Military Communications All photos courtesy of Viasat. ViaSat: providing for the military Government satellite communications form a core part of ViaSat's capabilities and the company is playing a key role in transforming the way in which the military communicates. Helen Jameson spoke to Peter Weissmann, Business Development Manager at ViaSat Australia and a former soldier himself, about the evolution of communications in the military and where ViaSat fits in. Question: Communications-on-the-Move is fast becoming the most important application in terms of satellite applications for the military. Why is this the case? Peter Weissmann: Over the last few years the tempo of modern military operations has been increasing dramatically to the point where forces are now required to conduct independent operations in widely dispersed "points of battle", often simultaneously, across a theatre of operations which might encompass one or more countries. Satellite communications have proven the ideal medium for beyond line-of-sight, networked commu- nications in this scenario, providing the backbone for broadband video, voice and data capabilities, particularly at the edge of the battle space where there is typically no infrastructure. High speed mobility has also become a major requirement for forces moving across these large areas with commanders needing high speed communications between mobile Command and Control (C2) platforms and higher command elements to keep everyone synchronised to the current operational picture. Constant battlefield situational awareness is critical to avoid friendly fire incidents, especially where air and ground elements are co-operatively engaged with an enemy. Previously, military commanders and their staff would be in a virtual communications blackout whenever they were moving by road or air and having to "re-synchronise" with the current battle scenario whenever the convoy stopped or plane landed. Broadband COTM allows the commander to be in continuous communications whenever and wherever he goes in the Area of Operations (AO), completely removing the requirement to re-synchronise. 8 w w w.satellite-evolution.com | September/October 2008 viasat1.p65 8 23/10/2008, 15:15