Why 5/6G Will Accelerate the Digital Evolution of Military Affairs?

 What is 5/6G Wireless, and Why the Military are Interested?

Civilian wireless technology has been advancing steadily through generations of cellular communications, from GSM to 5G, and is now waiting for 6G to be deployed. This evolution of wireless communication has enabled online commerce and social media, almost killing radio and TV, smart cities, smarter governments, etc.  The military has been applying new ways of person-to-person communication, seeking information, and doing everyday business. Sometimes, this application has followed the development of Military Affairs, and sometimes, new services have replaced military proprietary services. Many militaries assess smartphones and 5G connections as Operational Security issues rather than enablers in the Area of Operation.

Nevertheless, ISIS used commercial telephony and personal computing as the foundation for their Command and Control support. National Security Agencies' separate TETRA and P25 systems are being replaced with virtual and sliced push-to-talk services on top of 4 and 5G. Furthermore, 5G waveforms are replacing manufacturers’ proprietary to improve connectivity and interoperability at the tactical level. The dual use of 5G technology is gaining traction within Military Affairs.

Current Military Approaches to Benefit from 5G Technology

Table 1 shows that the Military is not merely a spectator of emerging technologies but actively applies them to military affairs. The intentions vary from enjoying faster wireless bandwidth to integrating sensor-commander-effector-loops on the battlefield. 

Table 1: Samples of Military Initiatives and Approaches to benefit from 5G technologies

What else may the 5/6G technologies offer the military besides faster wireless connectivity? Let’s have a systematic view of possible benefits.

5/6G Changes the Infrastructure Layer (networking, transfer and processing)

In this case, the infrastructure layer includes networking, data transfer and processing functions, as illustrated in Figure 1. The wireless 5/6G evolution improves the access network from the edge to terminal capacity and connectivity and lowers the latency if cellular base stations are connected via a high-bandwidth terrestrial network. Non-terrestrial, air- and spaceborne base stations are available to improve accessibility and simplify the integration. The terrestrial and non-terrestrial 5G base stations compose a three-point access network with standard transfer and networking functions.  This multi-domain connectivity will replace legacy tactical data links while improving the availability of access and roaming and extending the range over the horizon, features essential in the Joint All-Domain C2 (JADC2) concept promoted by David Deptula.  

Furthermore, with higher frequencies, the cell sizes are smaller, and the Effective Radiated Power (ERP) is less, which means that transceivers' low probability of detection and identification (LPI/LPD) improves.  However, with lower frequencies, higher transceiver density, and smaller radiation patterns, deploying dual-use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Operational Technology on the battlefield becomes feasible. 

 

With 5/6 G enhanced wireless communications, the access network becomes more versatile than the legacy Local Area Network (LAN) topology. For example, command posts can be distributed across a wider area without losing seamless collaboration connectivity. Platforms become cell base stations, providing access points to Mobile Adhoc Networks (MANET) within and between platoons, squadrons, teams, and higher organisations. Expendable, swarming sensors and effectors can be connected to a larger tactical unit even in an electromagnetically contested environment. 

Furthermore, the new Open Radio Access Network (ORAN)  and all-encompassing Internet Protocol (IP) solve the current technical-level interoperability issues. They allow you to create virtual, sliced, or private military network domains parallel to other network users without creating congestion points or bottlenecks. 

The flexible network and transport layers support data flows that enable hybrid clouds and hybrid computing, which varies between different clouds, edges, and endpoints. Hybrid computing provides optimal data processing for a task, addressing anything between real-time, big data, or algorithm-crunching requirements. 

Figure 1: An illustration of a possible technology stack on top of more efficient communications

References:

1. https://5gstore.com/blog/2024/12/05/6g-vs-5g-compare-and-explore/
2. https://www.esa.int/Applications/Connectivity_and_Secure_Communications/World-first_direct_5G_connection_to_low_Earth_orbit_satellite_opens_new_era_for_mobile_coverage
3. https://www.islandecho.co.uk/advanced-5g-connectivity-system-tested-rigorously-on-britten-norman-islander-aircraft/
4. https://governmenttechnologyinsider.com/soaring-to-new-heights-with-airborne-to-ground-4g-5g-communications-and-enhanced-wireless-connectivity-part-1/
5. https://theairpowerjournal.com/battle-command-architecture-all-domain-operations/
6. https://www.baesystems.com/en/blog/electronic-warfare---the-invisible-battlespace
7. https://www.mwrf.com/markets/defense/article/55136984/blu-wireless-the-digital-battlefield-transforming-military-operations-through-data-and-connectivity
8. https://www.dni.gov/index.php/gt2040-home/gt2040-deeper-looks/future-of-the-battlefield
9. https://www.nokia.com/networks/radio-access-networks/open-ran/open-ran-explained/
10. https://www.ericsson.com/en/network-slicing
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model
12. https://cloud.google.com/learn/what-is-hybrid-cloud
13. https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/5850147