How Much Bandwidth for DoD Cyber Operations?

According to the Akamai 2Q 2010 State of the Internet Report (http://www.akamai.com/stateoftheinternet/) the average Internet transmission capacity for South Korean customers was 17 Mbps. The South Korean town of Masan averaged a connection of 20.9 Mbps. For the United States the national average was 4.6 Mbps.

Strassmann pays for a premium connection of 5 Mbps to a cable provider. All other consumers depend on standard AT&T offering of “high speed Internet” which is locally only 0.768 Mbps (https://www.attoffer.com/web/index.php/offers/offersList).

What is the current average bandwidth connectivity for DoD users is not known although it is likely to compare more closely with AT&T’s local “high speed Internet” offering. NMCI experience suggests that it may be actually less in a number of instances.

How can we explain the difference between the South Korean average of 17 Mbps and AT&T's 0.768 Mbps? Could the requirements for DoD cyber operation be closer to what is experienced in Masan?

In the case of cyber operations there is no question that for real time fusing of data from multiple distributed servers, such as those that process real-time color video from multiple UAV platforms, track changes in topography, keep logistic status up to date and offer real-time displays of blue as well as red forces would require a bandwidth that is closer to Masan than to a semi-rural location in Connecticut.

SUMMARY
The specification of connection bandwidth to DoD some desktops should be a parameter when designing future networks for cyber operations.

Meanwhile we remain puzzled how the people in Masan can benefit from bandwidth that is up to twenty times greater than what is generally available in the USA.