Pentagon officials unload on FCC’s decision to allow Ligado to use spectrum near GPS for mobile broadband network

“Ligado and 5G simply do not go together. It is clear to the DOD that the risk to GPS far outweighs the benefits of this FCC decision and the FCC needs to reverse their decision,” Deasy said, testifying that “we were completely caught off guard” by the April decision.

SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO: In describing how Ligado’s land-based system would interfere with signals from satellites in space, Griffin said GPS signals are as faint as rustling leaves compared to Ligado’s transmitters. “What we are trying to do with GPS is to hear the sound of leaves rustling through the noise of 100 jets taking off all at once.”

“These signals have to operate in a noise pristine environment,” said Raymond. “It’s recognized globally as a zone reserved for satellite signals coming from space, not for emitters operating on the ground approximately a billion times more powerful than the GPS signal. These ground emitters will interrupt, reduce the accuracy of, or jam the GPS signal.”

A GRAPHIC ARGUMENT: Armed with an array of charts, graphs, and handouts, the Pentagon officials presented a united front in calling for the FCC to reverse its decision.

One chart listed the Pentagon’s key bullet points:

• Ligado is proposing to change a space-based band and repurpose to add ground communications – classic bait and switch
• Testing and studies performed by DOD and DOT supported by nine federal agencies concluded Ligado’s solution will cause interference both for civilian and military uses
• FCC stringent conditions imposed on Ligado do not adequately protect GPS
• If GPS becomes unreliable, Americans will be forced to look elsewhere for GPS services, e.g. China and Russia
• FCC decision impacts warfighter testing, training, exercises, and homeland defense missions [and] puts national security at risk
• Do Americans want an unreliable GPS service when they need it most, i.e. emergency vehicle response to 911 calls?
• Ligado is not offering a 5G solution
• DOD is aggressively undertaking 5G experiments and pursuing mid-band spectrum sharing

LIGADO FIRES BACK: Not invited to the Senate hearing, Ligado was relegated to sending a letter of protest to committee Chairman Sen. Jim Inhofe and ranking member Sen. Jack Reed.

“It is unfortunate that members of the committee will not have the opportunity to hear from any witnesses from Ligado, whose spectrum is at issue, nor from the FCC, whose decision is the subject of your hearing,” the letter states.

“We are experienced engineers and wireless network executives who have built leading U.S. wireless networks over many decades,” it continues. “This spectrum has been designated by the FCC for commercial mobile use for 17 years. Ligado’s recently-approved license does not in any way expand Ligado’s spectrum or reallocate spectrum previously allocated to GPS to Ligado.”

“Ligado consulted over the course of many years with the DoD, DOT, Federal Aviation Administration, GPS device manufacturers, and other stakeholders in developing our spectrum proposal,” Ligado said, insisting its plan “included significant technical concessions … designed specifically to protect GPS from interference.”

“These concessions, and the involvement of the GPS industry in developing them, were critical to the FCC’s decision to approve Ligado’s application.”

TWO SIDES TO THIS: At least one senator was uncomfortable with the one-sided assault on the FCC and Ligado. Noting “there are two sides to this,” Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine observed it was difficult to “reverse a decision based upon the presence of one side.”

Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by David Sivak and Tyler Van Dyke. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense.

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HAPPENING TODAY: At 9:30 a.m., the Senate Armed Services Committee considers the nominations of Kenneth Braithwaite to be secretary of the Navy, James Anderson to be deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, and Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown to be Air Force chief of staff.

ALSO TODAY: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is paying a visit to the U.S. Northern Command to discuss the Pentagon’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and next phases of operations during the pandemic. U.S. Northern Command, headed by Gen. Terrence O’Shaughnessy, is the Pentagon’s lead for the COVID-19 response.

“This visit allows Secretary Esper to observe how U.S. Northern Command is conducting COVID-19 response operations through their virtual edge computing and cloud based servers. It also provides him the opportunity to express his gratitude to USNORTHCOM personnel during these unprecedented times,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

COVID-19 UPDATE: As of Wednesday, the Pentagon reported a total of 7,604 cumulative cases of coronavirus infection among military members, DOD civilians, and their families — an increase of 70 since Tuesday, with 177 requiring hospitalization at some point and 2,995 listed as recovered. The death toll remains at 27, including two military members, 14 DOD civilians, four dependents, and seven contractors.

CNO’S MESSAGE, ‘WE MUST HARDEN OUR NAVY’: “The fight against this virus is a tough one. But our sailors are tougher, and each of you plays a critical role in defeating this virus,” said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday in a message to the fleet yesterday. “We must harden our Navy by continuing to focus on the health and safety of our forces and our families.”

“As we continue to learn about this virus and how to mitigate its risk, the widespread public health measures you are actively practicing — physical distancing, face coverings, minimizing group events, frequent hand-washing, sound sanitation practices, a questioning attitude on how we are feeling — must be our new normal,” he said.

POMPEO: NO CONTRADICTION ON VIRUS ORIGIN: On Sunday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC’s Martha Raddatz that there’s “enormous evidence” the coronavirus originated in a Chinese research lab. “I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan,” he said.

On Tuesday, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there was no definitive evidence: “Did it come out of the virology lab in Wuhan? Did it occur in the wet market there in Wuhan? Did it occur somewhere else? And the answer to that is we don’t know.”

Yesterday, in a contentious exchange at a State Department briefing, Pompeo insisted there was no contradiction. “Those statements are both true. They’re entirely consistent,” he said, referring to his own statements, not Milley’s.

