NESAR Distance Support Kit (DSK)

Enhanced Inspection

Every day, hundreds of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) travel globally to troubleshoot various complex systems and components, addressing mission-critical deficiencies. However, with increasing demand and limited SMEs, technical resources are overextended and disrupted by emergent work. Modernizing distance support is essential to maintain operational readiness and streamline assistance where it is needed most.

Deployable video telepresence provides the solution, offering instant connectivity in expeditionary environments where traditional methods falter, specifically in difficult locations inside the skin of a ship like shaft-alley and machinery spaces. This approach virtually assembles SMEs from global locations, enabling faster, more cost-effective solutions while freeing up personnel for other critical global events.

NAVSEA 05T’s Navy Expeditionary Sustainment and Repair (NESAR) team developed the Distance Support Kit (DSK) that brings comprehensive connectivity anywhere within a ship, between ships, and from ship to shore.

Most recently, this capability was critical following a fire aboard an active Navy surface ship. Within 72 hours of notification, a single SME was deployed with the DSK to Okinawa, Japan, enabling live, high-definition walkthroughs of affected spaces. This allowed offsite personnel, including leaders in Washington D.C., to directly assess the damage, accelerating recovery by a full week. The system also previously proved its value by simultaneously connecting 66 participants across 10 global locations for a complex ship damage assessment.

The DSK integrates three proven technologies. Dedicated satellite broadband for the DoD ensures high-speed, encrypted connections with priority processing on the Starlink network. Secured wireless radios create high-throughput data mesh networks that penetrate signal-constrained areas on ships and also extend miles for long range needs. Finally, dedicated telepresence apps on DoD tablets enable high-definition global communications with advanced tools such as document sharing, step-by-step instructions, and on-screen annotations.

Designed for rapid deployment, the DSK can be set up in 15 minutes for immediate reach-back. As a man-portable system in airline-compliant cases, a single person can transport it anywhere, and it’s compact nature also allows easy storage whether shipboard or in small compartments.

Growing use of the DSK is driving efforts to scale availability to meet the DoD’s expanding needs as technical teams work to provide real-time support to their deployed assets. As demand for rapid, reliable support in forward and communication-constrained environments increases, the DSK stands out as the critical solution. By enabling real-time assistance, reducing downtime, and minimizing people in conflict zones, this system plays a key role in mission readiness and global operational superiority for U.S. military forces.