Letter From the Editor

As conflicts continue in Afghanistan and Iraq, the demands by military forces for advanced communications have never been greater.
The nature of conflict seems to have changed in recent years, with the enemy becoming more sporadic and mobile than ever before. The importance of advanced communications can literally mean the difference between life and death. Space and combat seem to be intrinsically linked with an advanced space capability seen as vital in reducing loss of life as well as providing the intelligence needed to outwit enemies that also are technologically savvy.
With communications serving as the lifeblood of warfighters, satellite companies often are at the heart of providing state-of-the-art communications systems to military forces due to satellite’s inherent competitive advantages in terms of coverage. Military communications have become a strong market for satellite players with lucrative contracts to be won in the United States as well as around the globe.
These demands from military customers likely will increase. Huge military space programs such as Skynet in the United Kingdom and TSAT in the United States are some of the most ambitious space programs ever seen, and if successful could provide military forces with a huge advantage in the combat and intelligence arenas.
In this military supplement, we analyze the changing dynamics of conflict and how satellite companies are helping military forces in terms of improved communications and intelligence as well as how the demands from military forces have become greater and how satellite companies are responding to the pressure to provide even better products and services. â–