In the field of electronic warfare, 2015 is a very important year, or even the most important year in the past 10 years. Because this year, in the field of electronic warfare, "big events" one by one are overwhelming and competing.

This year, there have been too many major events in the field of electronic warfare, two of which may lead the direction of development in the field of electronic warfare for at least 10 years:

(1) In December 2015, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment (CSBA) of the United States published a research report entitled "Radio Winning: Restoring the Dominance of the United States in the Field of Electromagnetic Spectrum", which put forward the concept of "Electromagnetic Spectrum Warfare (EMSW)" and the concept of "Low Power to Zero Power" warfare (the latter is regarded as the current stage of the former).

Radio Wins: Re-establishing America's Dominance in the Field of Electromagnetic Spectrum

(2) Also in December 2015, the Chief Information Officer of the United States Department of Defense (CIO), Terry Howard, said that the United States Department of Defense will hopefully regard electromagnetic spectrum as a combat area, which some experts call "the sixth combat area" besides land, sea, air, sky and cyberspace.

The U.S. Department of Defense will probably regard the electromagnetic spectrum as a combat area. Some experts call it "the sixth combat area" besides land, sea, air, sky and cyberspace.

In fact, careful analysis shows that these two things are actually the same thing: if the whole electromagnetic spectrum is regarded as a "war zone", then all hostile acts and actions occurring in this war zone will naturally become a kind of war method, just like "air war" in airspace and "sea war" in sea area. All hostile acts and actions in the electromagnetic spectrum domain are naturally called "electromagnetic spectrum warfare".

If the whole electromagnetic spectrum is regarded as a "combat area", then all hostile acts and actions occurring in this combat area will naturally become a kind of tactics, just like "air war" in airspace and "sea war" in sea area.

This logical relationship is well understood, but it is difficult to understand what is "electromagnetic spectrum warfare", or what is the connotation, extension of this method of warfare and the difference between electronic warfare and it. Next, I will briefly elaborate on this issue.

The Age of Conceptual Emergence: Electronic Warfare, Spectrum Warfare and Electromagnetic Spectrum Warfare

In recent years, Americans have put forward many new concepts (e.g. electronic warfare, spectrum warfare, electromagnetic spectrum warfare), and most of these concepts are pitfalls. What's more, Americans are accustomed to digging a pit and leaving (which is similar to Wen Ruian and Nanpai's uncles) without burying a pinch of earth. In this way, these concepts leave endless "clicking space", which leads to different understanding of the concept itself.

Therefore, this part first briefly expounds the concepts of electronic warfare, spectrum warfare and electromagnetic spectrum warfare in order to clarify their connotations and extensions, without laying a foundation for identifying the relationship between them.

(1) Electronic warfare: the most definite method of warfare

The "wireless" of traditional computer network and the "networking" of traditional wireless communication have jointly contributed to the integration of electromagnetic spectrum and cyberspace, and the integration of the two has also contributed to the integration of electronic warfare and cyberspace. However, there is no corresponding term in history to describe this integrated method of warfare, so "spectrum warfare" came out as the times require.

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Defense created a new term to describe the war method after the integration of electronic warfare and cyber warfare, namely "spectrum warfare". At the initiative of the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. military has developed similar projects.

Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) Initiative launched by the U.S. Army

3. In April 2013, the US Navy Secretary of Operations wrote a special article on the concepts of cyberspace and electromagnetic spectrum, cyberwarfare and electronic warfare integration (i.e. cyberspace and electromagnetic environment). The US Navy also launched the study of network and electromagnetic spectrum (NES) roadmap.

In April 2013, the U.S. Navy Secretary of Operations wrote a special article on the concepts of cyberspace and electromagnetic spectrum, cyberwar and electronic warfare integration.

(From the above description, we can see that it is inappropriate to translate spectrum warfare into spectrum warfare, which may be more appropriate because the core essence of spectrum warfare is actually "the intersection of electronic warfare and cyber warfare". But now that the "spectrum warfare" has been called for two or three years, the boat has been built, and only let nature take its course.)

(3) Electromagnetic Spectrum Warfare: Extension of Electronic Warfare

The description of "electromagnetic spectrum warfare" has gone far beyond the traditional category of "electronic warfare"

What is the relationship between these concepts?

After a brief description of these three concepts, a new question arises naturally: What is the relationship between these concepts? In short, I think that the relationship between these three concepts is shown in Figure 3 (for illustration only, the size of the circle is independent of the actual coverage of the tactic).

Specifically, the relationship between the three concepts can be interpreted from the following aspects.

This is well understood: electronic warfare is one of the many activities carried out in the electromagnetic spectrum, while electromagnetic spectrum warfare includes all the activities carried out in the electromagnetic spectrum. This can be clearly seen from the division of the historical stages of electromagnetic spectrum warfare in the report "Radio Victory":

The contest between "active network" and "active countermeasures" in the Second World War

The third stage (after the cold war): electromagnetic spectrum warfare includes passive communication means such as low probability of interception/low probability of detection, passive radar, passive sensing means, stealth and other passive countermeasure means, while electronic warfare only includes stealth and other passive countermeasure means (note: in the field of electronic warfare, stealth is regarded as a passive countermeasure).

