Next Generation Information Communications Technology (5G)

Focus investment on 1) waveform resilience for tactical and expeditionary environments, 2) simplified network deployment (logical and physical), management, and orchestration, and 3) heterogenous network integration for Partner Force interoperability and interchangeability. At end-state, provide innovation that enables commercial network technologies in tactical operations and advance 5G/6G technology for scalable, interoperable, and resilient warfighting networks to execute effective communications for coalition coordination with Allies and Partners. When able, expeditionary and tactical projects will be evaluated in a deployed expeditionary environment over tactical and applicable commercial 5G/6G infrastructure with operationally relevant numbers of users and geographic scale. Current efforts will continue to leverage scalable, interoperable, and resilient warfighting networks that support Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control. Future efforts will optimize within the constraints of commercial 5G/6G standards by investigating application of relevant areas ahead of commercial markets and advocating for tactically relevant, high payoff seedling research in artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, operational security, and future standards development. The Army Tactical Mobility project is a cost effective, combat-ready 5G On-The-Move (OTM) Command and Control (C2) capability that meets latency, throughput, range, and resiliency objectives. This program will address operational needs and future Secure Cellular Program requirements for survivability of Army networks to include the distributed Command Post (i.e., mobility, dispersion, concealment). Additionally, in partnership with the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence, the Scalable Interoperable Resilient-5G (SIR-5G) initiative employs 5G secure roaming, Radio Access Network (RAN) Sharing, and internetworking to provide a 5G warfighting network that NATO allies can directly procure as they increase their defense spending.

Focus investment on 1) 5G/6G Commercial Technology application and Commercial/Military shared resources that leverage both commercial and coalition networks without requiring new spectrum access and 2) expanding military communications coverage and increasing resiliency by integrating non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and high-altitude platforms to extend 5G/6G coverage to challenging areas and provide backup for existing areas. At end-state, deliver high availability wireless communication systems with security assurance across all DoW operational settings by exploiting the growing DoW diversity, coalition, and commercial communication option to provide high-availability secure communication and providing wireless network risk assessment tools and mitigations that inform operational decision-making. Current efforts will leverage world-wide high availability commercial networks for assured and resilient DoW communications. Future efforts will build on today’s developments in non-terrestrial networks toward multi-layer non-terrestrial networks that will provide ubiquitous access to communication and compute. Prototyped and/or enhanced capabilities will be based on technologies such as anomaly detection and zero-trust policy enforcement to maximize availability and resilience for wireless connectivity; multi-networking across wired and wireless systems for finding and exploiting alternate paths and redundant paths to ensure secure and reliable communication; Radio Access Network (RAN) Sharing that leverage commercial and private mobile network operators; and 5G non-terrestrial networks that use satellite, drones, and other low-altitude airborne vehicles to provide connectivity. These technologies will enable warfighters to access mobile communications anywhere they operate leveraging existing commercial 5G infrastructure and enhanced 5G network security architectures.

Continue to research and leverage Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) commercial technologies to accelerate critical DoW enterprise and mission capabilities and support the ability to fully leverage secure and resilient next generation networks. Support commercially sustainable advancements that deliver military and industry impact using open systems. DoW will conduct active and passive security vulnerability assessments of 5G prototypes in order to support zero-trust security designs for military 5G applications. Funding will be used to develop policies, regulations, and standards for streamlined deployment of protected, resilient Government and commercial networks and continue development of Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) standards and technologies that accelerate the adoption of open interfaces, interoperable subsystems, and modular, multi-vendor solutions, as well as leverage new technology components to create new ICT systems.

The ISAC Line of Effort and projects focus research around both data and physics topics critical to realizing object and environmental detection using 5G/6G. These research topics include but are not limited to leveraging wireless info for detections, standards, Open RAN, program interfaces, AI/ML training, channel modeling, beam steering, reflective surfaces, optimization, spectrum sensing, and waveforms. Research has a defined migration path for integration into existing fusion and C2 systems. Transitions of ISAC technology will occur through additional features in existing C2 and intelligence systems, open-source software, candidate features for standards, hardware, and workforce development.