U.S. troops Watch Super Bowl Via Satellite
Our troops are deployed in the most rugged of locations, from the mountains of Afghanistan to submarines a hundred feet below the surface of the ocean. Yet all will be able to tune in Sunday to the Super Bowl thanks to new technology.
They’ll watch the game on the American Forces Radio and Television Service, which is to link up to NBC’s broadcast using the Raytheon system that carries classified operational and intelligence information to the troops. Raytheon has partnered with the U.S. Air Force to carry the Super Bowl on its fast-growing third satellite channel that provides morale services, such as 24-hour access to CNN.
Most troops will see the game through conventional hookups with the American Forces service. But to get to more remote areas, ultra-high frequency signals will be broadcast from three locations in Norfolk, Virginia; Sigonella, Italy; and Wahiawa, Hawaii all using government and commercial satellites. This technology would even make Google and Google maps jealous. In the past couple of years, the system has been upgraded and now it provides more bandwidth and more satellites to redirect the broadcasts to even the most far-away places.
“It’s tremendously rewarding,” One official said. “It really inspires our engineers and our operators, particularly when you talk to people who’ve come back from a long tour on a Navy ship, or somebody who’s just come back from Afghanistan, and they tell you about how they used the system.” Especially to watch the Super Bowl. Support the troops!
