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electronic warfare
Also known as: EW, radio-electronic warfare, electronic warfare systems, electronic warfare operations, electromagnetic warfare, electronic warfare measures, electronic warfare units
Facts (33)
Sources
How NATO can integrate AI to prevail in future algorithmic warfare atlanticcouncil.org 4 days ago 15 facts
claimWorkshop participants ranked diplomatic action and electronic warfare as the lowest-escalation responses to an AI-enabled drone attack, often employing them in parallel, while kinetic action, cyber operations, and directed energy weapons were ranked as second-ring responses.
accountIn a workshop scenario involving a notional AI-enabled drone saturation attack in the Baltic region, participants ranked diplomatic action and electronic warfare as the most preferred responses, followed by kinetic strikes, cyber operations, and directed-energy weapons (DEW).
claimCyber operators, electronic warfare units, special forces, and conventional reconnaissance-strike systems can all participate in degrading AI-enabled capabilities.
claimRussia is developing a precision-strike system that integrates electronic warfare (EW), uncrewed strike and reconnaissance systems, hypersonic weapons, and low-yield nuclear warheads.
claimMilitary applications of artificial intelligence range from low-stakes administrative automation and training to operational functions like logistics and cybersecurity, and high-stakes roles in targeting, electronic warfare, and human-machine teaming in combat.
accountRussia's war in Ukraine demonstrates how GPS jamming, communications blackouts, and electronic warfare shape combat operations.
claimElectronic warfare is constrained by range, power, antenna limitations, and the requirement for detailed knowledge of enemy waveforms and code.
claimIn electronic warfare, classification tools can automate the filtering of the electromagnetic spectrum by distinguishing signal from noise and highlighting anomalous signals for human attention.
referenceA workshop scenario involving an AI-enabled fast and lethal drone saturation attack into the Baltic region identified seven potential responses: diplomatic action, economic sanctions, cyberattack, conventional kinetic response, electronic warfare measures, directed energy weapons, and tailored nuclear weapons with enhanced electromagnetic pulse.
claimElectronic warfare uses electromagnetic energy to degrade hostile systems through jamming or spoofing, producing reversible, nonlethal effects.
claimThe importance of electromagnetic warfare in the war in Ukraine is driving militaries to design more resilient, autonomous, and decentralized command-and-control structures with improved cybersecurity measures.
claimNuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons are categorized by some as electronic warfare or information warfare rather than nuclear warfare.
referenceThe war in Ukraine has demonstrated the significance of electromagnetic warfare, specifically highlighting the impact of GPS jamming and communications blackouts.
claimCountermeasures against military AI systems include cyber operations, conventional kinetic attacks, electronic warfare, directed energy weapons (DEW), and tailored nuclear weapons with enhanced electromagnetic pulse (EMP) capabilities.
claimElectromagnetic warfare in the West is currently under-prioritized and often treated as subservient to or stovepiped from cyber operations, according to Clara Le Gargasson and James Black in a 2025 RAND Commentary.
Navigating the Digital Battlefield - Joint Air Power Competence Centre japcc.org 6 facts
claimThe People's Liberation Army (PLA) utilizes an 'integrated network electronic warfare' strategy that combines cyber attacks, electronic warfare, and precision kinetic strikes on critical nodes within C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) networks.
referenceIn April 2017, the United States Army superseded Field Manual 3-38 with Field Manual 3-12, titled 'Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations', which outlines tactics and procedures to integrate Army cyberspace and electronic warfare operations into unified land and joint military operations.
accountIn March 2023, soldiers from the US Army’s 11th Cyber Battalion conducted an Operational Readiness Assessment at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where they demonstrated close-range cyber effects using radio-frequency (RF) weapons, electronic warfare (EW), and Information Operations (IO) Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP).
claimRussian forces disrupt Ukrainian battlefield coordination, delay decision-making, and degrade the ability to direct forces in real-time by targeting Ukrainian command and control (C2) systems through cyber attacks and electronic warfare (EW).
claimThe United Kingdom established the Land Cyber Electromagnetic Activity Programme in July 2020 to deliver defensive and offensive cyber and electromagnetic activity, electronic countermeasures, and electronic warfare and signals intelligence capabilities.
claimNATO established the Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS) to provide advanced electronic warfare training and equipment.
Hybrid War: High-tech, Information and Cyber Conflicts connections-qj.org Mar 1, 2026 4 facts
referenceDuring the 2014 Crimea annexation and subsequent combat actions in Eastern Ukraine, specific innovative and highly technical weaponry and hardware were applied, including electronic warfare systems, modern information and communications systems, innovative weapon control systems, integrated reconnaissance-strike complexes, innovative automated software, complexes for information-psychological activities and cyber operations, environmental control and space systems, and robotic systems such as unmanned aircraft complexes.
claimHybrid warfare involves an increasing reliance on radio-electronic, psychological, and information warfare conducted via cyber assets.
accountMajor General Yuriy Danyk is a Professor and Doctor of Engineering Sciences with expertise in the art of war, national defense and security, information and cyber security, electronic warfare, the design and application of robotic complexes, and special forces development.
claimInnovative warfare potential includes Special Operations forces, information-psychological operations, electronic warfare, cyber forces (cyber intelligence, security, and operations), intelligence branches (OSINT, ISR, technical intelligence), operational control communication, and military units equipped with robotic complexes (unmanned aircraft) and countermeasures.
How the Pentagon learned to start worrying and investigate UFOs nationalgeographic.com Jun 25, 2021 4 facts
claimMeaney states that a cardinal rule in electronic warfare is that the less a nation shows of its capabilities, the better.
claimElectronic warfare practitioners consider the sudden appearance of multiple targets on a display where only one was previously visible to be an indication of being spoofed.
perspectiveMike Meaney notes that if spoofing was the cause of the 2015 Gimbal UAP encounters, it would have required very advanced electronic warfare technology for that time period.
claimMilitary specialists nicknamed 'crows' engage in electronic warfare to gain dominance over the electromagnetic spectrum in conflict zones such as Syria, Taiwan, and Ukraine.
How Will Cyber Warfare Shape the U.S.-Israel Conflict with Iran? csis.org Mar 3, 2026 2 facts
measurementElectronic warfare activity has disrupted GPS and automatic identification systems for more than 1,100 ships across the Gulf region, spanning Iranian, United Arab Emirates, Qatari, and Omani waters.
claimThe alleged Israeli BadeSaba hack, which coincided with airstrikes, blurred the lines between cyber, information, and electronic warfare, suggesting that distinguishing between these domains is becoming obsolete.
Iran War: Kinetic, Cyber, Electronic and Psychological Warfare ... resecurity.com Mar 17, 2026 1 fact
claimFollowing US-Israeli strikes on Iran, there has been a surge in electronic warfare and cyber activity involving both Iranian-aligned hacktivist groups and pro-Western hacktivists.
Beyond Missile Deterrence: The Rise of Algorithmic Superiority trendsresearch.org Mar 16, 2026 1 fact
claimArtificial intelligence is central to smart defense systems, including advanced air and missile defense, perimeter security, and electronic warfare tools.