An interview with Kurt Schaubach, CTO of Federated Wireless, on how CBRS is revolutionizing military logistics operations
Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) has transformed how organizations deploy private wireless networks, offering new opportunities for enhanced connectivity in challenging environments. In this exclusive interview, Kurt Schaubach of Federated Wireless shares insights on a groundbreaking deployment at a U.S. Marine Corps logistics facility covering roughly one million square feet and how private wireless networks are creating significant operational improvements for military applications.
Modernizing Military Logistics with CBRS
Q: Could you tell us about the deployment at the Marine Corps facility in Albany and what your main objectives were?
“It started as an R&D program through the Office of the Under Secretary of Research and Development at the Department of Defense. Federated was awarded a prime contract to work with the U.S. Marine Corps in Albany, Georgia, to deploy a private wireless network and demonstrate how that network could be used for advanced logistics capabilities.
Albany happens to be where the Marine Corps operates all of its Eastern Hemisphere logistics activities. For any engagements they have in Europe or Africa, all the logistics they perform occur out of Albany. Everything from Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to tactical equipment to laptops or provisions runs through that facility.
When we started, they were working with 1950s-era logistics and inventory technology—clipboards, pencils, and manual counting of assets inside the warehouse. They needed to explore ways to improve their logistical capabilities to support the warfighter. The R&D program was so successful that it evolved into an operational deployment now integral to their capabilities.”
Q: What were some of the key accomplishments of this deployment?
“We successfully completed the research program, demonstrating both 4G and 5G non-standalone network capabilities using CBRS and millimeter wave. We initially deployed in one warehouse location and showed very meaningful metrics: improved accuracy of inventory count through robotics, reduced worker injuries, better safety, reduced staffing requirements, and greater assurance of inventory control and management.
The Marine Corps was so pleased with the outcome that they funded an expansion of the deployment to additional warehouse locations. We are on track to achieve our Authority to Operate (ATO) this summer, which in the DoD world certifies that the technology is ready for scale deployment and can be deployed widely within the Marine Corps. We’ve now moved into a sustainment phase.”
The Robotics Revolution in Military Warehousing
Q: How has the private wireless network enabled automation in the logistics facility?
“We support seven different robotics platforms there. It starts with pallets coming in—the first robotic platform scans the pallet, weighs it, and does a basic inventory of what’s on it. Another robotics platform breaks down the pallet, sorts the contents into like materials, and sends them on automated robotic pallet platforms. Other platforms move items onto shelves, actually lifting and placing them. Then, there’s a robotic platform that goes around doing RFID tag reading for inventory counts.
We went from needing scores of people to operate the facility to needing just two people. A three-dimensional storage unit for high-value items works almost like an ant farm – a robotic pallet moves in three dimensions to store and retrieve items from this self-contained unit. It’s similar to a Carvana system, dispensing the requested item at a chute at the bottom.
We also expanded to their equipment depot, where they repair vehicles like MRAPs. When an MRAP comes in for maintenance, they do a complete tear-down and rebuild to make sure it’s ready for redeployment. We equipped personnel with heads-up display capabilities to view instruction manuals while performing maintenance, helping with inventory control, and automating the parts reordering process.”
CBRS Technology Benefits and Implementation
Q: What makes CBRS uniquely suitable for this type of deployment?
“This is a really unique use of CBRS. The DoD is both an incumbent user—we protect DoD uses like ship radar, which includes Marines operating amphibious vehicles—but in this case, the DoD is also a GAA (General Authorized Access) user like any other user of the spectrum. We’ve demonstrated the full circle benefit to the DoD of spectrum sharing – by sharing this band, they are also authorized to use it.
The DoD now gets to use off-the-shelf 5G technology and tap into the massive equipment and device ecosystem created for the commercial sector. They can harden it and add unique security features to meet their cybersecurity needs, rather than buying specialized, purpose-built technology at a much higher cost.”
Q: Were there specific challenges with the physical environment?
“The warehouses are not typical tilt-up, steel-frame warehouses like an Amazon logistics facility. These are like concrete bunkers built in the 1950s with tons of concrete—they’re an RF nightmare in terms of signal propagation. That’s why the ability to deploy an indoor, purpose-built CBRS network properly engineered for high coverage availability was crucial. We had to achieve greater than 95% coverage availability inside the locations.
The difference between what our CBRS network delivers versus what mobile network operators could provide indoors is night and day in terms of bandwidth, coverage, and service quality. A huge benefit of the private network was the unmetered bandwidth—they can support very bandwidth-intensive applications for the robotics platforms.”
Security Requirements and Compliance
Q: What unique security considerations came into play for a military deployment?
“We had to go through the Authority to Operate (ATO) process, which involved extensive cybersecurity testing to demonstrate that the network met the DoD’s unique cybersecurity and operational security requirements.
Both the requirements themselves and the testing methodology were different from commercial enterprise deployments. The DoD had very stringent requirements around anything providing ingress or egress outside the private network or the Marine Corps enterprise network. The testing and certification standards were also different and more rigorous than what you’d find in commercial settings.”
Future Applications and Expansion
Q: Are there plans to expand this model to other military facilities?
“Our desire is to find the next Marine Corps base where we can take this successful implementation and repeat it, and obviously, we’d love to expand beyond just the Marine Corps to elsewhere within the DoD.
We were recently awarded a Small Business Innovation Research contract with Space Force to deploy a 5G network at Cape Canaveral. We’re following a similar approach, starting with an R&D program that we hope will expand. The network could support everything from weather monitoring to safety, perimeter security, and pre-launch and post-launch coordination efforts.
The velocity of space launches has greatly increased with the boom in low Earth orbit satellite businesses and other space economy efforts. Space Force needs to invest in new infrastructure and modernize their operations to support this increased demand, and we believe 5G will be a big part of that.”
Private Wireless Beyond Defense
Q: Outside of defense applications, what other markets is Federated Wireless focusing on?
“Our core business has always been about spectrum sharing and enablement—offering the SAS (Spectrum Access System) and ESC (Environmental Sensing Capability) for CBRS, and most recently beginning commercial operations in the 6 GHz band with another spectrum sharing platform known as AFC (Automated Frequency Coordination).
Beyond defense, we have a customer of record called Logan Aluminum, a large aluminum recycling producer for containers and cans in Kentucky. We’ve helped them implement a 5G private wireless network for their factory operations.
We also work with many users of spectrum for private 5G. Companies like Tesla, Maersk, and the Port of Los Angeles are using private 5G networks, and we support the spectrum management components of their wireless deployments.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and length while maintaining the substance of the conversation.
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