Enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) through the Deployment of Intelligent Autonomous Systems (IAS) Using Commercial 5G Technology
Abstract
The United States Navy has been the dominate force of the sea in the last half century, but advancements in technology have given other nations the ability to narrow the gap and, in some cases, threaten U.S. superiority. The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard are the triad forces for maritime domain protection. One area of potential vulnerability is in the littoral environment. However, emerging commercial technologies, like 5G, can expand the footprint of systems and capabilities within that environment for naval services to utilize. The private sector already has the lead in developing 5G state-of-the-art resources, which has enabled manned and unmanned systems to accomplish more tasks. One long-standing obstacle for the naval services to implement commercially available systems was the Department of Defense's desire to be the owner and operator of any systems it employed. One benefit of utilizing existing commercial systems in naval operations would be to enhance capabilities without developing a completely new system. This thesis explores current and projected abilities of a commercial 5G technology for employment by U.S. naval services. Testing of 5G millimeter wave was conducted for this research. This thesis also examines a theorized new system that integrates commercial systems to satisfy naval requirements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1213747
Entities
People
- Brian J. Caplan
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School