Military Satellite Communications in a Net-Centric Environment

Satellite communications dominate current and planned military and government communications systems and make Net-Centric Warfare possible. This course provides an in-depth understanding of current and future military satellite communications. The military requirements and threat are developed. The communication aspects of the system (e.g. modulation, coding, and multiple-access) are emphasized and the key problems of communicating in a jamming and/or nuclear environment are presented. Internet protocol (IP) and IP over Satellite (IPoS) are addressed showing this protocol's strengths and weaknesses as a facilitator of Net-Centric warfare.   All of the current and future military and commercial satellite systems are described including MILSATCOM's evolution into the Transitional Communications Architecture (TCA). The topics provide a comprehensive perspective of satellite communications for military applications.

The course is evenly balanced between general principles and discussions of specific systems. The course will include demonstrations of various satellite communications equipment.

OBJECTIVE
This course describes the fundamental aspects of satellite communication systems engineering with emphasis on the description of current and projected satellite networks in a Net-Centric and Transitional Communications environment.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
The course is designed for military communications systems planners, engineers, managers, operators, system analysts, and decision makers who need a thorough understanding of military satellite communications systems design. A general background in communications is recommended.

COURSE OUTLINE: Military Satellite Communications in a Net-Centric, Transitional Communications World

Overview of Subjects Covered

•  Basic Principles of Satellite Communications. Orbits. Frequencies. Model of Satellite Communications Systems. Systems Elements (terminals, spacecraft, channel) and their interrelation. EIRP, G/T. RF Link Equations
•  Overview of Military Satellite Communications Systems

The Communications System

•  Relationship of C/N or Eb/No to Maximum Data Rate or Voice Quality for Various Modulation Schemes
•  Digital Modulation: e.g. BPSK, QPSK, MFSK Performance in Additive White Gaussian Noise Channels and Rayleigh Fading Channels
•  Error Control: Coding and Encoding Techniques, FEC Techniques, Viterbi Decoding, Interleaving
•  Multiple Access: FDMA, TDMA, CDMA

Performance in a Jamming Environment & Multiple Access

•  Jamming Strategies, Model of Channel with Jamming
•  Anti-Jam Techniques (i) Spread Spectrum Techniques; Pseudo-Noise, Frequency Hopping; Performance, (ii) Antenna Nulling; Principles, Capabilities, (iii) On-Board Processing
•  Description of Nuclear Environment. Nuclear Effects on Propagation & Mitigation Techniques; Diversity, Coding, Interleaving
•  Performance of Pseudo-Noise and Frequency-Hopping Schemes

Satellites

•  Satellite Design
•  Satelite Deployment
•  Satellite Launch Systems

SATCOM Terminals

•  Terminal View of Link Equations
•  UHF, SHF and EHF Terminals
•  Future Terminals Planned

SHF Military Satellite Systems

•  Defense Satellite Communication System, DSCS III, SLEP
•  Wideband Gapfiller
•  Global Broadcast System

UHF Military Satellite Systems

•  Fleet Satellite Communications System
•  UHF Follow-On System
•  Mobile User Objective System

EHF Military Satellite Systems

•  Milstar I & II
•  Advanced EHF
•  TMOS & TSAT

Commercial Satellite Systems

•  Fixed Satellite Services
•  Mobile Satellite Services

•  DOD Use of Commercial Satellite Systems

Internet Protocol (IP) and IP over Satellite (IPoS)

•  The IP Header and Frame Format
•  Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) & Universal Datagram Protocol (UDP)
•  IPoS Advantages & Disadvantages
•  Performance Enhancement Protocols
•  XCP and Other Alternative Protocols

Net-Centric Warfare Workshop

•  OASD (NII) Philosophy and Directions
•  Service Views of Net-Centric Warfare
•  Latency and Remote Access Exercises

NetOps and MILSATCOM Enterprise Services

•  NetOps Concept of Operations
•  Integrated Network Management
•  DISA Enterprise Services

Service Oriented Architectures

•  Concepts
•  Advantages and Disadvantages of Strategies
•  Relationship to Net-Centric Warfare

