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Abstract
The fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology which is based on the third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard is expected to enable a quantum leap in the performance of wireless communication by providing higher throughput, higher capacity of connections, lower latency, higher user density, and improved capabilities and services. This thus makes 5G and their subsequent iterations, such as the 6G technology, as potent candidates for adoption in the military. However, military use of 5G and its subsequent iterations will require certain modifications to address the security concerns arising from commercially-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment, shift from software logic to management network operations, use of open source software, and use of edge computing to realise latency reduction. This requires a need to address these security issues to ensure safety of sensitive data and availability of secure communication especially when working in a contested environment. However, such solutions are subject to cost and complexity and require the military to deploy their own networks to be effective. It is to address these issues that the paper aims to discuss technological innovations and functional changes required to ensure security, self-provisioning, and management of the new-era wireless technology networks, such as 5G and their subsequent iterations, in the military. In doing so, the paper will look at how research work of such advanced technologies can be adopted or translated into military applications. To explain the efforts involved, endeavours of the navies across the world in general and India in particular will be discussed.