U.S. Department of Defense Private Network Deployment Strategy

Key Chapter Title List

1. Foreword
2. Executive Summary
3. Introduction
4. Key Terms
5. Strategy
6. Strategic Objective 1: Ensure Private 5G Networks Align with Military Installation Mission Needs
7. Strategic Objective 2: Accelerate the Acquisition, R&D, and Secure Deployment of 5G
8. Strategic Objective 3: Expand the Application of the Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) Ecosystem
9. Implementation
10. Appendix A: Acronyms/Definitions

Document Introduction

The 2022 National Defense Strategy explicitly requires the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to build a solid foundation to ensure future military advantage. 5G mobile network technology serves as a key enabling capability, accelerating enterprise innovation, optimizing service efficiency, and modernizing information networks, thereby helping the Joint Force meet mission and business requirements. In this context, the DoD urgently needs to accelerate the adoption and implementation of 5G technology to achieve new breakthroughs in wireless mobile network performance, capability, and efficiency, thereby strengthening the combat capability and lethality of the Joint Force.

This strategy serves as a supplement to the 2020 DoD 5G Strategy and the 5G Strategy Implementation Plan, focusing on private 5G network deployment at military installations and providing a comprehensive guidance framework. Its core positioning is to fully leverage commercial 5G network services while supplementing or enhancing them with private 5G networks for specific mission requirements, security standards, and military-unique capabilities that commercial networks cannot meet, thereby building a robust, high-performance, secure, agile, and resilient globally interconnected communication network.

The strategy revolves around three core objectives: First, ensuring private 5G infrastructure aligns with the unique missions of each military installation, requiring technical and business case analyses based on key criteria such as mission attributes, security requirements, and operational environment. Second, accelerating the acquisition, R&D, and secure deployment of 5G by referencing the 5G Acquisition Handbook, adopting the DoD 5G Reference Architecture, and strengthening the application of common architectures and standards to improve resource utilization efficiency and deployment speed. Third, expanding the application of the Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) ecosystem, leveraging its modularity and open interfaces to enhance vendor diversity, supply chain security, and operational innovation.

At the implementation level, the strategy clarifies that the Military Departments (MilDeps) bear primary responsibility for their respective 5G acquisition decisions. The DoD Chief Information Officer (CIO) will provide support by offering the 5G Reference Architecture, acquisition handbooks, and establishing cross-functional working groups. Simultaneously, private 5G network deployments must strictly adhere to cybersecurity and supply chain risk management requirements, comply with relevant provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Executive Orders, and employ continuous monitoring capabilities to ensure network security.

This strategy defines the core definition and technical boundaries of private 5G networks, clarifies its nature as a Standalone Non-Public Network (NPN) and its potential interconnection modes with Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMN). It provides standardized, actionable decision-making guidance for the planning, acquisition, deployment, and operation of private 5G networks at military installations, aiming to support the global combat capability of the Joint Force through mission-oriented, cost-effective optimized solutions.