WASHINGTON — The transfer of 5G workloads from the Pentagon’s research and engineering division to its chief information officer signals a shift in thinking, people involved in the handover said.
The Department of Defense believes the development and deployment of fifth-generation wireless technology is critical to global competition and future military connectivity. However, its introduction has been gradual, and global competition from China’s Huawei and ZTE remains fierce.
The transition of the 5G portfolio coincided with the start of the government’s 2024 fiscal year. The move was in line with lawmakers who wanted a roadmap for changes and technology adoption in the bill.
“We are working closely together.” [the CIO] “We are completing the research aspects of 5G that we have been conducting over the past three years, while also taking over a mature technology that is ready for expansion, implementation, and transition into service,” said DoD Principal Director Thomas Rondeau. I am. FutureG was discussed at an event moderated by C4ISRNET at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. “This was part of the plan.”
This change frees Rondeau and others to explore what lies beyond 5G.
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“As far as I understand, FutureG does exist. It’s a moving walkway,” he said. “About every 10 years, they come out with another generation of technology. What will 6G look like?”
The 5G takeover was teased by Chief Information Officer John Sherman earlier this year, but he and his team worked closely with Defense Department Chief Technology Officer Heidi Hsu to make sure things went smoothly. He said they are cooperating with each other in the left seat and right seat.
More than $600 million has been committed to 5G experiments at military installations across the U.S. The fifth generation is starting with smart warehousing and augmented reality trials at Naval Base San Diego in California and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. facilitated distributed command and control testing.
Sherman said the experiment was informative. He also said he would like to see a follow-up, particularly on open radio access networks.
“This is something that we at the Department of Defense can help facilitate,” Sherman said in May.
Colin Demarest is a reporter for C4ISRNET, covering military networks, cyber, and IT. Colin previously covered the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration, including Cold War cleanup and nuclear weapons development, for a daily newspaper in South Carolina. Colin is also an award-winning photographer.
