Posts Tagged ‘WGS’
Ensuring Stability in the Asia-Pacific Region
Is There a Viable Business Case for Commercial Satellite Coverage without a Conflict? While there are currently no full-scale conflicts or natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific theater, it is widely agreed that this region is the most susceptible in the world to both types of events. Nation states there are gaining considerable economic, military and…
Read MorePentagon May Defer Launches of 2 Wideband Communications Satellites
Space News – WASHINGTON — Facing a budget crunch that has it scouring all possibilities for near-term cost savings, the U.S. Defense Department’s space leadership is considering deferring the launches of two wideband communications satellites currently under construction, including one that is being paid for by a consortium of U.S. allies, according to multiple sources.
Read MoreWould WGS International Partnerships Give DoD the Cutting Edge?
Recently, Frank Kendall warned that the U.S. military may soon fall behind in the arms technology race. Our potential adversaries are modernizing all of their capabilities, and we are trying to strategize how to counter this progress. In the current budgetary environment, can we hold tight to the existing satellite communications framework and still achieve this…
Read MoreBoeing Foresees Additional WGS Satellite Orders
Space News – The U.S. Air Force is discussing the possibility of building at least two more Wideband Global Satcom communications satellites with funding from potential international partners, Boeing Network and Space Systems President Roger Krone said May 13. Krone said in a briefing with reporters he believes there is enough international appetite for additional satellites.…
Read MoreU.S. Defense Firms Eye International Opportunities in a Slowing National Market
Via Satellite – Leading system integrators, ground-based and satellite operators weigh in how they see the global government market evolving in the next few years, particularly in the Pacific Rim, Africa and the Middle East.
Read MoreSatcom Firms Seek Answers on Bandwidth Agreement
Defense News – One year ago, top Pentagon officials pledged to find a new way to work with the commercial satellite industry. And it was welcome news. Yet despite the backing of Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top acquisitions official, nothing has changed. Indeed, a study that Kendall promised industry during last year’s SATELLITE 2013 Conference in…
Read MorePrivate SATCOM’s Promise
Satellite providers find military demands tough to plan for C4ISR & Networks – At the peak of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the demand for high-definition full motion video was so intense that about 90 percent of the bandwidth used by U.S. Central Command was supplied by commercial satellites, said Robert Tipton Osterthaler, CEO…
Read MoreCongress and Its Recent Role in COMSATCOM Acquisition Reform
Last month, Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI, 8th District), chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee, authored an opinion piece in Space News about procuring commercial satellite services. He argued for the urgent need to change this process to save money, but more importantly, to protect our armed forces. XTAR strongly supports the Congressman’s…
Read MoreWGS Sales to Allies Undermine U.S. Comsatcom Industry
Space News – January 27, 2014 Op-Ed by Andrew Ruszkowski – The overseas combat operations of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down just as the Department of Defense has begun to focus on making more efficient use of dwindling budgets and scarce resources. Key DoD leaders, including those at the U.S. Air Force’s…
Read MoreAt the Crossroads of Technology and Comfort
DoD COMSATCOM acquisition reform is a complicated subject, even without the current acquisition process that stands in the way. Driven by budget concerns – having to cut budget spend in the face of sequestration and other economic factors that are reducing the money available to DoD – the question is this: Can DoD continue to…
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