Transformation in Contact Units Test Spectrum Situational Awareness System

Transformation in Contact Units Test Spectrum Situational Awareness System

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Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ — Soldiers with the 25th Infantry Division, 101st Airborne Division, 11th Airborne Division and Special Operations Command received first touch and training on the Army’s newest addition to its Electromagnetic Warfare toolkit, Spectrum Situational Awareness System (S2AS).

The three-week User Assessment consisted of a week’s worth of training on S2AS and the Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool-X.

“This developmental test simulates a brigade headquarters with two dislocated companies testing out the S2AS system,” Maj. Megan Bridges, Assistant Project Manager for S2AS said. “We want to ensure the system is able to sense, detect and report emitter information.

S2AS is an electromagnetic spectrum situational awareness system that provides commanders with real-time electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) Situational Awareness to support EMS related-decisions making.

“When we incorporate missions control measures on the battlefield to ensure that the enemy can’t see us, we need to minimize who can use specific frequencies, systems, and at what power levels and bandwidth are they using to make sure we’re minimizing the enemy’s ability to see our blue force signature, whether on an installation or on a battlefield,” Master Sgt. Mike Powell, 3rd Infantry Division explained.

Understanding, and ultimately controlling, the electromagnetic spectrum on the battlefield is crucial to the Army.

“The Army has been pressing very hard on what it means to own the EMS,” Col. Leslie Gorman, Army Capabilities Manger for Electromagnetic Warfare said. “You have to understand the EMS as maneuver space and, understanding what our emissions look like on the battlefield, what the adversaries looks like on the battlefield, the countermeasures that are need to be put in place.”

S2AS is specifically designed to provide that visibility and the visualization for Soldiers and for the commanders in order to make more informed decisions.

“The Army needs an organic electromagnetic warfare sensing capability, which the system provides,” Bridges said. “It also increases the Cyber Electromagnetic Activities cell planning bandwidth, another important function S2AS brings to the table.”

“S2AS, being the Army program of record for the spectrum manager, gives us the ability to define the electromagnetic operating environment,” Powell said. “With the system, spectrum managers can identify signals on the battlefield, on a FOB, or on an installation, detect and analyze the signals and then provide that information back to commanders.”

The S2AS capabilities were effectively demonstrated during this test event. As more feedback from Soldiers becomes available through future TIC 2.0 experimentation events, the Army can ensure continuous refinement of the system to enhance its capabilities.

S2AS is slated for fielding to TIC 2.0 units in FY26.

Full Video – www.dvidshub.net/video/973339/spectrum-situational-awareness-system-s2as-news-video

By Shawn Nesaw, PEO IEW&S Strategic Communications

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