“To understand, manage and control the electromagnetic environment is a vital role in warfare at all levels of intensity. The outcome of future operations will be decided by the protagonist who does this to decisive advantage.”
UK Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Vice Marshal Sir Stuart Peach
The global defence landscape is changing rapidly, with evermore non-conventional threats and challenges to military forces, encompassing the electromagnetic, cyber and information spheres.
As a result, Cyber & Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) has come into sharp focus in recent times, highlighted by the UK ‘CEMA Doctrine’ published in February 2018. In it, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Government clearly demonstrate their commitment to increasing investment into these converging areas of defence technology.
Acknowledging the need to “do things differently to succeed against complex and diverse threats that exploit the pervasive information environment,” the doctrine provides a framework within which the individual Services can develop tailored CEMA approaches whilst remaining aligned with Joint Forces Command (JFC) and GCHQ intent.
Gaining the early advantage through Targeted Training
Developing a CEMA strategy that enables domination and the ability to gain supremacy in the cyber and electromagnetic arenas will be a major undertaking for all stakeholders, requiring highly trained personnel to utilise the very latest technologies.
Leading developers of Electronic Warfare (EW) capability such as Leonardo are working with military customers to achieve this high level of operational effectiveness and capability – developing the necessary training to deliver a pipeline of Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP).
Providing a world-class Cyber, EM and EW training facility
Leonardo has a long history of successfully delivering cyber and Electromagnetic Environment (EME) training, technologies, equipment and systems integration to a wide variety of end-users in the UK and internationally.
Our EW practitioners are already engaged with the UK MOD and export customers to expand the required capability, and the company is investing in the Leonardo Training and Services Academy due to open formally in September 2018.
The academy is highly flexible; state-of-the-art facilities which will provide a mixture of education, training and SQEP workforce services for the global EW, EM and Cyber sectors. Based strategically in Lincolnshire (near key MOD locations and close to partner companies working across the same technologies), the LTSA will offer accredited courses and services, utilising a world-class Learning Management System and dynamic approach to training. Learning can be classroom-based, through an online Virtual Academy, or on site at a client location, using foundation and advanced level modules to develop skills for full exploitation of the EME.
Ultimately, the combination of the academy’s cutting-edge technologies and Leonardo’s expertise will help assure the future protection and domination of the EME, providing UK armed forces and our international partners with the understanding and knowledge to defend against evolving 21st century threats.