Two New Nations Join Program to Provide SATCOM Support to NATO

Beginning in the calendar year following Spain together with Luxembourg are scheduled to be among the four NATO nations that provide satellite-based communications to members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The beginning of next year Spain together with Luxembourg will be able to join four other NATO nations that provide satellite-based communications to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as part of a satellite-based service project which was first launched in the year 2020.

The month before, heads of the oversight bodies from the six nations gathered in the vicinity of Washington, D.C., to review the satellite services currently provided by the project dubbed NATO SATCOM Services 6th Generation also referred to under the username NSS6G. At the conference, they took a look at the performance of the service currently in use and any potential issues that could occur.

In these sessions participants representing NATO’s NATO Communications and Information Agency and six other countries discussed the final language of the amended memorandum of agreement that sets out standards for satellite communication services. will be made available by NATO.

The proposal for an amendment is intended to allow Luxembourg and Spain to join the U.S., France, Italy and the U.K. as the providers of military satellite communications to NATO.

Since 2005, NATO was no longer operating and has been acquiring its own satellites. A few of which were influenced by designs dating from in the 70s. In the conclusion, NATO turned to its members France, Italy and the U.K. to provide NATO forces with the satellite communications they required to conduct operations. In 2020 it was the year that U.S. joined the existing team.

In the terms of the agreement that it is stated that the U.S. provides support with its “extremely high frequency,” or EHF transport service for NATO nuclear command and control in addition to “super-high frequency,” or SHF capability, which is part of its National Wideband Global Satellite Communications System.

France along with the U.K. and Italy provide capacities for SHF and UHF by way of the Syracuse, Skynet, and Sicral constellations. Spain as along with Luxembourg will also provide SHF and UHF capabilities to the consortium via their Spainsat Next Generation and GovSat satellite constellations, respectively. A total of 12 satellites for military use will provide capacities for NATO.

“These are at varying levels of protection,” said Brian Hughes, the current NSS6G Joint Services management office director of the department of international affairs in the U.S. Space Systems Command. “It’s the only defense satellites, which implies that it is resistant to nuclear effects as well as the ability to block jamming that commercial services typically don’t have. “

Hughes declared it is provided to NATO via a mix of what’s referred to as “allocate and commit” and managed services.

“[Allocate and commit is] where this capacity is actually given to NATO and [NATO] can use it as it needs it,” Hughes explained. “And the second thing is that we offer a managed access service that allows NATO to make an application at dates when they require it and we [the team from national service providers] manage the service we provide. “

The issue isn’t NATO nations that directly use the capabilities offered by NSSG6, however NATO headquarters when it is engaged in NATO-approved actions.

“NATO has, as an enterprise, its own requirements because it provides the headquarters functions, whether they’re static or deployed,” Hughes said. “That SATCOM [satellite communicationsis vital since NATO provides the command and control function via SATCOM which is absolutely essential. “

While it is true that the NSS6G consortium is responsible for enabling the ability to utilize spaces, NATO itself provides the equipment that its troops need at the ground level, as per Nusret Yilmaz, who is the director of the business unit for SATCOM inside the NATO’s NATO Communications and Information Agency.

“NATO owns the ground equipment,” Yilmaz declared. “All the equipment for end-users includes the tactical radios as well as the terminals that are used for, say, deployed communications, and comprising the different sizes of deployable and transportable communications systems. These are the property of NATO. NATO operates and maintains the ground systems. These are capabilities that are inherent to NATO. But, in the space domain, NATO doesn’t have any natural capabilities. “

The first move by NATO moving away from its space assets was an effort to save money as well as a move to permit NATO to make use of the most advanced space-based technology that NATO allies would make use of for their own needs.

The addition of Spain together with Luxembourg and Luxembourg NSSG6 will improve the resiliency of satellite communication capabilities.

“Since it is not only one nation, [but] multiple nations, there is also kind of resilience in the space segment,” Yilmaz said. “There has been a significant increase in the demands for satellite communication. NATO has responded to this increased demand with numerous segments, including user and ground segment initiatives. Through the MOU and amendments, NATO kind of makes sure that this capacity increase is managed from a space segment standpoint and also. “

Mike Dean, who serves as the Defense Department’s Chief Information Office SATCOM chief and was also the keynote speaker for the conference earlier this month. Dean stated that so far, NSS6G has been a great model of cooperation and partnership between four countries that provide satellite connectivity and services for NATO in addition to NATO members. Two additional partners can further enhance the cooperation.

“The addition of Luxembourg and Spain will build upon existing working relationships and the ongoing interactions we have with our International partners,” He continued.

Dean has been speaking about the benefits of U.S. participation to the DOD.

“We are reimbursed for the services we provide to NATO,” he explained. “We can then continue to collaborate together with U.S. Space Command and the services and utilize that money to finance initiatives that improve satellite communications for our soldiers. This is an excellent illustration of how a modest investment can result in a huge enhancement in capabilities. “

NSS6G is set to begin with the initial 10 years full-time operation that will last until 2034’s expiration.