The War Via Satellite

During the spring of 2003 I wrote the following article and posted it on my web site. It is interesting to look back almost four years later and reflect on all that has occurred since that time. As the 2008 Presidential race heats up most of the candidates are looking back at their previous positions on Iraq and attempting to make sure that they are now positioned properly for the political debate of the future. The attack dogs are out in force from all sides as one political group tries to gain advantage over the other. Here is my 2003 article. Let us look back and see how well I evaluated the situation at that time.

The War Via Satellite

As I write this article, the war in Iraq has been in progress for approximately two weeks. As the conflict approached, I was not sure how I would react to the extensive media coverage that was sure to come in its wake.

I think my attitude toward the war in Iraq is similar to many other Americans. I was not absolutely sure that a war was necessary. Since President Bush, his cabinet, key members of Congress, and our allies in the United Kingdom possess mountains of classified intelligence information on the weapons of mass destruction and the harboring and support of terrorists issues that have justified the war, I trust that the political leaders have made the right decision on behalf of the United States and its long term national interest. While the government of Iraq is an evil dictatorship, that fact alone is not sufficient justification to risk the lives of American military personnel and the expenditure of tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer funds.

The outcome of future events will determine if my trust has been properly placed in our political leaders. In the meantime, we must fully support the men and women that have volunteered to form the military forces of the United States and the other members of the multinational coalition fighting in Iraq. We hope and pray that as many as can will be reunited with their families and friends at home in the near future, and that casualties on all sides will be kept to the barest minimum.

As I have watched the non stop media coverage, mostly on cable channels MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News and CNN, I can’t help being awestruck by the realities of war being brought from the front lines of the conflict to the living rooms of the world in real time. During the recent sandstorms it was amazing to see my television picture with a red haze that obscured the reporters. We then got to see the troops deal with deep mud that impeded their progress after torrential rainstorms in the desert. Watching a four way split screen with cameras in different parts of Baghdad and witnessing the bombing in real time is unbelievable. It was even more amazing when one realizes that two of the four feeds were from cameras provided by Middle Eastern television networks. Watching combat officers and the embedded media getting briefed on battle plans at the front in real time seems unreal. Seeing wounded soldiers interviewed at the front lines while waiting for transport to medical services in the rear is riveting. Watching a soldier call home from the front lines to talk to his wife about their newborn child before going into battle brings this war to us in ways that we have never experienced before.

In addition, we get to witness the daily briefings by CENTCOM from Qatar at the same time as the news media. We get to make our own judgments as we listen to statements and responses to questions. We can contrast the clean, antiseptic world of the war’s commanders with the sand, mud and blood of the front line soldiers and marines. In a one-hour broadcast we can get real time reports from all over the theatre and key world capitals on the state of the war.

We also are getting a real time view of the “fog of war”. We can see obvious mistakes made by the media and the military in assessing what is happening as they struggle to confirm actions not immediately in front of the camera. We can witness the propaganda campaign by both sides of the conflict and others that are not directly involved in combat and make judgments on what is reality. We can get expert opinions on the progress of the war from individuals that have relevant operational experience.

All of this information is overwhelming. There is more information available than any one human being can consume and process. But the fact that so much information is available to us and the rest of the world is a blessing that enhances our freedom. We are able to be eyewitnesses to this war and see more of the reality and truth of the conflict than ever before possible.

I am extremely proud of the fact that I have spent 20 years in the satellite communications industry helping to create some of the capabilities that are making this media coverage possible. Fixed satellite systems are providing backhaul of high quality live and taped video segments from every conceivable location, including the front lines, to the news organizations of the world. Recently created Inmarsat services are allowing the videophone to be our eyes and ears on the front lines and in locations that were inconceivable in earlier eras. Hand held satellite phones are allowing personal communications that are unprecedented in war. Direct to Home broadcast services via satellite are delivering the story of this conflict to a significant percentage of the world’s population.

As with any technology, there are negative aspects that go along with the good. Misinformation and propaganda are disseminated by the enemy and others with a vested interest in the failure of the US war effort using the same satellite communications technologies. We know that terrorists and enemy military forces have the ability to use commercial satellite phones of various types for command, control, communication and intelligence purposes. It is clear that the same technologies that bring information to free countries all over the world are being used by a dictator to suppress the freedom of his people and allow terrorists to conduct some of their operations.

Over the years the US Department of Defense has been increasingly reliant on fixed and mobile commercial satellite systems to support its various operational missions. Many of the people involved in developing these capabilities, including on orbit satellite assets and a variety of ground systems, are very proud knowing that during every minute of every day of this conflict that our earlier actions are contributing to the ability of our military to conduct this war. We have created critical communications capabilities in support of the war fighter. While we are not in harms way, we have contributed to the war fighting effort and are proud to support our military forces.

The commercial satellite communications industry has the unique ability to provide a large variety of communications services to the entire world. Services can be obtained virtually anywhere at any time by anyone. These services are a tool that can be used to move information from one side of the world to another instantaneously. Freedom of information flow is a critical element of democracy and personal freedom. As we watch the war unfold, the satellite communications industry is helping to ensure our freedom by providing the capability for the truth of this war to be told. However, it will also permit propaganda to be disseminated and allow all of us to experience the “fog of war” in real time.

Each of us will have to make our own judgments about this war but thankfully we will have an unprecedented ability to do so.

It appears that my worst fears of 2003 have been confirmed by events that occured during the past four years. Our nations trust in our political leaders was misplaced. There is no debate about this point from anyone that has unbiased view of what has occurred. Only those with deep oolitical bias can evaluate the situation and continue to support our existing political leaders. We need to carefully evaluate the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group and implement them as quickly as possible.

I challenge every national politician to pull out their prior speeches or media sound bites from 2002 and 2003 and replay them. It is time for everyone to reexamine why we continue to occupy Iraq with our military.