Alex Gracia

Protecting Our Newest Weapon in Homeland Defense: Commercial Satellite Systems Alex Gracia

Publisher Marketing: Commercial satellite systems provide crucial products and services, such as commercial imagery and commercial satellite communications, to DOD and other federal agencies. The significant contributions made by commercial satellites are clearly seen in the nation's highest endeavor, homeland defense. The commercial satellite industry is also making its mark in everyday civilian life and in the national and world economies. Despite the growing importance and dependence on commercial satellites, nothing is being done to reduce the vulnerabilities of these systems to attack. DOD must protect commercial satellite systems by making commercial satellite providers part of the defense industrial base and implementing protection programs per President Bush's mandate to DOD to protect the defense industrial base as a national critical infrastructure. This paper describes the new landscape of homeland defense by reviewing key organizations and recent strategic guidance, and introducing a new homeland "defense in depth" concept. The importance of commercial satellites is described by reviewing recent national space policy, growth characteristics of the industry, and operational use of commercial satellites in the protective layers of homeland defense-in-depth. DOD's protection plan of the defense industrial base as a critical infrastructure is reviewed with a finding that commercial satellite systems are not being addressed. This shortfall must be corrected because DOD is dependent on commercial satellites for homeland defense, DOD has a large investment in commercial satellites, the industry is a key resource to the economy, and the industry is vulnerable to attack.