STUTTGART, Germany - Access to satellite communication resources is vital to Warfighters in theater.
Without it, things such as phone calls, global-positioning satellite usage and access to important data wouldn't be available. However, without regulation of the satellite resources, a unit could run into major conflicts, namely, the inability to access what it needs, because the bandwidth is being used elsewhere. This is where Regional Satellite Communication Centers come into play.
Located at Patch Barracks, Germany, RSSC Europe plays a unique role in the satellite communication field. Its mission is unique, serving a theater made up of 93 countries. They are set up to be a single point of contact for the units they support, planning usage for satellite communications resources.
"I think the uniqueness is who we support and where we support. Each one of the RSSC's can do the exact same things for a customer. It boils down to the theater. We support the U.S. European command which has 93 countries. We also support U.S. AFRICOM and CENTCOM area of operation," Said John Pipkin, director RSSC Europe. "We reach far out there to support our customers. It's the theater-unique things you have to do and the little idiosyncrasies that come with the countries. In Europe, I have to deal with 93 different personalities … it's the same thing with Africa."
While each supports the same mission for their customer, the location in Stuttgart is vital to the success and customer support.
Each RSSC can assume the mission of another RSSC; it's called a virtual CO-OP. However, the difference is being closer to your customer base and the ability to provide real time support.
"If I was stateside, and I had a EUCOM issue to support, it'’s an eight-hour time difference. Over here, I can meet that customer face-to-face. I can literally sit down with them and figure out exactly what it is they want. If we have a point of discussion, both of my COCOMS are within 15 minutes of here," said Pipkin.
RSSCs are in place essentially to plan usage of all satellite resources, including those utilizing commercial industry satellites. At RSSC Europe, Air Force civilians, Army civilians, Soldiers, and Navy contractors work in the same location, all supporting the same type of mission for their unique areas of control.
In this location, the Air Force has five civilians in place to manage the resources of the Extremely High Frequency protective band satellites.
"We support EUCOM and AFRICOM with satellite resources they use when they deploy and strategic usage for nuclear command and control. They both have units that deploy, and they both have requests for satellite resources, and we give it to them based on guidance," said Wes Costello, Extremely High Frequency chief.
While each section has its own chief, and their missions don't overlap, they all support the same essential function: resource management.
"If this was Dish Network, or a commercial industry, and there were a million people who wanted to use the satellite, but they could only allow access to 500,000, in commercial industry, they take the first 500,000. But we can't do that. We have to determine, based on needs and priorities, who gets the access. That's where management comes into play," said Costello.
Access to satellite resources is finite, as only a portion of the resources are available for military use. So, it's essential to have the RSSC's in place to plan how to distribute its use. To avoid conflicts, the requests are ranked by mission priority, ensuring the resources are given to the most vital mission first.
"With greater bandwidth requirements … proper planning and regulation are essential in order to support all combat and contingency operations," said Master Sgt. Doug Bram, noncommissioned officer in charge of RSSC-Europe.
In total, there are three RSSC's worldwide, located at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla/; Patch Barracks, Germany; and Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii. Additionally, there is a Global SATCOM Support Center located on Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. These centers are staffed by U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command Soldiers and joint-service civilians.
The support centers were first established in 1988 to provide satellite communications support to ground-mobile forces. Their mission has evolved over the last couple of decades to include Narrowband, Protected and Commercial spectrums.
The RSSC is only one step in the satellite communications resource system. Once their plan is set, it is passed on to an operations center for execution. In the case of RSSC Europe, their plans are passed on to the Wideband Satellite Operations center in Landstuhl, Germany, operated by Company C, 53rd Signal Battalion.
Social Sharing