The Army wants new tools to sense, disrupt and protect signals

By: Mark Pomerleau  

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The industry day will take place in January. (Staff Sgt. Armando R. Limon/Army)

The Army will be hosting members of industry in 2019 to discuss opportunities on signals intelligence and electronic warfare, according to a December 2018 notice.

The Signals Intelligence/Electronic Warfare (SIGINT/EW) Future Opportunities and Terrestrial Layer System (TLS) Industry Day will be hosted Jan. 23 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

Here's how the Army is fusing intelligence and electronic warfare.

The Army has charted a path forward that includes integrating signals intelligence and electronic warfare systems into a single tool for greater synergy between the two disciplines. One of the first systems the Army is building on this front is the Terrestrial Layer System, an integrated EW and signals intelligence system that will provide a much-needed jamming capability to formations.

The Army is taking a multitiered approach to TLS, leveraging assessments, exercises and even deployments of quick-reaction capabilities to inform how the service will move forward on prototyping and providing much-needed capabilities, such as this one, to units.

The service wants more equipment at the brigade level ASAP.

Officials have noted that this approach differs from acquisition processes of the past.

“We hope to go faster, but with the authorities granted by Congress ... we think this rapid prototyping using the buy, try, decide method is going to be great for this rapid acquisition process,” said Col. Jennifer McAfee, director of the Training and Doctrine Command’s capabilities manager for terrestrial and identity at the Intelligence Center of Excellence.

“Are we going to field this next week? Not necessarily, but we’re talking fielding to the force in the next two to three years, not seven to 10 years.”

Industry’s role will be to help provide prototypes that will reduce the risk of flaws in the final solution.