Strategies for integrating very high latency modems into a deployed MILSATCOM network while assuring high levels of reliability

The Department of Defense (DoD) requires resilient and fault tolerant battlefield networks. In severely stressed satellite communication environments, several mitigation techniques are required to maintain an acceptable message error rate. One standard technique to protect communication links, improve reliability, and enhance bit error rate performance is to use very large interleavers. The buffering required for interleaving and de-interleaving produces a corresponding large, constant increase in transmission latency. In general, the greater the latency the more resilience and improved performance that can be achieved. Below a certain level, protection will be inadequate. When the amount of latency required to realize sufficient protection is more than normal SatCom delays, it may break system applications as well as transport network control and management functions. Modifying a deployed military communication system to tolerate significantly higher latencies can add considerable cost; therefore, determining the tradeoff between maximum link reliability and minimal latency is essential.