Jerry Petersen
According to Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch of Viasat, the commercial satellite communications industry views the inclusion of a $134 million line item for commercial satcom integration within the proposed fiscal year 2025 Pentagon budget as a positive development, SpaceNews reported Thursday.
“We’re hopeful this means DoD is getting more serious about leveraging commercial capabilities,” Viasat’s senior vice president for government strategy and policy told SpaceNews in a recent interview.
Cowen-Hirsch noted, however, that no details have been provided about how the money for commercial satcom integration will be spent, though the hope is it would be used as a working capital fund dedicated for military users with operational satcom needs. According to the Viasat executive, such a dedicated fund would make it easier for various military customers to access commercial satellite services.
The commercial satcom integration fund started a few years ago at $25 million. Last year, the amount was set at $71 million.
