{"id":51042,"date":"2022-09-16T18:32:26","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T18:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/09\/16\/pentagon-experimenting-with-5g-at-idaho-national-laboratory-test-range\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:27:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:27:24","slug":"pentagon-experimenting-with-5g-at-idaho-national-laboratory-test-range","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2022\/09\/16\/pentagon-experimenting-with-5g-at-idaho-national-laboratory-test-range\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon experimenting with 5G at Idaho National Laboratory test range"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Department of Defense is using a new open-air test range in Idaho to study 5G networking and its potential applications in overseas operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facility, located within the 890-square-mile Idaho National Laboratory complex<\/a>, is the first of its kind and is outfitted with fifth-generation radios, antennas and base stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis premier, state-of-the-art standalone and non-standalone 5G network test bed will allow U.S forces, the combatant commands, and other U.S. government agencies the ability to test, train, assess and understand how to securely operate through an ever-changing global telecommunications environment,\u201d Tom Dekeyser, director of the Defense Department\u2019s Operate Through program, said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless technology promises exponentially faster speeds and the ability to accommodate more and more-advanced devices compared with its predecessors. The technology also has its risks<\/a>: additional pathways for digital intrusions, aggravated privacy concerns and expensive infrastructure costs, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Department has for years eyed 5G, writing in a 2020 strategy that the nations \u201cthat master advanced communications technologies and ubiquitous connectivity will have a long-term economic and military advantage.\u201d It has since pursued testbeds at a dozen military installations, including sites in California, Nevada, Utah and Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\t