5G networks provide a potentially more covert foundation for military communications because they use a greater range of the electromagnetic spectrum than other comms systems. With 5G, users tap into the millimeter wave in the tens of gigahertz, the Department of Defense’s Dr. Thomas Rondeau told Federal News Network, while futureG (the forthcoming, as-yet-unrealized successor to 5G) is targeting frequencies in the 7GHz to 24GHz range.
“You have this huge opportunity [to] take advantage of the physics of those different pieces of the electromagnetic spectrum. And because of the software definability of the systems, now we can start doing things within the spec, now we start programming slightly outside the spec, there’s plenty of really interesting options that this technology gives us to make that maneuverability happen,” Rondeau said.
Rondeau is principal director for 5G and futureG at the Pentagon and his thoughts will be the centerpiece of the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 5G Summit on Feb. 27. Rondeau will open the event with a keynote address and will hold a Q&A session afterward. Don’t miss this informative and action-packed day of government contracting-focused sessions and networking! Sign up now.
Latest 5G Initiatives at DOD
Rondeau revealed to DefenseScoop two recent projects — one demonstration and one implementation — the DOD has launched involving 5G and futureG. These add to initiatives from the last few years such as 2023-launched open radio access network pilots meant to test how ORAN can be made useful; and 2020-awarded contracts issued to establish 5G at various service branch bases, which utilized the capability in different ways, like spectrum-sharing and smart warehouses.
NATO Joint Exercise in Latvia
This past autumn, the U.S. linked up with five other nations (Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Spain and host Latvia) for a Baltics-set experiment to put 5G’s military capability to the test in a “real world” environment, per Rondeau.
“Let’s take it into a range where there’s kinetic operations that are happening all around there,” he explained of the impetus for the exercise. “That’s going to teach us a lot about the value proposition of these technologies.”
Ideally, the governments together are/were seeking to accomplish a form (“a miniature version,” Rondeau said) of Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, the conceptual formulation of a unified, multi-condition-traversing communications architecture amongst DOD components and allied partners.
USAFRICOM Base Installations
Meanwhile, it was Rondeau’s office’s goal to have set up and activated 5G service on force protection surveillance towers engineered by ascendent defense tech producer Anduril by the end of 2024. Located at a trio of U.S. Africa Command bases in the eastern region of the continent, these towers were constructed with tactical radios and were compromised with diminished data and frame rates and resolution. These “additional features” were a main reason the futureG office, and, once contracted, Anduril, decided to take on the project, resolving the limitations with 5G connectivity.
The newly equipped towers will ideally, as a result, be able to provide ample service coverage for the three bases. Rondeau was also keen to mention that there is an unmanned aerial vehicle in development that will soon be sent out by AFRICOM to cover a wider area outside the grounds.
To further tap into Dr. Rondeau’s expertise on 5G and futureG in government and military, participate in the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 5G Summit on Feb. 27. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center in Virginia and it’s an essential gathering for all 5G contractors and telecommunications-adjacent practitioners. Register today!
