Walorski, Larsen introduce electronic warfare improvement bill

U.S. Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and Rick Larsen (D-WA) on Wednesday introduced a bill to help the U.S. keep its competitive edge in the electromagnetic spectrum domain and aid warfighter readiness when needed.

The Electronic Warfare Capabilities Act will aid in getting electronic warfare technology into the hands of the military in a quicker manner to help defeat emerging threats. The bill acknowledges the need to treat the electromagnetic spectrum as a critical operational domain. By doing this, it treats that spectrum in the same fashion as land, air, surface and submarine warfare. It also places more responsibility with the year-old electronic warfare executive committee to guide a coordinated, Pentagon-wide approach to that type of battle.

“As our military relies more and more on technology for everything from communications to targeting to unmanned vehicles, we need to ensure that these systems are not vulnerable to hacking, jamming, and other forms of electronic warfare,” Walorski said. “The Department of Defense established the joint Electronic Warfare (EW) Executive Committee to strengthen our defense against threats from our enemies, who have worked tirelessly to increase and expand their own capabilities. This legislation will empower the EW Executive Committee in procuring or updating protections to our military’s electronic infrastructure while also providing the Congress with the tools to properly fund and provide resources to these programs. In the global, and now digital, fight against terrorism, we cannot ignore the serious ramifications of failing to keep up with the ever changing pace of military technology.”

The bill is a companion to S.B. 2486, introduced by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).