“I’ve now answered this question — I think it’s the 13th time. Happy to try to answer it again. I’m not sure what it is about the grammar that you can’t get,” Pompeo lectured a reporter. “We don’t have certainty, and there is significant evidence that this came from the laboratory. Those statements can both be true. I’ve made them both. Administration officials have made them. They’re all true.”

TAKING THE WRAPS OFF THE X-37B SPACEPLANE: You have to look closely, but in the new recruiting video for Space Force, you can catch a few glimpses of the Air Force’s shadowy spaceplane, known as the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle.

The Air Force is talking more openly about the reusable spacecraft, which was previously cloaked in secrecy. At yesterday’s Space Foundation webinar, Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett described the next mission for the X-37B, an unmanned spaceplane built by Boeing that blasts into orbit by a rocket and then glides back to Earth like the space shuttle.

“This important mission will host more experiments than any prior X-37B’s flight, including two NASA experiments,” Barrett said. “One is a sample plate evaluating the reaction of select significant materials to the conditions in space. The second studies the effect of ambient space radiation on seeds. A third experiment designed by the Naval Research Laboratory transforms solar power into radio frequency microwave energy, then studies transmitting that energy to Earth.”

“So, mark your calendar,” she said. “The X-37B launches from Cape Canaveral in 10 days on May 16.”

THE OTHER SPACE FORCE: On Twitter, you can find the U.S. Space Force, @SpaceForceDoD, and @realspaceforce, which is actually not the real Space Force, but the Twitter feed for the new Netflix comedy series starring Steve Carell as the four-star general in charge of the new military service (check out Carell’s nifty Moon-inspired BDUs).

The trailer for the cable series, and the reaction of real Space Force Commander Gen. Jay Raymond, was one of the highlights of yesterday’s webinar. Check out my colleague Abraham Mahshie’s account, in which Raymond, who is bald, takes a playful swipe at Carell’s haircut and suggests Bruce Willis might have been a better fit to play him.

SASC ADVANCES 2,807 MILITARY NOMINATIONS: The Senate Armed Services Committee voted by voice yesterday to approve a list of 2,807 pending military nominations in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. All nominations were immediately reported to the floor following the committee’s action.

Among them: the new Air Force public affairs chief, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.

13 PROMOTIONS: In addition, Esper has announced that the president has made 13 general officer nominations.

CONFIRMED: And acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell congratulated Bill Evanina, who was confirmed as director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.

“With more than 30 years of distinguished federal service, including nearly six years of leading NCSC, Evanina’s confirmation is overdue and well-deserved,” Grenell said.

The Rundown

Washington Examiner: Trump says coronavirus pandemic worse ‘attack’ than 9/11 and Pearl Harbor

Washington Examiner: ‘Very insulting’: Trump vetoes resolution limiting war powers against Iran

Washington Examiner: Pentagon argues ‘hundreds of billions of dollars’ and national security at risk if FCC decision not overturned

Washington Examiner: US and Western allies offer disjointed response to China coronavirus calamity

Washington Examiner: ‘I’ll end wars’: Libertarian Justin Amash promises to ‘bring our troops home’ as president

Washington Examiner: Space Force recruitment video invokes Steve Carell Netflix role

McClatchy: Coronavirus Made Military Recruiting Harder. Now Past Cases May Disqualify Recruits

Military Times: More Than 5,000 Troops Positive For Coronavirus As Military Expands Testing

USNI News: SWO Boss: ‘Insidious’ COVID-19 Spread On USS Kidd Shows Evolution Of Navy Response To Pandemic

Reuters: Special Report: U.S. Rearms To Nullify China’s Missile Supremacy

USNI News: Japan-Based Carrier USS Ronald Reagan is Underway as SECDEF Warns of Chinese Military Moves in South China Sea

Air Force Magazine: Air Force Seeking Faster, Longer-Range Air-to-Air Missiles

Breaking Defense: Navy Wants Robot Boats But Will Still Need Sailors To Fix Them

Bloomberg: Navy’s Big Frigate Risks an Oversized $1.4 Billion Cost Per Ship

Naval News: Russia Builds Up Mediterranean Naval Force

Foreign Policy: Trump Taps Point Man to Remove Pentagon Officials Seen as Disloyal

Just the News: Venezuela’s Maduro has launched propaganda campaign about botched mercenary raid, State Dept says

Washington Post: From a Miami condo to the Venezuelan coast, how a plan to ‘capture’ Maduro went rogue

Washington Post: Kim Jong Un Didn’t Have Heart Surgery, South Korea Says, Tying Absence To Coronavirus Fears

New Republic: Why Is the Pentagon Still Paying $10 a Gallon for Gas?

Forbes: Early Lessons From The U.S. Army’s Campaign To Conquer COVID-19

Calendar

THURSDAY | MAY 7

8:30 a.m. — Raytheon Technologies conference call to discuss its first-quarter 2020 earnings. The earnings will be released prior to the stock market opening. http://www.rtx.com

9:30 a.m. G50 Dirksen — Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to consider the nominations of Kenneth Braithwaite to be secretary of the Navy, James Anderson to be deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, and Gen. Charles Q. Brown, to be chief of staff of the Air Force. https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings

FRIDAY | MAY 8

11 a.m. — Brookings Institution webinar: “Global China: Assessing China’s Technological Reach in the World,” with Michael Brown, director of the Defense Department’s Defense Innovation Unit; and former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, visiting governance studies fellow at the Brookings Center for Technology Innovation. https://www.brookings.edu/events/webinar

TUESDAY I MAY 12

5 p.m. — George Mason University National Security Institute “NatSec Nightcap” event with Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, and Jamil Jaffer, executive director, National Security Institute. https://nationalsecurity.gmu.edu