U.S. military spectrum management is currently undergoing many changes – from spectrum sharing to technology advances in quantum sensors and artificial intelligence (AI).

Fifth-generation wireless technology, or 5G, is poised to emerge in a big way into the defense market. While the buzz surrounding the 5G technology standard has been growing in the general public in recent years, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has been trailing behind commercial entities on adopting 5G due in part to both the slower pace of the DoD’s acquisition process and the hard-to-keep-up-with pace of consumer-technology refresh. However, officials at several defense communications companies agree that it’s just a matter of time before 5G-enabled military solutions are deployed and forever change the way in which the armed forces communicate.

High-quality antenna performance protects lives and military assets. However, as defense and aerospace communications systems operate at higher frequencies, optimizing signal quality while also protecting antennas from harsh environmental conditions becomes more difficult. The key to addressing these challenges lies in the radomes that surround and shield antennas. Lowering the dielectric constant of the radome while also making the surround rugged requires a mix of in-depth knowledge of high-frequency communications systems, sophisticated modeling, materials science expertise, and rigorous testing.

Faced with operating across an increasingly complex and contested battlespace, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) must innovate at pace to successfully counter emerging threats around the world. Central to the DoD’s multidomain strategy is the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) – a concept enabling the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force to rapidly integrate best of breed subsystems on board any platform type in any operational environment.

Each issue, the editorial staff of Military Embedded Systems highlights a different charitable organization that benefits the military, veterans, and their families. We are honored to cover the technology that protects those who protect us every day.

At 40 years old this fall, the VMEbus standard’s longevity can be traced to its inventors, VME product designers, VITA Standards Organization members, military systems users, and also to the creativity and marketing acumen of a rock and roll aficionado named Marty Simon. Marty – founder of The Simon Group, member of the VITA Hall of Fame, early proponent of VME, my friend, and the most positive person I’ve ever come across – passed away in September at the age of 77 from complications from ALS.

In August 2021, Intel announced the new Intel Xeon W-11000E Series processor ­(formerly known as “Tiger Lake-H”), designed for the embedded market. This new processor follows the announcement of similar 11th-generation processors introduced for the commercial market several months earlier.