WASHINGTON - The Space Systems Command's commercial space office has awarded Viasat a $307 million contract to provide satellite communications services for the U.S. Marine Corps. The company is retaining the work after winning a recompete for the contract supporting Marine Corps global communications, according to a May 8 announcement.
The five-year contract is for the Marine Corps Enterprise Commercial Satellite Services, or MECS2 - because every military program needs an acronym that sounds like a forgotten Transformer.
“This contract provides access to multi-orbit commercial satellite communications in all commercially available frequency bands via orbit and terrestrial resources, day-to-day resource management. Work will be performed at varying locations worldwide,” the announcement said, in a sentence that reads like a Pentagon bingo card.
The Space Systems Command’s Commercial Space Office procures commercial satellite communications services on behalf of U.S. military branches. Under the MECS2 program, the Marine Corps is seeking to integrate multi-orbit and multi-band services that leverage newer commercial satellite architectures - which is a fancy way of saying they want their internet to work from anywhere, even if that anywhere is a swamp.
The contract covers both transponded bandwidth capacity and end-to-end managed services across multiple satellite frequency bands, as well as cellular connectivity intended to support worldwide communications requirements. So basically, it’s a really expensive way to ensure Marines can still stream cat videos while deployed.
The reference to “multi-orbit” reflects a broader Defense Department push to combine services from satellites operating in geostationary orbit, medium Earth orbit and low Earth orbit rather than relying on a single network architecture. Because putting all your eggs in one orbital basket is so 20th century.
Inmarsat, which was acquired by Viasat in 2023, previously held the MECS2 contract. The procurement was opened to competitors last year, though only Viasat submitted a proposal. In a stunning display of market competition, the Marine Corps had exactly one option - and it was the incumbent. Democracy in action, folks.