FY2022 Electronic Warfare Funding Trends
Abstract
Many defense analysts consider electronic warfare (EW), which disrupts an adversary's command and control networks, a critical 21st-century combat capability. During a March 19, 2021, House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies and Information Systems hearing, several EW experts noted that China and Russia have developed sophisticated EW expertise. Such expertise raises potential concerns that either country may challenge the U.S. military's ability to access the electromagnetic spectrum. At the hearing, Representative Langevin remarked, "Future combat will be less about the capability of individual weapon systems and more about how a network of systems communicate and work together through the use of the electromagnetic spectrum." EW has become a priority issue for both the executive branch and Congress. To facilitate congressional oversight, this Insight analyzes changes in FY2019-FY2022 Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT and E) and procurement funding requests, tracks the proportions of RDT and E investments by budget activity, and examines funding trends within military departments. In an effort to identify emerging EW technologies, the Deputy Secretary of Defense established the EW Executive Committee (EW EXCOM) in 2015. More recently, the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (P.L. 114-328) required the EW EXCOM to develop an EW strategy. The2017 EW strategy identified EW research and development programs in order to track their progress and gain insight into the overall EW portfolio. For a discussion of this approach to following EW programs, see the U.S. Military Electronic Warfare Program Funding: Background and Issues for Congress.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 21, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1144119
Entities
People
- John R. Hoehn
- Katherine Leahy
Organizations
- Congressional Research Service