Post by zen9 on Oct 7, 2016 21:33:35 GMT
On of the things that has emerged over the course of the last few years is EW and how NATO has let various services lapse. Operating as various states have against much lower tier forces (insurgants, terrorists, etc..) things like Army EW systems and training as atrophied.
This would not be problem but for the likes of Russia which has never lost or stopped developing advanced EW systems, which have now been in action in Ukraine and possibly Syria.
The rumbles I hear is these systems are impressive and potentially could seriously impact NATO forces if conflict came about.
Worse Russia is clearly prepared to export this part of their high end capability and has done so to Turkey of all states!
Presumably they may or may not export to Iran, and it's a solid bet China is working it's huge industrial scale intelligence gathering effort to dig out such systems secrets.
This is clearly then an area the US is now lagging, having only now started to try to rectify the loss of capability.
Worse I've heard rumbles about the Swedish Grippen's capabilities in EW during some cross force exercises displaying a crucial advantage (even if it's measured in seconds, that's all that's needed).
So I propose this atrophied area needs urgent and EU wide effort to first stand up existing capabilities in EW and further fund new EW systems capable of countering what maybe a Russian advantage and in turn an advantage other potentially hostile states may possess.
But this again treads into very sensitive territory both in military and political terms. States with some capability in this area can be very guarded on the subject and security of any common effort is a potential nightmare.
This would not be problem but for the likes of Russia which has never lost or stopped developing advanced EW systems, which have now been in action in Ukraine and possibly Syria.
The rumbles I hear is these systems are impressive and potentially could seriously impact NATO forces if conflict came about.
Worse Russia is clearly prepared to export this part of their high end capability and has done so to Turkey of all states!
Presumably they may or may not export to Iran, and it's a solid bet China is working it's huge industrial scale intelligence gathering effort to dig out such systems secrets.
This is clearly then an area the US is now lagging, having only now started to try to rectify the loss of capability.
Worse I've heard rumbles about the Swedish Grippen's capabilities in EW during some cross force exercises displaying a crucial advantage (even if it's measured in seconds, that's all that's needed).
So I propose this atrophied area needs urgent and EU wide effort to first stand up existing capabilities in EW and further fund new EW systems capable of countering what maybe a Russian advantage and in turn an advantage other potentially hostile states may possess.
But this again treads into very sensitive territory both in military and political terms. States with some capability in this area can be very guarded on the subject and security of any common effort is a potential nightmare.