Pentagon spectrum demand set to climb 70% over the next decade

The Defense Department projects its radar spectrum requirements will grow 70 percent over the next ten years, according to new disclosures from Inside Defense. The climb reflects expanding unmanned systems, persistent surveillance architectures, and next-generation missile defense radars that demand wider bands and cleaner channels than legacy hardware.

The timing matters. DOD recently secured GPS spectrum protections at the World Radio Conference, fending off proposals that would have opened adjacent bands to commercial use. But the ten-year demand curve suggests the Pentagon will return to international and domestic spectrum negotiations with larger asks and less room to compromise.

Inside Defense also reports the Senate approved additional reporting requirements on sensitive technology transfers, while House appropriators nearly zeroed out funding for the XM30 infantry fighting vehicle in a draft bill. Separately, a lawmaker introduced legislation to consolidate directed-energy research, and concerns mounted over further cuts to the nuclear triad, which DOD describes as already strained.

The spectrum story is the durable one. Civilian 5G rollout, satellite constellations, and autonomous vehicle radar all compete for the same finite resource. A 70 percent DoD increase over ten years implies either new allocation fights or operational compromises that degrade readiness. The Remilitarization Current has focused on procurement and shipbuilding; spectrum is the infrastructure constraint that determines whether the hardware works as designed.