Photo of Benjamin Pimentel/ NPS Foundation
Lt. Col. Benjamin Pimentel: Defense Leader and 2024 5G Forum’s Closing Keynote Speaker
Benjamin Pimentel, Lieutenant Colonel of the Marine Corps, is a defense leader in 5G communications for warfighting missions. He is chosen to deliver the closing keynote speech at the upcoming 2024 5G Forum on May 22, 2024.
Get to know more about Lt. Col. Pimentel’s professional journey.
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An Introduction to Benjamin Pimentel
Lt. Col. Benjamin Pimentel is a Marine Corps Communications Officer and Certified Electronics Engineer. He is assigned to the FutureG Office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E) as the Technical Lead for Expeditionary & Tactical Programs.
Mr. Pimentel entered the U.S. Naval Academy, where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree. He then graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Among his notable achievements as a Communications Officer was = planning, operating, installing, and maintaining Command and Control networks. He established expeditionary connections in Japan, Afghanistan, and South Korea.
Previously, Lt. Col. Pimentel took on various operational leadership roles such as:
- Commander of the S-6 Platoon at the Headquarters Co, 7th Marines, from 2008 to 2011
- Deputy Program Manager and Acting Program Manager for the Expeditionary C4/Cyber at the Office of Naval Research, from 2013 to 2016
- Network Operations Officer at the Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 1, from 2016 to 2018
- Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General at the Marine Expeditionary Force, from 2018 to 2019
For his work and contributions to the Department of Defense, Lt. Col. Benjamin has garnered prestigious accolades such as the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
Lt. Col. Benjamin Pimentel as the Closing Keynote Speaker at the 2024 5G Forum
Benjamin Pimentel is a seasoned summit speaker in the fields of engineering and research and development. Most previously, the Lt. Col. was a panel speaker at the 10th Annual R&D Summit on January 31, 2024.
The Potomac Officers Club once again selected the Lt. Col. to deliver the closing keynote address at the 2024 5G Forum.
About the 2024 5G Forum
The 2024 5G Forum is one of the Potomac Officers Club’s most awaited government events this year. It is scheduled to take place on May 22, 2024, at Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park in Falls Church, Virginia.
Among the 2024 5G Forum’s focal points are the discussions about the challenges of 5G communications and their impact on the United States military, government, and civilian sectors. Topics include quantifying the impact of 5G on CJADC2, promoting edge computing, enhancing warfighter capabilities, and building smarter and more sustainable cities.
Join the 2024 5G Forum and get to know more about the future of 5G capabilities and the leaders behind these revolutionary initiatives.
Benjamin Pimentel’s 5G Insights and Industry Contributions
Benjamin Pimentel has proven to be a seminal force in promoting 5G capabilities for a wide range of Department of Defense activities. Outlined below are some of his notable contributions in recent years:
The Influence of Open RAN on DoD’s 5G Goals
At the 10th Annual Defense R&D, Lt. Col. Benjamin Pimentel highlighted that Open RANs have a potential harmony with the DoD’s automation goals.
“I think that the RAN Intelligent Controller piece of the Open RAN architecture, in particular, offers an opportunity for us to automate and introduce intelligence into the network that simplifies the management and orchestration of the network,” he said.
He underscored that Open RANs are crucial for simplifying network operations for edge users unfamiliar with network management’s complexities.
Zero-trust Capabilities for Efficient and Safe 5G Use
At a panel discussion of ExecutiveBiz’s 5G Forum, Benjamin Pimentel–who was then a Major at the time–enlightened the importance of zero-trust in enhancing the safety and efficiency of 5G.
While he warned that the hardware component of a 5G network may open the door to vulnerabilities, Lt. Col. Pimentel highlighted that it may also usher in an architecture suitable for virtualization and stockpiling within networks.
In addition, Mr. Pimentel said that the zero-trust method is seminal for the U.S. Marine Corps’ mobility. It gives users access to specific network requirements instead of launching a whole network, which can be inconvenient and hindering.
Related article: The 2024 5G Forum: A Comprehensive Event Guide and Why You Should Attend
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