NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to NATO Defense Ministers at alliance headquarters in Brussels in June.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to NATO Defense Ministers at alliance headquarters in Brussels in June. Francois Lenoir, Pool / via AP

NATO Must Move Out Smartly on 5G

Beyond the security concerns, next-gen wireless technology promises a battlefield revolution.

Much attention is focused, and appropriately so, on the security risks associated with 5G – particularly those technologies produced in China. But next-generation wireless technologies promise a revolution in military operations, one that will change everything from training to logistics to the tactical, operational, and strategic dimensions of warfare. As the institution responsible for enabling effective joint and combined operations by its member states, NATO must help lead the integration of 5G into the force structures and operations of the alliance and among allied armed forces.

Next-gen wireless communications are a game changer because lower network latency and leap in throughput speeds translates into massive real-time data sharing, and because low power consumption will shrink the size and weight of the electronic systems that burden combat aircraft, warships, and individual troops. 

 5G will bring to the battlefield new ways to share and integrate sensor data between operators, weapons, and platforms, including unmanned systems. It will enable forces to harness artificial intelligence and machine learning in ways never before seen on a battlefield: autonomous loading and off-loading of trucks, trains, planes and ships; enhanced situational awareness for soldiers in the foxhole and their most senior commanders; real-time targeting and retargeting; and, new military concepts of operations, such as the swarming of drones.

Imagine a very high-speed, low-latency secure wireless bubble across a battlefield or all of Europe. Built correctly, this would be the digital backbone of a better NATO defense and deterrence posture. 

But along with the opportunities, 5G poses profound challenges for the alliance. If left uncoordinated, allies risk deploying 5G technologies that strip their forces of interoperability and render them vulnerable to penetration and compromise by our adversaries. NATO needs a 5G strategy to mitigate, if not eliminate, those risks and position allied forces on the technological high ground of the battlefields of today and tomorrow.

The Alliance needs to act now or risk being left in the 5G contrail of its competitors. NATO’s Secretary General should consider the following actions to catalyze the development of a robust alliance 5G strategy and deliver on the 2019 London Summit Declaration

Convene North Atlantic Council briefings on the military implications of 5G. It is imperative that alliance governments are fluent in the capacities of 5G and their implications for military force structures and operations. Such a briefing to a combined session of NATO and European Union ambassadors would foster collaboration between the two institutions, both of which can influence the development of 5G capacities in their member states.

Task SACEUR to provide a military assessment of the risks and opportunities of 5G and define the requirements they generate for allied networks, platforms, weapons and operations. Both are effective means to prompt allies to give 5G priority and implement 5G standards and protocols necessary for C4ISR interoperability and security.

Establish 5G as a priority focus of the NATO Cyber Center of Excellence in Estonia. This center, in cooperation with Allied Command Transformation, NATO’s driver of capability development, is an appropriate venue for the development of doctrine, operational concepts, and tactics leveraging the power of 5G.

Meanwhile, the Alliance’s command structure and the NATO Communications and Information Agency should launch a series of pilot projects to operationalize the military applications of 5G technologies. These could include:

5G-powered secure command and control:  The alliance should explore how 5G can provide secure, interoperable command-and-control capabilities on the battlefield. An exercise could place 5G antennas (they are small: only 14 inches x 11 inches) on tanks or unmanned aerial vehicles to create a 5G bubble in which machines, devices, and sensors deployed on platforms and personnel are connected via high-bandwidth, low-latency secure data flow. (A similar test has already been conducted by the German Army.) NATO could do the same with a naval surface action group.

5G-enabled training:  The alliance should lead the incorporation of 5G technology into military training. NATO’s Joint Force Training Center in Bydgoszcz, Poland and Joint Warfare Center in Stavanger, Norway, could host experiments featuring 5G to provide a mix of live, virtual, and synthetic simulations. The JFTC’s premier annual Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exploration, Experimentation, and Examination Exercise, or CWIX, draws more than 1,000 participants from more than 20 NATO and partner countries. This is an ideal venue through which to drive 5G capability into alliance training and exercises.

Securing existing systems. Ripping and replacing 3G and 4G telecom equipment – not to mention Huawei equipment – is costly and time-consuming. NCIA should be tasked to identify and test technologies that can secure existing communications systems that for some are prohibitively expensive to replace. This would facilitate secure communications even as these allies stick to the lifespan of their current infrastructure as they prepare for 5G.

The race for 5G dominance is well underway. This is a technology that is complex and rapidly evolving. With it comes significant but manageable interoperability and security challenges. The ability of the Alliance to secure and hold the technological high ground in a battlespace increasingly dominated by data-intensive operations will be critical to mission success — and thus NATO’s very relevance. 

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.