The U.S. Navy gives sailors the opportunity to travel the world, but it often means being away from loved ones for months at a time, with deployments stretching to nearly a year on some warships. Not only are sailors unable to contact friends and family, they often have limited contact with the outside world.
As the world becomes increasingly connected and the majority of young Americans are essentially tethered to their smartphones, limited network access has left seafarers frustrated and unhappy with their jobs, an issue that has been exacerbated by extended deployments and limited access to ships during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Limited connectivity is not only affecting free time, but for some, it is also affecting official duties.
The maritime service is looking to make it a little easier for seafarers to stay connected, taking a page from the cruise and cargo ships that are currently adopting Starlink internet access.
The U.S. Navy is working on a pilot program called Sailor’s Edge Afloat and Ashore (SEA2). NimitzUSS Class Nuclear Supercarrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). This provides sailors with reliable WiFi access and the ability to watch high-definition footage of the 2024 Super Bowl in real time.
The Starlink system was also installed and tested on the USS. Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the lead ship of the U.S. Navy’s newest nuclear-powered supercarrier fleet.
SEA2 is the result of a collaborative effort between Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR), Commander Naval Air Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMNAVAIRPAC), Program Executive Office for Digital and Enterprise Services (PEO Digital), and Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I) with the goal of improving the digital lives of Sailors by providing enhanced connectivity for both work and play, while ensuring safety.
The latter point is notable because in June, a US Navy petty officer was demoted for allowing an insecure WiFi network to be installed on a USS. Manchester (LCS-14) Independenceclass Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
VSAT terminal replacement
The new system will provide faster communications using low-Earth orbit satellites from SpaceX’s Starlink and the UK’s Eutelsat OneWeb, replacing the six geostationary satellites orbiting Earth that are notoriously long-latency and have low bandwidth, connected to ships’ VSAT terminals.
In contrast, Starlink antennas and OneWeb terminals can receive internet speeds of 1Gbps, more than 20 times faster than previous platforms. As a result, SEA2 ensures that seafarers can continue to live their lives even during deployments, increasing job satisfaction for seafarers who spend months at sea.
“When you lose all access to your personal life, it affects people. They worry about how the personal life issues they left behind are going to be handled. With Sailor’s Edge Afloat and Ashore, they are able to maintain continuity in their personal lives,” Kevin White, Combat Systems Officer Commander for CVN-72, told the U.S. Navy’s CHIPS magazine earlier this year. “We’re able to transition from Navy life to a more domestic life, and we’re seeing everyone be happier on board the ship.”
Seafarers must still adhere to safe usage practices, such as only using mobile phones and other devices in designated places and at designated times. SEA2 allows seafarers to lead more “normal” lives off-duty.
Official business, but to boost morale
SEA2 connectivity goes beyond just allowing sailors to text and talk with friends and family: it also enhances the capabilities of warships by enabling the transfer of tactical applications, albeit encrypted at a higher level of secrecy.
The Navy said SEA2 has also received cybersecurity certification, but that up until now, internet solutions on ships have only been tolerated, not fully authorized.
“We’re not taking advantage of the opportunity that modern technology offers to put classified tactical applications on the commercial internet, and that’s to our detriment. That’s why we created Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore to enable that in the future,” White said. “We’re close to demonstrating some of those applications, and we believe it will be a game changer.”
The platform is also used for business applications such as training and healthcare, updating medical records and assisting in real-time patient triage and treatment.
U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln They’ve also been testing a program called Flank Speed Edge, which the Navy describes as “a cloud system capable of transferring terabytes of data from the cloud to users on the ship,” improving how crews manage maintenance data and order spare parts.
But perhaps the biggest demonstration was the aforementioned real-time streaming of the Super Bowl: The ship hosted a party for off-duty crew members, complete with food, popcorn stands, and a “huge sound system,” and used a white door in the hangar bay to project the game onto a makeshift 300-inch screen.
“We want to move away from the idea that SEA2 is only for tactical use,” White told DVIDS this month. “Now it’s all about getting the most out of our Sailors by connecting them to their home country in ways they’re familiar with and giving them the tools to perform their missions more efficiently.”
