I’ve only got a background in some early computerese, but I’ll give it a shot (and I’m NOT sure I even have a good handle on this).
Sounds like the DOD manages the “lookup message routing table” for lack of the appropriate term. Everyone’s computer, router, and other internet connected device (phones, washing machines, apparently some voting machines [/s]) have a unique address, similar in the way everyone’s house has a unique address (one of Free Republics is 45.79.XX.181 for example). If you go to your CMD line (Start->Command Prompt) and type “tracert www.freerepublic.com”, you can see all the bounces (servers) your command requests/return web pages to FR go through to reach the web page files at FR.
As far as why the DOD expanded this significantly just as Trump left office, I can only speculate. But just like Bill Gates supposedly saying way back when “Oh, I would think 640kb of RAM should be enough” when asked about the limits on computer memory, well, there’s a lot of expansion that needs to happen. Maybe they’re doing it for something related to the 2020 election, or just doing it for all the autonomous vehicles of the future, who knows. Hope this helps without all the acronymania. And yes, I just came up with that word... < :-) >
Thanks FReepers!