After a week at AFCEA West, the defense technology conversation appears to be broadening.
5G remains on the agenda, but the focus has moved toward real deployments and operational issues. As that shift occurs, it is becoming one component of a broader modernization effort.
Key themes from the event
Three priorities came up repeatedly across sessions: enterprise software modernization, cybersecurity, and AI/autonomy. Much of the discussion was framed around the Pacific theater — protecting the fleet, supporting island chains, and enabling distributed operations in contested environments.
AI and autono my sessions were extremely well attended, while wireless tracks drew smaller, but more technically-focused audiences.
5G: fewer pilots, deeper deployments
The entire 5G track fit into a single afternoon this year — and the discussion focused heavily on operational issues.
Panels centered on real-world experience, including:
- Lessons learned from navigating the ATO process
- Transitions toward open architectures
- The realities of operating across global spectrum environments
During our panel, a customer from Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Albany using Federated Wireless technology shared their experience, reinforcing a point that came up repeatedly during the week: achieving ATO for private 5G is possible, but it is not trivial.
The Albany team detailed the coordination and engineering rigor required to reach authorization, also noting that the work completed to date is helping establish a repeatable path that other defense programs can follow.
This theme came up consistently in follow-on discussions. The conversation is no longer theoretical; programs are now working through the real mechanics of deployment and authorization.
What’s on the horizon
Preliminary discussion around Integrated Sensing and Communications (ISAC) and 6G came during a panel led by OUSD(R&E). The session outlined early planning activity, including expected 6G trade studies beginning in 2026 and potential funding activity to follow.
Federated Wireless CTO Kurt Schaubach is an active member of the National Spectrum Consortium’s ISAC working group, which is contributing to early work on the convergence of sensing and communications capabilities in future defense networks.
For teams currently focused on 5G deployment, this points to where longer-term planning is heading.
Where things stand
The defense community is moving past the “why 5G” phase. The questions now are more practical: what a successful ATO process actually looks like, how to design for open architectures from the start, and how to maintain connectivity across complex spectrum environments.
At Federated Wireless, we’re hearing many of these same questions across current deployments. The focus has shifted from why to how.