The initiative offers affordable and reliable satellite communications for crisis response.
State Department Chief Information Officer Kelly Fletcher is working to enhance the satellite communications (SATCOM) infrastructure to ensure cost-effective and dependable phone and laptop connectivity across its 191 embassies worldwide. These embassies frequently face emergencies in their host nations, requiring uninterrupted communication with U.S. officials. Local networks in these regions are often unreliable, necessitating the development of resilient SATCOM capabilities.
“So my first experience with an emergency was Sudan. I was in D.C., but we had an IT presence in Sudan. And every day I’d wake up and make sure they could still communicate: ‘is your phone working, are the cell towers out, is the internet working in places where the government will turn off the internet?‘” said Fletcher. “But I think in the future what I’m really excited about is affordable, resilient, reliable SATCOM that I can use in emergencies,” she said.
“But also SATCOM that maybe for smaller embassies can be used as part of daily business. I think it’s going to fundamentally change how we engage with each other and how we think about getting data where it needs to go,” Ms. Fletcher added.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For CIO Fletcher as she fulfills her role and ensures reliable communications for U.S. embassies.
- For Secretary of State Blinken to seek God’s direction as he leads U.S. diplomatic endeavors.
Sources: FedScoop
