Ukraine Crisis Highlights Chasm Between Russian, US Electronic Warfare Capabilities, General Admits

Fighting between Russian and NATO-armed and trained Ukrainian and mercenary forces in Ukraine has busted an array of decades-old myths about the superiority of Western weaponry and military equipment to those of Russia. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in electronic warfare – an area playing a decisive role on the modern battlefield.

Retired US Army Lieutenant General and former spec ops commander Mike Nagata has sounded the alarm about the state of the US military’s electronic warfare capabilities, warning that America is “still falling behind” adversaries in this area in spite of its best efforts.

“The gap between where the United States should be and where we are, in my judgement, continues to expand not everywhere, but in far too many places,” Nagata said at a Special Operations Forces Week conference in Tampa, Florida.

 “The US government, particularly its leadership – from senior military officers all the way to civilian policymakers – we have to be willing to take more risk in experimenting with, adopting and employing new technologies,” Nagata urged, referring to the unique challenges said to be posed by Russian electromagnetic jamming equipment.

The retired senior officer’s sentiments were echoed by other officials at the conference, who complained about Russia’s leading edge in EW, matched by critical investments in electromagnetic jamming capabilities, compared to a US military electronic warfare effort which in recent decades has been focused on intelligence gathering in low-intensity conflicts against weaker powers.