The current threat environment is forcing the agency to realize that all capabilities, including those space-based, are urgent and compelling.

The Defense Department is evolving its hybrid space architecture (HSA) to ensure defensive readiness against advanced threats. That initiative, which is central to the United States Space Force mission, blends innovative commercial technology with sovereign military capability to enable a seamless, self-healing network in space. Resilience of such a vital ecosystem is essential to sustaining the capabilities that will be delivered by this web of satellite assets. There are three key pillars to achieving it.

First is an interoperable terminal strategy. Terminals to receive satellite communications (SATCOM) are often high-cost capital investments with operational lives that span decades; new equipment is sourced as needed from a breadth of vendors. None of that should matter to the HSA model. The Space Force should not be expected to buy new equipment to accommodate a SATCOM provider’s proprietary products, or become vendor-locked to a particular service because of its terminals. True resilience demands a terminal-agnostic strategy that can ensure interoperability when roaming across multiple orbits and spectrum frequencies. Agency acquisition decision-makers want to know that whatever terminals they buy ensure users’ freedom of choice, working with legacy as well as new satellites that will be integrated into future DoD infrastructure.

Second is a digital environment that supports experimentation and informed decision-making. From modeling concept of operations, to system design, validation and more, digital twin-based simulation will allow the Space Force to gain a deeper understanding of new systems capabilities before procurement commitments. For instance, enabling earlier development of tactics, techniques and procedures empowers warfighters to try out a weapon system so they can understand it and know what to expect upon deployment. The result is faster adoption and time-to-benefit from assets once they are placed on orbit.

Rather than developing systems independently, DoD’s digital-twin environment also streamlines engineering of a broader system of systems ― simulating operations across a mission portfolio and how individual systems need to operate and interoperate within it. The Space Force’s Space Warfighting Analysis Center is already leveraging this method to effectively support force design. As future capabilities are planned, digital modeling will ensure a more efficient approach from the start.

The critical third pillar is having the right contract mechanisms to make it all work. The Space Force must be able to source capability on a timeline that meets the changing threat environment. While it had traditionally relied on the now-retired Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) process, the DoD has always had JCIDS-bypass processes for urgent operational needs when situations required. The current threat environment is forcing the agency to realize that all capabilities, including those space-based, are urgent and compelling. Sourcing the technologies needed to bolster defenses in this environment requires modifications to customary acquisition methods.

One option is adopting the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) concept, which leverages a long-standing proven model in the air and maritime domains. Using CASR can ensure that commercial capabilities will be available to augment military resources in the event of a national emergency, by paying a stipend to commercial satellite operators to provide service on demand when needed. However, unlike the predictable, standard business models of air and maritime, divergent business and technical models in the space domain — for instance geostationary vs. low Earth orbit constellations — do not support a one-size-fits-all CASR approach. Again, the digital environment could be used for modeling how to best leverage CASR for various SATCOM contingencies.

A greater challenge is the planning, programming, budgeting and execution (PPBE) process, which is predominantly driven by congressional budget cycles and oversight. A multi-year cycle of planning and appropriations in the current threat environment is too slow and puts our warfighters at risk. With limited industry capacity to launch more satellites and high global SATCOM demand, inventory needs to be reserved well in advance.

Commercial entities know this and are aggressively making multi-year commitments to meet their projected requirements. The Department needs tighter alignment with Congress to ensure it too can access the SATCOM inventory it needs, not just now or in the current fiscal year, but farther down the road. That includes securing existing as well as future capacity from reliable vendors with viable and sustainable businesses. The DoD’s new Portfolio Acquisition Executive structure, which emphasizes a broader portfolio-level management approach encompassing requirements, programming and acquisition, could enable some agility to re-align funding to address gaps and opportunities.

To its credit, the Department has the right focus in realizing that it cannot build everything it needs in the time it is needed, and in being very open to new ways of doing business and accelerating commercial technology adoption. As the Department’s strategic approach progresses, planning and execution must be served by flexible, interoperable architectures, advanced digital capabilities and the assurance of needed space-based capability for years to come.

Chuck Cynamon is president of Telesat Government Solutions.

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