The next is the March 4, 2025, GAO report, DoD Satellite tv for pc Communications: Reporting on Progress Wanted to Present Perception on New Method..
From the report
What GAO Discovered
The Division of Protection (DOD) is implementing a brand new strategy to satellite tv for pc communications (SATCOM) that goals to combine present and deliberate DOD techniques, in addition to a variety of economic choices, right into a department-wide SATCOM enterprise. Historically, the SATCOM techniques that the division relies upon upon to ship and obtain info over lengthy distances have relied on a small variety of high-cost satellites together with floor stations and consumer terminals that every hook up with a single kind of satellite tv for pc. The failure of 1 a part of these techniques would disrupt transmissions. With DOD’s new strategy, satellite tv for pc constellations, floor techniques, and consumer terminals would function as networked, built-in techniques. In comparison with the historically linear construction of impartial SATCOM techniques, these built-in architectures would permit a number of paths for communications to succeed in their vacation spot and a number of factors of entry so as to add resilience. DOD plans to implement components of the brand new strategy inside the subsequent 5 years.
To perform this shift, DOD is rising coordination amongst SATCOM stakeholders and with industrial SATCOM suppliers. Implementing enterprise SATCOM additionally relies on DOD enacting two key parts: automating useful resource allocation and implementing built-in architectures. To help these parts, DOD can also be increasing its use of economic SATCOM capabilities.
Each parts of this shift face challenges. First, whereas DOD has begun automating SATCOM useful resource allocation, acquiring the totally different types of entry and permissions to allow information sharing is a problem, in response to officers. Second, DOD is buying obligatory SATCOM techniques, comparable to consumer terminals that hook up with a number of satellite tv for pc techniques or constellations. Nevertheless, the traditionally gradual pace of system acquisitions poses a problem to fielding these techniques in time to help DOD’s plans.
Whereas DOD is making preliminary progress towards enterprise SATCOM, the tougher a part of this shift—growing and integrating hybrid SATCOM techniques and networks—lies forward. GAO discovered that whereas DOD tracks progress on the parts of enterprise SATCOM, it lacks complete reporting on progress towards these outcomes. Such reporting would assist DOD determine and mitigate delays as early as doable, in addition to inform Congress of progress.
Why GAO Did This Examine
GAO has reported for over a decade on the longstanding challenges DOD faces in buying and delivering SATCOM techniques, together with price and schedule overruns. In 2020, the Chief of House Operations declared that SATCOM needed to evolve from disparate techniques right into a single enterprise to function in contested environments, be extra resilient, and handle evolving threats. DOD is now beginning to shift its strategy to SATCOM acquisition to offer safer, interoperable techniques that intention to raised leverage the $500 billion international area market. However, as GAO present in 2024, DOD averages 10 years to accumulate and ship new techniques (GAO-24-106831).
A Senate report features a provision for GAO to overview DOD’s SATCOM planning efforts. GAO’s report addresses (1) DOD’s coordination and acquisition of SATCOM, together with any plans to make use of industrial SATCOM; and (2) the extent to which DOD is guaranteeing SATCOM acquisitions can ship interoperable capabilities.
GAO reviewed and analyzed DOD’s operational wants, plans, and different related documentation. GAO additionally interviewed cognizant officers from throughout the Workplace of the Secretary of Protection, navy departments, and the industrial SATCOM trade.
What GAO Recommends
GAO recommends that DOD reviews to Congress yearly on its progress implementing an enterprise strategy to SATCOM, to incorporate figuring out outcomes, alternatives, and dangers. DOD concurred with this advice.
Obtain the doc right here.
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