Jay Clemens
Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, senior vice president of government strategy and policy for U.S. government at Inmarsat, has said she believes the Defense Department‘s Commercial Integration Cell program will help to track and resolve threats to satellite communications.
She wrote in an opinion piece for MilSat Magazine that CIC is poised to introduce major updates to how potential satellite communications compromise are reported with the participation of the private sector in exercises and trainings.
The Joint Space Operations Center introduced the program in June last year in an effort to encourage collaboration between DoD and satellite companies, according to Cowen-Hirsch.
“In the modern age of both a crowded space environment and the potential for hostile nations to target the nation’s orbital assets, conjunction assessment has emerged as crucial—a single collision or attack can destroy a satellite,†she noted.
“This destruction impacts not only the missions supported by the satellite, but also threatens other satellites with the remaining debris.”
She added Inmarsat has collaborated with the Joint Space Operations Center, focusing on key technology and data sharing areas such as conjunction assessment and electromagnetic interference and resolution in order to update processes and improve commercial and government integration efforts.
