The U.S. military envisions a satellite communications network mirroring the internet's fluidity and speed, ensuring seamless interoperability. However, achieving this "military space internet" faces significant hurdles, as Pentagon officials acknowledged at a recent conference.
With commercial satellites outnumbering military ones, the Department of Defense (DoD) is striving to leverage this diverse ecosystem to create "enterprise satcom"—a virtualized, software-defined network capable of automatically rerouting communications across various satellite systems in the face of jamming. Currently, the system is hampered by manual processes, hardware silos, and incompatible standards.
Unlike cellular networks unified by 3GPP standards, satellite communications lack such standardization. Mike Dean, director of command, control, and communications infrastructure at the DoD, emphasized the need for a comparable standard, hoping for a "3GPP moment" in the satellite industry.
The commercial sector remains fragmented, with proprietary technologies hindering interoperability. As Rajeev Gopal, vice president of Hughes Network Systems, noted: “Can I take a OneWeb modem and replace it with an Amazon Kuiper modem? I do not think that can be done today.”
Different military branches utilize different satellite terminals, necessitating costly hardware upgrades for compatibility with various commercial services. Paul Van Slett, head of the satellite communications division at the Pentagon’s Chief Information Office, refers to these custom hardware units as "bespoke pizza boxes"—expensive and cumbersome to upgrade.
The military's adoption of SpaceX's Starlink, which avoids interoperability issues through its exclusive design, presents a paradox. While effective, it raises concerns about over-reliance on a single vendor.
The DoD's next-generation strategy involves hybrid space networks encompassing its own, commercial, and allied satellites across various orbits (LEO, MEO, GEO). This necessitates addressing both technical and business challenges, with the Enterprise Satellite Communications Management and Control (ESC-MC) system central to achieving interoperability.
Modernizing ground stations (teleports) and developing new "hybrid terminals" capable of software-based switching between networks are crucial steps. The development of these hybrid terminals, described as "unprecedented" by Dean, is underway across all three military branches, with the Air Force potentially fielding its first by 2026.
While the technical challenges are surmountable, implementing solutions in military networks demands significant coordination. Dean highlighted the complexity, stating, “We think about the space segment, we think about the terminals, but we always forget the ground.” Van Slett added that the user terminal remains the “tail that wags the dog,” emphasizing the need for standardized, software-upgradable servers.
Despite the hurdles, the military remains dedicated to a hybrid satcom future, prioritizing diversification for resilience, as Van Slett stated: “The way we need to get to resiliency across a number of areas is through greater diversification.”