Passive Radar/Passive Coherent Location

From the above description, we can see that no matter what historical period, the extension of electromagnetic spectrum warfare is always broader than that of electronic warfare, and it is always the extension of electronic warfare. It can be simply considered that electromagnetic spectrum warfare is "larger" than electronic warfare.

In addition to the concept of "size", there are great differences in the elaboration of electromagnetic spectrum warfare and electronic warfare. In my opinion, this difference is the essential and core difference between them.

In terms of word praise and derogation, electromagnetic spectrum warfare is a "neutral word", that is, it only emphasizes the conflict pattern in the electromagnetic spectrum, but does not emphasize its own side or the enemy. This can also be seen from the division of the stages of the electromagnetic spectrum warfare mentioned above. Of course, specific to each country, there will be electromagnetic spectrum warfare strategy, tactics and technology for their own national conditions, but this does not mean that the concept of electromagnetic spectrum warfare itself is "neutral".

Similarly, in terms of word praise and derogation, electronic warfare is a word of praise, that is, it emphasizes how to attack (electronic attack), how to defend (electronic protection) and how to reconnaissance (electronic warfare support).

Therefore, we can draw the following conclusion: electromagnetic spectrum warfare describes an objective form of warfare, while electronic warfare describes a method of warfare.

As for spectrum warfare, it can be regarded as not only the expansion of electronic warfare to cyber warfare, but also the extension of cyber warfare to cyber warfare. It can also be regarded as a combination of electronic warfare and cyber warfare, or simply called "cyber warfare based on electromagnetic spectrum access" from a technical point of view.

However, no matter from which point of view, with the increasing depth and breadth of integration of electromagnetic spectrum and cyberspace, spectrum warfare will become the most dynamic part of electronic warfare and cyberspace. Network-electricity integrated warfare and battlefield network warfare are typical forms of spectrum warfare.

Fourth, what weapons and systems are expected to become the "sharp weapons" of spectrum warfare and electromagnetic spectrum warfare in the United States?
First of all, it should be pointed out that, since spectrum warfare and electromagnetic spectrum warfare are new concepts, there are no weapons or systems specially designed for these two concepts at present. Therefore, this part only elaborates those weapons and systems that fit the above two concepts at the functional level and are "hopeful" for further development in the future.

(1) Networked and proximity electronic attack system is expected to become a typical next stage electromagnetic spectrum warfare (low-power to zero-power warfare) system.

According to the related elaboration of electromagnetic spectrum warfare, the next stage of electromagnetic spectrum warfare (low power to zero power warfare) will mainly rely on three types of systems: low power electronic countermeasures system, low probability of interception/low probability of detection sensor, low probability of interception/low probability of detection communication system.

Among these three kinds of systems, the most sharp and aggressive is undoubtedly the low power electronic countermeasure system, such as the networked low power approach electronic attack system. In fact, the U.S. military already has a similar system. From the original "wolf pack" system to the recently developed "elf" system of DARPA, they have common characteristics - networking, miniaturization, low power, close operation.

Among them, the most typical is not "elves". On September 16, 2015, DARPA released the "Elf" EW UAV project solicitation letter, aiming at developing a small, networked, cluster EW UAV. The UAV is a semi-expendable reconnaissance and electronic warfare UAV, which can be carried by C-130 transport aircraft outside the defense zone and launched (as shown in Figure 4). The network between UAVs can suppress enemy missile defense system, cut off enemy communication and even inject malicious code into enemy data network. And other functions.

(2) Cyber attack system based on wireless injection is expected to become a typical spectrum warfare system.

The U.S. military has also studied such systems for many years - at least 15 years since the first mention of Project Suter in the 2001 Defense Department's Network Centric Warfare report to Congress. Of course, all aspects of the "Shute Plan" are always false and true, but this can not make its "invasion of enemy prevention and control network" full of sci-fi charm slightly reduced.

The Schutter Project is known as the Black Knight of Cyberspace.

In addition to the Schutter program, many other systems in the U.S. Army are said to have such capabilities, such as the Navy-led Next Generation Jammer (NGJ), which is said to have the ability to inject malicious code into enemy battlefield networks.

Raytheon's Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) for the U.S. Navy is said to have the ability to inject malicious code into enemy battlefield networks.

cyber attack based on wireless injection". On March 17, 2015, it was reported that the United States was developing a podded cyber attack system for the F-35 Joint Attack Fighter. Senior U.S. military officials said cyber attack pods would not reduce the stealth performance of the aircraft. Although the U.S. Army did not disclose details of the pod's related technology and development (e.g. contractors), experts believe that although the pod is designed to attack the enemy cyber system, it is more likely to be a system related to traditional electronic warfare, which can generate attack waveforms.

Although the author's main goal is to distinguish the three concepts of electronic warfare, spectrum warfare and electromagnetic spectrum warfare, in fact, the concept itself is not important, what is important is which concepts are really possible to land.

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