{"id":23060,"date":"2021-05-06T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:48:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:48:56","slug":"how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/","title":{"rendered":"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">JOINT BASE MYER\u2010HENDERSON HALL, Va. \u2014 The U.S. Army will begin implementing advanced satellite communications technology to increase <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/c2-comms\/2020\/05\/07\/where-the-next-iteration-of-the-armys-network-capabilities-is-heading\/\" target=\"_blank\">network resiliency<\/a> as part of its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/show-reporter\/c4isrnet-conference\/2021\/04\/21\/preliminary-design-review-of-armys-next-set-of-tactical-network-tools-coming-soon\/\" target=\"_blank\">next iteration of tactical network tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adding<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2020\/05\/26\/covid-oneweb-and-how-the-space-development-agency-has-coped\/\" target=\"_blank\"> low-Earth orbit and medium-Earth orbit<\/a> capabilities commercial satellite constellations into the service\u2019s tactical network repertoire is part of the service\u2019s effort to shift to dispersed battlefields, instead of the fixed fiber communications and forward operating bases that defined the last two decades of war in the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of the service\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks\/2020\/07\/24\/how-the-armys-new-peo-c3t-boss-views-network-modernization\/\" target=\"_blank\">next delivery of tactical network tools<\/a>, known as Capability Set \u201923, Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical will use \u201cexisting\u201d MEO capabilities, considered more mature than LEO, to support the new battlefield communications, according to Rich Hoffman, lead electronics engineer for SATCOM at the C5ISR Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PEO C3T and the Network Cross-Functional Team officials hosted reporters at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this week for a presentation of new network tools, including new tactical radios, satellite terminals and command post network infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The preliminary design review process for Capability Set \u201923, which just concluded this week, includes an initial low-Earth orbit satellite connection \u201cat the halt\u201d to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks\/2020\/08\/11\/the-army-wants-to-reduce-electronic-signatures-of-its-command-posts\/\" target=\"_blank\">support the command posts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But to support the dispersed and joint war-fighting operations of future wars in places such as the Indo-Pacific, the Army needs several options to route communications in case one option is interfered with by an adversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLook at this as just yet another layer. LEO, MEO, GEO \u2014 if any one of those layers may not be available or taken out\u201d there are other options, Brig. Gen. Robert Collins, the leader of PEO C3T. \u201cWe are not going all in on a single layer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/it-networks\/2021\/04\/12\/the-armys-faster-way-to-field-tactical-network-gear-gets-its-first-big-test\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/200307-A-BI588-103.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The Army\u2019s faster way to field tactical network gear gets its first big test<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">For the first time, the Army is making a concerted effort to collect soldiers&#039; feedback before it fields modernized network equipment to more units this year.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Army is modernization its tactical network through deliveries of new network technologies delivered every two years. The tactical network team is currently fielding Capability Set \u201921, which focused on enhance immediate network needs. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks\/2021\/03\/29\/armys-network-equipment-tested-for-first-time-with-full-brigade\/\" target=\"_blank\">first brigade<\/a> of the 82nd Airborne Division has been fully fielded. The 173rd Airborne Brigade in Italy is receiving its new technology now. Fielding started for the third brigade of the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division, while the third brigade of the 82nd Airborne will start to receive the tools starting in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Capability Set \u201923 is focused on strengthening the resiliency of the network and increasing throughput capabilities. Ultimately, the new SATCOM capabilities will deliver PACE plans \u2014 primary, alternate, contingency and emergency \u2014 to the tactical edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBefore we were kind of limited to get kind of primary and alternate sometimes but necessarily wouldn\u2019t have a contingency or emergency,\u201d said Col. Rob Ryan, director of operations for the Network Cross-Functional Team. \u201cHaving pace at that tactical edge allows the company commander that maneuverability and the agileness to make decisions and inform decisions up [the chain of command and] leverage assets that may be beyond brigade, and that\u2019s critical in the multidimensional fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service\u2019s turn to new satellite constellations is a major piece of boosting the resiliency of its tactical communications network, providing another option to communicate to servicemembers spread around a wide area if other communications links are jammed. Prototyping new SATCOM capabilities has been a major initiative for the C5ISR Center, efforts which have been boosted by $30 million its partners at the Network Cross-Functional team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks\/2020\/07\/20\/how-new-prototyping-dollars-will-help-army-network-modernization\/\" target=\"_blank\">received in FY20 for prototyping efforts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pivot to include MEO and LEO has significant implications on the battlefield, Hoffman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCurrently on the tactical battlefield, we rely on geosynchronous satellite or beyond-line-of-sight connectivity,\u201d Hoffman said. \u201cSo when we have those longer ranges, we\u2019re reliant on a single geosynchronous connection. In the future, we want to leverage multiple connections to have resiliency, add additional throughput &#8230; and add reduced latency. So things like sensor-to-shooter, those latency times are really important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The end goal, Hoffman said, is to integrate LEO and MEO with the current GEO satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want to get to integrated terminal capabilities where we can select the constellations that we\u2019ve leveraged for our communications based on what\u2019s available and have the terminal there to be able to support that both on the move and at the halt,\u201d Hoffman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks-battlefield-tech\/2020\/09\/29\/how-new-network-tools-can-help-find-paratroopers-faster-and-improve-situational-awareness\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_3140-002.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">How new network tools can help find paratroopers faster and improve situational awareness<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A recent exercise at Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne&#039;s first infantry brigade combat team found that the equipment fielded in Capability Set &#039;21 works well, but training needs to improve.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Capability Set \u201923 will have some of the new SATCOM capabilities, the tactical network team expects to take full advantage of a more mature LEO and MEO technologies for Capability Sets \u201925 and \u201927.