Plan a project

Reported deployment

Reported Navy 5G smart warehouse testbed at Naval Air Station North Island, Naval Base Coronado, California

Reported by NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego via DVIDS; results are as reported, not independent measurements.

Reviewed Sep 30, 20266 sourced facts
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Details

Organization
U.S. Navy, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego
Industry
military supply chain and warehousing
Region
Naval Air Station North Island, Naval Base Coronado, Coronado, California
Current operating status
Government-owned prototype 5G network in place, with warehouse automation being added for testing (November 2022)
Not stated by sources
Project date

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Overview

The U.S. Navy's first 5G smart warehouse, run by Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center San Diego at Naval Air Station North Island on Naval Base Coronado, California, is served by a government-owned private 5G network designed and developed by AT&T.[1] The project is one of the Department of Defense (DoD) 5G experimentation sites funded from October 2020, aimed at making logistics between shore facilities and naval units more efficient.[2][3] AT&T demonstrated the network at an April 28, 2022 ribbon-cutting, showing augmented and virtual reality, video surveillance, and AI applications.[4][2] In February 2023 the Navy said the network had been installed and passed acceptance testing and was ready for warehouse automation technologies to be integrated.[5]

At a glance

Organization
U.S. Navy: NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, with Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering's 5G-NextG initiative.[1][5][3]
Location
A 5G smart warehouse on Naval Air Station North Island, Naval Base Coronado, California.[1] C4ISRNET described it as a 120,000-square-foot warehouse.[6]
Date reported
AT&T reported a first test milestone in early 2022;[6] ribbon-cutting and demonstration April 28, 2022;[4] network installed and through acceptance testing as of February 13, 2023.[5]
Spectrum
AT&T 5G spectrum, according to AT&T as reported by RCR Wireless.[3] Bands are not publicly stated; use of CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) is not publicly stated.
Technology
Private 5G core and radio access network,[3] with a native 5G core, edge computing, and a Zero Trust Architecture.[5] AT&T says DoD users can also roam onto its commercial network.[2]
Scale as reported
One warehouse of about 120,000 square feet.[6] Radio and device counts are not publicly stated.
Vendors and roles
AT&T: designed and developed the government-owned 5G network.[1] GE Research, Vectrus Mission Solutions, and Deloitte: DoD contracts for applications.[6] V2X and SouthWest Warehouse Solutions: installed vertical lift modules.[1]
Status
Pilot: a DoD prototype site. The Navy said in February 2023 that the network had passed acceptance testing and was ready for automation integration.[5] We found no later public update.

How the network is used

  • A smart warehouse for trans-shipments between shore facilities and naval units, covering identification, recording, storage, retrieval, and transport of materiel (warehouses and fulfillment).[2][3]
  • Vertical lift storage modules, RFID package tracking, and self-pickup smart lockers tied together by the Navy's Smart Warehouse Inventory Facility Tracking (SWIFT) application, with autonomous mobile robots and real-time asset visibility being prototyped.[5][1]
  • Demonstrations in 2022 of virtual and augmented reality for training and maintenance, an IP camera streaming high-definition video (video surveillance), AI object recognition at the network edge, and augmented-reality pick-and-put on a hands-free device.[2]

Reported results

As reported by the sources below; not independently verified.

  • AT&T says the network delivered 3.9 Gbps of throughput with under 10 milliseconds of latency during the April 2022 demonstrations. This is a vendor-reported figure.[2][4]
  • NAVSUP projected that the vertical lift modules would raise storage capacity by 77% while cutting the storage footprint by 90%. This is a projection, not a measured result.[1]
  • The Navy 5G Smart Warehouse team received a Department of the Navy IT Excellence award in February 2023 for establishing the Navy's first 5G network supporting an operational warehouse.[5]

Timeline

  1. The Navy says the 5G network is installed, has passed acceptance testing, and is ready for automation integration.[5]

  2. NAVSUP commissions two vertical lift modules at the warehouse, to be tested on the AT&T-designed network.[1]

  3. AT&T publishes details of the demonstrations.[2]

  4. Ribbon-cutting and demonstrations of the 5G smart warehouse network at Naval Base Coronado.[4][3]

  5. C4ISRNET reports AT&T has passed a first milestone at a Texas test bed and will move its equipment to the Coronado warehouse.[6]

How to interpret this record

This record keeps the source's anonymous customer label and reported status. A case study does not establish current operation, reproducible performance, or independent verification.

Sources

Researched Oct 1, 2026. Manufacturer and vendor statements are their claims, not independent tests.

  1. NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego completes Modula Vertical Lift Module installation — NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego via DVIDS, Nov 3, 2022. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  2. AT&T Participates in Department of Defense Demonstration of 5G-enabled Smart Warehouse Solutions at Naval Base Coronado — AT&T via PR Newswire, Jun 7, 2022. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  3. Department of Defense inaugurates 5G smart warehouse network — RCR Wireless News, May 3, 2022. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  4. AT&T demonstrates 5G capability for US Navy 'smart warehouse' — Defense News, Jun 10, 2022. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  5. NAVSUP FLC San Diego 5G Smart Warehouse Team member receives the DON IT Excellence 'Modernize' Award — NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego via DVIDS, Feb 13, 2023. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.
  6. AT&T sees progress in Navy's 5G smart warehouse experiment — C4ISRNET, Feb 1, 2022. Accessed Oct 1, 2026.

Every detail in the table at the top comes from these sources. Open the source details for each fact’s publisher, evidence type, date, and where it appears.

Source details (6)
SOURCEOperating status

government-owned prototype 5G network in place, with warehouse automation being added for testing (November 2022)

NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego via DVIDS ↗Official documentationLocation in source: Paragraph 4Checked Sep 30, 2026Source date: not stated

SOURCEReported use case

prototyping warehouse automation such as autonomous mobile robots, real-time asset visibility, and vertical lift storage

NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego via DVIDS ↗Official documentationLocation in source: Paragraph 3Checked Sep 30, 2026Source date: not stated

SOURCEVendors Named

AT&T (5G network design and development); V2X and SouthWest Warehouse Solutions (vertical lift modules)

NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center San Diego via DVIDS ↗Official documentationLocation in source: Paragraph 4Checked Sep 30, 2026Source date: not stated