Inmarsat’s Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch: Warfighters Need Access to Integrated Satcom Architecture

Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, senior vice president for government strategy and policy at Inmarsat, has said that it is crucial for U.S. service personnel to have access to an integrated satellite communications architecture to support military missions worldwide “across the full spectrum of engagement.”

Cowen-Hirsch wrote in an article for MilsatMagazine that such an architecture requires the adoption of satcom-as-a-service model that works to provide warfighters an “end-to-end managed service capability” and access to a secure and resilient communications platform, Inmarsat said Tuesday.

She cited some of the challenges to the implementation of a unified satcom architecture such as budget issues and the fragmented distribution of satcom responsibilities across the Defense Department, Joint Staff and service branches.

“Technology is not the impediment, however, the process and cultural obstacles are what need to be addressed,” she added.

Cowen-Hirsch mentioned some of the government and military efforts that seek to advance the integration of commercial satcom into the unified architecture.

These include the Space Warfighting Construct, the Analysis of Alternatives for wideband communications and potential changes to the “lowest price technically acceptable” process.

She also discussed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2018 and potential opportunities the law offers for commercial satcom as a part of the integrated satcom architecture.