AT&T 5G joins forces with the Bush Combat Defense Complex at RELLIS Texas A&M to Accelerate Innovation for National Security and Defense

As an educator and tech strategist, I have the privilege of working with many of the world’s leading technology companies.?AT&T Business, the sponsor of this post, is one. The opinions expressed in this post may or may not reflect the views of any company I work with. My goal is to make technology more accessible and beneficial for all.

As a peacetime veteran disabled in a war-training exercise, I was keenly interested when I received an invitation from AT&T Business to visit the Innovation Proving Ground (IPG) at the Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) at Texas A&M RELLIS to see how an AT&T 5G standalone network is accelerating innovation for national security and defense.

The BCDC's stated mission is to "accelerate the development, integration, and transfer of technology to advance United States defense and security capabilities in critical technology areas." The Complex is pledged to "operate with an agile mindset" to help its partners "deliver new capabilities for the nation." AT&T's 5G network empowers the Complex with an enhanced ability to be extremely "agile" in advancing the innovations it is pledged to help produce at an accelerated pace.

Who are the BCDC "partners"?

There is no static list of the BCDC's "partners" as it is a list that is growing. All its partners are committed to the security and defense of the United States.

A notable BCDC partner is the U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC), a command tasked to "ensure the Army and its Soldiers remain at the forefront of technological innovation and war-fighting ability." The BCDC's "agile mindset" and massive, "comprehensive research and testing ecosystem", with AT&T's 5G standalone network, makes the Complex the perfect partner for the AFC's critical task.

The Complex lists its "core competencies" as:

1. Integrated Hypersonic Research.
2. Laser Diagnostics for Hypersonics and Directed Energy.
3. Rapid Design of Hypersonic Vehicles.
4. Materials for Extreme Environments.
5. Integrated Network Autonomy Research.
6. Coordinated Air-Ground Vehicle Maneuvering.
7. Resilient, Real-time Network Architecture.

The field of applied sciences powered by AT&T's standalone 5G network at the complex evolves as the BCDC's private and public partners bring new ideas and challenges to the complex.

"Fusion Wall" enabled by AT&T's 5G Network

"The 'crown jewel' of game changers in testing" is how the Director of Testing at the IPG, Colonel (Army, retired) Brian McHugh describes a wall-sized digital display, the "fusion wall", that brings together images and video streams from different cameras that are automatically assembled onto a situation map using AT&T 5G high throughput and low latency which enables near real-time video streaming and video analytics from 5G edge servers. As Col. McHugh explained, this brings to testers not only "situational awareness", but "situational understanding". That, in turn, enables testers to make "in-stride changes", meaning changes while the testing is still taking place.

AT&T 5G relays data from sensors embedded in a "mobility challenge course" and on the vehicles so researchers can monitor the test and innovations in near real-time

AT&T's 5G provides testers with an abundance of information from a multitude of sensors measuring not only what's happening with the vehicles being tested, but also what's happening in the surrounding environment.

The ability to "Test - Fix - Test" enabled, in large measure, by AT&T's 5G Network, accelerates innovation at the BCDC

AT&T's 5G network helps testers identify problems during a test so that they can take corrective measures remotely while the test is still ongoing or quickly identify any problems so that the innovation being tested can be fixed on-site at the BCDC. This is a dramatic change from the traditional model in which data analytics would be harvested after a test, not during the test. By making the data analytics near real-time, AT&T's 5G network empowers testers to continue their testing uninterrupted or without significant delays. The BCDC's facilities offer innovators the ability to make equipment modifications on site.

AT&T's 5G Network is at work protecting critical infrastructure in near real-time

With AT&T's 5G standalone network, those tasked with protecting critical infrastructure are equipped to detect and stop a system failure from a cyberattack or natural incident, disaster simulations demonstrated during the BCDC tour. Students and faculty explained that 5G's near real-time data exchange is the enabling technology for the immediate detection of an irregular event and the enabler for taking immediate protective and corrective measures for the infrastructure, such as a public utilities, achieving infrastructure resiliency.

Thankfully, AT&T's 5G Network is accelerating innovation for our Nation's security and defense at the BCDC at the RELLIS campus of Texas A&M University

Driving back to the airport from the BCDC, I pondered the beautiful Houston city skyline ahead of me, and thought about the cutting-edge work being done by the distinguished men and women at the state-of-the-art BCDC, enabled by AT&T's stand-alone 5G network.

I was comforted to know that they are leveraging AT&T's 5G to accelerate innovation at their one-of-kind, "Test-Fix-Test" facility to provide our service members and Nation with the best technologies possible to defend against ever-evolving threats.

I now understand how AT&T's ultra-fast, secure, and reliable 5G ecosystem is contributing to our Nation's security and defense at the BCDC. Reliable, secure, super-fast data exchange is a game changer for innovation at the BCDC, where applied sciences mean everything for the future of our national security and defense.

This post was sponsored by AT&T Business, but the opinions are my own and don’t necessarily represent AT&T Business’s positions or strategies.