Electromagnetic Warfare

The United States faces a critical inflection point in the fight for electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) superiority. Historically treated as a supporting function, Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) is now a decisive warfighting capability. Adversaries like China and Russia have prioritized nonkinetic spectrum dominance, challenging decades of U.S. superiority. Without control of the EMS, precision capabilities fail, Joint operations falter, and deterrence erodes. U.S. policies, industrial base practices, and acquisition systems have not adapted at the pace of adversaries’ integrated strategies. Regaining EMS superiority requires urgent, unified action across DoD, industry, and international partners.

This study identifies the fragmented authority, outdated export controls, rigid acquisition frameworks, and a lack of warfighter-informed innovation as root causes of the U.S. shortfall in Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO). While the United States retains advantages in talent, allied relationships, and technology innovation, these assets remain under-leveraged. To regain spectrum superiority, this report proposes bold reforms. First, the United States must fix the foundation of domestic and international policy by establishing an office with centralized authority and budget oversight and overhauling export controls to enable seamless allied collaboration under frameworks like AUKUS. Second, accelerate the fight by integrating warfighters directly into capability development offices and leveraging adaptive acquisition pathways. Finally, sustain the advantage by strengthening industry-government partnerships to harness rapid innovation and by expanding and leveraging modeling and simulation tools for development, testing, training, and wargaming. Incremental reform is insufficient; a transformational shift in policy, acquisition, and mindset is essential to secure advantage in the increasingly contested electromagnetic battlespace of the 21st century.

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