Experts say 5G will be transformative for the US Department of Defense (DoD) in the next decade.
From rear-line units to forward operating bases, from the back office to the front lines, not a single service member in the Pentagon’s vast global organization stands to benefit from the revolutionary power of 5G, enabling them to do more and do it better.
5G is more than just a new standard, it is a platform that will provide secure, flexible, always-on broadband connectivity across the Department of Defense’s global network and enable the building of a new generation of cloud-based and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technologies already being developed and deployed in the commercial sector.
Use Case: Life and Death
One of the many use cases for 5G that the Defense Department is interested in is telemedicine to improve warfighter survivability, said Christopher Yeo, vice president of end-to-end solutions at Ericsson Federal Technologies Group, the U.S. subsidiary of Ericsson, the 140-year-old Swedish telecommunications giant.
“Having 5G on an ambulance vehicle means that all the equipment being used to diagnose and treat the patient is connected,” Yau said. “Surgeons and other staff waiting to arrive can see the patient’s vital signs, X-rays and other diagnostic images, as well as any medications or other treatments being administered. If the vehicle has video cameras, they can see the patient and potentially advise on treatment.”
This is especially important: A study of U.S. military medical leaders found that in a major war against a peer competitor, the U.S. military may have to change how it does triage on the battlefield. Evacuation of wounded troops could be delayed or impossible, making connections with medical personnel in rear-office units doubly important, Yau said.
In trauma cases, every second counts, and on the front lines, paramedics may not have much more than basic medical training.
“The 5G platform will provide broadband connectivity to medical expertise wherever you are.
“They will also be provided with tools such as augmented reality (AR) headsets so they can begin providing life-saving treatment right away,” Yau said.
Connectivity in a contested environment is always a risk-based decision, Yau added, as increased connectivity means an increased cyber and electronic warfare attack surface, which can make it easier for adversaries to target.
“That’s something commanders have to consider at the tactical level, weighing the tradeoffs in each engagement,” he said.
But on a strategic level, embracing 5G means the Defense Department can benefit from the billions of dollars being invested in the commercial communications sector to develop new software applications and hardware devices that take advantage of the novel features of this new platform, Yau said.
“The emergency vehicle use case is a live program currently running in New York ambulances,” he noted. “The technology is still operational today.”
National 5G: Broadband for the Masses
Another potential benefit of 5G for the Defense Department is the ability to deploy high-capacity networks to military bases in very isolated geographic locations.
“A large military base is essentially a town or city,” Yau says, “with fire stations, schools, hospitals, power grids, and transportation systems. In the civilian world, all of this is being transformed by the smart city revolution.”
5G platforms will enable new smart city technologies to digitize urban spaces. Real-time communication between traffic sensors, roadside cameras, and traffic light control systems will enable AI programs to efficiently manage traffic flows. For example, adaptive traffic lights that change their cycle depending on real-time traffic conditions will reduce congestion and shorten commute times.
Building out 5G as part of DoD base modernization projects will be key to realizing this new world of benefits, Yau said, while new AI capabilities for 5G management will optimize spectrum utilization, quality of service and platform resiliency.
“5G doesn’t just give our service members new tools for the office and the trenches. It will also help optimize operations, reduce maintenance costs, and ensure entire communities have access to the cutting-edge broadband resources we all need at home, school and work,” he said.
5G at the Edge: Overcoming Distance Constraints
But extending commercial 5G networks to bases across the U.S. is just one of the ways 5G will transform the Defense Department.
Importantly, “5G is the first generation of commercial cellular technology that the Department of Defense truly trusts to be secure enough to adopt,” Yau said.
While the DoD utilizes 3G and 4G networks, it does not operate them as part of its core communications technology. Currently, the DoD plans to include 5G in its Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) communications plan as a primary and alternate, as well as for emergencies.
“For a long time, cellular networks were kind of a black box,” he explained, a highly specialized technology with a “very centralized hub-and-spoke architecture.”
Yau said 5G will enable quick and easy deployment of local networks “in the blink of an eye,” making the platform a critical technology for future operations in the vast and remote Indo-Pacific theater, where distances and the need for flexible deployment will mean forces will always be operating on the edge of the network.
The Air Force’s new operating concept, called Agile Combat Operations, eschews large, well-developed bases and the large targets they represent in favor of multiple, rapid deployments to “pop-up” airfields dotting the Pacific’s thousands of islands.
Use case: Network in a box
5G’s manageable, standards-based architecture makes it ideal for the private networks needed for pop-up base stations, Yau said.
“As long as you have the spectrum, you can bring your own network and once it’s up and running, any licensed device can connect,” he explained.
This capability will be essential for agile combat operations that require rapid refueling/replenishment turnaround and the highest possible efficiency from Air Force maintainers.
Yeo explained that data-driven maintenance tools transmit readings from the aircraft to maintainers on the ground.
“That means we already know if any parts need to be replaced and which parts should be inspected for wear before the plane taxis and comes to a stop,” he said.
Using an AR headset, you can see which panels need to be opened, what other components need to be moved to reach a part, and how the wear on the part should be assessed.
A similar application would transport fuel and other needed items (water, food, supplies) from the ship to port personnel as the ship approaches shore and comes within range of the network.
Because 5G is a global standard, its adoption will also aid in interoperability with foreign allies, Yau said.
“Network interoperability has proven extremely challenging over many years of allied operations,” he said.
Yau noted that the military’s vision for 21st century warfare, Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), was recently renamed CJADC2, adding the term “coalition” to make it clear that it is a multinational strategy.
Use case: Foreign object detection
The edge computing capabilities that 5G brings will also enable a new generation of AI-powered applications.
“Think about a mission like foreign object detection (FOD) on a runway,” Yeo said, noting that something as small as a tire nut could cause fatal damage if sucked into a jet engine. “Right now, our personnel are walking down the runway with their arms folded and their eyes downcast.”
The drones would send images to an AI program that could identify the object so it could be picked up by a service member or cleaned up by a small autonomous cleaning vehicle (think Roomba, but for runways) the Air Force is developing called a “FOD dog.”
Other use cases for 5G powered by AI range from alternative/renewable energy integration to force protection, personnel health, and disaster management.
Yau said such high-bandwidth, low-latency applications will be possible when combined with 5G as a manageable transport.
“We can prioritize resources and data. These applications, or these categories of data, get special treatment based on the mission needs,” Yaw said. “Others have to wait.”
“The amazing thing about 5G is that it can deliver all this computing power, all this network connectivity, all this bandwidth right where it’s needed – to the edge – to soldiers on the ground, ships at sea and aircraft in the air,” Yau concluded.
For more information, visit ericssonfederal.com/.
