Key Takeaways
- The U.S. Army is reorganizing its acquisition strategy for electronic warfare and signals intelligence to address operational gaps in the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Feedback from industry is being sought on the new concept for electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO) and procurement strategies.
- The Army aims to enhance efficiency by exploring multi-year procurement contracts and partnerships for faster system development and deployment.
The U.S. Army is undergoing a significant transformation in its acquisition processes, particularly for electronic warfare (EW) and signals intelligence (SIGINT) systems. A January memo by Gen. David Hodne of the Transformation and Training Command highlighted critical deficiencies, stating that the Army struggles to “sense, locate, attack, and protect” effectively within the electromagnetic spectrum. This issue stems from a fragmented acquisition system, making it challenging to consolidate and adapt electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO) capabilities.
The memo stresses that current EMSO capabilities lack cohesion, preventing the Army from leveraging advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) for agile decision-making. In response, the Army is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to seek insights from industry stakeholders on the EMSO concept and potential procurement strategies. The RFI outlines the Army’s intention to adopt an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract approach for acquiring EW and SIGINT systems, with responses due by March 13.
A key focus is whether industry players would consider investing to expedite delivery timelines. The RFI queries if vendors would absorb facilitation costs to boost production rates under multi-year procurement contracts. The Army is also advocating for tailored systems to meet the needs of different formations, acknowledging that a one-size-fits-all basis of issue (BOI) has proven inefficient in addressing modern battlefield requirements.
The RFI continues to explore various partnership models aimed at enhancing collaboration for the rapid deployment of EMSO capabilities. Hodne’s memo promotes a close working relationship between program managers and the Command and Control/Counter C2 Portfolio Acquisition Executive, facilitating continuous integration of EMSO systems for operations in austere environments or under denied, disrupted, intermittent, and limited-bandwidth conditions (DDIL).
The Army seeks diverse offensive and defensive electromagnetic capabilities, such as protocol-specific targeting, simultaneous identification of enemy emitters, and obscuring friendly electromagnetic signatures. Importantly, EMSO systems are to support an open architecture compatible with the forthcoming Next-Generation Command-and-Control framework, ensuring they can be integrated with existing military structures indefinitely.
This planned overhaul in acquisition strategies is viewed as a vital step in enhancing the Army’s electronic warfare capabilities in light of increasing technological advancements among adversaries. The move is anticipated to not only improve operational effectiveness but also foster productive collaborations with the defense industry.
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