Sponsored Content — Provided by Vocus
Relying on a single comms link can result in catastrophic loss of communications in the field if it fails. As defence organisations modernise communication capabilities, the focus is shifting from simple connectivity to multi-orbit, multi-provider, private satellite solutions.
In the modern battlespace, reliable carriage of data is crucial. Platforms like the F-35 and P-8 Poseidon generate enormous volumes of mission data that need to be delivered back to base.
The explosion in low cost, fast-to-deploy Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services has been a breakthrough for defence organisations compared to traditional secure military satellite systems.
However, standard commercial satellite links that use internet routed traffic can introduce risk. Even if data is encrypted, security researchers have demonstrated that the mere existence of a routing path may allow adversaries to use traffic analysis to infer the physical location of deployed assets.
Australian digital infrastructure provider Vocus recommends solutions that don’t use the internet for military links. “Using Layer 2 networking technology over satellite uses a different technology to internet protocol, designed to avoid exposing traffic to the internet,” explains Vocus Satellite Development Manager Ashley Grove.
This private access solution over LEO satellites also provides the ability to deploy terminals globally where coverage and regulations permit while retaining data within a private network originating in Australia.
Many defence organisations globally are exploring ways to mitigate the congestion or outage risks associated with dependence on a single satellite network, including moving to a multi-orbit, multi-provider approach as new LEO satellite networks become operationally viable.
To exploit the benefits of multiple networks, SD-WAN software can be configured to continuously monitor how each satellite connection is performing and choose the best at any given moment. Vocus Bonded Satellite can also combine capacity from multiple satellite services (even from different providers) into a single stream, helping lift available bandwidth where conditions allow and reducing reliance on any one network.
However, not all providers of satellite services in Australia offer the same level of privacy. Vocus has multiple private satellite interconnects into Starlink’s network and an Australian fibre backbone that runs past many Defence sites. On the ground, this allows traffic to remain on private infrastructure, and in space, data is moved through the satellite network without the use of internet protocol.
Another technology being used to add further privacy protection to traffic is satellite-to-satellite laser links. These are already deployed on many satellites in the Starlink network and in development by other satellite network operators. The aim of this technology is to move private network traffic from Australian ground stations directly to overseas terminals used by Australian organisations, without transiting foreign ground based networks.
“Defence data is crucial and any solutions should aim to minimise exposure to public IP, internet-exposed endpoints and cyber risk. Mission connectivity may be vulnerable to risks like single satellite network congestion and availability. These risks can be minimised by combining multiple orbits and providers, and keeping data within private Australian networks off the internet,” says Grove.
