The US Department of Defense (DoD) has outlined its strategy for the deployment of private 5G networks at military installations.
In a document released this month, the DoD revealed that its strategy would seek to bring private open RAN 5G networks to US military bases.
At present, there are currently around 750 US military bases, both across the US and overseas.
The US has long championed the concept of Open RAN networks, in particular as an effort to bolster national security, and to combat the rise of Chinese vendors, such as Huawei and ZTE, noting it can diversify supply chain security, vendor competition, and, innovation and cost efficiencies.
The DoD said that it signed its strategy for the deployment of private 5G networks at military installations on October 16, meaning that it was decided before Donald Trump won the race to become US President for the second time.
It’s unclear what Trump’s position on the strategy is. However, his previous Administration in 2020 had floated the idea of Open RAN networks.
The purpose of Open RAN networks is to enable providers to ‘mix and match’ their telecoms kit from multiple vendors. This covers radio, hardware, and software.
“Our world is changing, and the Department must accelerate adoption and implementation of 5G technology to deliver new levels of wireless mobility network performance, capabilities, and efficiencies that contribute to the warfighting capacity and lethality of the Joint Force,” said Leslie A. Beavers, acting chief information officer of the Department of Defense.
“We must leverage emerging and advanced technologies to become more efficient, effective, automated, and sustainable. This includes a global interconnected communications network that is robust, high performing, secure, agile, and resilient-designed to accommodate scalability, rapid adaptation for war, and rapid reconstitution.
It noted that the strategy is a “key enabler to the DoD’s modernization effort to leverage 5G networks, both commercial and private, to deliver ubiquitous, high-speed connectivity for mobile capabilities.”
Dubbed, Fulcrum: The Department of Defense Information Technology Advancement Strategy, the strategy calls for the implementation of 5G across DoD installations and operating forces.
“The deployment of 5G infrastructure will allow installations to leverage commercial mobile broadband for quality of life and routine mission needs, benefitting military and civilian populations at DoD installations,” said the DoD this week.
“This infrastructure will also allow the warfighter to ingest and transfer massive amounts of data – a capability that will be critical for the US to retain information and decision advantage.”
The DoD said that it expected military installations to primarily use commercial networks, but notes that this may not always be possible, meaning private networks may instead “augment or supplement commercial services because they are tailored to each installation’s mission needs, security, and military-unique capabilities.”
In its document, the DoD outlined three key objectives of its strategy. The first objective it says, is to ensure private 5G networks at military installations consider mission, security, operating environment, performance requirements, and acquisition feasibility.
The second aim is to accelerate the acquisition, development, and secure deployment of 5G, while the third objective is to expand the use of an Open RAN ecosystem.
The DoD said that it will “provide additional implementation guidance and reference documents to aid the Military Departments as they deploy both commercial and private 5G networks on installations.”
