JADC2 Puts Pentagon Under Pressure to Revamp Satellite Comms.

• Author: Roaten, Meredith

Service leaders have been consumed with department-wide efforts to connect sensors and shooters and achieve information dominance at the tactical edge known as joint all-domain command and control.

But their goals could be stymied if the Space Force and other agencies can't transform today's satellite communication architectures, experts say.

The Space Force, alongside other space agencies, is evaluating how it can reconfigure its complex structure of satellites to build a more reliable and advanced network. This restructure of satcom and other space systems is expected to help lay the groundwork for JADC2.

Service officials say they are prioritizing building a space architecture that can withstand great power competition. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John "Jay" Raymond said the 2023 budget request will reflect that focus.

However, the service, alongside other space agencies, has faced obstacles. Challenges emerged as the service embarked on a redesign of its architecture because legacy systems must continue to operate as they are upgraded, Raymond noted.

"We've had to come up with this bridging strategy," he said during an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "We have in our work come up with the right mix of being able to manage risk as we transform."

The redesign of the data transport layer--which includes a plan for a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites that will provide connectivity for 95 percent of the world--will be a key part of achieving the Pentagon's joint all-domain command and control mission, Raymond said.

The military's current space architecture is outdated and puts the United States in danger of falling behind Russian and Chinese space threats, according to a recently released report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies titled, "The Backbone of JADC2: Satellite Communications for Information Age Warfare."

The study urges the military to modernize its communications satellites to keep pace with Russia and China.

Increasingly, adversaries' military doctrine focuses on how to contest U.S. space operations, according to the report.

"Both the People's Liberation Army...and the Russian armed forces regard U.S. information flows to, from, and within space as high priority targets against which they are developing and deploying multiple attack options," the report said.

Beijing relies heavily on its access to the space domain. Technologies such as space-based remote sensing and precise positioning, navigation and timing data are key capabilities that underpin its...