DoD Expects $1.5 Billion In Commercial Satellite Service Orders

BOSTON — The Department of Defense expects to order $200 million to $300 million per year worth of commercial satellite communication services, or a total of close to $1.5 billion over the next five years, said John P. Stenbit, assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration. He shared his views in an exclusive interview with SATELLITE TODAY after a luncheon speech here this afternoon at the MilCom 2003 conference.

For the military deployment in Iraq, the DoD’s use of commercial satellite communications reached 75 percent of the total communications budget — the highest percentage ever, Stenbit said. “So it’s always our intention to have a mix of internal DoD and commercial satellite services and then use commercial to handle surges in demand,” he explained.

For more on MilCom 2003, see the newly launched SATELLITE NEWS’ Government Procurement Report available through SATELLITE TODAY at the end of the month.