By Robbin Laird
As the U.S. and allied militaries face the realities of the evolving threat based environment, shaping ways for enhanced force mobility, lower signature operating forces, and more rapid insertion capabilities are shaping the demand side of the military communications market.
To operate at the tactical edge or to manage forces operating at the tactical edge from a mobile strategic command post requires smaller footprint communications capability and ways to move that capability and to package that capability for more rapid set up and use.
Recently, I talked with Dominique Schinabeck, the CEO of DESAPRO, a firm which specializes in packaging for military force, notably in terms of customizable and scalable aluminum casing, about how the demand side is changing for her firm in terms of the communications shift.
She underscored that the “basic shift is upon the need to be able to set up secure 5G communications networks anywhere as needed.
“This can be done within our aluminum casing products in a way that an adversary does not even know what is inside of the casing.
“And we can build the product to allow rapid setup using the casing as well as part of the established system.”
A notable area of change is with regard to the overall trend line for transporting and setting up of satellite terminals.
With the evolution of microelectronics, smaller satellite terminals are being built which can be transported in smaller form factor packaging as well.
This also affects the question of how many soldiers are needed to set up and operate such a terminal.
Reducing the form factor and the manpower required is part of the shift in demand.
The other part of the mobility operational equation is the question of time to set up upon deployment.
As Schinabeck notes: “There is a desire among military customers to reduce the setup time from hours to minutes.
“And to be able to be moved throughout the battlespace by being able to disassemble and reassemble rapidly. They want to lower their signature and reduce their ability to be targeted.
“We are focused on ways to be able to package a smaller satellite terminal which can be set up rapidly, repackaged and moved reliably and securely as possible.
“We believe aluminum casing crafted with an ability to assist through its design in rapid setup and re-packaging and movement is a key part of the solution militaries are increasingly looking for.”
See also, the following:
The Paradigm Shift to Deployable Communications: Ripple Effects
