DoD said that the 5G program seeks to increase the efficiency and fidelity of naval logistic operations
The Department of Defense (DoD) 5G-NextG Initiative has recently inaugurated its 5G smart warehouse network at Naval Base Coronado.
The objective of the 5G smart warehousing project at Naval Base Coronado is to develop a 5G-enabled warehouse, focused on handling shipments between shore facilities and naval units, to increase the efficiency and fidelity of naval logistic operations, including identification, recording, organization, storage, retrieval, and transportation of materiel and supplies. Additionally, the project will create a proving ground for testing, refining, and validating emerging 5G-enabled technologies.
“This is a key example of organizations coming together in a collaborative environment with our Armed Forces to explore the art of the possible in 5G,” said Amanda Toman, acting principal director of 5G-NextG, OUSD(R&E). “We’re not just building for the warfighter; we are also innovating with the American citizen in mind. DoD is working to accelerate the development and deployment of 5G-enabled capabilities across many use cases, while ensuring those systems — as well as those of our allies and partners — are robust, protected, and reliable.”
DoD said that the program seeks to increase the efficiency and fidelity of naval logistic operations, including identification, recording, organization, storage, retrieval, and the transportation of materiel and supplies through the use of use of 5G-enhanced technology.
Last week, the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific and other government and industry partners kicked off the event, presenting demonstrations of the 5G smart warehouse network with a focus on the 5G Radio Access Network and its optimization of warehouse operations via increased throughput of data, IoT support and low latency.
“This technology is critical to U.S. national and economic security,” said Captain Timothy A. Brown, commanding officer for the Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center San Diego. “As one of the first sites funded to test this technology for the U.S. military, we will help map 5G development and DoD strategies moving into the future.”
In October 2020, the DoD announced a $600 million program to conduct a series of 5G experiments as part of a 5G Tranche Prototyping and Experimentation program. The Department said that the goal of this initiative is to develop and demonstrate prototype dual-use applications and 5G enhancements with the aim of stimulating interest in and demand for 5G in both the DoD and the commercial world.
Earlier this year, AT&T successfully completed its first milestone toward proving the capabilities of its 5G network solution to enable “smart warehouse” applications for the Department of Defense’s Naval Base Coronado in San Diego.
The carrier said its 5G network solution demonstrated data throughput speeds greater than 4 Gbps with less than 10 milliseconds of latency using AT&T 5G spectrum and a private 5G core and Radio Access Network (RAN). This performance was demonstrated with commercially available commodity mobile devices at a testbed facility in Richardson, Texas.
DOD had selected AT&T as the primary 5G networking services provider for two of the four U.S. military test sites where it is testing 5G capabilities as part of DOD’s Tranche 1 experiments.
