The Department of Defense (DoD) is proposing to make some of its spectrum available for commercial use, marking some progress between the Pentagon and carriers and lawmakers who want more 5G frequencies, according to Punchbowl News. However, testimony to Congress last week by military personnel shows not everyone’s on board.
The DoD made a proposal to telecommunications carriers to free up a total of 420 MHz, 100 MHz between the 3.55 GHz to 3.65 GHz frequencies and 125 MHz between 7.125 GHz and 7.25 GHz, according to a DoD document obtained by Punchbowl News. Those are critical frequencies to boost 5G service in the U.S. and have been coveted by carriers. And while it likely still isn’t sufficient for the telecom industry, this marks the first significant step in negotiations over spectrum with the Pentagon, according to the account.
But not everyone in the military agrees that sharing or giving up some DoD spectrum is a good idea. General Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, warned members of Congress last week that auctioning off parts of DoD’s spectrum could negatively impact President Trump’s Golden Dome initiative, reports Breaking Defense. Golden Dome is a U.S. built, multilayered missile defense system that the Trump administration has made a key feature in its defense plans.
House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL) asked during a hearing if there are worries that auctioning the 3.1-3.45 GHz band could jeopardize Golden Dome. Rogers noted the spectrum supports most of America’s military radar systems, including early warning and homeland missile defense. Guillot told the committee he has a “strong concern. Almost all the systems that we use for homeland defense rely on that part of the spectrum that’s being considered to be either sold or shared,” Guillot said, according to Breaking Defense.
The spectrum issue was also discussed in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing for Trump’s nominee to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lt. General John Caine. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) asked Caine whether he was aware that Trump’s Golden Dome would require a number of radar systems that fall between the 3.1-3.45 GHz band.
Caine responded that he was “familiar with the basics of that frequency spectrum,” and while he didn’t know “what particular radars Golden Dome has brought into their mix of equipment,” it wouldn’t “surprise” him.
Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) asked Caine what national security risks would arise if the department was “forced to vacate” the 3.1-3.45 GHz band. Caine replied that he would need to answer that in a closed session as he wouldn’t want to “tip that off to our adversaries who might be listening.” However he said, “if we lose portions of that spectrum, we’ll lose some exclusivity related to our combat capability.”
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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