La priorizaci\u00f3n de los elaborados sistemas de guerra electr\u00f3nica cay\u00f3 despu\u00e9s de la Guerra Fr\u00eda. Desde entonces, potencias mundiales como China se han movido para llenar el vac\u00edo despu\u00e9s de reconocer el valor de la dominaci\u00f3n del espectro. Los ej\u00e9rcitos modernos conf\u00edan en el espectro para ejecutar todo, desde comunicaciones hasta orientaci\u00f3n de armas, navegaci\u00f3n y enga\u00f1o.<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Department of Defense\u2019s ability to fend off attacks on the electromagnetic spectrum has atrophied over decades, leaving troops vulnerable on the high-tech battlefields of tomorrow, according to President Joe Biden\u2019s pick to be the nation\u2019s highest-ranking military officer.<\/p>\n
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, nominated in May to be\u00a0the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff<\/a>, told senators this week at his confirmation hearing that the military \u201chas lost some muscle memory\u201d when it comes to electronic warfare after spending years fighting lesser-equipped forces, namely in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Prioritization of elaborate electronic warfare systems fell off following the Cold War. World powers such as China have since moved to fill the gap \u2014 Beijing\u2019s Strategic Support Force was established in 2015, for example \u2014 after recognizing the value of spectrum domination. Modern militaries rely upon the spectrum to execute everything from communications to weapons guidance to navigation to deception.<\/p>\n \u201cElectromagnetic warfare operations are dynamic. U.S., allied, partner, and adversary capabilities in the electromagnetic maneuver space are constantly changing, which creates perpetual challenges to get the right capability to the right warfighter at the right time to be operationally relevant against the right threat,\u201d Brown wrote in answers\u00a0submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee<\/a>, which held the nomination hearing July 11.<\/p>\n \u201cIt depends on the adversary,\u201d he continued, \u201cbut against our most advanced adversaries, the Joint Force would likely face challenges protecting itself from electromagnetic attack.\u201d<\/p>\n If confirmed, Brown would replace the current Joint Chiefs chairman,\u00a0Army Gen. Mark Milley<\/a>. The matter is complicated by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is blocking more than 200 senior military confirmations until the Pentagon drops its travel policy for troops seeking abortion services in states where it is now illegal to administer them. Brown said the blockade is detrimental to overall readiness, or the capacity to fight, recover and shuttle supplies across the globe.<\/p>\n Brown in the past described electronic warfare as a means to flip the script on costs while still staying effective or deadly. The work remains to be finished, he said Tuesday, noting \u201cthe biggest block to doing this is a mindset shift.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOften we think of electromagnetic warfare as a supporting effort to enable some other weapon system or capability,\u201d he said. \u201cIn modern warfare,\u00a0electromagnetic warfare<\/a>\u00a0may be the main effort to achieve the desired strategic effects, especially in the pre-conflict phase where we ideally deter a fight from happening in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n Air Force officials in September announced a so-called sprint to identify electronic warfare deficiencies and generate means of improvement. Before that, the service activated the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, a first-of-its-kind entity designed to optimize electromagnetic capabilities and provide maintenance and technical expertise.<\/p>\n