In terms of communications, Department of Defense leaders recognize that U.S. military operations are going to require a varied patchwork of systems and approaches. Both private and public networks have their places in certain environments and for specific purposes; sometimes, one Pentagon leader suggested at a conference in mid-2024, using existing cellular networks in a place where the U.S. is stationed is totally acceptable. Other times, a secure, private network is the best idea.
Regardless of whether they’re public or private, though, the DOD is trying to make open radio access networks, known as open RAN or ORAN, a focus point, according to C4ISRNET. When a network is built with ORAN principles, it is effectively vendor-agnostic, as ORANs allow for multiple providers to work together or operate in the same space.
Want to learn more about the specific uses and benefits of ORAN in defense activities? It’s not too late to register for the 2025 5G Summit, happening this Thursday, Feb. 27. There will be a panel session all about ORAN featuring representatives from the Marine Corps, academia and private sector heavyweights like Capgemini and MITRE.
Forthcoming ORAN Requirements
Juan Ramírez, director of the Pentagon’s 5G Cross-Functional Team, revealed the DOD’s outlook on ORAN for the next few years at the aforementioned conference.
“I think what industry wants to hear is there’s actually going to be requirements that come out that … necessitate an open RAN architecture. So you’ll start to see those come out in the next couple of years, pending budgets,” Ramírez previewed.
He will be the opening keynote speaker at the 5G Summit; don’t miss out on this GovCon networking event, which is bringing together all of the industry-leading experts at the intersection of government and comms tech. Ramírez is additionally a winner of the 2025 Wash100 Award, which celebrates the best and brightest in government contracting and the federal sector. He will receive his award onstage at the event!
Last year, the DOD asked for $143 million for research and testing of ascendent technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence. But Ramírez hopes that in forthcoming budget cycles, their allowance will be greater so that more can be done.
“We think that pursuing ideas like [ORAN] advanced by the ORAN Alliance all the way to fully open-source code … provides the feature velocity the DoD needs and the ability to innovate quickly,” said Lt. Col. Benjamin Pimentel, a senior official in the DOD’s 5G/FutureG Office.
Lt. Col. Pimentel was a keynote speaker at last year’s Potomac Officers Club 2024 5G Forum. Explore the full lineup at this year’s 5G Summit and reserve your spot before it’s too late!
