Jam Session: New Technology Helps Sailors on the Digital Frontier

During the world’s largest international maritime exercise last month, Sailors demonstrated a new system that could transform the future of electronic warfare and defense of ships at sea, officials announced August 5, 2014.

Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Electronic Warfare Battle Management (EWBM) for Surface Defense will help Sailors and Marines coordinate electronic countermeasure responses to inbound threats faster than is possible through traditional voice communications, reducing the need to respond with expensive munitions.

With the explosion of digital technologies, control of information in the electromagnetic spectrum is more important than ever when it comes to military campaigns. To achieve information dominance, Navy leaders are emphasizing the use of electronic warfare, in which operators can deny or deceive adversary sensors and radars with electronic signals.

“We have to figure out how we can beat things electronically first,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said at a 2013 conference hosted by the Association of Old Crows. “Why do we spend all this money kinetically if we can jam, spoof or do otherwise?”

ONR’s EWBM system makes it easier for personnel on ships and in aircraft to share information digitally about adversary sensor and radar threats using available communication networks. In turn, naval forces can coordinate countermeasures both onboard and remotely with the help of optimization software, adding speed and precision to a process that normally takes place over just radio communications.

“Electronic warfare is about controlling and using energy while taking away our adversary’s ability to use it,” said David Tremper, ONR program officer for electronic warfare. “With this system, Sailors and Marines will be able to exchange spectrum and threat information between platforms so they can make more informed decisions in situations where time and accuracy are crucial.”

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