September 7, 2011 ARCHIVE/SUBSCRIBE EW/SIGINT RESOURCE GUIDE

9/11 STORIES: The Impact on EW

As I think about it, 9/11’s impact on EW was unparalleled in history. If you consider that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted, RCIEDs revolutionized EW and brought it unprecedented recognition. RCIEDs have been around but they were not getting the attention. Now they are, in an unprecedented way.

• The creation of JIEDDO. 40,000 CREW systems. Is there any effort of that magnitude in U.S. history since the Manhattan Project? I don’t think so.
• The reinstatement of EW in the Army. Standing up a school and creating EW specialists, officer and enlisted, in the hundreds going to the thousands
• Navy and Air Force EW people on the ground in-country supporting the Army
• An AOC President from the Army
• Widespread support for huge programs, including Army IEWS, Marine Corps MAGTF EW, Navy NGJ and Air Force EW Pod just to mention a few.
• Newfound support of Airborne Communications Jamming
• A host of flag officers who now are advocates for EW
• STRATCOM anointed as the EW god for DOD
• Recognition of the need for EWBM
• Two EW programs were recipients of $1B plus ups in an era of declining budgets
• The president identified EW as an investment area on his website – can you imagine seeing that 10 years ago?
• The Marine Corps & Army's sudden and significantly funded effort on EW for Helo survivability
• UAVs with and without EW, but many with.

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