Military bases can use private 5G networks, Pentagon says 

The Defense Department has released a new strategy document that gives global military installations the ability to use private 5G networks if such solutions best meet their mission needs.

The Pentagon’s private 5G deployment strategy, which was signed on Oct. 16 and publicly released on Tuesday, outlined the operational requirements that must be met for DOD bases to embrace private networks instead of commercial high-speed solutions. 

In a foreword to the guidance, DOD Acting Chief Information Officer Leslie Beavers called the new document an addendum to the department’s 5G strategy and implementation plan that were released in 2020. That previously issued guidance outlined the need for DOD to leverage the use of "private, hybrid and public 5G networks" to enhance its operational and data-sharing capabilities across the globe. 

Beavers said DOD “will leverage commercial networks to the maximum extent possible,” but added that the department “acknowledges that under certain circumstances, commercial networks may not fulfill an installation's requirements.” 

In a Tuesday press release announcing the strategy, DOD also said it anticipates most military installations will use commercial networks but that private 5G solutions “may augment or supplement commercial services because they are tailored to each installation's mission needs, security and military-unique capabilities.”

The document outlined three strategic objectives when it comes to deploying private 5G capabilities, including: aligning 5G networks with each military installation’s unique needs; accelerating DOD’s “acquisition, development and secure deployment of 5G;” and expanding an Open Radio Access Network — or Open RAN — ecosystem, which helps enhance interoperability between multiple capabilities. 

The strategy said DOD 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.”

The Pentagon has been working to adopt and deploy 5G that can offer warfighters the secure broadband capabilities needed to complete their missions, including through its combined joint all-domain command and control initiative. Known as CJADC2, the approach is designed to enhance communication across disparate military environments.

The release of the private 5G deployment strategy comes after the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act mandated that the Pentagon develop guidance for deploying 5G networks across DOD installations. 

The department said it will roll out additional implementation documents “in the coming months” to further guide the military’s implementation of both private and commercial 5G networks.