Electronic warfare

Will Russian Aggression Ramp Up US Army Focus on Electronic Warfare Needs?

The US Army’s Electronic Warfare Division chief for operations likes to say his favorite person is Vladimir Putin.

The reason?

“Vladimir Putin and the things that he has done in Georgia, Crimea, Ukraine and starting to do in Syria is getting a lot of attention on what it means to have a modern, ready, [electronic warfare]-capable force,” Col. Jeffrey Church said in a recent interview. “Those actions have gotten more traction for Army Electronic Warfare and the need to do that than anything previous.”

The Army relies on the electromagnetic spectrum for everything from the individual soldier’s communications to precise weapons targeting and situational awareness, but even with this major dependence, the service is slow to develop its electronic warfare capability, Church said.