With sights set on steering on what it deems to be “the largest full-scale 5G tests for dual-use applications” on the planet, the Defense Department on Thursday announced $600 million in contracts to underpin experimentation and assessments of the next-generation wireless technology across five U.S. military bases.
Months in the making, the awards are a portion of a broader strategic effort uniting U.S. service members with leading thinkers from industry and academia to push forward the Pentagon’s 5G pursuits. Pilots, prototypes and projects that encompass 5G-enabled smart warehoures, augmented and virtual reality, radar and more will be unleashed.
“Through these test sites, the [Defense Department] is leveraging its unique authorities to pursue bold innovation at a scale and scope unmatched anywhere else in the world,” Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Kratsios said in a statement.
The Pentagon previously issued four requests for prototype proposals that were open to members of the National Spectrum Consortium for this 5G-focused work, and the organization confirmed Thursday that most of these newly unveiled selections were made under an other transaction agreement between the organization and Defense Department. It marks what the Pentagon and NSC called “the first tranche” of awards for 5G-related prototyping contracts and others are anticipated to follow to drive further efforts at pentagon awards million spearhead experiments across military bases