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The difference between the GEO capabilities and future commercial SATCOM links is \u201cnight and day,\u201d according to Joe Welch, director of the C5ISR Center. The LEO and MEO capabilities allow for higher data throughput, more transmission flexibility, reduced latency and cost savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTake a look at the terminals that we\u2019ve got right now supporting fixed command posts &#8230; you have to coordinate for the channel days or months in advance if you\u2019re using military channels, which are which are constrained, or pay a lot for the throughput for a specific channel,\u201d Welch said. With the commercial SATCOM terminals, \u201cyou\u2019re just paying for the service that you\u2019re using. The satellites &#8230; they\u2019re so much closer to the Earth that the amount of throughput that we can put through it is an order of magnitude [higher].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LEO satellites sit below 1000 kilometers from the Earth, while GEO sits around 35,000 kilometers, providing much faster throughput. The commercial SATCOM terminals for future capability sets are also far smaller than current satellites, just a half a meter in diameter versus eight feet right now. That allows for faster data routing to its destination and increased mobility for soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can tell you that [latency] on some of these multi-hop geosynchronous could be a second plus, [but now] you\u2019re talking milliseconds,\u201d Collins said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fraction and the megabits [are] the charts and the latency dramatically reduced. Every little bit counts on the future battlefield, not only on applications, but when you start talking hypersonics and in future sensor-to-shooter, it\u2019s significant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adopting LEO and MEO satellite constellation capabilities requires a different type of antenna than the Army currently uses. Because GEO satellites are in sync with the movement of the Earth, antennas have to be pointed at the satellites. Because the LEO and MEO satellites are closer, they move around more. To adapt to that, the Army has to use phased array antennas, where the direction of the beams of radiowaves can be steered without using the antennas, because \u201cyou have to track lots of satellites that are constantly going overhead very rapidly,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tactical network team is also grappling with how to build the terminals to withstand rugged terrain while mounted on vehicles, specific military requirements that commercial industry doesn\u2019t inherently build for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t drive down the highway as much as we drive over rough terrain,\u201d Hoffman said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The service plans to use limited amounts of low- and medium-Earth orbit satellite links as part of its next iteration of tactical network tools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":40018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":100,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3291],"class_list":["post-23060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"XISPUSQXYNFEBLXEECF3HTBAPY","arc_canonical_url":"\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The service plans to use limited amounts of low- and medium-Earth orbit satellite links as part of its next iteration of tactical network tools.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks-battlefield-tech\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The service plans to use limited amounts of low- and medium-Earth orbit satellite links as part of its next iteration of tactical network tools.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-05-06T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T17:48:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrew Eversden\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrew Eversden\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-06T12:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:48:56+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1138,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/5207118.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs - Army Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/5207118.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-06T12:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:48:56+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The service plans to use limited amounts of low- and medium-Earth orbit satellite links as part of its next iteration of tactical network tools.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/5207118.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/5207118.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/06\\\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/newsletters\\\/daily-news-roundup\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"daily-news-roundup\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Army Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs - Army Times","description":"The service plans to use limited amounts of low- and medium-Earth orbit satellite links as part of its next iteration of tactical network tools.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks-battlefield-tech\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs","og_description":"The service plans to use limited amounts of low- and medium-Earth orbit satellite links as part of its next iteration of tactical network tools.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/","og_site_name":"Army Times","article_published_time":"2021-05-06T12:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T17:48:56+00:00","author":"Andrew Eversden","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andrew Eversden","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs","datePublished":"2021-05-06T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:48:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/"},"wordCount":1138,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5207118.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/","name":"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs - Army Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5207118.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-05-06T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:48:56+00:00","description":"The service plans to use limited amounts of low- and medium-Earth orbit satellite links as part of its next iteration of tactical network tools.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5207118.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5207118.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/2021\/05\/06\/how-commercial-satellite-constellations-fit-into-the-armys-future-tactical-network-designs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Daily News Roundup","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/newsletters\/daily-news-roundup\/","ad_zone":"daily-news-roundup"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How commercial satellite constellations fit into the Army\u2019s future tactical network designs"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","name":"Army Times","description":"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization","name":"Army Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","caption":"Army Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5207118.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Army Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23060"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104049,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23060\/revisions\/104049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23060"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=23060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}