Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, announced it was awarded a contract to provide end-to-end satellite communications (SATCOM) support through a fully managed service to the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The contract is an extension following a successful pilot and follow-on service program in the government’s FY22 through which Viasat delivered a fully managed SATCOM as a Managed Service (SaaMS) solution to the USMC I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), the Marine Corps’ largest warfighting organization. This is the first commercially developed SaaMS implemented by a USMC command.
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Under this fully managed SATCOM service, Viasat has provided I MEF with a resilient beyond-line-of-sight communications capability that is both scalable and rapidly deployable to meet contract and operational requirements. This commercially developed SaaMS capability has enabled I MEF to extend its command and control (C2) to the tactical edge, supporting Marine exercises, Marine Expeditionary Units and Stand in Force rotational deployments with on-demand satellite connectivity and data transport. The SaaMS is designed to provide greater flexibility to meet changing connectivity demands, support Multi-Domain Operations, and increase the safety of deployed forces through reliable and resilient communications.
“Viasat is very excited to continue its partnership with the Marine Corps and provide a fully managed SATCOM service that offers a dynamic and scalable solution to meet the demands of expeditionary forces,” said Craig Miller, president of Viasat Government Systems. “This is a modern SATCOM service that is designed to deliver the performance, flexibility and rapid deployment capability Marine expeditionary forces need – supporting operational readiness and enabling the USMC to easily leverage surge capacity for specific mission needs. This SaaMS solution is a critical piece to achieving a decision advantage in a modern information and communications warfare environment.”