Airwaves of Power: Why the Pentagon Should Shift to a Commercial-First Spectrum Model
- Military is firing million-dollar missiles at Iranian drones that cost a tiny fraction as much — a striking example of the kind of overmatch modern warfare punishes.
- The Department of Defense’s approach to electromagnetic spectrum policy follows a similar logic, occupying prime mid-band frequencies for vital but relatively low-throughput national security uses — including radars,...
- The Pentagon understandably views spectrum through a national security lens, but the current allocation reflects less strategic optimization than a legacy of policy choices made a century ago.
The U.S. Military is firing million-dollar missiles at Iranian drones that cost a tiny fraction as much — a striking example of the kind of overmatch modern warfare punishes.
The Department of Defense’s approach to electromagnetic spectrum policy follows a similar logic, occupying prime mid-band frequencies for vital but relatively low-throughput national security uses — including radars, satellite communications, navigation, and electronic warfare — even as those same bands could generate much larger commercial, allied, and strategic returns.
The Pentagon understandably views spectrum through a national security lens, but the current allocation reflects less strategic optimization than a legacy of policy choices made a century ago.
Today, the federal government controls 95 percent of U.S. Spectrum overall and 93 percent of precious mid-band frequencies below 3.1 gigahertz — with the Pentagon as the primary user — while commercial users get just 3 percent exclusively.
A forthcoming spectrum auction, mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, represents a compromise rather than a resolution in the broader policy contest over whether the United States will continue to privilege military incumbency over commercial wireless leadership.