Shah Meer
Force multiplicity/multiplication refers to any element that helps achieve combat effectiveness. It is a capability that creates a conducive environment, enabling the forces to effectively achieve tactical objectives. Contemporary warfare – marked by advanced technologies – enables force multiplicity in a range of ways that shift the balance of forces, tactical maneuvers and escalation dynamics.
The concept of force multiplicity is as old as war itself. Geography, terrain and tools have played the role of force multiplicity for the forces. But the most robust force multiplier has always been technological development. In its essence, force multiplication is a fluid concept that varies from theater to theater and with evolving technological capacities. The increasingly growing modern technologies are playing this role more effectively than ever. They play an effective role in disrupting command and control, providing situational awareness, disrupting the enemy’s key communication nodes, disrupting its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and denying it any capability to do the same for combat efficiency.
Once such force multiplier in the modern warfare is Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities. It involves military action that benefit from electromagnetic energy to provide situational awareness and achieve offensive and defensive effects’. U.S. Department of War (DoW) defines it as “any military action involving the use of electromagnetic and directed energy to control the electromagnetic spectrum or to attack the enemy.” The primary force multiplying effects of EW manifests in enhancing the perimeter of security, improve situational awareness, help achieve electronic deception, blind key assets, deny global positioning services, jam, and spoof digital assets to name a few.
Broadly, EW capabilities play three critical functions for a force. a) Electronic Surveillance: it allows the forces to detect and track enemy’s forces, trace its vulnerabilities and collect information; b) Electronic Attack: it can jam enemy communication, deny it the necessary information and corrupt its networks; c) Electronic Defense: it disrupts adversary’s kill chain and interferes with enemy’s munitions. It is also a viable force multiplier in the Anti-access/Area-denial (A2/AD) strategies of the forces.
Given the growing importance of EW as a force multiplier, major powers are increasingly investing and employing these capabilities. The US considers EW as a multi-domain capability meant to use across land, air, sea and space. It is investing in blind enemy sensors, jam communications and electronic protection. Russia has effectively utilized EW capabilities in the current Russia-Ukraine war and influenced the outcome of the operations. EW Brigades, integration of EW platoons with Battalion tactical groups (BTGs) has overwhelmed Ukraine’s communications. Employment of standalone jammers as anti-drone systems all along the line as well as installation of jammers on Armoured vehicles has remained effective to counter drones. The Russian forces effectively employed EW capabilities to jam GPS used by Ukraine’s American-supplied M982 Excalibur precision-guided artillery shells, reportedly reducing their hit rate to 10 per cent.
China has also elevated EW to a cornerstone of its current military posture. Through the Integrated Network Electronic Warfare operational concept, Beijing merges cyber operations, space intelligence, and electromagnetic control to improve combat efficiency. Indian Army’s Land Warfare Doctrine, released in 2018, treats EW as: “We shall continue to develop a span of Electronic Warfare eco-systems to upgrade operational focus, equipping and skilling. Our Electronic Warfare capabilities shall evolve into full spectrum, electro-optical dominance to include capabilities in Communication Intelligence (COMINT), Electronic Intelligence (ELINT), interception, jamming, spoofing and deception.” By employing these capabilities, India appears to attempt to deter Pakistan from retaliation through coordinated attacks, guiding missiles, and drones to shield itself. It is boosting an arsenal of EW systems, such as the Samuyukta system, which consists of 145 vehicles covering an area of 150 kilometres; it was domestically developed in 2004 and is capable of electronic surveillance, jamming, and direction finding.
Hence, EW capabilities remain crucial in modern warfare, as they play a force-multiplying role. However, the growing development and employment of EW capabilities could redefine the conduct of modern warfare, raising several risks and escalatory postures.
Bio: Shah Meer is associated with Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN), an institute specializing in strategic and nuclear affairs. He can be reached at [email protected].
