Analytic and Experimentation Capabilities for Arctic HF Communications - April 2019 - Space Weather ...

Analytic and Experimentation Capabilities
for Arctic HF Communications
Jennifer Forsyth-Gillespie                                                                                            April 2019

                                                     Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. Case Number 19-0924
© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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 Outline
  Problem to solve
        – Determine the envelope of Arctic high-frequency (HF) communications
          capability to meet operational needs
        – Look at freedom of movement as an operational challenge
       MITRE connecting across research to operations
        – Use HF communications networking as an opportunity to increase availability
        – Determine future work needs

© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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 DoD’s Arctic Strategy Recognizes Space Weather
 Impacts
                                                                “Vast distances, obsolete or deteriorating polar
                                                          communications architecture, limitations of geostationary
                                                           communication satellites, harsh weather conditions, high-
                                                         latitude ionic disturbances, and geomagnetic storms (“space
                                                         weather”) combine to make reliable, secure communications
                                                                              in the Arctic difficult.”

                                                             DoD will provide assured, resilient, and cost-effective
                                                                      polar communications capabilities

" In particular, the Arctic is an area that we really need to focus on and really look at investing. That is no longer a
buffer zone. We need to be able to operate there, we need to be able to communicate there, we need to be able
to have a presence there that we have not invested in in the same way that our adversaries have. And we clearly see
they see that as a vulnerability from us. And where is there is becoming a strength for them and it's a weakness for
us and we need to change that, flip that equation.'
- NORAD and USNORTHCOM Commander, Gen O’Shaughnessy, 26 February 2019 to the Senate Armed Forces Committee

© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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      Operational Need: Freedom of Movement
                                                          • Changing Arctic climate = increased accessibility
                                                          • Increased military and commercial activities
                                                          • HF communications challenging in the Arctic
                                                            due to ionospheric behavior and lack of
                                                            infrastructure
                                                          • Limited satellite comms coverage; HF is
                                                            important for “day without space”
                                                          • Determine envelope of Arctic HF comms needed
                                                            for operations
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-
images/Observer/Pix/pictures/2012/07/21/gu_Arctic.jpg

                    HF technology, due to long range coverage and affordability, is a natural and critical technology to be evaluated
                    and matured in order to help fill capability needs, particularly for improving long range communications.

     © 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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 Operating and Testing in the Arctic Regions

© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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   MITRE Looking at Operational Needs and Challenges
   for HF Arctic Communication
 Outages observed during                                27 July 2344 UT

  testing, auroral oval influences
  HF communications
  performance
 19-30 July 2017 Arctic Test
   – Deployed sites
      Marine Recruiting Center JBER                     Barrow Ionograms

      Barrow Environmental
       Observatory (BEO)
   – Related Sites
      Digisonde Sites
                        • Eielson AFB, AK
                        • Gakona, AK
  © 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.   28 July 0016 UT

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 Arctic Regions Impact HF Performance, Opportunities
 for Multipoint Modeling and Regional Improvements

        https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4641                                            L.J. Teig, Auroral oval as function of Kp

         Ionospheric trough, auroral,                                 Auroral oval moves as function
               and polar cap regions impact                             of time and Kp and is key to
               HF communications                                        understanding from operational
               differently                                              perspective
                                              What can we do to maximize mission availability?
© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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 Operational Opportunity for HF Arctic
 Communication: Multipoint Networking
  Auroral trough relative to refraction
   point has impact on HF comms outages
  Previous work by Goodman
    – Proposed spatially and frequency diverse
      network can provide reliability
      approaching 100%
    – High latitude unavailability statistics
      needed
  Operators and decision makers would
   be more effective with accurate
   information for:
          – Geographically diverse, multipoint network
          – Range of performance and frequencies,
            especially in the area of the auroral trough
                                                           J. Goodman, 1997.
          – Availability

© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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 Operational Opportunity for HF Arctic
 Communication: Multipoint Networking
  We propose a geographically
        diverse, multipoint network can
        provide increased reliability
          – Strategic node selection for arctic ionospheric
            impacts
          – Frequency management system leveraging
            real-time data
  Hypothesis: Auroral trough impacts
   HF communication availability
  Objective: Create network with
   frequency management to improve
   availability

© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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 Bridging Research to Operations
  Working to test HF networking hypothesis
        – Use supporting information from research community
        – Collaborate with arctic test planners on HF
          communications planning
       Recommended work
        – Create multipoint HF communications frequency
          planning tool
       Continuing work
        – Develop recommendations for HF communications P2P
          modeling and additional key parameters
        – Leverage upcoming test events (US Coastguard Healy
          2019 and ICEX 2020)
                                                               MITRE HF Antenna in Barrow, AK
© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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 Contact Information

          Jennifer Forsyth-Gillespie                 Shelley A Johnson
          The MITRE Corp                             The MITRE Corp
          Group Lead, Waveform Design and Analysis   Arctic Test and Experimentation Lead
          MITRE Innovation Program                   Chief Engineer
          Arctic HF Communication                    Northern, Indo-Pacific & Strategic Command Operations
          jforsyth@mitre.org                         sjohnson@mitre.org
          Jennifer.forsyth.ctr@us.af.mil             Shelley.a.johnson12.ctr@mail.mil
          (781) 271-5088 – MITRE Office              (719) 556-7430 – government office
                                                     (719) 433-4881 – MITRE Mobile

© 2019 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.

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