Outsmarting Agile Adversaries in the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Abstract

Adversaries and competitors are seeking to offset the United States' historical ability to operate within and through the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) by making their systems more complex and adaptable-and therefore more difficult for U.S. platforms to detect, identify, evade, or counter. This presents an enormous challenge to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) electronic warfare integrated reprogramming (EWIR) enterprise. The USAF's EWIR enterprise is responsible for the fully integrated operations of compiling intelligence on adversary threats that emit in the EMS (in particular, radars and jammers) and configuring 1 electronic warfare (EW) equipment to enable aircraft or other USAF resources to react to and/or respond to adverse changes in the EMS environment. The USAF is actively exploring how best to achieve faster, cutting-edge EMS capabilities. To assist in this effort, RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF) examined how adversary capabilities in the EMS are evolving, how fast EW-related software reprogramming needs to be to keep up with the threat, what obstacles exist within the current intel-to-reprogramming process, and what advanced technologies are needed to achieve necessary improvements. PAF's work is centered on what is currently known as EWIR but is scoped to cover the broader range of issues related to the role of data and software in enabling EMS operations and is intended for a broad audience concerned with military planning, budgeting, and operations.The research reported here was commissioned by the Plans, Programs and Requirements Directorate, Headquarters Air Combat Command (ACC A5/8/9) and conducted within the Force Modernization and Employment Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE as part of a fiscal year 2021 project, "Improving Speed and Security in Electronic Warfare Integrated Reprogramming." A related executive summary provides an overview of conclusions and recommendations. 2 RAND Project AIR FORCERAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the Department of the Air Force's (DAF's) federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses, supporting both the United States Air Force and the United States Space Force. PAF provides the DAF with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development, employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future air, space, and cyber forces.1 This configuration is generally done digitally and may include new uploads of data, software code, and firmware. Therefore, it is termed reprogramming. However, we note that it may also include changes to switches, dials, and other manually manipulated controls of the EW equipment.