Government & Defense
RKF provides communications and electromagnetic spectrum capabilities to Federal and Civilian Agencies. Services include production software creation, systems engineering and analysis, RF engineering, and modeling & simulation.
Who We Work With
RKF has a long history supporting mission critical communications contracts with:
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
U.S. Space Force (USSF)
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
RKF is regularly involved in industry working groups and studies with:
Federal Communication Commission (FCC)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
United States Space Force (USSF) SATCOM Enterprise Management & Control (EM&C)
Initiated in 2019, the SATCOM EM&C effort is foundational to the USSF Vision for Enterprise SATCOM signed in 2020 by Gen. Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, USSF and Commander U.S. Space Command. This vision states that the USSF will “provide an operationally effective, affordable, resilient, and secure satellite communications architecture that supports global mission priorities and is adaptable to rapidly changing requirements, technologies, and threats.” In January of 2023 DoD CIO, together with USSF, released the Enterprise SATCOM Management and Control (ESC-MC) Implementation Plan (I-Plan) to realize this vision along with an associated reference architecture. RKF and its partner companies are helping the DoD meet the 3 imperatives of the I-Plan, namely fusing situational awareness, automating resource allocation, and integrating data management. These capabilities will provide invaluable, actionable insight for DoD SATCOM users, including SATCOM Integrated Operating Division (SIOD), Space Delta 8, and U.S. Space Command senior leadership.
Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
Since 2016 RKF has been the prime contractor for DISA’s PEO Spectrum (formerly DISA DSO) Mobile Service Provider contract inclusive of the follow-on win in 2021. For this program, in compliance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and DOD guidance, RKF provides analysis of electromagnetic environment effects to Federal systems from proposed non-Federal mobile service providers systems such as 5G cellular and microwave installations on Federal property. RKF performs interference-to-noise, intermodulation, and radiation hazard and other forms of electromagnetic interference analysis to ensure the protection of Federal incumbents from the proposed non-Federal systems. RKF works both with the commercial service provider as well as DOD spectrum managers and DISA’s PEO Spectrum physics tools and spectrum-dependent system databases to ensure Federal operations continue unencumbered as the spectrum environment becomes increasingly shared and congested.
Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CRBS)
In 2021, RKF began supporting the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band. The Federal Communication Commission announced the deployment of the new federal portal system for non-federal spectrum access administrators, while the National Telecommunication and Information Administration announced the portal for DOD. DISA’s PEO Spectrum developed DOD’s calendar-based tool to support the expeditious and autonomous communication of scheduled spectrum use information for designated facilities in the 3.5 GHz band. This automated spectrum scheduling portal also provides an electromagnetic interference (EMI) tool set for performing EMI analysis and collaboration. As part of the agile software development team, RKF Engineering brings the EMI analysis and spectrum management expertise. As the stakeholder engagement lead, we leverage our RF engineering and industry relationships to liaise with the DOD spectrum community and CBRS stakeholders while ensuring the software meets end user needs.
