The US Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a strategy document to outline its requirements for private 5G at military installations. It recognizes the value of private 5G at its operations bases, as a complement to commercial public 5G for general-purpose broadband, to bring flexibility to its infrastructure – to support a definitive vision about “asymmetric warfighter advantage”. It states that all 5G usage should be “mission-tailored [and] integrated across the joint force”, and also that it “avoids stove-piped solutions, balances mission and costs, prioritizes cybersecurity and supply chain risk management, maximizes interoperability, and strengthens the US industrial base.”
On the essential question of cost, it says commercial (public) 5G services should be used to the “maximum extent practical” to avoid the “unnecessary cost” of private 5G networks, but makes clear, at the same time, that military departments should “assess requirements to invest smartly in private 5G when needed”. In these scenarios, where US military operations dictate that private 5G is necessary, the strategy sets out three objectives: to ensure private 5G infrastructure aligns with each installation’s unique missions; to accelerate the acquisition, development, and secure deployment of private 5G networks; and to expand the use of an open RAN systems, as possible.
The document was signed last month (October 16); it follows the publication of its so-called ‘Fulcrum’ strategy guidance for IT advancement (Information Technology Advancement Strategy), released in June, which calls for the implementation of 5G, and open RAN versions of its where possible, across DoD installations and operating forces, as well as its National Defense Strategy in 2022, calling for the DoD to construct an “enduring foundation” for its to “future military advantage”. It is also presented as an “addendum” to its 5G implementation plan from 2020, which provided overarching guidance for deploying private 5G networks at military installations.
The combination of public and private 5G will “overcome deficiencies in capacity, scalability, agility, interoperability, and resiliency to effectively support all-domain operations”, writes the DoD. The document states: “5G will allow installations to leverage commercial mobile broadband for quality of life and routine mission needs… [It] will also allow the warfighter to ingest and transfer massive amounts of data… Military installations will primarily employ commercial networks; however, we recognize that, under certain circumstances… private networks may augment or supplement commercial services because they are tailored to each installation’s… military-unique capabilities.”
On the latter point – its first objective, about serving “unique missions” – the DoD prescribes that departments should “determine whether specific mission, security, coverage, and performance requirements may only be met by private 5G”. If a site passes these these, the second objective, about accelerating ta (secure) supply-chain, comes into force, and requires departments to refer to the DoD’s new 5G ‘acquisition playbook’ and ‘reference architecture’ to guide implementation of private 5G networks, also covering features such as multi-operator core networks (MOCN), network slicing, neutral host network, private/public network roaming, and non-terrestrial (satellite) networks.
A standard requirement of this is to make use of the DoD’s planned core network for private 5G projects. The DoD writes: “Military installations should consider leveraging the planned enterprise DoD 5G core network, rather than establishing individual dedicated 5G core networks. While certain requirements could necessitate an installation-specific 5G core network, use of the DoD 5G SA core and its attendant cyber defense capabilities will offer optimal security. An enterprise DoD 5G core network would be a dedicated 5G core with its own hardware and software, rather than relying on 5G as a service offered by commercial providers.”
The last objective urges deployments to use open RAN – in the name of “greater vendor diversity, supply chain security, and operational innovation”. The document states: “Military departments should incorporate open RAN solutions in both commercial and government-owned models unless there are specific operational, technical, or business concerns that make this approach impractical or cost prohibitive.” Additional implementation guidance and reference documents about private 5G will be provided in the “coming months”, it said.
Leslie Beavers, acting chief information officer at the DoD, said: “Our world is changing, and the Department must accelerate adoption and implementation of 5G technology to deliver new levels of wireless mobility network performance, capabilities, and efficiencies that contribute to the warfighting capacity and lethality of the Joint Force. We must leverage emerging and advanced technologies to become more efficient, effective, automated, and sustainable. This includes a global interconnected communications network that is robust, high performing, secure, agile, and resilient-designed to accommodate scalability, rapid adaptation for war, and rapid reconstitution.”
