As director of the 5G Cross-Functional Team at the Department of Defense’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, Juan Ramírez has deep involvement in how the Pentagon is installing and platforming 5G networks as the basis of its communications. In his two years in the role, Ramírez has architected a clear plan forward for integrating 5G into daily operations at the DOD.
If you’re interested in networking with Ramírez and learning about how you can assist with his ambitious plans, he will be the morning keynote speaker at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 5G Summit on Feb. 27. This GovCon-focused event, sponsored by industry heavyweights like Ericsson Federal Technologies Group and Nokia Federal Solutions, will be a who’s who of government comms providers. Don’t miss out!
3 Priorities for 5G
At a telecom conference in Q4 of last year, Ramírez laid out the three driving goals of his 5G implementation plan, Mobile World Live reported.
Commercial Installations
While the imperative set by the most recent National Defense Authorization Act calls for private open radio access 5G networks at the estimated 800 American military bases around the world, commercially provided systems are still of serious interest to the DOD. (This is a big reason why the federal arms of Ericsson and Nokia were established in the first place, after all.) Ramírez wants to simplify and centralize the commercial partnerships and set-ups.
Customized Capabilities
The security demands of U.S. defense systems means that all communications systems have to be rigorously specialized. The non-commercial aspects of this are remote maintenance and augmented reality and virtual reality training, Ramírez said.
Contested Environment Usage
Ramírez’s final focus area is getting 5G to be usable in difficult, expeditionary locations—at ‘the edge.’ Private networks will be especially useful in this context, the CFT leader noted.
2025 Wash100 Award
The DOD 5G Cross-Functional Team leader made his debut on the Wash100 just last week. The Wash100 Award is given to the most zeitgeist-defining, tide-changing individuals in the government contracting realm and the federal sector, and Ramírez was chosen for its 2025 edition. It’s a testament to his technological mastery and his fluency in public-private partnership. He will be presented with his award at the 5G Summit on Feb. 27—a pivotal moment in his career.
Career History
Prior to ascending to his current position in Jan. 2023, Ramírez was a deputy director within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he had a number of responsibilities. Many of his duties were budgetary, performing risk analysis in the planning and acquisition processes and assessing investments in major tech pushes. He also ensured that inter-agency collaboration was strong amongst various DOD offices and components and was heavily involved in strategic planning efforts.
Prior to the OUSD role, he was chief of programming and planning for the Defense Information Systems Agency. This is an extremely calculating and rigorously organized individual.
A Chance to Engage With Ramírez
At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 5G Summit, members of the industrial base in attendance—leading lights in the telecom GovCon space—will get the chance to engage with Ramírez in Q&A after his keynote speech. There may even be an opportunity for one-on-one engagement. And come for him but stay for the fascinating panel discussions on ORAN, operational applications of 5G and more. Register now!
