Next Month.

Tactical Communications

* Building and launching complex, highly protected communication satellites are expensive tasks, and the press and government watchdogs put most of their focus on these two issues when it comes to the high cost of space systems. But fielding and integrating the terminals is 20 to 30 times more expensive that the cost of the spacecraft and rockets. The Air Force and contractors are now looking at ways to reduce the high cost of terminals.

Space Programs

* The Pentagon is growing increasingly concerned about vulnerabilities and overdependence on in its space-based systems. A peer or near-peer competitor going head to head with the U.S. military may disrupt or destroy communications links in an anti-access/area denied scenario. Some ground forces are already devoting some of their training for a "day without space" to see how they perform without the support of satellites. Meanwhile, a concept called the joint area layer network, which would provide temporary communication nodes if satellites were knocked out, is being studied.

Arctic Strategy

* The melting of Arctic ice is creating new passageways for ships, presenting both security challenges and economic opportunities to the United States. In November, the Defense Department unveiled its Arctic strategy, which called for increased focus on protecting the homeland, greater cooperation with allies in areas such as humanitarian relief, anti-piracy missions, and the need to preserve freedom of the seas. National Defense investigates the technologies the Navy needs to accomplish its Arctic mission. What is the military likely to invest in during a strained fiscal climate?

Simulation Market

* Military simulations were once leaps and bounds ahead of commercial products, but investments in...