Overview of Department of Defense Use of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Abstract

Communication using the electromagnetic spectrum (the spectrum) enables a number of modern military capabilities. The Department of Defense (DOD) uses electromagnetic radiation to enable military communications, navigation, radar, nonintrusive inspection of aircraft, and other equipment. DOD also heavily relies on electromagnetic radiation for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications such as missile early warning and signals intelligence. Individual branches of the military (e.g., the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force) currently are allotted significant ranges of frequency bands to enable various equipment and applications that support military operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 08, 2020
Accession Number
AD1115153

Entities

People

  • Jill C. Gallagher
  • John R. Hoehm
  • Kelley M . Sayler

Organizations

  • Congressional Research Service

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • C4I
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • 5G Wireless Networks
  • Bandwidth
  • Congress
  • Data Links
  • Detection
  • Directed Energy Weapons
  • Electromagnetic Radiation
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Frequency Bands
  • Information Systems
  • Military Applications
  • Military Science
  • Millimeter Waves
  • Mobile Phones
  • National Security
  • Radio Frequency
  • United States Government
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Warfare
  • Wireless Communications

Fields of Study

  • Engineering
  • Physics

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Radio communications and signal processing.
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

  • Fully Networked C3
  • Space