5G technology supports military operations / NATO 5G wireless technology promises to have a substantial influence on the digital transformat...
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| 5G technology supports military operations / NATO |
Philippe Agard, Vice President Public Safety and Defence markets at Nokia, explains — strengthening the defence sector with wireless technology. 5G technology combines the convenience and speed of wireline internet connectivity with the flexibility and mobility of wireless. When we think of a fixed fibre line, we think of very high speeds, very low latency and very high reliability—these are all characteristics of 5G.
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| 5G network technology concept |
Furthermore, network slices can be adapted to match the parameters to the services running over the network. Defence networks demand such real-time versatility to serve the needs of different classification levels, providing protected core connectivity to different coloured clouds. Both
technologies will clearly be the cornerstone of the next digital transformation of defence organizations.
Transforming Defence Operations
In defence, networks exist at all levels of intelligence, decision and action to allow comprehensive, real-time global situational awareness. The emergence of increasingly sophisticated devices, cloud innovations, Internet of Things (loT) equipment, sensors, robotic and autonomous systems, analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep machine learning will allow the defence sector to transform these networks and applications with even greater security and reliability.
The opportunity for high-performance, deployable networks is widely acknowledged in the defence sector. NATO's own deployable communication and information system (DCIS), Cube Architecting Initiative, a collaboration between the NCI Agency and industry, aims to develop a modern architecture for a more agile system based on state-of-the-art technologies.
5G will be used in a much broader set of industries than ever before. This will help create a larger ecosystem of devices and applications at economies of scale in excess of anything that has preceded it in the wireless world. Therefore, we strongly believe that 5G can be the key enabler for a more agile end-to-end CIS when and where NATO needs it,. says Philippe Agard, Vice President Public Safety and Defence markets at Nokia.
5G enables a range of military capabilities from smart bases, improved warehousing, better logistics, enhanced tactical communications and autonomous vehicles. Millimeter-Wave (high frequency) Communications; Internet Protocol/Multiprotocol Label Switching (enhanced security); 'Passive Optical LAN (fiber-optic communications); Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (fiber-optic transmission) 5G's high throughput, low latency, and high reliability will support the transformation of military bases, logistics, and some segments of tactical communications, among other defense functions:
Smart bases: New loT technologies will pull together base perimeter security, gate monitoring, augmented/virtual reality-based training, remote support maintenance, and fleet management. SG will introduce a wide range of enhanced services all connected via a single, private, or hybrid (private and public), military-grade 5G wireless network to an integrated command and control center. It will offer a much more comprehensive site of all base activities and bring automation of many tasks and operations to new levels. Warehouse and logistics: Combining inexpensive trackers and advanced analytics with 5G-controlled autonomous ground vehicles will optimize critical end-to-end military logistics operations, while reducing the cost of operations.
Tactical communications: A new class of deployable, small wireless access systems will bring classified true wireless broadband access to teams in the field. It will enable automated, autonomous robots, vehicles, sensors, and light drones to provide better insight and situational awareness. Temporary bases, as well as naval and ground convoys, will also benefit from loT and broadband-based applications through these deployable systems and/or 5G-based satellite communications.
As these use cases demonstrate, 5G wireless technology will introduce a wide range of enhanced services for the defence sector. Leveraging today's mix of technologies — such as wifi, satellite communications, and other radio types — to transmit unclassified and classified data is expensive, bandwidth-limited, and requires staff and specific cryptographic hardware at both ends, and therefore does not serve all scenarios.
Prague 5G Security Conference
32 participants
- Albania
- South Korea
- Australia
- Latvia
- Austria
- Lithuania
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- Bulgaria
- Malta
- Canada
- Netherlands
- Czech Republic
- New Zealand
- Denmark
- Norway
- Estonia
- Poland
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hungary
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
About 4 global mobile network operators anticipated contributing trillions of dollars to the global economy in the decades to come. The critical features of 5G, with its high speed, low latency and increased bandwidth, present a generational transformation compared to 4G, enabling novel applications from education and healthcare to the future battlefield. Our digital economies will depend upon 56 as it will enable new features, including energy savings and the deployment of autonomous vehicles in smart cities.
With that greater reliance comes a degree of vulnerability. Beyond concerns about its potential exploitation for espionage purposes, 5G also creates the potential for disruption that could create devastating consequences as the attack surface increases with the proliferation of the Internet of Things (loT). 5G must be recognised as a new kind of critical infrastructure. Despite all the talk of a race to 5G, its security and resilience must be equally prioritized, otherwise, nations that deploy 5G without adequate attention to security may be subject to attacks by non-state actors and coercion by potential adversaries.
To date, the US attempts to counter Huawei's inroads across Europe have proven to have limited success. The US government has urged allies and partners to exclude Huawei from their networks, and there are certainly security rationales to do so, in light of the potential ways that China's Party-state could exploit its access and global presence. Huawei has continued to claim to be the leader, even unparalleled, in 5G. Yet, its aggressive marketing obscures the reality that Huawei is not the inevitable winner, but merely the cheapest option due to its capacity to undercut competitors in price.
New Partnerships
The future of 5G will depend upon progress towards a secure and appealing alternative. Fortunately, there are a number of other contenders, including prominent companies from the United States, Europe and Asia that have strengths and potential competitive advantages in their own rights, including in the virtualization that will be critical to the continued advancement of 5G. Future progress will depend upon substantive advancements in public-private partnerships, including among the NATO Member States and major strategic partners. There will also have to be dedicated investments in this foundational infrastructure.
Emerging Consensus
Going forward, 5G security will be a complex but necessary undertaking. In this endeavour, the avoidance of risky suppliers is only the start. 5G security must instead be considered from a more systemic perspective, from the standards to the architecture of the networks, as well as the devices on them. It is encouraging to see emerging consensus among like-minded countries on shared frameworks for 5G security, particularly through the progress that started with the Prague Proposals following the Prague 5G Security Conference. The conference was first held in May 2019 under the auspices of Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis and attended by security officials of 32 countries from Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia.
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| The potential of 5G in battle networks includes enhancements to command and control / NATO |
NATO can contribute to ensuring a more secure future for 5G. "NATO and Allies, within their respective authority, are committed to ensuring the security of our communications, including 56, recognising the need to rely on secure and resilient systems," according to the London Declaration, which was issued after the North Atlantic Council Meeting in December 2019.
Future Efforts
Hopefully, this initial commitment can continue to translate into action in 2020 and in the years to come. Future efforts in 5G security could concentrate on promoting partnerships among critical stakeholders in industry and academia to develop more secure architectures, as well as enhanced information-sharing on cyber threats and supply-chain security concerns.
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| C4ISR is the backbone of the military operations /Northrop Grumman. |
For instance, the use of 5G could enhance command and control, while enabling the leveraging of the Internet of Things on the battlefield, and NATO could pursue joint research projects and pilot programmes in 5G. Looking forward, as rivalry in emerging technologies becomes an integral element of great power competition, closer collaboration in innovation among allies and partners becomes all the more vital.