Secure and Integrated Communications Engineering for MILSATCOM Essentials Training by Tonex
Duration: 2 Days | Format: In-person / Virtual / Hybrid
Level: Intermediate–Advanced (with content accessible to non-developers)
This intensive course prepares military and defense professionals to engineer secure, integrated, and resilient satellite communications systems across space, ground, and user domains. It blends cybersecurity, waveform protection, architectural integration, and interoperability engineering to ensure mission assurance in contested, degraded, and denied (CDD) environments.
The training aligns with joint and coalition SATCOM integration efforts, including JADC2, CJADC2, and the Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) framework.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Design secure MILSATCOM architectures integrating multiple security domains and waveform layers.
- Implement end-to-end encryption, authentication, and access controls across MILSATCOM systems.
- Engineer for anti-jam, anti-spoofing, LPI/LPD, and EMP-resilient communications.
- Apply system integration practices for multi-platform (air, land, sea, space) operations.
- Incorporate COMSEC, TRANSEC, and CYBERSEC best practices into the MILSATCOM engineering lifecycle.
- Navigate cross-domain integration challenges and solutions between military and allied SATCOM networks.
- Support survivable communications and continuity of operations (COOP) during crises or cyber-electromagnetic attacks.
Target Audience:
- Military SATCOM engineers and program managers
- COMSEC and TRANSEC personnel
- C5ISR system architects and integrators
- Cybersecurity and electromagnetic spectrum engineers
- Space, ground, and airborne communications developers
- Tactical communications officers and planners
- Mission assurance and survivability specialists
- NATO and allied SATCOM technical teams
Course Modules:
Day 1 – Foundations of Secure MILSATCOM Engineering
Module 1: Secure Military SATCOM Mission Context
- Roles of AEHF, WGS, MUOS, ESS, GBS
- Strategic, tactical, nuclear, and coalition comms
- Threat landscape: Jamming, spoofing, cyber, EMP, space threats
- JADC2/CJADC2 and integrated communications priorities
Module 2: Fundamentals of Secure SATCOM Design
- COMSEC and TRANSEC: overview and relevance
- Key management and cryptographic frameworks (KMI, EKMS, SKL)
- Authentication, confidentiality, integrity in SATCOM context
- TEMPEST and emissions security in terminals and nodes
Module 3: Anti-Jam & Protected Waveforms
- Frequency hopping, spread spectrum, beam steering
- Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW), XDR, EHF resilience
- LPI/LPD and cognitive waveform capabilities
- Dynamic adaptation in contested environments
Module 4: Secure Architecture Integration
- Integration of SATCOM with C2, ISR, and EW platforms
- Multi-level security domains and cross-domain solutions
- Network security for IP-based SATCOM (SATCOM over IP, TLS/IPsec)
- Cybersecurity in satellite command and control (C2) links
Day 2 – End-to-End System Integration & Mission Assurance
Module 5: End-to-End Systems Engineering for MILSATCOM
- Systems engineering lifecycle for secure SATCOM
- Requirements traceability: IA, EW, reliability, interoperability
- MBSE for SATCOM security modeling (SysML/UML examples)
- Fault isolation, reconfiguration, and continuity design
Module 6: Ground, Terminal & Platform Integration
- Secure ground gateways and mission management systems
- Integration of terminals across vehicles, ships, aircraft, SOF teams
- Anti-tamper and survivability measures in terminals
- Case: SATCOM-on-the-move (SOTM) and airborne secure comms
Module 7: Electromagnetic Survivability and Hardening
- EMP protection: system shielding and design practices
- Redundancy and failover strategies
- Resilient communications in nuclear and cyber conflict
- Space weather, radiation, and thermal considerations
Module 8: Secure Interoperability and Future Trends
- Integration of MILSATCOM with commercial secure SATCOM (COMSATCOM)
- NATO, Five Eyes, and coalition interoperability principles
- Hybrid networks: SATCOM + 5G + airborne relay
- Future ESS, proliferated LEO, and optical secure SATCOM
Interactive Exercises & Tools
- Threat Modeling Drill: Design a SATCOM system hardened against jamming and cyber
- Architecture Mapping: Link COMSEC + TRANSEC + CYBERSEC to real-world mission scenarios
- Integration Workshop: Solve a multi-domain integration challenge for airborne and maritime assets
- Live Case Review: Deconstruct real or simulated SATCOM compromise incidents (classified version optional)
Course Materials
- Slide deck (PDF)
- Secure MILSATCOM architecture templates
- Glossary of SATCOM security and integration terms
- Planning checklist for secure SATCOM deployment
- References: MIL-STD-188-165, CJCSI 6250 series, NIST SP 800-53, CNSSP-12
Optional Add-ons
- Cybersecurity attack tree modeling
- 1-Day Executive Briefing version for leadership teams