The U.S. Army wants to change how it deploys communications and networking equipment to help troops keep up with the changing environment and modernization of adversaries, C4ISRNet reported Thursday. 

Maj. Gen. Randy Taylor, commander of Army Communications and Electronics Command, said the command has launched efforts to determine global hot spots where soldiers may require immediate support from technicians. Taylor said forward technicians will provide support when systems break or require updates while in the field. The Army also aims to configure systems ahead of conflicts to maintain military capability. 

“What we’re looking at now with this possible near peer conflict is fight tonight expeditionary,” Taylor said. “That’s part of the imperative for modernizing the network so it’s lighter, faster, more capable, but sustainment has to keep pace with those expeditionary units.”

The Army CECOM manages sustainment and refurbishing of the service’s command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. The Army plans to integrate C5ISR systems with “pre-positioned stocks,” which provide troops with immediate access to equipment and eliminate the need to carry their gear during deployment. 

Federal and industry officials called on the government to consider the latest changes in the tech sector when creating standards for the use of artificial intelligence-based technologies, Nextgov reported Thursday. Lynne Parker, assistant director for AI in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said there is a need for a new standards-setting process as the U.S. industry leads the global marketplace for technology. 

“Because most of the inventions and innovations were coming from American companies, for the most part, the folks that were at the table conversing about technology—technical standards—were primarily American companies,” she said. “But, we can’t assume that because it’s worked out well for American companies in the past it will continue to work out well going forward.”

Parker suggested that the country should put American principles into international efforts to develop AI and the standards for the technology. Jason Matusow, general manager of Microsoft’s Corporate Standards Group, said engineers and non-technical people should share expertise to create the AI standards. 

“We have a need to have people who are truly trained ethicists, people who have a basis for the discussion,” he said. “We have to find a joining of the conversation to say that it’s not some magical standard that gets written that defines ethics.” 

The White House released two reports to inform U.S. leadership about a national strategy in wireless communications through 5G technology. 

The Office of Science and Technology Policy said Thursday that the research-and-development priorities report conducted with the wireless spectrum R&D interagency working group identifies three spectrum priority areas: advance spectrum agility and flexibility to use new waveforms and multiple bands; build up near real-time spectrum awareness; and boost spectrum effectiveness and efficiency through secure autonomous spectrum decision-making.

The second report titled “Emerging Technologies and their Expected Impact on Non-Federal Spectrum Demand” looks at 5G and Wi-Fi technologies and how they will use spectrum in the future.

“These reports lay a strong foundation for the National Spectrum Strategy and serve as a resource for decision makers formulating spectrum policy. The upcoming strategy will focus on a balanced approach to spectrum management to support critical government services and future demands for spectrum,” OSTP noted.

OSTP said the reports were issued in accordance with a presidential memorandum released in October 2018 that orders the development of a national spectrum policy. The White House and the Federal Communications Commission announced initiatives in April to accelerate 5G deployment, including plans to conduct a spectrum auction in December.