[May 05, 2015]

Ushering in the Age of Non-Kinetic Warfare

The Association of Old Crows (AOC) enthusiastically applauds the U.S. DoD's renewed emphasis on realizing control of the Electromagnetic Spectrum (News - Alert) (EMS) in the midst of conflict. With the announcement of the Third Offset Strategy by Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel in November 2014, and the March 2015 announcement from Deputy Secretary of Defense, Bob Work codifying the Pentagon's new Electronic Warfare (EW) Executive Committee, the U.S. DoD has signaled its intentions to fully pursue non-kinetic strategies as one of the keys to military power projection in the coming decades. These non-kinetic solutions could entail a combination of electronic attack (a critical component of EW), cyber-attack, high-power electromagnetic (HPEM) weapons, and high-energy lasers, to name a few.

Development of these strategies announced in recent months has operational threads that go back into the Cold War and technological threads that go back into the 1980s and 1990s, but began in earnest with the EW Capabilities Based Assessment (CBA) that the Joint Electronic Warfare Center (JEWC) completed in 2009. Further aalyses led to last year's Defense Science Board (DSB) study emphasizing the need for an additional $2B in funding for EW programs. These recent announcements from the DoD affirm that the AOC's advocacy for strong EW capabilities is on target. The importance of controlling the electromagnetic domain is becoming self-evident as global technological threats continue to develop at an alarming rate.

The Budget Control Act, known as "Sequestration," presents a serious challenge to DoD acquisition as a whole, and specifically to innovation in the electromagnetic warfare industry. While Sequestration is unlikely to affect the ultimate goal of the DoD's Third Offset Strategy, it does serve to hinder many of the potential technological developments needed to fully realize a true operational "offset" advantage. An acquisition strategy and process is needed to expedite development of advanced technologies to ensure the U.S. can control the EMS for the coming years. Delays in funding put U.S. servicemen and women in harm's way at undue cost. The spending limits imposed by Sequestration need to be removed to ensure the technological edge remains available to the men and women proudly serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The age of Non-Kinetic Warfare has arrived, and in the electromagnetic domain, the Association of Old Crows stands ready to support the DoD in its effort to realize its Third Offset Strategy.

Founded in 1964, and with over 13,000 members internationally, the Association of Old Crows (AOC) is an organization for individuals who have common interests in Electronic Warfare (EW), Electromagnetic Spectrum Management Operations, Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA), Information Operations (IO), and other information related capabilities. The Association of Old Crows provides a means of connecting members and organizations nationally and internationally across government, defense, industry, and academia to promote the exchange of ideas and information, and provides a platform to recognize advances and contributions in these fields.

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