The satellite-radio company and the defense contractor have been working together to build a communications system known as the Mobile Enhanced Situational Awareness network, also known as MESA, they hope the U.S. military will adopt to keep emergency personnel informed in the event of a crisis.

MESA is designed to supplement existing communications networks by using XM's satellite system to communicate emergency-response plans to key government personnel.

Raytheon already has a track record of using the MESA network with WorldSpace, another satellite-radio company, but one that targets international airwaves. XM Satellite focuses solely on the North American market.

Raytheon and WorldSpace have been using MESA in Asia to keep relief workers well-informed by providing them with about 100 receivers in locations where no other communications networks were available.

"First responders ... will have information on the scene to make decisions," including visual information, such as maps and data that will be displayed through the designated receivers, in addition to radio broadcasts targeted specifically to them, said Mike Fleenor, program manager for Raytheon's MESA system.

In an interview with United Press International, Fleenor said Raytheon and XM Satellite are currently in discussion with military officials about a potential defense contract.

He said a decision whether or not to use their network under emergency circumstances is expected within the next few months.

The unlikely pairing between a radio network devoted to entertainment and a contractor that makes radar systems and other defense equipment has not surprised industry analysts.

In fact, the concept of using broadcast networks is "not particularly new at all," said James Andrew Lewis, director of the technology and public policy program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, a think tank in Washington.

Lewis told UPI that during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, the U.S. government used commercial radio to broadcast instructions to military personnel at duty stations, "so there's a long, historic precedent" to the practice.

He added that using satellite could be more strategic than depending on terrestrial communication outlets. They are less likely to become enemy targets, he said, because their orbital locations make them "more difficult to blow up."

At the same time, Lewis noted, there are some key obstacles to overcome before the military could make full use of private satellite radio in case of an emergency. For example, radio is a broadcast medium, so it is a one-way street that does allow listeners to respond - an aspect acknowledged by Fleenor.

Another potential risk is security, given that sensitive broadcast information potentially could fall into the hands of terrorists and be used to their advantage.

Fleenor said, however, that such fears were unwarranted, because Raytheon was taking precautions to secure its network, including using device keys unique to each receiver that expire after a specified period, thus preventing abuse of the receivers even if they are stolen.

Meanwhile, industry insiders have welcomed the latest enterprise between Raytheon and XM Satellite, even though one executive at a competing defense company told UPI, on condition of anonymity, that he saw "more in the deal for XM than for Raytheon, especially from a prestige perspective."

Lewis said the venture between the two companies provides encouragement to other satellite telecoms looking to open up new markets.

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