Achieving Multi-Domain Dominance Through EMSO

By John Oncea, Editor

The future of electromagnetic spectrum operations demands advanced capabilities, integrated infrastructure, and allied partnerships to maintain superiority in contested environments against peer competitors.

Our friends at the Association of Old Crows will be holding their International Symposium & Convention December 9-11 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. We previewed the event, noting that its theme is Charting a Path to 2035: Navigating the Future of Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations.

But what, exactly, does “Navigating the Future of Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations” mean? We’re not going to pretend to know what’s in the minds of the organizers, but we do have some ideas of our own.

The electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) has evolved from a supporting element in military operations into a decisive and contested battlespace. Modern conflicts increasingly depend on the ability to sense, protect, and exploit electromagnetic signals, making electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO) essential for operational freedom and strategic advantage across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

According to the Air Force doctrine publication AFDP 3-85, “The joint force requires an overmatching, offensive approach to electromagnetic spectrum operations … to enhance competitive advantage and create multiple dilemmas for adversaries in all domains.”

This doctrinal evolution reflects a strategic reality: the EMS has become both an operational opportunity and a vulnerability. Modern militaries are increasingly reliant on the EMS for communications, navigation, sensing, and command-and-control functions.

However, global commercial, civilian, and near-peer deployments of electromagnetic technologies create complex challenges for military forces. The Department of Defense’s 2020 Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy emphasizes that the spectrum environment is “increasingly congested, contested, and constrained,” and that achieving superiority requires agile infrastructure, advanced capabilities, and integrated multi-domain operations.

Rising Spectrum Competition

Competition for spectrum access now occurs simultaneously with near-peer adversaries and civilian/commercial users. The rapid growth of 5G and emerging 6G technologies has significantly increased mid-band and millimeter-wave usage, overlapping with traditional military radar and communications systems, particularly in ranges around 2.7–4 GHz, according to CTIA.

This overlap reduces operational flexibility, creates potential interference risks, and necessitates advanced spectrum management strategies. Agencies such as the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) monitor and regulate spectrum allocation to prevent conflicts and ensure both national security and commercial growth (NTIA Electromagnetic Spectrum Management, 2023).

As 6G technologies mature, they will operate at frequencies approaching 100 GHz. This shift challenges military operations that have historically relied on lower-frequency radar and communication systems, forcing innovation in spectrum sharing, signal isolation, and dynamic interference management. Without these innovations, operational margins will continue to shrink in contested electromagnetic environments.

Advanced Technologies In Electronic Warfare

Electronic warfare (EW) technologies are central to EMSO dominance. Low-probability-of-interception/detection (LPI/LPD) systems employ frequency agility, waveform coding, power management, and wideband transmissions to reduce detectability by adversary radar warning receivers. Active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars demonstrate these principles in practice, continuously adjusting transmission parameters to evade detection while simultaneously tracking multiple targets. These technologies provide U.S. forces with decisive advantages in contested environments.

Quantum sensing represents another transformative capability. Atomic-based sensors developed by the Army’s C5ISR Center detect minute changes in electromagnetic fields, enabling navigation, positioning, timing, and surveillance in GPS-denied or contested areas. Such sensors offer unprecedented sensitivity and early warning capabilities, allowing operators to detect adversaries before they become aware of U.S. observation.

Cognitive EW systems integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to detect, classify, and respond to electromagnetic threats in real time. Unlike legacy systems that rely on static jamming libraries and human operators, these platforms autonomously generate tailored countermeasures and execute them in milliseconds. Programs such as DARPA’s Adaptive Radar Countermeasures (ARC) and Behavioral Learning for Adaptive Electronic Warfare (BLADE) illustrate how cognitive EW platforms can react to frequency-hopping adversary systems at machine speed.

Multi-Domain Integration

Integration of EW across all warfighting domains has become essential. The Army’s Multi-Domain Effects Platoon (MDEP) demonstrates practical implementation. In a recent exercise, an EW team detected a hostile emission, an aerial platform verified it, a computer algorithm calculated its probable location, a platoon leader deployed an unmanned aerial system, and forces jammed the emission while deploying loitering munitions, all while rapidly relocating to avoid counterattack.

Decentralized command structures complement this operational flexibility. The Air Force has implemented distributed control nodes to maintain continuity if primary systems are degraded or disrupted. This enables subordinate units to operate autonomously while remaining aligned with broader strategic objectives.

Total Force Readiness

EMSO readiness requires trained personnel, doctrine development, cultural adaptation, and continuous technology deployment. The Army now emphasizes rapid prototyping and iterative fielding cycles, reducing the time from concept to deployment from years to months. Spectrum situational awareness systems allow units to monitor their emissions, detect interference, and adjust in real time, enhancing survivability in coalition operations and dense urban electromagnetic environments.

Personnel training now focuses on understanding both the operational and signature aspects of all electromagnetic emitters, from communications devices to radar systems. Soldiers are taught to recognize how their own electromagnetic emissions contribute to the operational picture, enabling them to operate with reduced detectability while maximizing mission effectiveness.

Strategic Partnerships And Governance

U.S. EMSO supremacy relies on partnerships with allied nations, academia, and the industrial base. The Department of Defense established the Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Center (JEC) under U.S. Strategic Command to centralize spectrum planning, monitoring, and force direction (USSTRATCOM, 2023). Allied forces participate in joint spectrum-analysis exercises, environmental characterization, and EW training to enhance interoperability and collective capability. The Space Force emphasizes integrating EMSO operations across allied coalitions, ensuring syncronized and coherent execution in joint operations (U.S. Space Force, 2024).

Adversary Capabilities And Spectrum Congestion

Near-peer competitors have made significant investments in EMS capabilities. China operates over 1,189 satellites, including more than 500 dedicated to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance functions, providing extensive situational awareness and targeting capability, according to the U.S. Strategic Command. Russia has deployed advanced jamming, spoofing, and electronic-attack systems, as demonstrated in Ukraine, revealing vulnerabilities in conventional communications networks.

Spectrum congestion is a growing challenge. Federal agencies occupy a majority of prime mid-band frequencies, while commercial entities rely on narrower allocations to support multi-trillion-dollar economic activity, according to the United States Government Accountability Office. Advanced spectrum-sharing strategies, computational management tools, and updated policy frameworks are essential to ensure military readiness while supporting commercial growth.

Sustaining Advantage

Maintaining EMS superiority requires coordinated effort across technology development, operational doctrine, organizational adaptation, and international partnerships. Rapidly fielding disruptive EW capabilities, decentralizing command decision-making, ensuring total-force spectrum awareness, and integrating allied operations are all critical for preserving operational advantage.

By prioritizing these strategies, the U.S. military ensures freedom of action in the EMS, enabling decisive effects across all warfighting domains. In modern battlespaces increasingly defined by electronic interactions, dominance in the electromagnetic spectrum directly equates to battlefield dominance, highlighting the centrality of EMSO in 21st-century warfare.