Viasat to Provide Managed SATCOM Service to US Marine Corps

Viasat has won a U.S. Marine Corps contract for end-to-end satellite communications-as-a-managed-service support meant to provide the service with scalable and rapidly deployable beyond-line-of-sight connectivity.

The I Marine Expeditionary Force already uses Viasat’s SaaMS offering to support tactical edge soldiers with command and control in support of various exercises and multidomain operations. I MEF carried out a pilot and follow-on program in fiscal year 2022.

The service on offer includes always-on network access, end-to-end data custody, situational awareness and round-the-clock network and security operations centers that offer terminal inventory management, network performance monitoring, cybersecurity, engineering support, training, and logistics support, Viasat said.

In June 2022, the Department of Defense awarded Viasat a $10 million research contract to test how 5G networking can support Marine Corps expeditionary advanced base operations such as long-range precision fires, refueling, rearming, surveillance and reconnaissance. The deal was granted through the Information Warfare Research Project, a group of industry and academic organizations that develop new technologies for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

Viasat fielded tactical communications hardware at a 2021 Navy exercise dedicated to contested environment technologies. According to Craig Miller, president of the government systems segment, the company’s “on-the-move” platform was able to demonstrate seamless broadband and “tailored” C2 for tactical edge warfighters.