"I'd have to say it's the single biggest contribution to the war," Teets said of the GPS. "The very idea that a B-52 (Stratofortress) or a B-1 (Lancer) flying around at 50,000 feet altitude could provide close air support to troops on the ground is a remarkable thought. Even as recently as 10 years ago when we were involved in the Gulf War, such a thought would not have occurred."

Teets has been on the job for the past five months and said it is an exciting time to be involved in the national security space world.

"I feel fully challenged, I'll tell you that," Teets said. "There's a lot to get your arms around and a lot of people to meet and build relationships with. I'm probably working harder than I ever have in my life, but it's a time when it feels good to be doing it."

As undersecretary, Teets said one of his goals is to work on improving communications for warfighters such as the combat controller on the ground in Afghanistan who used the GPS and other tools to guide bombs to targets.

Last fall, E.C. "Pete" Aldridge, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, and John P. Stenbit, assistant secretary of defense for command, control, communications and intelligence, identified outstanding goals for space communications. Of primary concern, Teets said, was removing bandwidth as a constraint to the warfighter.

"I must say, they must have had our combat controllers on the ground in Afghanistan in mind, because improving communications for them is really the idea," Teets said. "Somehow we need to get a communication system in place that can provide all the communication needs that our warfighters have."

Teets said the current plan is to put in place a laser communications backbone on a satellite system in geostationary orbit that would interface through radio frequency communications with warfighters worldwide.

"We would have enough bandwidth in this laser communications system so we could serve a vast array of warfighters, on the ground, in the air and at remote locations worldwide," he said. "The warfighter would have communication capability available to him that he needs."

Teets said that military space holds the key for improving communications for the warfighter.

"For deployed forces, there is nothing to connect to except for a space system," he said.

Teets said that another goal of his is to participate in the Transformational Communications Systems Architecture Study, chaired by Army Gen. Stephen Ferrell, the national security space architect.

The study has participation from people in the Air Force, Navy and National Reconnaissance Office, which Teets heads.

"What we are trying to do is bring the very best technology to bear in a transformational sense to bring on the next generation of communications capability," Teets said. "It will be a space-based system.

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