During training at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, April 7, 2011, a Marine joint terminal attack controller speaks to a Navy MH-60S Helicopter. US Marine Corps/Lance Corpl. Kyle McNally
The US military is facing new challenges due to the rapid spread of 5G mobile communication technology.
Compromised networks may give the enemy an opportunity to attack and monitor US personnel.
Check out more stories from Insider's business page.
The US military faces new challenges in an increasingly interconnected world.
Even though the US has not declared war on China, it is already in conflict with Beijing. Special-operations and conventional troops around the globe are exposed to Chinese technology, directly or indirectly, that could make them vulnerable in a conflict.
5G is the worst offenders, which is the same mobile communication technology that ordinary people use and will continue to use in the future.
What is 5G?
The US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center students and staff use a mobile phone to communicate with each other during training in North Carolina on October 22, 2019. US Army/K. Kassens
5G is the most recent generation of mobile communication network technology.
Every 10 years, a new generation in mobile communications is released. The first generation of mobile communications, 1G, was introduced with the first smartphones. 2G introduced better coverage and texting. 3G brought data and online services. 4G Long Term Evolution, (LTE), increased network capacity and faster speeds to meet the high demand of mobile data.
5G download speeds are 100 times faster than 4G. This means that a 3-gigabyte movie will take only 35 seconds to download, instead of 40 minutes. 5G has a one-tenth of the latency of 4G, and data response times are as fast as a millisecond.
5G promises to transform telecommunication networks so that new capabilities, such as remote surgery and smart cities, are more readily available.
China and 5G
Huawei booth at 2020 World 5G Convention, Guangzhou, China. November 27, 2020. Li Zhihao/VCG via Getty Images
International 5G technology development is a complex affair. Several companies are working on their versions, primarily for domestic customers.
Huawei, a Chinese company that is accused of hacking into a Canadian firm's 5G technology, has been spreading its 5G technology around the world.
Because China has its own unique national security laws that require companies and individuals to cooperate with Chinese security services, Huawei technology is a potential threat for privacy and national security. Huawei could allow Beijing to spy on and disrupt infrastructure operations, whether it is in peace or war.
Continue the story
The threat has been recognized by governments who have banned Huawei from their networks. After several Chinese cyberattacks, the British government made this decision in 2020. The US Federal Communications Commission also designated Huawei as a national security risk in 2021.
These privacy and security concerns aside, many countries, especially those in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, are looking to China for 5G technology. These countries find Huawei attractive because of its low price.
REUTERS/Stringer
China seeks to replace global telecommunications competitors by providing infrastructure at a low cost throughout the developing world. "In short, China continues using the tactic of debt diplomacy' to control commerce in countries like Africa and Southeast Asia as well as to penetrate European and South American markets for 5G technologies," Herm Haken, a senior operations consultant at MarkPoint Technologies told Insider.
Beijing is granted access to oil and other natural resources in exchange for large loans and infrastructure such as ports, railroads, and telecom networks. China may be able to claim rights in some cases to these infrastructure projects if the host country defaults.
The US is also at risk from the proliferation of 5G technology.
Recently, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and The National Security Agency released an advisory that highlighted five vulnerabilities that could be exploited by state and non-state actors in the introduction of 5G.
Malign state and non-state actors attempt to influence design and architecture for 5G networks
Supply chain for 5G could be vulnerable
5G works with older, possibly compromised infrastructure
There is limited competition on the 5G market
New vulnerabilities, previously undiscovered, introduced by 5G
Special operations and 5G
Marines installed a high-frequency antenna during a field exercise at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti on January 29, 2010. US Navy/Petty officer 2nd Class Joshua Bruns
When deployed for combat missions, or other operations such as general reconnaissance, special-operations forces and conventional forces will need to deal with 5G threats.
"Special Operations Forces, along with its partner forces, will face increasing foreign technology-based threats while being globally deployed. This is especially the case where Chinese- and Russian-manufactured and controlled telecommunications infrastructure is installed," said Hasken, who has extensive special-operations and intelligence-community experience.
An electronic and online signature is required for any Army Special Forces unit or Navy SEAL platoon that deploys overseas to combat operations or work with partner forces.
Compromised local networks can be used to gather information about their mission, identities, tactics, and procedures.
The US Southern Command's head, responsible for US military activities around South America, specifically mentioned the Chinese IT infrastructure as a threat to trade with partner countries.
US Army Green Berets, Special Operations Command North personnel established communications with Colorado Springs via their Arctic location on September 19, 2020. US Army/Staff Sergeant. Travis Fontane
Special-operations forces should "consider they are operating under constant surveillance while deployed overseas," said Hasken, who was the chief cryptologist at the US Special Operations Command's National Security Agency.
Hasken stated that SOCOM's Hyper Enabled Operator initiative was created to address these threats and "give SOF and Cyber conventional forces situational awareness tools which will enable secure communications, force protection techniques, and allow for secure communications in contested and congested information areas."
Special-operations forces will also benefit from the spread of 5G technology, particularly when it comes access to information and access to that information. This is crucial for shaping the battlespace.
Hasken said that 5G could provide information to SOF operators, Civil Affairs team, PSYOPS and electronic warfare teams on critical nodes needed to operate with host-nation elements, while denial such services to internal security, hostile elements trying to disrupt, deny, or completely disrupt US military operations abroad.
5G promises to revolutionize the way we communicate and work, but there are security risks that could have serious consequences for both the troops on the ground and the public.
Business Insider has the original article.
