Global – October 27, 2026 -- Governments are demanding full control over their satellite communication mission stacks rather than just access to capacity, according to a panel hosted by ST Engineering iDirect. Speakers from the company and PA Consulting said sovereignty is shifting toward assurance and resilience.
Control outweighs ownership in national SATCOM programs
Alison Grey, Associate Partner at PA Consulting, said full end-to-end in-country ownership is unrealistic for most nations. The practical goal is assured access, control and resilience. Keith Blanchet, Vice President, Global Government at ST Engineering iDirect, defined sovereignty as resiliency, sovereign control and interoperability, the last being essential for coalition operations.
The UK's Skynet 6, France's SYRACUSE IV and the EU's IRIS2 reflect this focus on national autonomy. Nations are increasingly moving toward owning sovereign payloads and ground segments and adopting national cyber policies.
Layered defenses counter jamming, spoofing and ground-system compromise
Panelists listed cyber compromise of ground systems, RF jamming and spoofing as current threats to SATCOM networks. Their recommended defenses are hardened gateways, zero-trust segmentation, encrypted traffic, spectrum agility and quantum encryption. Networks should keep operating through partial degradation instead of depending on a single satellite or teleport.
Hybrid and multi-orbit designs split sovereign and shared functions
Under a hybrid model, policy control, encryption and key management stay sovereign, while other functions remain interoperable. Governments can then use allied or commercial networks for extra reach and surge capacity.
The panel described a multi-orbit approach: GEO for wide coverage, MEO for added performance, and LEO for low latency and rapid reconstitution. Mission traffic can be routed according to security needs, latency requirements and threat conditions.
Software-defined networks and post-quantum encryption move up the agenda
Software-defined networks let sovereign users reconfigure bandwidth, routing and security domains as missions change, and help avoid proprietary lock-in. Dave Davis, Senior Technical Director, Global Government at ST Engineering iDirect, said encryption standards are evolving to allow transitions between sovereign and joint operational encryption. Governments are prioritizing post-quantum encryption ahead of "Q Day," when quantum computing could render traditional encryption obsolete.
Grey identified human error as the greatest cybersecurity vulnerability, making automation and usability essential. Blanchet pointed to AI for real-time network monitoring and threat response.
Panel calls for governments to define requirements while industry supplies modular technology
The panel said no government can build a sovereign SATCOM ecosystem alone. In the most successful partnership models, governments set mission and sovereignty requirements, while industry delivers modular technology, rapid innovation and long-term sustainment.