Project Manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems (PM DCATS), Product Manager, Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS), Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is seeking information from large and small businesses experienced in providing and supporting military satellite control in order to gage industry capacity and capability for providing operational enhancements of the Wideband Remote Monitoring Sensor (WRMS) subsystem.
PdM WESS provides worldwide support for the Joint Warfighters by providing dedicated strategic satellite ground components and long haul terrestrial microwave communication systems, technical control facilities, command center upgrades, and deployed forces infrastructure.
PM DCATS was required to stand up satellite monitoring equipment in order to support the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) and Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite constellations, and to provide enhancements on an as-needed basis to meet emerging mission requirements. The purpose of satellite monitoring is to ensure DoD communications that take place over these satellites occur as planned and to identify/mitigate interferences. These interferences can typically be contributed to environmental disruptions (sun/rain), unauthorized access, jamming, and operator error. This not only aids in maintaining planned communications, but enables more effective management of satellite resources.
The current strategic monitoring locations are located at the five (5) Wideband SATCOM Operations Centers (WSOCs) and the six (6) Remote Monitoring and Control Equipment (RMCE) sites located worldwide. Each WSOC has a suite of terminals to monitor the WGS and DSCS, the older constellation of DoD satellites. As the WGS fleet grew, there was a need for extended coverage for monitoring satellites, and RMCE provides the necessary coverage by allowing the WSOCs to remotely view more satellites than normally feasible.
Satellite monitoring of WGS is done in synchronized Spectrum Information Gathering (SIG) and in-beam monitoring modes, while DSCS is done only on an in-beam monitoring mode basis. The WSOCs are connected to each other via the Wideband SATCOM Operational Management System (WSOMS) Network (WSOMSNet). This enables the WSOCs to provide backup and overlap coverage support. Coverage is required twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Control of the satellite monitoring equipment is required to be performed by WSOC personnel via the satellite monitoring equipment’s client software that functions on the WSOC workstation computers. WSOC workstation computers are also located in CONUS management facilities where SATCOM mission planners require (non-control) access for situational awareness (SA). The management facilities are part of the WSOMSNet.
Full information is available here.
