Intelsat General has been proactive in opening a line of communication with the military to better understand their needs in order to efficiently deliver solutions. Rarely has the company missed an opportunity to make its presence known at the center of commercial and military partnerships. It has often acted as an ambassador to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), negotiating terms of a partnership that would educate the commercial provider on the military’s operational requirements while maintaining the integrity of its security.
Britt Lewis, Intelsat General’s vice president of marketing and strategy, spoke with Via Satellite about the approach it has taken to form a comfortable and sustainable working relationship with both its supporters and critics in the military.
Via Satellite: In your opinion, what is the definition of an ideal satcom relationship between the commercial providers and the military customer?
Lewis: “From the eyes of the government, they seek, first and foremost to carry out their mission. Obviously, those missions differ between DOD and civilian applications. The government also aims to be a great steward of the taxpayer dollar, and to leverage technology as soon as it becomes reliable as part of their overall mission, while fostering competition in the private sector. On the commercial side of the equation, most entities are looking to maintain and increase shareholder value, but, as part and parcel of that, the investments we make are intended to serve the customers to the greatest extent we can deliver. Commercial entities deliver solutions that are of value to the government, that are cost-effective and that will help them to carry out the mission – and I believe from this perspective we form an ideal partnership.”
Via Satellite: Has the military become more open to working with commercial providers?
Lewis: “There have been, over the last few years, a number of U.S. Strategic Command-sponsored DOD satcom workshops. That, at least, is evidence that the government is, on a service basis, being more open in terms of their overall requirements. FCSA is opening the door for more commercial and military partnerships, and lowering the bar to get on a GSA schedule 70. So, clearly there will be a great number of players that will have contracts and would have access to provide services to the government..”
Via Satellite: Would an ideal business partnership with the military also include terrestrial elements, since the government has expressed the need for hybrid solutions?
Lewis: “We support the provision of a hybrid infrastructure capability to support government applications, including mobile applications. In some cases it makes sense to leverage a hybrid solution, and in some cases, it doesn’t, depending on the application. Intelsat also supports the provision of cellular backhaul through satellite.”
Via Satellite: There is a high interest in FSCA now, as the government is starting to put out its requests for information. However, the government is also determining its strategy in Afghanistan. If we were to scale back those operations, would that affect the opportunities that the commercial providers have right now?
Lewis: “Should the government decide to scale back in Afghanistan, some of the networks that were built in support of troop morale, welfare and recreation would be lost, since they would not be needed. The government would continue to leverage intelligence applications such as UAVs to support their new operations. Overall though, comms-on-the-move are here to stay. The stabilization of governments and of regions in general, and indeed the proactive defense of the United States, will require commercial satcom wherever they deploy.”
