Soviet Radioelectronic Combat

Book excerpt: Radioelectronic combat (REC) embraces the entire range of possibilities for manipulating the electromagnetic spectrum to military advantage. Options include electronic warfare, physical destruction of electronic targets, signals intelligence, and radio-electronic concealment and deception. Developed in the early 1970s by the Soviets, it is still poorly understood in the West. This study analyzes REC as a method of warfare with which Western military thinkers must reckon seriously at all levels of combat planning. It also provides a solid base of information on REC's origins, functional structure, and basic military goals. Equally important, it defines REC's greatest threat as conceptual rather than technological. Manipulating the electromagnetic spectrum depends more on thoughtful planning and centralized control than on sophisticated equipment¡ further, the Soviets appear to be ahead of the West in integrating the concept as an institutional part of military activity. Based primarily on Soviet sources, this book not only traces the evolution of REC but also serves as a model for understanding the development of other Soviet combat concepts.