In late July, I had the opportunity to attend an electronic attack conference on Capitol Hill that drew many leaders from across the US electronic warfare (EW) community. The event, sponsored by the Lexington Institute, aimed to provide lawmakers and their staffs a better understanding of the Services' approaches to electronic attack, including some of its most important programs. The conference's timing was apt. Congress was nearing the August 2 deadline to raise the government's debt ceiling, and the subsequent deal between the Democrats and Republicans has left future defense spending facing substantial cuts if political leaders cannot agree on future spending plans. Regardless of what happens, EW programs across the DOD, including Next Gen Jammer, Joint Allied Threat Awareness System, Common IR Countermeasures, Integrated EW System and Long-Range Strike, will need to fight hard to demonstrate their importance and value if they are to remain intact over the next several years. These programs cannot be allowed to turn into bill payers for other non-EW programs, as has often happened in the past.
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