“Therefore, the Committee directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, by March 31, 2022, to provide a briefing to the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on Armed Services on the steps the Department is taking to support 5G and O–RAN. The report shall address how the Department is supporting the development of a domestic industrial base for 5G.

Additionally, the Committee directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, in coordination with the Senior Official for 5G, to provide a report to the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on Armed Services by March 31, 2022 regarding the Department of Defense’s ability to carry out 5G research, prototyping and production projects utilizing existing consortia, as well as the advisability of creating one or more additional consortia in order to address the specific needs of the 5G Wireless Networking Cross Functional Team and others.”