Aviation Week & Space Technology
November 4, 2002
Pg. 34

Focus On Iraq Shapes Electronic, Info Warfare

By Robert Wall, Nashville, Tenn.

An attack on Iraq, and other potential military action in support of the U.S. war on terrorism, is causing military planners to consider new electronic and information warfare initiatives, although there continue to be signs that the Pentagon doesn't have a firm grasp on how to treat the disciplines.

One of the initial objectives of an Iraq campaign would be to disrupt the country's fiber-optic network. The goal would be to force Iraq to be more reliant on traditional communication techniques that are vulnerable to exploitation and disruption by U.S. electronic warfare means, says Lt. Gen. Robert W. Noonan, the Army's chief of intelligence. Fighting Iraq may also force EW planners to deal with sophisticated electronic emitters, such as microwave communications and frequency-hopping systems.

Iraq poses "a sophisticated force" built up through indigenous engineering talent and mathematicians, Noonan indicated. Although Iraq has built an extensive fiber-optic network that can protect its communications, such a construct also has disadvantages. Dependence on a fiber-optic communications backbone makes it difficult for Iraq to maintain control over its tactical forces, because those are mobile and can't plug into a fiber-optic network.

THE DEFENSE DEPT. also is trying to address vulnerabilities in its force. For instance, the Air Mobility Command is mulling a combat mission needs statement to accelerate fielding of infrared protection for its transport aircraft. The Pentagon is concerned transporters carrying supplies to bases hosting U.S. forces in the Middle East may be attacked by man-portable IR-guided missiles. The concern was elevated in recent months when forces found empty SA-7 Manpad launchers near Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

The quick reaction program would give a small number of C-17s a limited laser-based infrared countermeasures capability. That effort may later be expanded to C-130s, as well, according to sources.

The Air Force already has a program to equip C-17s and C-130s with the Large-Aircraft IR Countermeasures (Laircm) system. Each C-17 would have three laser-jam turrets, two forward and one aft, to provide all-around protection. The emergency program, known as Laircm-Lite, would jump-start that effort, although it is still awaiting the formal go-ahead.

Laircm-Lite would provide only the aft-looking turret for C-17s, the area behind the engines where the aircraft's IR signature is the largest. The single jam-head wouldn't provide full-coverage because of obscurations by the aircraft's structure, but still allows significant defensive coverage that should be sufficient to defeat any missiles it can see.

Some of the tools that would be part of a U.S. electronic-warfare campaign in Iraq have already debuted in Afghanistan. For instance, the Navy has turned the EA-6B Prowler from being primarily a radar-jamming aircraft into a sophisticated communications jammer by employing the USQ-113 and other high-power jammers. It has given the aircraft a role acting as an adjunct to the Air Force's Compass Call. While officials wouldn't say whether the role is set to be repeated during an Iraq campaign, Navy officials acknowledge it is now a staple of EA-6B operations, that will be used again.

Afghanistan also highlighted shortages that the Pentagon is trying to address. For instance, Army special operations helicopters are installing on-board oxygen generation systems on their MH-60 and MH-47 helicopters. Afghanistan operations were conducted at altitudes of around 11,000ft., where crews could use supplemental oxygen. However, missions often lasted longer than oxygen supply--leaving crew in the back of the helicopter to do without after a period of time.

Military officials also are considering what kind of information-warfare campaign they would conduct. Some of those efforts may be starting too late, however. An effective information operations effort against Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, should have started eight years ago, contends Air Commo. Mike Heath, director of targeting and information operations for the British defense ministry. The focus now should be on finding out who is close to Hussein, what their vulnerabilities are, and how they might be exploited. Moreover, information efforts should focus on convincing Iran not to try to take advantage of instability in Iraq should there be an allied operation in the coming months.

As military planners explore their information warfare (IW) options, they continue to encounter hurdles. "The potential is enormous, but the [actual] capability is lacking," said Col. Chris Glaze, who oversees IW efforts for the air staff at the Pentagon. There has to be more focus on turning paper designs into operational capability, he argued.

Moreover, legal issues that have long stifled information warfare's growth continue to plague the discipline. "There are very, very tight controls on this," said USAF Maj. Gen. John A. Bradley, deputy director of the Joint Task Force for Computer Network Operations. Information operations officers continue to encounter opposition from the Pentagon's legal community, which is worried about unintended effects of using IW tools.

INFORMATION OPERATIONS advocates believe they need to demonstrate to policy makers and the General Counsel's office that IW tools are precision weapons that can be closely controlled. Only then will IT make serious progress toward becoming an integral part of an operational campaign. Bradley argues the IW community needs a test range, that would be similar to a traditional weapons test range. It would allow IW officers to practice and exercise their devices in a confined area to show effects can be contained. Despite the hesitancy to use IW, the Defense Dept. is dispatching information operations experts to military planning cells to alert commanders to the tools that may be available.

The Pentagon also continues to wrestle with how to improve its psychological operations network. The Army has been at the forefront of this activity, but its sister services are gaining interest. The Navy, for instance, is developing a version of the Rockeye cluster munition to dispense leaflets, said Rear Adm. John P. Cryer, commander of Naval Network and Space Operations Command. "The Navy is relatively new at this," he noted, but also has other efforts underway, including upgrading a transportable AM/FM radio broadcast system. The service also is devising a psychological operations vision.