Electronic Warfare
MCS 08
Winter 2004 Maj JW Paul
Communications without
intelligence is noise
Intelligence without
communications is irrelevant
Gen Alfred M Grey, USMC
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Electronic Warfare
• Why
• What
• Mostly Definitions and Concepts
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Why study EW?
• Subset of IO
Actions taken to affect adversary
information and information systems
while defending one's own
information and information systems
note - media ops not part of info ops in Canada
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Information Warfare
• Any action taken to deny, exploit,
corrupt or destroy the enemy’s
information and its functions;
protecting ourselves against those
actions; and exploiting our own
military information functions
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What is EW?
• The direct application of IO
• EM spectrum is becoming an
integral part of warfare
If you can’t communicate,
you’re dead
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Electronic Warfare
• Military action taken to exploit the
EM spectrum which encompasses
the interception and identification
of EM emissions, the employment
of EM energy to reduce or prevent
hostile use of the EM spectrum,
and actions taken to ensure its
effective use by friendly forces.
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Technical Stuff
• Spectrum classification
communications vs EW
600 MHz = UHF = L band = C band
• Transmissivity
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Traditional EW
• Goal is spectrum superiority
• direction finding (DF) will find
• jamming will strike
• intercept will provide information
• false nets will deceive
• integrate EW into all ops, deep, close
and rear.
newer goal is to reduce opponent’s SA
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Divisions of EW
ER EW
SIGINT ECM ESM EPM
COMINT
ELINT
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ECM Electronic Countermeasures
• Also known as EA - Electronic Attack
That division of EW involving actions taken to
prevent or reduce and enemy’s effective use
of the EM spectrum, through the use of EM
energy Jamming
Deception Categories
Examples Neutralization
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EPM Electronic Protective Measures
• Also known as EP - Electronic Protection
That division of EW involving actions taken to
ensure friendly effective use of the EM
spectrum, despite the enemy’s use of EM
energy frequency
antenna/receiver
processor
Categories
Examples SOPs
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ESM Electronic Support Measures
• Also known as ES - Electronic Support
That division of EW involving actions taken to
search for, intercept and identify EM
emissions, and locate their sources for the
purpose of immediate threat recognition
search
intercept
Examples Categories
direction finding
analysis
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ER Electronic Reconnaissance
• Part of ESM
ER involves the detection, identification,
evaluation and location of foreign EM
radiations emanating from other than nuclear
detonation or radioactive sources
Same as ESM?
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ER & ESM IMMEDIATE
• Gather knowledge of the enemy’s
use of the EM spectrum
• ER is usually strategic
• ESM is usually tactical
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ER signals intelligence
Develop equipment, tactics,
doctrine, wpn systems, etc
Determine enemy electronic OB
SIGINT
communication intelligence
What are they saying?
COMINT
ELINT electronic intelligence
How are they saying it?
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Role of EW Organizations
• provide immediate threat wng
• to provide tac SIGINT in sp of current ops and
future planning
• provide target locations
• provide ECM (now also called Electronic Attack
– EA) support to unit or fmn ops
• provide advice to decrease friendly
vulnerabilities (ECCM or Electronic Protection -
EP)
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Divisions of EW
• Military action taken to exploit the
EM spectrum which encompasses
the interception and identification
of EM emissions, the employment
of EM energy to reduce or prevent
hostile use of the EM spectrum,
and actions taken to ensure its
effective use by friendly forces.
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ELECTRONIC WARFARE
EW
OFFENSIVE DEFENSIVE
ECCM or EP
ESM or ES ECM or EA
technical and procedural means
to protect fr forces from exploitation
SEARCH JAMMING
INTERCEPT DECEPTION
DIRECTION FINDING Low Probability of Intercept LPI
ANALYSIS Adaptive Nulling
Spectrum Emission Control Measures
Encryption
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Divisions of EW
STRATEGIC
ER EW
SIGINT ECM ESM EPM
TACTICAL
Jamming Frequency
COMINT Deception Antenna
ELINT Neutralization Receiver
Processor
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EW Loop Operational
Plan
SIGINT ESM
Tasks Tasks
SEARCH
LOCATE INTERCEPT
ANALYZE
Database Action
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Review
• Why do we study EW?
• What is the difference between Army
and Air Force EW?
• What are the three purposes of EW?
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Questions?
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