According to the U.S. 2020 Department of Defense Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy, the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) “not only provides the critical connective tissue that enables all-domain operations, but represents a natural seam and critical vulnerability across joint force operations.”

Today, Armed Forces face growing competition within the EMS. In a theater of conflict, the radio frequency and optical spectrum become crowded with signals of all types across huge bandwidths of the spectrum. This makes it difficult to resolve actual threats from benign emissions. Adversaries are also challenging the U.S. and allied military’s dominance while attempting to restrict their freedom of operations across all domains. This includes attempts to pollute the spectrum with confounding signals that slow response times to a crawl. In order to maintain control of the spectrum, we need systems that can quickly route telecommunication traffic, protect channels from adversaries and increase bandwidth when needed.