Sponsored Focus by Isotropic Systems – Unlocking the Capabilities of NGSO for Defense

Brian joined Isotropic Systems in its early days in 2017 and currently leads the Product Team ensuring successful productization of Isotropic’s ground-breaking technology.  His expertise in the design and development of mmWave communication, radar, and electronic warfare systems, cultivated during his years at Northrop Grumman, has helped Isotropic push the envelope in solving their customers’ most challenging requirements.

Most recently, at L3Harris Specialty Applications Division, Brian led the hardware design team in successful delivery of a wide variety of unique, rapid turnaround specialty products for government customers.

Brian received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Bucknell University and his M.S. in RF Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Mr. Akbar is currently working as a DoD contractor supporting the US Army on SATCOM architecture and terminal development. Mr. Syed Akbar has over 35 years of SATCOM industry experience in design and development of SATCOM architectures and terminal development.  Mr. Akbar is responsible for leading a team of engineers specializing in mobile SATCOM and broadband wireless networks. Mr. Akbar’s specializes as a communications systems engineer. Previously he was the lead architect on the US Army CERDEC Distributed Standard Terminal SOTM working group. Previous projects include the US Army Distributed Broadband SOTM X-band Terminal, Small Aperture X-band SATCOM-On-The-Move (SAXBA) BFT Terminal,  Point to Point and Point to Multipoint broadband wireless system, JTRS GMR systems engineering and integration, the design and development of the Future Combat System (FCS) Network Management system and independent research and development projects to support X, Ka and Q-band SATCOM-On-The-Move terminals for use by the DoD to support Battle Command on the move, Intelligence and Situation Assessment missions. He was a key member of the design team for a worldwide commercial satellite network for the US Army logistics community. This network was based on C, Ku and L band terminals. Mr. Akbar was also the Alico team leader for the development of the future communications architecture of the Tactical Internet. This future Tactical Internet architecture included design of terrestrial and satellite networks based on WGS, A-EHF and MUOS, and Inmarsat satellites. Prior to joining Alico Systems in 2002 Mr. Akbar worked for TRW for 24 years. His last assignment at TRW was as Communications Systems Business Unit Director. Previous assignments included; Program Director of the US Army EIS project which first introduced the original BFT system in Bosnia and Kosovo, the UTACCS (STACCS) Program Manager, and as a Project Manager for the TDRSS Autotrack Processing System.

Education: BSEE from Northrop Institute and an MSEE degree from California State University, Los Angeles.

Mike Blefko joined SES Government Solutions in November of 2015. He primarily works on O3b business opportunities for SES GS for the US Government. His career spans many facets of satellite and communications. Highlights include Northrop Grumman section leader working on a $500M NYC wireless network, Advanced Wireless Antennas LLC antenna company entrepreneur, SATCOM systems engineering lead, wireless designer, and antenna designer. He has contributed to satellite, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Mic­rowave antenna and RF networks that benefit Department of Defense – SOCOM, CENTCOM, AFRICOM, PACOM, DTS-PO, Intelligence, Homeland Security, public safety, civil communications networks, and government municipalities.

Mike is well versed at SATCOM and wireless products and networks design. He is Shipley proficient and a systems engineering disciple. Projects in which he has had a major role include O3b high throughput low latency Gbps services to austere locations for the USG – actually deploying to locations in Iraq, and Africa to perform installations and demonstrations, NYC Private wireless network covering all of NYC with 2 Mbps in the five boroughs, SPAWAR SOFTACS Deployable Node-Medium (SDN-M) baseband terminal engineer for USG tactical comms, Navy CBSP maritime SSV and ULV terminal designer, DoD microsat engineer and salesperson at X, Ku and Ka bands, ORBCOMM Low Earth Orbit designer and earth station Gateway installer at UHF, Corpus Christi municipal Wi-Fi designer and deployment engineer, Texas Department of Public Safety Data and Voice network featuring interoperable voice networks over CISCO solutions, and Secondary Surveillance Radar antenna designer and field engineer for FAA landing system.

Mike combines business development experience, with systems engineering training, and antenna design background to grasp and present complex systems for the benefit of federal, state, and local customers.

Mr. Rich Pang is the Director of Government Product Development for Telesat U.S. Services, LLC and an industry expert in the development and execution of government products and services including hosting government payloads on commercial satellites. He is a retired military officer with 21 years of experience in space operations dealing with missile warning and defense, space control, satellite command and control, launch and early orbit testing, and collision avoidance and electromagnetic interference analyses. He also has a strong background in personnel training and evaluation, personnel and resource management, operational testing and evaluation, and space systems’ acquisition.

Mr. Pang’s prior experience includes serving as the Vice President of Government Segment Market Management at SES Networks where he was responsible for assessing global government and institutional markets, identifying customers’ requirements, and leading the identification and/or development of SES products and solutions to meet customers’ needs.

Prior to joining SES Networks, Mr. Pang worked at SES Government Solutions (SES GS) where he served as the Senior Director for Hosted Payloads.  He was responsible for seeking, pursuing, and securing opportunities to support U.S. Government missions around the world through the use of hosted payloads.  While there, he managed the Commercially Hosted InfraRed Payload (CHIRP) program for the United States Air Force and captured two other hosted payload contracts: (1) the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) funded by the Federal Aviation Administration; and (2) the Global Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In May 2010, Mr. Pang retired from the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-one years of service.  In his last assignment, he served as the Director of Operations at the Program Executive Office for Environmental Satellites in Silver Spring, Maryland, where his duties encompassed leading a diverse team of over a hundred personnel from the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and government contractors responsible for the operations and maintenance of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and the WindSat/Coriolis mission.  In addition, his division was responsible for establishing operational policy and procedures for the development, transition, and subsequent operations and maintenance of follow-on meteorological satellite programs.

Mr. Pang was born in Portland, Oregon, and earned his commission as a Distinguished Graduate through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program in June 1989.  He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, and a Master of Business Administration Degree from San Jose State University in San Jose, California.