Military Satellite Communications Systems Directorate

MISSION
Develop, acquire, deploy, and sustain space-enabled, war-winning, global communications to support national objectives.

PERSONNEL
MILSATCOM includes a total force of approximately 150 assigned military, 165 assigned civilians, 317 Federally Funded Research and Development Center contractors, and 320 other contractors.

ORGANIZATION
MILSATCOM consists of an integrated system of satellites, terminals and control stations, valued at more than $42 billion, providing communications to aircraft, ships, mobile and fixed sites. MILSATCOM is made up of Joint Service Military, Government Civilians, the Aerospace Corporation, MITRE, MIT/Lincoln Laboratory, Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I), Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA), National Security Agency (NSA), our industrial partners and the contract work force that support us. MILSATCOM is headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base (AFB) with operating locations in Hanscom AFB, MA (Air Force MILSATCOM Terminals); Peterson AFB, CO (Logistics and Operations Support); and Schriever AFB, CA (Operations).

MILSATCOM consists of six Divisions:

The Protected Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Division (MCA) provides the DoD survivable, global, secure, protected, jam-resistant communications for high priority military ground, sea, and air assets. The division executes the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program.

The Wideband SATCOM Division (MCW) provides worldwide, high-volume, voice and data communications to the warfighter. The division executes the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) program.

The Advanced Development Division (MCD) provides S-Band command and control for all MILSATCOM systems and Department of Defense (DoD) secure, jam-resistant, strategic and tactical communications to the polar regions. The division executes the Enhanced Polar System (EPS) and Command and Control System-Consolidated (CCS-C) programs.

The Advanced Concepts Division (MCX) is responsible for defining next generation SATCOM capabilities to meet warfighting needs for the Joint Space Communications Layer. The division pursues future technology development and evolves the AEHF and WGS systems through capability insertion programs (CIPs). Through comprehensive architectural planning, the division delivers end-to-end solutions for space and ground synchronization while introducing new communications-on-the-move (COTM) and airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (AISR) capabilities. The division assesses and develops innovative acquisition methodologies to deliver affordable commercial satellite communications (COMSATCOM) solutions to the enterprise.

The Space, Aerial and Nuclear Networks Division (SANND) develops, acquires and operationally deploys communication terminals synchronized to support satellite weapon system operations and provides support for 16,000 aircraft, transportable and fixed site terminals. The wideband terminal programs consists of the Ground Multi-band Terminal (GMT), the High Data Rate - Radio Frequency (HDR-RF) ground terminal, and the Air Force Wideband Enterprise Terminals (AFWET) all providing various global communications with high data rates. The Secure Mobile Anti-jam Reliable Tactical Terminal (SMART-T) provides protected global communications for the warfighter. SANND also executes the Global Broadcast Service (GBS) program providing one-way, wideband transmission service capable of supporting timely delivery of classified and unclassified data and video products for mission support and theater information transfer.

The Logistics and Operations Support Division (MCL) is responsible for the sustainment of the various operational space, ground, and terminal MILSATCOM systems. Various systems and constellations under sustainment include for wideband, the Defense System Communications Satellite (DSCS) and WGS constellations, GBS hosted payloads, the CCS-C system, and the supporting AFWET, GMT, and GBS terminals; for protected, the Milstar constellation, Interim Polar System (IPS) hosted payloads, and the supporting Air Force Command Post Terminal (AFCPT); AF Single-Channel, Anti-Jam, Man Portable (SCAMP); AF SMART-T; Demodulator Unit (DMU); Aircraft Alerting Communications EMP (AACE); and Minute Man Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network (MMP) terminals; for narrowband, the Airborne Integrated Terminal Group (AITG), AFSAT terminals.

Related fact sheets:

AEHF

WGS

DSCS

Milstar

CCS-C

GBS

OSL

Terminals

Enhanced Polar System (EPS)