The world is changing rapidly, and so is the way wars are fought. The United States military faces challenges when it comes to securing and protecting its communication systems in a time of advanced technology and shifting global power dynamics.

A key issue is the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) – the airwaves used for wireless communication, radar, GPS and other critical systems. These frequencies are under constant threat of interference from adversaries, and as warfare becomes more high-tech, the ability to control and manipulate this spectrum will determine success or failure.

To address critical U.S. Air Force communications needs, Dimitris Pados, Ph.D., principal investigator and director of the Center for Connected Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (CA-AI) in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University, and George Sklivanitis, Ph.D., co-PI and research associate professor in the CA-AI, have received a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Air Force Research Laboratory to establish the FAU Center of Excellence for Research and Education in Programmable Wireless Networks.

FAU will lead the center and collaborate with the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. The center will serve as a critical hub for innovation in dynamic spectrum operations, secure wireless systems and training the next generation of national defense engineers.

The DoD is actively working to enhance research and education programs centered around EMS operations, driven by the need to modernize systems that have become outdated and inflexible. Currently, military communication tools rely heavily on legacy, “hard-wired” solutions from a limited number of providers. These systems are often difficult to modify or reconfigure to suit diverse mission requirements, which hampers their ability to adapt to rapidly evolving needs. Consequently, the military faces difficulties in fully harnessing its wireless resources, hindering its ability to optimize communications in real-time, particularly within intricate, multi-node networks.

“In the future, the military will operate in environments where the electromagnetic spectrum is fiercely contested. Communication systems will be jammed and interfered with, making reliable communication and data sharing increasingly difficult. To overcome these challenges, we need innovative solutions to minimize interference and maximize utilization of these critical frequencies,” said Pados, Schmidt Eminent Scholar Professor of Engineering and Computer Science and a fellow of the FAU Institute for Sensing and Embedded Network Systems Engineering (I-SENSE) in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “This issue goes beyond just connecting radios – it also affects vital systems like radar, GPS and navigation tools that rely on the spectrum.”

These challenges underscore the need for a strategy that prioritizes flexibility, adaptability and responsiveness to the fast-evolving demands of modern wireless communication.

“We need to move from rigid, siloed models to programmable and adaptive systems capable of learning, self-optimizing and collaborating in real time,” said Pados. “By investing in advanced research and cutting-edge technologies, the U.S. military can maintain its strategic edge in the competitive race for electromagnetic spectrum dominance, ensuring a decisive advantage in future operational environments.” 

The FAU Center of Excellence will focus on research, development and education to produce advanced technologies and address the strategic gap of skilled professionals required to design and deploy these technologies in real-world scenarios.

“This is particularly urgent in today’s world, where everything from battlefield communications to satellite navigation systems relies on secure and robust use of the electromagnetic spectrum. The need to protect and control these invisible communication channels becomes paramount,” said Pados. “Without the right systems in place, adversaries can disrupt communications, affect navigation systems and cause chaos.”  

The FAU Center of Excellence’s program will be built on three pillars aimed at advancing communications in contested electromagnetic environments. The first focuses on developing advanced algorithms for secure and agile spectrum operations, enabling real-time, autonomous decision-making to optimize spectrum use, avoid interference and maintain uninterrupted communications, even under attack.

The second pillar centers on creating secure, high-performance hardware solutions, including processors, GPUs and FPGA fabrics, which power software-defined radios and networks. These adaptable, programmable technologies ensure resilience against evolving threats in multi-domain operations, from surface to air, space and underwater. The third pillar emphasizes workforce development, with a comprehensive approach to education at all levels, from high school to doctoral programs. This ensures the cultivation of a skilled, robust workforce capable of developing and implementing the necessary technologies for future EMS operations.

“Our FAU Center of Excellence will be at the forefront of developing a new generation of engineers and computer scientists who will be equipped to tackle the growing challenges in electromagnetic spectrum operations,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “As adversaries around the world become more sophisticated in their ability to disrupt communications, it’s imperative for the United States to stay ahead of the curve. This center is crucial because it will produce the next wave of talent and technology that will ensure we maintain control of the electromagnetic spectrum, preventing adversaries from gaining any upper hand in communications, navigation or radar systems.”

Aligned with current DoD strategic priorities, the center will serve as a key research and education node for transforming legacy spectrum operations and supporting future capabilities for operations in contested and denied spectrum environments.

Co-PIs of the effort are Sklivanitis, Charles E. Schmidt Research Associate Professor and an I-SENSE Fellow, FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science; Nicholas Mastronarde, Ph.D., associate professor and co-director of undergraduate studies; and Zhangyu Guan, Ph.D., associate professor, both with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University at Buffalo, SUNY.

Dimitris Pados, Ph.D., principal investigator and director of the Center for Connected Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (CA-AI).

George Sklivanitis, Ph.D., co-PI and research associate professor in the Center for Connected Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (CA-AI).

-FAU-