The U.S. Marine Corps and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific will set up a technology lab in late January to allow engineers and other experts to develop prototypes into scalable, deployable 5G networks to support warfighters operating in denied and contested environments, USNI News reported Tuesday.
“We want a lab that can answer questions like, is this secure – and if so, what’s your approach to security? Is this jamming resistance? Does it work with currently fielded Marine Corps systems?” said Scot Hoesly, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, or MCTSSA, program manager for the Camp Pendleton Tactical 5G experiment.
“A lab is going to be able to answer all those questions,” he added.
According to Hoesly, the lab will serve as a sandbox for companies that intend to deploy 5G equipment and end-user devices and want the Marine Corps to independently evaluate those platforms.
He noted that reports will head to Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Virginia, “where they can make acquisition decisions on where they want to go with 5G technology, what they want to field, and how they want to apply it to Marine Corps networks.”
Lt. Col. Benjamin Pimentel, Marine Corps lead for warfighter engagement, stated that the expeditionary network lab will help inform USMC requirements through a prototype transition agreement and could see the deployment of new systems in the next few years if aligned with the U.S. Army’s Tactical Mobility program.
Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 5G Summit on Feb. 27 to learn more about how the technology supports DOD’s Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control and other warfighting capabilities. Register here.
