RESOLUTION NO. C-23
RELATING TO NEAR SPACE PLATFORMS IN SUPPORT OF AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND JOINT WARFIGHTER SPACE EFFORTS
Background:
The Air National Guard recently completed tests on a free-floating near space balloon capability, Combat SkySat, with the test results showing increased ground-to-ground communications from the normal 8-12 miles to over 500 miles using standard Land Mobile Radios (LMRs). These successful tests have drawn the interest of theater combatant commanders and joint tactical war fighting units.
The relatively low-cost balloons operating between 65,000 and 100,000 feet with a radio relay payload can greatly increase the communications capability of ground forces. This new technology has successfully transferred voice and data in both secure and unsecured modes in a number of tests. Additional tests are being conducted to attach different types of payloads to the balloon that could provide persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities as well as critical data link gateways. The high altitude balloons are highly reliable platforms that allow quick response times and long duration flights.
Recommendation:
The National Guard Association of the United States recommends that the National Guard Bureau, the Department of Defense, and the Congress of the United States authorize and appropriate funding to stand-up the United States military’s first near space squadron. This unit will operate a deployable, free-floating balloon system for tactical use by joint warfighters.
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