Required performance parameters for Naval use of commercial wideband SATCOM

Abstract

Naval vision documents place significant emphasis on information systems and anticipate that the 21st century warfighter will leverage these systems to dramatically increase combat effectiveness. Naval forces will rely on space based communications (SATCOM) to provide the information transfer capabilities that these vision documents require. Furthermore, commercial wideband SATCOM assets will be critical contributors to any DOD SATCOM architecture. The high cost of these space systems requires that a rigorous evaluation of proposed concepts be performed before acquisition is begun. Accurately defining and articulating naval user needs and performance measures that reflect these needs are critical components of the evaluation process. The focus of this research is the development of a system effectiveness hierarchy that could be used to evaluate commercial wideband SATOOM systems intended for naval use. The performance measures presented are derived form the seven required characteristics as defined in the Advanced MILSATCOM Capstone Requirement Document and relate Navy and Marine Corps wideband requirements to SATC0M system design parameters. The evaluation hierarchy is intended to serve as a point of departure for future naval commercial SATCOM integrated product teams