WASHINGTON – The U.S. Air Force has activated two divisions at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia dedicated to electronic warfare and its future applications.
The green light, given Oct. 25 at a ceremony at an aviation museum, marks a step toward the creation of the 950th Spectrum Warfare Group, whose mission is to assess the effectiveness of electronic warfare on dozens of aircraft while simultaneously Improve jamming and spoofing capabilities in large military aircraft exercises.
The resulting group is an outgrowth of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. This wing consists of engineers and other specialists who tinker with software and code to counter electronic threats in the field.
“Our enemies are currently considering developing countermeasures to strengthen their capabilities against us,” Col. Josh Koslov, the wing commander, said at the ceremony. “Our team here at Robins will identify our weaknesses and point us in the direction we need to go.”
The Air Force, like the Army and Navy, is reinvesting in electronic warfare and the associated mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum after years of atrophy. Modern militaries rely on spectrum to communicate, navigate and guide weapons to their targets. The fight for this can determine the success of the war or its failure.
Both Russia and China recognize the value of the spectrum and are seeking to strengthen their associated arsenals. According to a Pentagon assessment released earlier this month, the latter could struggle in battles where spectrum access is hotly contested.
“I would like to highlight the words of Air Combat Command Commander General Mark Kelly, who said if we do not achieve superiority in the spectrum, our forces will lose, and lose quickly,” Koslov said.
The 950th Spectrum Warfare Group is expected to be fully deployed by 2027. However, Koslov has shorter-term goals.
Detachments deployed at Robins Air Force Base, where there is already a significant avionics presence, are supporting the effort.
“Standing these units today gives me the organizational ability to put a mission on the table for the warfighters,” Koslov said. “We are taking the burden off the administration responsible for building an organization and allowing them to focus on their mission sooner.”
Colin Demarest is a reporter at C4ISRNET where he covers military networks, cyber and IT. Colin previously covered the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration—particularly the Cold War cleanup and the development of nuclear weapons—for a South Carolina newspaper. Colin is also an award-winning photographer.
Source : www.defensenews.com