNote_Header_Web-800x446.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hkbIPAofRCma72ZoOcJq_EdNote_Header_Web-640x357.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hkbIPAofRCma72ZoOcJq_EdNote_Header_Web.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tThe Dawn of Artificial Intelligence in Satellite<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-3 d-block d-md-none\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- post id 407189:  \/code\/wp-content\/themes\/ai-beehive\/template-parts\/content\/post-snippet.php --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"overflow-hidden w-100 me-3\">\n<p>\t<img width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/jyO0jINQOqfaJ3HnH8pI_DYFrpUTWsAAEhP7-300x225.jpg\" class=\"img-responsive wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" style=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/jyO0jINQOqfaJ3HnH8pI_DYFrpUTWsAAEhP7-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/jyO0jINQOqfaJ3HnH8pI_DYFrpUTWsAAEhP7-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/jyO0jINQOqfaJ3HnH8pI_DYFrpUTWsAAEhP7-640x480.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/jyO0jINQOqfaJ3HnH8pI_DYFrpUTWsAAEhP7.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<h3 class=\"fs-4 w-100 line-clamp-3\">\n<p>\t\t\t\tTop 10 Things NSR Learned at SATELLITE 2018<br \/>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<p><!-- .post-snippet --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) nears the final weeks of its wideband Analysis of Alternatives (AOA) study, one element of the government\u2019s shifting priorities has become abundantly clear. When it comes to the space environment, the crux of the U.S. Armed Forces\u2019 strategy will be improved collaboration with both commercial and international partners. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65420"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}