Key service requirements needed by the DHS
Leslie Blaker, vice president of development at Americom Government Services (AGS) points out that in 2002, President Bush stated that, "the information technology (IT) revolution has changed the way business is transacted, government operates and national defense is conducted." In mapping threats against vulnerabilities, according to Blaker, IT integration is clearly DHS's initial priority, along with establishing needed baseline telecommunications infrastructure to support those systems. Currently, DHS officials are intensely focused on getting all information sharing systems within the Department seamlessly talking to each other.
"Satellite will initially play an ancillary role as a result of this approach, however, this is expected to change as new applications are being considered in areas requiring mobile broadband communications for first responders, restoration efforts and border security," says Blaker. "As a result, commercial satcom will enjoy marketshare in supporting these applications, provided funding decisions can be made to release monies as originally outlined in the Homeland Security Defense plan. How will they go about funding and defining these requirements? Both are important points that await firm answers from DHS."
Through the National Communications System (NCS), the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) Satellite Task Force (STF), which consists of many participating commercial satellite industry members, made a big step forward in this regard by surveying commercial satellite communications requirements of all 22 agencies within DHS. "Everything at DHS is still very much in the preliminary planning stage with the exception of a few programs such as the TSA [Transportation Security Administration], or as part of existing larger programs like PAWWS (Ports Authority Waterways System)," says Blaker, who is also well aware of the activities under way at HSARPA and the DHS Office of Science and Technology. "This is where new concepts are being explored through pilot programs offering a gateway to increase visibility, and the level of awareness within DHS of the role of satcom technology."
As a wholesaler, Inmarsat Ltd. provides capacity to DHS users through its distribution partners, according to Jack Deasy, Inmarsat manager for North America Government Development. A number of DHS agencies are legacy Inmarsat users, including the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). While some people are interested in the most elaborate solutions for USCG's Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), for example, requiring lots of new money, Deasy offers Inmarsat-C as a sound alternative, which can be deployed as a tracking solution today without new satellites.
"We are encouraging USCG to use legacy systems for MDA without hardware upgrades for tracking solutions," says Deasy. "The key thing to keep in mind here is that the satellite solution in question has to be easy to use, transparent and immediately familiar. The agencies cannot afford anything beyond the most abbreviated training at this point," Deasy adds.
As for the individual states, most are including satellite communications in their emergency preparedness and response planning. The list includes New York, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, New Mexico, Minnesota and Connecticut, to name a few.
"A lot of different states have good ideas with respect to how satellite fits into their overall approach to emergency preparedness," says Miller. "You encounter different requirements at the state level because each state has unique criteria and a different mix of critical infrastructure, along with such things as various port and border issues."
DHS Needs A Central Satellite Office
DHS is not exactly a ship without a rudder when it comes to satellite technology, but it suffers from a lack of coordination. One specific recommendation from declassified sections of the recent report by the STF, for example, states, "Fund the Department of Homeland Security to implement a commercial satcom National Security/Emergency Preparedness improvement program within the NCS to procure and manage the non-DoD satellite communications facilities and services necessary to increase the robustness of government communications."
Within the industry, there seems to be widespread agreement that within DHS, a centralization of satellite activities makes good sense. "It is widely thought that DHS must implement a consolidated approach to both procurement practices and the overall management of satellite bandwidth. But to implement this through the NCS as the recommended channel, NCS must be granted this level of management authority. NCS does not have that authority now," says Blaker. "DHS could greatly benefit from the coordination that a centralized procurement office could provide."
By far, one of the most significant requests of the DHS coming from the commercial satellite industry is a need for having a single agency develop large-scale contracts for satellite services, such as for transponder time. This kind of process would be fine as long as the individual service can procure the proper device or application without having to go through multiple complex procurement cycles.
Interoperability is also a key concern, and here again, the lack of a team or even a trio at DHS focused on satellite solutions alone means that interoperability is probably not being given the attention that it needs. "DHS needs to preserve interoperability, and this involves a flexible standards-based approach rather than embracing closed proprietary platforms," says Miller. "By adhering to interoperability standards, DHS would not only benefit through interagency and interprogram communication, but also benefit through increased buying power."
The decisionmakers at DHS have a lot to sort through and the enormous volume of information that comes across their desks each week is hard to comprehend. The size and scope of the undertaking at hand is immense. The threat of information overload is something that cannot go unnoticed.
"Getting their attention is one thing. And when you do, you are left to wonder about what exactly they remember once the meeting ends and the door closes. I just do not know, given their attention span is pressed to consider and prioritize so many immediate deliverables," says one satellite industry executive who has tracked DHS closely for many months.
If you are feeling that your satellite-based contribution to homeland security is not being treated as a priority item, you can take a deep breath. If nothing else, you can concentrate on partnering and better adapting your product and service based on closer observation of what is unfolding at the state and local level. Homeland security must not be viewed as simply a business proposition, but an urgent undertaking on a vast scale, which has the best interest of U.S. citizens in mind as it winds its way to fruition. Think years, not months, and yet do not lose sight of the fact that requirements can change in a heartbeat.
"I see the satellite and in particular the larger aerospace community as significant contributors to the DHS mission," says Cooper. "Remember, this is the same community that fulfilled the Apollo mission in record time by crafting the communications, sensors, and power and materials science technologies," Cooper adds. "This time though, our mission is much closer to home, and if there is any industry that can contribute to that mission, it is by far this community."
Editor's Note: This is the first of our two-part government series. Even though many commercial companies are working with DHS, we hope you find useful the additional procurement channels and communication needs of the DHS relayed in this article. In our August issue, we will conclude our series by examining the communication needs and the procurement initiatives within the DoD.
Peter J. Brown is Via Satellite's Senior Multimedia & Homeland Security Editor. He also volunteers as a satellite technology and communications advisor to the Maine Emergency Management Agency.
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