US Army Eyes Leasing Commercial Communication Satellites

Commercial satellite communication equipment, bandwidth and service packages are being distributed to several overseas U.S. Army units with regional world coverage to pilot test the service branch’s Satellite Communications as a Managed Service. 

The SaaMS pilot program seeks to determine the feasibility of the Army leasing satellite communication capabilities at the time of need instead of procuring and maintaining them for each unit and every mission. The pilot will test a lease-versus-buy business model scalable based on mission requirements to help cost-reduction in inventory and satellite airtime, Army .mil reported Thursday.

The service branch’s website added that a SaaMS model, aligned with Army’s Unified Network Plan, could help the service keep up with rapidly advancing technologies more affordably, while addressing such challenges as equipment obsolescence and maintenance. 

According to Col. James Sullivan, commander of the 11th Corps Signal Brigade, one of the units supporting the pilot, satellite bandwidth and services through SaaMS could be easily adjusted depending on mission requirements, a flexibility “crucial for diversity missions across Europe, the Pacific or the Arctic.” 

The decisions on the SaaMS implementation will be based on data gathered from the pilot, as well as soldier feedback and other Department of Defense efforts to meet the growing military demand for secure and reliable satellite communications.