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AnonTechie directs us to a Wired article on the importance of electronic warfare (EW) in support of global military operations, "Inside the New Arms Race to Control Bandwidth on the Battlefield."
From the the article:
It is well known that America's military dominates both the air and the sea. What's less celebrated is that the US has also dominated the spectrum, a feat that is just as critical to the success of operations. Communications, navigation, battlefield logistics, precision munitions all of these depend on complete and unfettered access to the spectrum, territory that must be vigilantly defended from enemy combatants. Having command of electromagnetic waves allows US forces to operate drones from a hemisphere away, guide cruise missiles inland from the sea, and alert patrols to danger on the road ahead. Just as important, blocking enemies from using the spectrum is critical to hindering their ability to cause mayhem, from detonating roadside bombs to organizing ambushes.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by monster on Wednesday March 05 2014, @09:33AM
Not really something which is going to happen. Right now, there are too many available options, even setting aside nuclear weapons, to disrupt and/or destroy big armies moving together. The massive troops movements of WW2 are not going to happen again, they are too big a liability.
Anyway, there is a fundamental problem with "owning the spectrum": There is no such thing. The media is shared, so any noise/countermeasure you put in, you receive it too. You may be able to discount it [soylentnews.org], but your other units can't unless it isn't really random, but then your enemy can try to get that pseudorandom function too, as can also add its own noise and disrupt your communications.
The only time you can really talk about "owning the spectrum" is when your enemy can't fight for it, and in that case it's not different from winning a battle because the enemy didn't come to fight.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 05 2014, @05:08PM
Maybe it's my old infantryman's bias, but statements like this always make me deeply skeptical. We've been hearing for generations about how this-that-or-the-other technological advance will make the old ways of fighting wars obsolete, and yet practically every war still comes down to boots on the ground. Tactics change constantly, but strategy is surprisingly consistent.
Agreed, "owning the spectrum" is silly hyperbole. But the goal of disrupting the enemy's communications while securing your own isn't silly at all.
(Score: 2) by Daniel Dvorkin on Wednesday March 05 2014, @05:11PM
Heh, the above AC comment is mine. Speaking of disrupted communications ... Has anyone else had trouble with their SN login being annoyingly non-persistent? I carefully don't check the "Public Terminal" box whenever I log in, but I still seem to get logged out whenever I put my computer to sleep.
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