Next-Gen Comms: Pentagon Leveraging 5G To Fight in Electromagnetic Spectrum.

• Author: Easley, Mikayla

Whether it's to look up funny cat videos or operate a robotic system using wireless internet, 5G has become a staple in the everyday lives of many.

But for the Pentagon, the communications technology has become a key enabler for another more critical function--the ability to harness the electromagnetic spectrum for operations.

A significant amount of military weapon systems and applications depend on the electromagnetic spectrum--the range of frequencies or wavelengths of electromagnetic energy--to operate, according to a Congressional Research Service report published August 2021.

The spectrum supports military operations today by linking wireless communications, satellites, signal intelligence and radar technologies that support situational awareness and electronic warfare, said the report, titled "Overview of Department of Defense Use of the Electromagnetic Spectrum."

To ensure the United States maintains its advantage over adversaries across an increasingly complex, congested and contested electromagnetic spectrum, or EMS, the Defense Department released its Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy in 2020. It called on the department to develop capabilities and policies that support electromagnetic spectrum operations--coordinated actions to exploit, attack, protect and manage the electromagnetic environment.

"In modern warfare, EMS superiority is a leading indicator and fundamental component of achieving superiority in air, land, sea, space or cyberspace," the document said.

One of the emerging technologies the Pentagon believes will give a decisive edge on future battlefields --especially for electromagnetic spectrum operations--is the fifth-generation wireless network known as 5G, said Tom Rondeau, principal director for FutureG and 5G at the Pentagon's Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

"It's not just about the spectrum. It's not just about the radio at the edge. It's about the network and the control of that radio surface, and that becomes a really powerful tool for us to use," Rondeau said during a panel discussion at the Association of Old Crows annual symposium in Washington, D.C.

The power of 5G comes from its ability to leverage higher frequencies on the electromagnetic spectrum as well as the mid- and low-range frequencies accessible by its predecessor 4G. The addition of high-range frequencies allows the department to transmit vast amounts of information--such as critical...