Electronic warfare

Soldiers are being forced to recognize one of their greatest vulnerabilities on the battlefield

As Army soldiers in Europe await the expected arrival of a new electronic warfare planning tool known as Raven Claw, several other recent technology upgrades are forcing better awareness of one of their own, greatest vulnerabilities: spectrum.

Certainly, soldiers understand the potential for EW. Raven Claw, for one will allow them to manage the electromagnetic environment on the move and without network connection. And its Versatile Radio Observation and Direction capability, or VROD, and related VMAX “search and attack” function mean warfighters can detect and target potential electromagnetic interference threats.

Another tool, Sabre Fury, offers similar capabilities in a vehicle-mounted format, available for use on Humvees and Strykers.

The tools were delivered in late 2017 and early 2018.

American soldiers based in Germany “want to have the best EW capabilities, because of the adversarial threat,” said Capt. Ian Bolser, EW officer with the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. “There is a strong reliance on electronic communications, and these tools help us both to see ourselves in the spectrum and to use the spectrum to drive targeting and intelligence cycles.”