Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have given Russia an opportunity to test the employment of electronic warfare (EW) capabilities that Moscow has developed over the last decade in order to deter and counter military threats from the West. To be sure, Western analysts have foreseen the emergence of Russia’s anti-access/area denial capabilities, including advanced electronic counter measures (ECM), for over a decade. What arguably came as a surprise is the demonstrative nature of Russia’s use of these capabilities. Since 2014, Moscow has provocatively operated EW systems in close proximity to U.S. forces and widely publicized these developments in state-run media organizations. In response to these actions, U.S./NATO officials have expressed concerns with regard to implications for Western military operations, especially those conducted in close quarters with Russian forces.
Anya Loukianova is a PhD candidate, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park and a graduate fellow at the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM).