Leveraging O-RAN for Warfighter Success: A Strategic Approach

In the rapidly evolving landscape of defense technology, the adoption of Open Radio Access Networks (Open RAN) presents a significant opportunity for enhancing warfighter success. Industry organizations such as the O-RAN Alliance have turned the Open RAN concept into an executable framework that creates the high level of security and interoperability specifications necessary to deliver trusted solutions to the Department of Defense.  As stated in Breaking Defense, the “Pentagon wants more help from industry to make O-RAN become a reality at a faster pace,” but with that comes skepticism on what’s possible when it comes to interoperability and 5G capabilities. So, what exactly is O-RAN and what is Battelle’s stance on the DoD leveraging it for enhancing operational efficiency and effectiveness?  

Open RAN is a concept within the 5G ecosystem that decomposes the radio access network into logical components and emphasizes open interfaces, allowing for greater flexibility and interoperability amongst network components. This openness provides the network operator with the ability to pick the best solution or component for different parts of the network depending upon the application and environment. Additionally, software solutions, such as enhanced security and location services are easier to implement. 

This blog explores the strategic advantages of O-RAN and Battelle's contributions to this transformative approach which has been deployed at scale in the US, Boost Mobile, and abroad in commercial networks, and is starting to move beyond the trial phase for military applications.

Importance of O-RAN for Military Applications

The DoD has recognized and invested in the use of commercial cellular solutions, particularly 5G technologies, as a solution to many logistical and tactical problems. In using 5G, the DoD leverages the cost and security model that has seen many billions of dollars of commercial investment, and their workforce's existing experience with these capabilities.  But there are challenges. The DoD has use cases and threat models that aren’t completely satisfied by purely commercial offerings.

The commercial market is dominated by vertically integrated non-US vendors. Open RAN provides the military the ability to work with more nimble US vendors, to create an architecture that is unique to their needs. As a solution to this need, Battelle’s RavenStar™ active antenna system is a software-defined compact unit that works across a multitude of frequency bands and protocols that support 4G, 5G and other waveforms through software configuration. The antenna will interface with the appropriate DU/CU and core to fit the requirements of the application. For instance, a network can be optimized for high uplink instead of downlink data traffic or relocate frequency bands to work within regional variations of frequency allocations.

Commercial network providers often provide out-of-the-box 5G solutions with minimal customization. Agencies like the DoD may have specific needs beyond what a typical network provider is willing and able to provide.  Open RAN specifies the interfaces within a 5G network, which allows selection of optimal hardware and software components to achieve the desired performance as well as white-box securing of those interfaces. By transitioning from proprietary waveforms to 5G waveforms, the flexibility of these systems can help these agencies meet their unique needs in areas like security, performance, cost and energy efficiency.  The following sections expand on each of these topics.

Let’s Start with Security

Security is of utmost importance for military applications and the O-RAN Alliance’s Working Group 11 has put significant effort into defining security requirements and test cases. Since Open RAN software runs on commercially available servers from vendors such as Dell and HP, additional security software can easily be added to the network. This openness prevents the “security through obscurity” approach that arises in stove-piped systems where the architectures aren’t fully aware of the tools and techniques adversaries bring to study and then compromise systems. WG-11 efforts combined with 3GPP standards have enabled the industry to move to models where 3rdparties can perform security audits so that vendors aren’t simply self-certifying.

In addition, having good security is necessary to prevent mal-intent users from malicious activity. O-RAN allows for assessment of a smaller portion of the network, making it easier to evaluate and test security.

What about Performance and Cost/Energy Efficiencies?

When it comes to performance, O-RAN capabilities can improve operations in complex environments, by enabling the missionization of 5G technologies for defense-specific operations and regions. For example, if the military needs to operate in extreme conditions such as desert or polar regions, defense-oriented providers can customize the O-RAN system to meet the requirements of those environments. O-RAN provides the flexibility to select hardware and software from different vendors that goes beyond the requirements typically seen in commercial 5G networks.

Network optimization can take many forms and the operator needs to have the flexibility to choose the correct components for the use cases that are being supported. A few examples of network optimization are: