"Just as the Marine Corps hastraditionally used the air, fand andsea to close with and destroy the

enemy, it must now look at the EMSenvironment as an equally relevant

'Maneuver Space.'"

Air-Land EWThe US Marine Corps is a uniquely agilefighting force, an important consider-ation wher\ evaluating its approach tofielding an EW battle management ca-pability. Unlike its brethren Services,which must often co-address strategicand geo-political concerns like globalforce projection and winning potentialwars, the Marine Corps focuses on seiz-ing objectives and winning battles. Thisis why, when the Marine Corps officiallyidentifies securing the ElectromagneticSpectrum (EMS) as a critical mission ob-jective, you can expect that there arealready Corps boots and brains movingout on the target. Even so, they have along way to go, with many of the well-known obstacles, challenges and ques-tions still to be addressed.

In June of last year, the MarineCorps Capabilities Development Direc-torate (Quantico, VA) released a Con-cept of Operations (CONOPS) documentfor Marine Air-Ground Task Force Elec-tronic Warfare, (MAGTF-EW). In it, theUSMC defined the EMS as a warfight-ing environment that must be fully in-tegrated into the complete battlefieldawareness and management activitiesof the MAGTF Commander, with Ma-rines at all echelons relying on EW asan integral component to their opera-tions. "Just as the Marine Corps hastraditionally used the air, land and seato close with and destroy the enemy,it must now look at the EMS environ-ment as an equally relevant 'ManeuverSpace,'" the document states.

In truth, there's not much new ordifferent, if anything, about the Ma-

rine Corps strategy. It includes all thefamiliar buzzwords - interoperability,networking, cross-discipline coopera-tion, system of systems (SOS), increasedtraining, etc. What is different, how-ever, is that the Marine Corps has putits plan on paper, in detail, and mostimportantly, it has linked it directly toexisting capabilities and assets and toother technologies and systems that arealready in advanced development for re-alistic, near-term deployment - specifi-cally the 2016-2020 timeframe.

According to the Marines, the 2016-2020 timeframe accounts for capabili-ties which are currently in development,the "sundown" of the EA-6B, potentialdeployment of a Group 4 UAS, and theF-35B Joint Strike Fighter.

EW FOR THE MARINE RIFLEMANWhatever EW capabilities the Ma-

rines ultimately implement, it mustin parallel address a change in MarineCorps operational thinking. To adaptto a changing threat environment, theMarine Corps is gradually shifting froma battalion-centric approach to one inwhich the Marine rifle company is seenas the lowest tactical unit capable ofindependent operations. To accomplishthis, however, the rifle companies willneed to have increased network accessand situational-awareness information.As described by LtCol Shawn Cunning-ham of the Networking/Connectivity Di-vision (APW-74), Weapons RequirementsBranch at USMC Headquarters, "The in-tent is that the MAGTF Commander willhave the necessary organic assets at his

disposal to control the EMS at the timeand place of his choosing, but also tohave the ability at the tactical level forMarines to request capabilities such asISR and non-kinetic fires in real time."

The CONOPS explains this shift: "His-torically, the Marine Corps focused sepa-rately on airborne and ground basedplatforms, using them to conduct Elec-tronic Attack (EA), Electronic Protection(EP), Electronic Warfare Support (ES), andSignals Intelligence (SIGINT) as requiredby each individual MAGTF element. Inorder to better support the Marine rifle-man and provide him access to the fullEW network, the MAGTF EW concept mustallow for the coordinated management ofaction of each element of EW, spectrummanagement and now cyber, rather thana mutually exclusive approach." It goeson to say that "traditional EMS users(EA, ES, EP, SIGINT, Force Protection, andspectrum management) must collaboratewith cyber and information operations inorder to counter the threat and providethe desired effects in direct support tonot only the Marine rifleman but all ech-elons within the MAGTF."

The CONOPS cites a 2010 White Housefact sheet that states, "the use of thespectrum has grown at over 250 percentper year, with some estimates indicat-ing that the next five years will see anincrease in wireless data of between20 and 45 times 2009 levels." In paral-lel with this trend, dedicated commandand control systems will continue toincorporate new, sophisticated wave-forms, encryption methods and othertechnologies and tactics that will allow

3

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them to blend into the global informa-tion environment. Enemy combatantsin low-intensity conflict areas havealready begun to exploit a multitudeof cheap, readily-available commercialcommunication technologies, and thistrend will undoubtedly continue as com-mercial use of the spectrum continuesto grow at a rapid rate.

ALL IN THE FAMILYTo deal with this disparate range

of future threats and requirements,the Marine Corps plan calls for the de-ployment and integration of a scalable"EW Family of Systems (FOS)," organicto each unit, combined with the cre-ation of Electronic Warfare Coordina-tion Cells (EWCC) within each MAGTF.Says LtCol Robert Kudelko, EW AviationRequirements Officer (APW-41) at USMCHeadquarters, "We've clearly seen thedemand from Iraq and Afghanistan, andwe're trying to align the FOS/SOS to ad-dress these demands and provide theneeded organic EW assets. The ground,air and command and control pieces allhave to advance together for this to beeffective. All are equally important."

The cornerstone of this capabilitywill be a "services oriented architec-ture (SOA)" working across an IP-basednetwork. This "EW Net" is planned tobe compatible with Tactical TargetingNetwork Technology (TTNT), AdvancedNetwork Wideband Waveform (ANW2),Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW), CommonData Link (CDL) and other future wave-forms and networks, and includes net-work capabilities resident in the RadioBattalions, UAV squadrons (VMUs), andspectrum management communities aswell as future networks supporting theF-35B. Testbed demonstration projects,like the recently completed Collabora-tive Online Reconnaissance Provider/Operationally Responsive Attack Link(CORPORAL), are aimed at enabling thisaccess and will be the foundation forthe Electronic Warfare Services Archi-tecture (EWSA).

The EWCC will host the Marine Corps'EW brainpower, "responsible for refiningthe Electronic Order of Battle (EOB)" andfor making available and coordinatingboth tactical ground and airborne EWassets in real time for the MAGTF com-mander. As described by Lieutenant Col-

onel Cunningham, "Using the EW Net,the EWCC will provide the personnel andsubject-level expertise to deliver a trulyintegrated EW capability at the tacticallevel. Tactical Commanders will be ableto request and receive both kinetic andnon-kinetic fires, with the non-kineticpiece controlled by the EWCC."

IN THE AIRHistorically, Marine Expeditionary

Units (MEUs) have not had their ownorganic, dedicated aviation EW ele-ments, but this is expected to change.The capability will be provided by acombination of manned and unmannedplatforms. Though the venerable EA-6Bis currently slated for retirement, it isstill expected to be a major EW assetfor the remainder of the decade. Tran-sition to the ICAP III version of theProwler will be complete by June 2012,and the Marines plan to receive 32 ICAPIII aircraft and maintain the programinto 2019. Eventually, many of Prowl-er's existing missions are expected tobe handed off to the F-35B Joint StrikeFighter (JSF), as well as other multi-role manned and unmanned aircraft.

The IntrepidTiger IIALQ-231communications

electronic attack podis one example of an

EW capability plannedfor integration on

multi-role airframesincluding the AV-8B,

F/A-18 and AH-IZ.

"Historically, Marine Expeditionary Units(MEUs) have not had their own organic,

dedicated aviation EW elements,but this is expected to change."

The KC-130J, with its extended loitertime and payload capacity, is anotherplatform under consideration as an air-borne MAGTF EW asset.

The Intrepid Tiger II ALQ-231 com-munications electronic attack podis one example of an EW capabilityplanned for integration on multi-roleairframes including the AV-8B, F/A-18and AH-IZ. The Intrepid Tiger II pro-gram is itself an example of a noveland streamlined approach to acquisi-tion. Acting as its own prime contrac-tor, each pod is integrated by the USMCitself. At a cost of less than $600,000per unit, the system makes extensiveuse of off-the-shelf components, whichshould provide for relatively easy up-grade and maintainability. In additionto communications intelligence and

jamming functions, the Intrepid TigerII pod is following an upgrade paththat should enable it to perform elec-tronic support as well. Says LieutenantColonel Kudelko, "In this time of bud-get uncertainty, one of the things wecan offer, particularly with programslike Intrepid Tiger II, is fiscal conser-vatism. It's a pennies-on-the-doUarsolution while providing an increasedcapability. Though it can really onlyprovide a portion of the EA-6B's full-spectrum capability, the quantity ofsystems that we can potentially makeavailable is a big offset."

According to Kudelko, the IntrepidTiger II pod is currently three quartersof the way through its test program,which should be completed in the ear-ly part of this year. "Pending the test

report," he said, "we'll know the feasi-bility and timing of getting the pod de-ployed in theater, but thus far, the testshave been going well."

ON THE GROUNDA number of systems, mixing fixed-

site, man-portable and vehicle-mountedunits, will comprise the ground-basedelement of the MAGTF EW capability.Based on experience over the past de-cade, remotely controlled improvisedexplosive devices (RCIEDs) will contin-ue to be a central focus of Marine Corpsefforts. Currently, the Marines rely onthe Counter RCIED Electronic Warfare(CREW) family of systems. CREW is ahigh-power, modular, programmablemultiband RF jammer that denies se-lected portions of the EM spectrum toan enemy. The latest version, the ThorIII man-pack system, built by SierraNevada Corp. (Sparks, NV), is expectedto be the standard dismounted systemin the 2012 timeframe. Each standardThor III system consists of three, man-pack subsystems each containing ei-ther a low, mid or high-band receiver/

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transmitter; antenna and remote con-trol unit (RCU). The scanning-receiver-based jammer has multiple jammingsignal sources for countering multiplesimultaneous threats.

The vehicular version, the CREW Ve-hicle Receiver/Jammer (CVRJ) manufac-tured by ITT Exelis Electronic Systems(Clifton, NJ), will completely replacethe "Chameleon" system as the Ma-rines' vehicle mounted system this year.Further down the road, future JointCREW (JCREW) capabilities, now in de-velopment, will include mounted, dis-mounted, and fixed site versions thatthe Marines will field in the 2014-16timeframe.

The Marines also expect new CREWcapabilities to evolve into other EW mis-sion areas in support of force protection,including masking thermal imaging,disrupting enemy position-navigation-and-timing (PNT) and deception of RFfused or guided munitions. CREW capa-bilities are also expected to serve in anelectronic support role, feeding sensorinformation back into the EW battlemanagement network.

intercept signals. The system's currentEA capability is provided by the MJ-08jammer, which is planned for replace-ment by upgraded THOR III systemslater this year.

The Marine Corps also depends onseveral vehicle-mounted EW systems.The newest of these is the AN/ULO-30Communication Emitter Sensing and

The Marines also expect new CREW capabilities toevolve into other EW mission areas in support of

force protection, including maskingthermal imaging, disrupting enemy

position-navigation-and-timing(PNT)and deception of RF fused or guided munitions.

Already, a number of new man-packand vehicle-mounted EA and ES systemsare giving Marine Corps' Radio Battal-ions (RadBns) substantial additionalEW punch. RadBn Radio Recon Teams(RRTs) and Marine Corps Special Opera-tions Command (MARSOC) Direct Sup-port Teams (DSTs) are already equippedwith the man-pack Radio Reconnais-sance Equipment Program (RREP SS-3)SIGINT/EW system to support MarineExpeditionary Unit (MEU) commanders,as well as provide indication and warn-ing (I&W) support to other adjacentadvance-force units. The RREP SS-3 isthe fourth generation of RREP, whichis continuously updated to maintain itsability to prosecute low-probability-of-

Attack System (CESAS), which will befollowed by the Marine Corps GroundElectronic Attack System (MCGEAS).CESAS is a mobile digital EA systemintegrated in a Mine Resistant ImpactProtected (MRAP) vehicle for detectionand denial of threat communications.Employed by small teams of Radio Bat-talion Marines, the system can operateboth as a stationary site and on themove. Another EW asset available tothe MAGTF commander is the Mobile EWSupport System (MEWSS) (B). Mountedin a light armored vehicle (LAV) auto-hull, the MEWSS (B) provides SIGINT,DF, and I&W to operational maneuverunits. ES is conducted via the TeamPortable Collection System (TPCS),

while the RREP MJ-08 jammer providesan EA capability.

Ground-based EW systems will be net-worked with airborne capabilities andmanaged via the EWCC. According to theEW CONOPS, the Corps expects UAS willbe an important element of these EW ca-pabilities, which together with mannedaircraft will "work together with radiobattalion ground assets to extend thereach of SIGINT, EW support and EAcapabilities." Currently, unmanned ca-pabilities are provided by the Group 3Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Sys-tems (STUAS) and the AAI (Hunt Valley,MD) R0-7B "Shadow" platforms.

For example, the Boeing/Insitu (Bin-gen, WA) "Scan Eagle," STUAS are beingused to extend the operational rangeand capabilities of RadBns, and can bere-tasked via the network in real time.Currently in service with the Marinesin Iraq, the ScanEagle carries a nose-mounted camera and can be fitted witha number of other sensor packages in-cluding, EO/IR, Biological and Chemical,Magnetometer, and high-resolution ra-dar for intelligence, surveillance and re-connaissance (ISR) missions. Capable offlight times in excess of 15 hours, it hasa 900-MHz UHF datalink and 2.4-GHz S-band downlink for video transmission,

A next-generation STUAS platform isplanned for Initial Operating Capabil-ity with the Navy and Marine Corps inthe fourth quarter of FY2013. Also fromBoeing/Insitu, the "Integrator," whichwill have a multiple-payload capability.

is considerably larger and more powerfulthan the Scan Eagle, with a maximumspeed of 90kt (166km/h).

The Marines are also currently con-sidering investment in a Group 4 UAS.According to Kudelko, "The MarineCorps is still evaluating the full re-quirements for Group IV, so it remainsto be seen whether we will go down thatroad or not. If we decide to, obviously alarger platform will give us the greatestdegree of flexibility for mounting mul-tiple payloads, but it's too soon to tellright now if the Group IV is the MarineCorps requirement."

TRAINING AND MANPOWERAs the Marine Corps moves forward

with its plan for EW battle management,there are still a host of challenges andquestions that remain to be answered.One major area is the question of wherethe EW expertise needed to actuallymanage and implement the new systemcapabilities will come from. The CONOPSstates that "successful implementation[of the SOS] will require a significantfocus on training throughout the EWEnterprise, ... and will require person-nel knowledgeable in basic EW funda-mentals at all organizational levels."It identifies the radio battalions, UASsquadrons and attack squadrons as thebuilding blocks from which existing ca-pabilities can be expanded.

Lieutenant Colonel Kudelko says amanpower study is currently underwayto examine this issue and provide aninitial assessment as to the number ofMarines that will be required to servein the role of MAGTF EW Coordinator,"but we won't have much of this struc-ture available until the EA-6B begins tosundown." The Marines envision a num-ber of the necessary EW experts to comefrom EA-6B aircrews, at least initially,but with the sundown of the EA-6B trig-gering the possible loss of the 7588 MOS(Electronic Counter Measures Officer)expertise, there will need to be an al-ternative path for RadBn personnel toacquire this training. The Corps is cur-rently assessing multiple "schoolhouses"in the other Services, as well as workingto establish its own requirements, "butwe haven't yet defined where we wouldconduct our training or what the sylla-

bus will look like. We don't see a formalMOS designation for several years still,"says Kudelko.

Another big question is where EWCCpersonnel will actually be located, theirspecific roles and responsibilities, andthe command structure in which theywill operate. Lieutenant Colonel Cun-ningham says that the Service's Op-erational Analysis Division has recentlypresented the results of a year-longstudy effort looking at just that. "Ournext step is to review and evaluate theserecommendations, but the leadershipdecision will still have to be made, be-fore anything is actually implemented."

Lieutenant Colonel Kudelko addsthat "it's too soon to tell if there will bean EW specialist at the company level.We don't currently have the manpower

or structure that some of the otherServices might have. One proposal isto maintain a central EW command ofsorts that would potentially detach todeployed units, similar to the way wesupport our Forward Air Controller (FAC)responsibilities."

MARCHING FORWARDThe Marines have outlined a vision for

EW that they had already started to buildwell before they published their recentMAGTF EW CONOPS. It is a document thatis cognizant of the lessons learned overthe past decade, and at the same timeit illustrates a forward-leaning vision forair-land EW. Ultimately, it will providethe MAGTF with a better understandingof how to successfully fight and win inthe EM environment. 4r

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