Electronic warfare

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Electronic warfare (EW) is the use of the electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary, while optimizing its use by friendly forces. Electronic warfare has three main components: electronic support, electronic attack, and electronic protection.

Electronic support

Main article: Electronic support

Electronic Warfare Support (ES), a military function, is the passive detection of electromagnetic radiation frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum to provide an operations commander detection and bearing of intercepted frequencies for threat or target location. ES capabilities are required to conduct Electronic Attack (EA). ES is not signals intelligence (SIGINT), SIGINT is the time/information related process of analyzing the parameters of an intercepted frequency to categorize that frequencies association with a function an electronic system (e.g. cell phone, RADAR) to develop intelligence for planning. SIGINT is a combination of ELINT, COMINT, and MASINT.

Additionally, care must be taken not to confuse electronic surviellance and signals intelligence with electronic warfare support. Government, law enforcement, and military operational techniques are governed by US Codes for purpose of use with intelligence gathering procedures.

Electronic attack

Main article: Electronic attack

Electronic attack (EA) is the active or passive use of the electromagnetic spectrum to deny its use by an adversary.

• Active EA includes such activities as jamming, deception, active cancellation, and EMP use.

• Passive EA includes such activities as the use of chaff, balloons, radar reflectors, Faraday cages, winged decoys, and stealth.

EA operations can be detected by an adversary due to their active transmissions. Many modern EA techniques are considered to be highly classified.

An older term for EA is electronic countermeasures (ECM).

Electronic protection

Main article: Electronic protection

Electronic protection (EP) includes all activities related to making enemy EA activities less successful by means of protecting friendly personnel, facilities, equipment or objectives. EP can also be implemented to prevent friendly forces from being affected by their own EA.

• Active EP includes such activities as technical modifications to radio equipment (such as frequency-hopping spread spectrum).

• Passive EP includes such activities as the education of operators (enforcing strict discipline) and modified battlefield tactics or operations.

Older terms for EP include electronic protective measures (EPM) and electronic counter countermeasures (ECCM).

See also

• Association of Old Crows
• ELINT
• Electronic Warfare Officer
• Joint Functional Component Command for Network Warfare
• U.S. Marine Corps Radio Reconnaissance
• Electromagnetic bomb
• Battle of Latakia: the first use of EW in a naval battle
• Historical Electronics Museum
• Battle of the Beams
• USACEWP (United States Army Computer Network Operations-Electronic Warfare Proponents)

References

• Electronic Warfare in Operation Desert Storm
• EW Tutorial
• Association of Old Crows
• Electronic Warfare Jamming Systems
• Information Warfare , Information Operations and Electronic Attack on APA
• Electronic Warfare Products
• Space and Electronic Warefare Lexicon

Further reading

• Jon Latimer, Deception in War, London: John Murray, 2001
• David Adamy EW 101: A First Course in Electronic Warfare
• David Adamy EW 102: A Second Course in Electronic Warfare