Maj. Gen. Mike Milford, head of ICT operations division for the Australian Defense Force (ADF) believes that hosted payloads offer comparative advantages over traditional "owned and operated" solutions, including shared costs and risks between defense and industry, and the ability to leverage commercial satellite industry experience. ADF’s established partnership with Intelsat provides textbook example of a close relationship between the government and the commercial satellite sector.
   Milford has said that the ADF viewed the hosted payload solution offered by Intelsat is an example of an innovative approach that met the extant Defense requirement. Via Satellite spoke with Milford about how the ADF has progressed with its hosted payload endeavors in 2012.

VIA SATELLITE: Can you give us an update on operations now the IS-22 satellite has been launched? What have been the early challenges since the satellite launched?

Milford: Since the launch of the IS-22 satellite in March 2012, Intelsat has moved the satellite into orbit, completed payload testing and handed the payload over to the Commonwealth and we have released the capability for operations. The early challenges, as with any new partnership, is making sure that the planned processes are appropriate and then executing them. Defence has worked closely with Intelsat to ensure that payload configuration changes work smoothly and are transparent to the operational users.

VIA SATELLITE: How is the capacity being used? What have been the key learnings over the last 12 months?

Milford: The capacity is being used to transition operational users from the leased services that the ADF has been using for a number of years. In addition, lower priority users now have an increased chance of immediate access to UHF SATCOM resources.

VIA SATELLITE: The ADF has obviously taken a very innovative approach here. Why do you think this approach works particularly well for the ADF? What are the major benefits of using the hosted payload concept?

Milford: Defence is always mindful of the need for affordable solutions to meet new and emerging requirements within a constrained budget, with value for money an essential requirement. We openly encourage innovation from industry in response to our capability needs. The hosted payload solution offered by Intelsat is an example of an innovative approach that met extant Defence requirements, and allowed us to introduce new capacity without changing the skill sets of the Defence workforce. Hosted payloads allow us to leverage commercial satellite industry experience and such approaches offer numerous advantages over the traditional ‘owned and operated’ solutions, including sharing costs and risks.

VIA SATELLITE: What are the ADF’s needs for satellite capacity? How is this capacity being used?

Milford: The ADF’s need for satellite capacity can be broken down into three main coverage areas: Australia and its littoral waters; the broader Pacific and Indian Ocean regions; and the rest of world. The capacity required for each area is roughly proportional to the proximity to Australia. Satellite communications capacity is also described in terms of Wideband (high-bandwidth IP connectivity), Narrowband (low-bandwidth voice and data) and Protected (high reliability, LPI/LPD communications) being used to support the ADF’s operational information exchange requirements. This capacity is also used to support the ADF’s raise, train and sustain functions, as well as some Other Government Agency activities.

VIA SATELLITE: When we spoke last year, you spoke about the challenges in implementing the Joint Project 2008. How is this looking? Are your objectives being met here?

Milford: Joint Project 2008 continues to move forward; maturing and enhancing Defence’s military Wideband and Narrowband SATCOM capability. The close coordination achieved between the Operations, Capability Development and Acquisition areas of Defence is essential to ensure a ‘systems of systems’ approach is taken and that when the materiel systems are delivered for space segment, terminal segment and control segment they are interoperable and when combined, achieve specified capability outcomes.

VIA SATELLITE: You also said last year that one of the challenge was to "equip the ADF with a fleet of SATCOM terminals ranging from small to large aperture systems designed to match the ADF requirements for bandwidth and mobility." Can you give us an update on this?

Milford: Two phases of Joint Project 2008 will deliver small to large transportable terminals over the coming years. The tendering for the initial tranche of medium transportable terminals is almost complete, awaiting Government approval to enter into contract. The tender for the family of transportable (small to large) has been released and we look forward to receiving the responses later this year.

VIA SATELLITE: Do you expect Australia will continue with the hosted payload model in the future? When realistically might the ADF need to start thinking about procuring extra capacity? 

Milford: Hosted payloads offer comparative advantages over the traditional ‘owned and operated’ solutions including shared costs and risks between Defence and industry, and the ability to leverage commercial satellite industry experience. Partnering with allied nations in their SATCOM programs is another approach that Australia has taken. Thinking about the procurement of additional capacity is a constant exercise within the ADF as the various systems approach their life of type. For Defence the hosted payload on Optus C1 is the next consideration. Value for money is the constant, when Defence is considering replacing or procuring additional capacity.

VIA SATELLITE: What are major goals of the ADF’s milsatcom strategy over the next two years? How will the ADF look to invest in new technology and communications infrastructure going forward?

Milford: The major goals over the next two years are to accept into service the wideband ground station in Western Australia, introduce the medium transportable ground terminals and operationalize the use of advanced waveforms in parallel with traditional with the traditional Frequency Division Multiple Access methods.

VIA SATELLITE: Do you think there has been a shift in thinking in terms of how Defence Forces work with the commercial satellite sector? Do you think the ADF has been a pioneer in this?

Milford: Finding affordable solutions to meet new and emerging requirements within a constrained budget is shaping thinking for some time now. Partnering with industry in a long term endeavor like a hosted payload on a geostationary communications satellite is a natural step in the right direction to share the costs and benefits of such an activity. The ADF isn’t necessarily a pioneer in this as other nations have partnered with industry to develop solutions, but we are very happy with the outcome.

VIA SATELLITE: Finally, how do you see the global milsatcom landscape changing over the next 12 months? What trends do you see emerging in this area?

Milford: Commercial entities such as Intelsat and Inmarsat report their intentions to launch self-funded military payloads on their commercial satellites in the near future. One of the emerging trends will be the ability for lower priority military users who have invested in military ground terminals being able to gain access when national resources are in high demand.