The Department of Defense’s Future Generation Wireless Technology Office is preparing DOD for its transition to the next generation of wireless telecommunications, called 6G, and one of its top priorities is advancing centralized unit, distributed unit, or CUDU, Defense News reported Friday.
The CUDU project seeks to implement an open software model for 6G that meets the requirements of DOD, industry and the research community.
The FutureG office is looking at how the military could advance 6G for sensing and monitoring initiatives like the Integrated Sensing and Communications project, or ISAC.
According to the report, ISAC gathers information on different environments using wireless signals, a capability that could help the military gather intelligence and track drone networks.
Though ISAC technology could strengthen the Pentagon’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, potential commercialization could lead to adversary countries using the technology against the U.S.
“We’re looking at this as a real opportunity for dramatic growth and interest in new, novel technologies for both commercial industry and defense needs,” Thomas Rondeau, principal director for DOD’s FutureG office, told the publication in an interview.
“But also, the threat space that it opens up for us is potentially pretty dramatic, so we need to be on top of this,” he added.
Rondeau noted that initiatives that resulted from the department’s 5G Challenges have informed DOD’s 6G vision and strategy.