Will Congress sell out America’s national security? It nearly happened in December, and the threat is far from over. At issue is wireless spectrum — radio frequencies that are the lifeblood of modern communication, and that the Department of Defense (DOD) needs for a host of advanced technologies that keep Americans safe. Some in Congress want to force the Pentagon to vacate key frequencies in the name of 5G. This would be a time-consuming and costly process that would jeopardize our military readiness at a time of growing danger, especially from China.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Biden administration seems intent on auctioning off more electromagnetic spectrum to various wireless providers for commercial development. The problem is that the U.S. military, including the U.S. Navy, currently uses the bands under consideration. Moreover, many advanced radar systems — essential to force protection — operate in those bands.

The long-running battle over the Pentagon’s hold on a portion of radio frequency spectrum coveted by telecommunications firms heated up today — with the four-star general in charge of protecting the US homeland telling the Senate Armed Services Committee he is worried about his ability to detect incoming aircraft and missiles if access is lost…Indeed, DoD Assistant Secretary for Space Policy John Plumb told House lawmakers earlier this month that replacing just the Aegis radar with one capable of using different frequencies would likely cost $120 billion.

The Defense Department is, perhaps, the biggest user of the spectrum within the United States. But for the U.S. to remain economically competitive, the DOD must share the spectrum. The DOD’s chief information officer said it’s possible to do that without compromising national security…

On September 19, 2022, NTIA convened its fifth annual Spectrum Policy Symposium at which senior government officials from the Department of Commerce, NTIA, FCC, DoD, and other agencies spoke on U.S. spectrum management. Congressional members and Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU-D Director and candidate for Secretary-General of the ITU, also delivered remarks. A common theme across speakers: the need to collectively rethink existing spectrum management policies to enable continued innovation and the rapid deployment of communications services….Government officials continued to point to spectrum sharing – rather than repurposing – as an avenue to maximize spectrum utilization. They stressed that government users rely on spectrum for military defense, public safety, weather prediction, scientific research, and more.