The US has unveiled a cloud-based system that can provide the military with better command and control capabilities in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS).
Called the Electromagnetic Battle Management – Joint (EMBM-J), the new tech works by integrating other EMS capabilities and functions into one system that seamlessly gathers and arranges data into a single visual display.
It reportedly allows commanders to rapidly act on threats by visualizing the common operating picture.
“What this does today that warfighters don’t have in their hands is that it provides the ability to bring a number of different information feeds, a number of different data sources together in one picture,” program executive office deputy director Kevin Laughlin said.
Once operational, the EMBM-J will also provide warfighters with increased situational awareness of the whole spectrum.
Achieving EMS Superiority
In the military, the EMS is used to support intelligence operations, with nearly every modern asset such as aircraft, submarines, and satellites relying on it to effectively function.
Because of that, the spectrum is now considered a modern-day battle space, which has become highly contested and constrained.
According to US Air Force Brig. Gen. Ann-Marie Anthony, the effective use of the EMS is essential for successful military operations in the air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains.
The development of the EMBM-J is said to be the first step for the US to achieve EMS dominance.
“Maintaining situational awareness of EMS is necessary for military commanders to manage its use, as it becomes increasingly used by adversaries, and therefore congested,” the Defense Information Systems Agency stated.