Fischer Floats DOD 'Co-Leadership' of Interagency Spectrum Talks
Senate Communications Subcommittee Chair Deb Fischer, R-Neb., pressed the nominee for Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, during his Armed Services Committee confirmation Tuesday on whether he thinks DOD should have a “meaningful co-leadership” role “in any interagency determinations about the future use of federal spectrum.” A leading opponent of efforts to use a coming budget reconciliation package to repurpose any DOD-controlled spectrum for commercial wireless use, Fischer has repeatedly brought up the matter during other military nominees’ confirmation hearings (see 2502270064). Her views on DOD spectrum put Fischer in conflict with Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas (see 2502190068).
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Fischer suggested that she believes DOD shouldn't have “just a seat at the table” in interagency spectrum coordination “because of the exquisite assets that the department has,” particularly the 3.1-3.45, 7 and 8 GHz bands. Caine said DOD should “certainly want to have a voice” in any conversation about reallocating military-controlled bands. He demurred on declaring an outright need for a stronger DOD role in deliberations because the Senate hasn't yet confirmed him to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff but said that if he takes office, he will talk to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “about co-leadership related to that.”
Caine said he believes DOD needs to be active in federal spectrum talks because “there are certain elements of the spectrum” with military incumbents “that have unique physics associated with them that can impact our combat capabilities.” He acknowledged that “if we lose portions of that spectrum, we'll lose some exclusivity related to our combat capability.”