NATO SATCOM

•  NATO Organizational Structure
•  NATO Command & Control
•  NATO Satellite Communications

CJCS J6 Satellite Operations

•  Desert Storm
•  Bosnia
•  Operation Iraqi Freedom

Demonstrations

•  INMARSAT A, B, M & mini-M
•  Globalstar & Iridium
•  Modeling

Lecturers
Mr. James A. Mazzei
Course Coordinator and Lecturer

Mr. James A. Mazzei provides consulting services to DoD and Intelligence Community customers under a contract with a Federally Funded Research & Development Center. His principal areas of expertise are DoD satellite systems, commercial satellite systems, satellite earth stations and distributed networks. He has over 30 years satellite communications experience in the Air Force and industry, in technical and management roles. He has held technical positions ranging from test engineer to Chief Technical Officer, and management positions ranging from Earth Station Manager to Senior Director & CIO. Mr. Mazzei's experience in industry includes employment with Harris Corporation, COMSAT Corporation and Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc., and encompasses testing and production of major systems as well as systems engineering and technical assistance. In addition to his consulting services, Mr. Mazzei serves as an Adjunct Professor for the University of Maryland, George Mason University and Johns Hopkins University graduate programs in the areas of satellite communications, data communications, computer networks, network management and executive programs.

Dr. Stephen D. Huffman is vice president and chief technology officer at the MITRE Corporation. As chief technology officer, Dr. Huffman is responsible for the formulation and management of MITRE’s research and development program which explores emerging and enabling technologies and their application to critical national problems.  Dr. Huffman develops MITRE’s corporate strategic technology investment plan and works across MITRE to ensure corporate-wide collaboration in the execution of the program and in the dissemination and application of the results.  Dr. Huffman joined MITRE in 1988 and has held a variety of positions. Most recently, he served as vice president of  MITRE’s Washington Command, Control and Communications Center where he was responsible for MITRE’s work for selected senior customers focused on DOD transformation.  Before joining MITRE, Dr. Huffman was director of research and development at M/A-COM Linkabit, where he developed anti-jam and low-probability-of-intercept communications systems, error-correction coders, speech store-and-forward systems, satellite communications, and signals intelligence systems.

Dr. Heywood Paul is the chief scientist for Femme Comp Inc., a women-owned small business in the suburban Northern Virginia area and in Colorado Springs.  He has more than 30 years of experience in communications systems design and assessment of UHF, SHF and EHF MILSATCOM.  His expertise includes Net-centric concepts for Internet Protocol over Satellites, Demand Assigned Multiple Access systems, adaptive antenna analysis, MILSATCOM architectures and ground gateways concept development, SATCOM terminal design, specification development and system simulation.  He has provided key contributions in the concept development and system engineering of the Wideband Global System and improvements to the associated wideband ground and control segments.  He currently provides system concepts and recommendations for the Transformational Communications Architecture, Wideband SATCOM, IP Modems, AISR, Advanced and Mobile (Airborne) User SATCOM System architectures.  He has published more than 25 papers on MILSATCOM, waveforms, multiple access methods, and system applications.

Mr. Gary R Huckell provides consulting services to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR, San Diego) through a contract with L3 Communications, supporting the JMINI, IW, and MUOS UHF MILSATCOM programs.  Prior to this he worked for 41 years as a civilian at SPAWAR San Diego.  Mr. Huckell received a B.S. in Physics in 1965 at San Diego State College and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1967 at the University of California, Berkeley.  In 1970 he designed the control hardware (ON-143(V)5) and software for the original SSIXS subscriber communication system.  He was the principle contributor and writer for MIL-STD-188-183A and initiated the concept for the Integrated Waveform.

Mr. Terry Cooney is a systems engineer at The Aerospace Corporation with experience in EHF program management, communications operations, maintenance, and acquisition.  His experience includes commanding a remotely located communications facility, acting as chief of operations and maintenance within a communications squadron, and acting as chief of a deployable communications system supporting multiple programs.  His international experience includes tours of duty in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Asian Pacific Theater.