{"id":50448,"date":"2023-07-14T17:24:37","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T17:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/07\/14\/senators-eye-electronic-warfare-capability-demonstration-in-western-us\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:39:13","slug":"senators-eye-electronic-warfare-capability-demonstration-in-western-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/training-sim\/2023\/07\/14\/senators-eye-electronic-warfare-capability-demonstration-in-western-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators eye electronic warfare capability demonstration in western US"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. military would be required to test its electronic warfare and information influence prowess in a future, interstate experiment, if lawmakers get their way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Included in a Senate version of fiscal 2024 defense legislation<\/a> is a provision for a \u201cWestern regional range complex demonstration,\u201d in which multiple services would together evaluate capacities to communicate, gather intelligence, conduct offensive and defensive cyber operations, and jam and spoof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sensitive nature of such capabilities has long rendered full-strength testing and training difficult. Defense officials have said they do not want to harm neighbors on the electromagnetic spectrum and do not want to tip off faraway observers, like China and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An initial demonstration would span at least two ranges in the western U.S., according to the language included in the draft National Defense Authorization Act<\/a>, and would happen within a year of the bill becoming law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat, in a July 12 hearing said the proposed demonstration would \u201cconnect multiple non-kinetic ranges and training sites to better replicate some real-world threat conditions.\u201d Arizona is home to Fort Huachuca, which features an electronics proving ground and is the Army\u2019s intelligence center of excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\t