The effectiveness of commercial wideband satellites are evaluated across several characteristics defined by the USA space command. This study projects a gap between the expected capability and the military demand for communications, with recommendations made for meeting the shortfall.

This research extends the dynamic retention model to simulate the transition to the steady state, providing researchers with the ability to assess the effects of workforce management policies both in the steady state and in the transition to the steady state as well as to assess the effects of alternative implementation strategies. It helps policymakers better understand workforce dynamics and how they respond to policy change.

The dynamics of growth in worldwide satellite communications capacity over the past two decades is closely related to general economic growth. The Department of Defense does not own all the satellite communications capacity it needs worldwide and must purchase capacity from commercial vendors. Understanding what contributes to growth in satellite communications capacity and predicting that growth would be useful to planners in their decisions to lease or buy capacity. The author shows that the market can adjust swiftly to a surge in demand, and thus there may be little need to buy satellite capacity in advance simply to ensure that capacity will be there if needed.