INTEGRATING 5G TECHNOLOGY FOR A MORE NETWORKED FORCE - Please watch Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security's latest Forward Defense Forum, designed for defense visionaries to put forth creative ideas about the future of US and allied security.

As the US Department of Defense (DOD) faces increasingly contested and denied battlespaces, there will be a greater demand for rapid and secure communications both within and between militaries. 5G communications can potentially meet this moment, bridging multiple platforms and units across the joint force as well as with US allies and partners. However, while next-generation military communications offer new opportunities—from rapidly transferring data, and enhancing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, to streamlining logistics—they similarly intensify security threats facing US and allied militaries.

With China leading the way for next-generation communications infrastructure, installing Huawei technology across the globe, nations—including US allies and partners—are left vulnerable to cyberattacks and espionage in wartime. In comparison, while the DOD recognizes the importance of 5G communications as the foundation for a “new networked way of war”, it lacks a sufficient roadmap for advancing 5G applications while also ensuring compatibility with current battlefield infrastructure and weapon systems. This discussion will consider how the DOD can become a leading adopter of 5G technology, developing a secure and interoperable communications architecture to counter US adversaries’ battlefield connectivity.

The US DOD’s principal director for FutureG & 5G, Dr. Thomas Rondeau, Forward Defense Nonresident Senior Fellow Whitney McNamara, and Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Vice President of 5G.MIL® Programs, Dan Rice joined us in conversation with C4ISRNET Defense Reporter Colin Demarest to discuss the future of military 5G.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 11/06/23