DOD invests in electronic warfare capabilities as a means to maintain unimpeded access to the electromagnetic spectrum during war and selectively deny adversary use of the spectrum. Traditionally, electronic warfare has been composed of three primary activities: Electronic attack: Use of electromagnetic, directed energy, or antiradiation weapons to attack with the intent of degrading, neutralizing, or destroying enemy combat capability. Electronic protection: Passive and active means taken to protect personnel, facilities, and equipment from the effects of friendly or enemy use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Electronic warfare support: Actions directed by an operational commander to search for, intercept, identify, and locate sources of radiated electromagnetic energy for the purposes of immediate threat recognition, targeting, and planning, and the conduct of future operations. Airborne electronic attack—a subset of the electronic attack mission— involves use of aircraft to neutralize, destroy, or temporarily degrade (suppress) enemy air defense and communications systems, either through destructive or disruptive means. These capabilities are increasingly important and complex as networked systems, distributed controls, and sophisticated sensors become ubiquitous in military equipment, civilian infrastructure, and commercial networks— developments that complicate DOD’s ability to exercise control over the electromagnetic spectrum, when necessary, to support U.S. military objectives. Airborne electronic attack systems increase survivability of joint forces tasked to enter denied battlespace and engage anti-access threats or high-value targets,a potential near-peer adversary or in irregular warfare. They also enable access to the battlespace for follow-on operations. Aircraft executing airborne electronic attack missions employ a variety of mission systems, such as electronic jammers, and weapons, such as antiradiation missiles and air-launched expendable decoys. These aircraft also rely on aircraft self-protection systems and defensive countermeasures for additional protection. All four services within DOD contribute to and rely upon airborne electronic attack capabilities using a variety of different aircraft. Each service is also separately acquiring new airborne electronic attack systems. whether involved in major combat operations against Section 1053 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 requires that for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretaries of the military departments, submit to the congressional defense committees an annual report on DOD’s electronic warfare strategy. department’s electronic warfare strategy and organizational structures for oversight; (2) a list and description of all electronic warfare acquisition programs and research and development projects within DOD; and (3) for the unclassified programs and projects, detail on oversight responsibilities, requirements, funding, cost, schedule, technologies, potential redundancies, and associated capability gaps, and for the classified programs and projects, a classified annex addressing these topics, when appropriate. In response to this requirement, DOD submitted its first Electronic Warfare Strategy of the Department of Defense report in October 2010. The department produced its second electronic warfare strategy report in November 2011. Pub. L. No. 111-84, § 1053 (a) (2009). DOD’s strategy for meeting airborne electronic attack requirements— including both near-peer and irregular warfare needs—centers on acquiring a family of systems, including traditional fixed wing aircraft, low observable aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, and related mission systems and weapons. Department analyses dating back a decade have identified capability gaps and provided a basis for service investments in airborne electronic attack capabilities. However, budget realities and lessons learned from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have driven changes in strategic direction and program content. Most notably, the department canceled some acquisitions, after which services revised their operating concepts for airborne electronic attack. These decisions saved money, allowing the department to fund other priorities, but reduced the planned level of synergy among airborne electronic attack systems during operations. As acquisition plans for these systems have evolved, operational stresses upon the existing inventory of weapon systems have grown. These stresses have materialized in the form of capability limitations and sustainment challenges for existing systems, prompting the department to invest in improvements to these systems to mitigate shortfalls. Key DOD analyses completed since 2002 identified capability gaps, provided a basis for service investments in airborne electronic attack systems, and supported an overarching acquisition strategy for achieving these requirements. The department outlined its findings in reports that included an analysis of alternatives, a capabilities-based assessment, and initial capabilities documents. Figure 1 highlights a chronology of these analyses and identifies key airborne electronic attack components of each report. The 2002 Airborne Electronic Attack Analysis of Alternatives established the primary framework by which the department began investing in new airborne electronic attack capabilities. The analysis focused on those capabilities needed to suppress enemy air defenses from 2010 to 2030. The study identified two primary components required to provide a complete and comprehensive airborne electronic attack solution: Core component: A recoverable platform or combination of platforms operating in enemy airspace. The core component provides the airborne electronic attack detection and battle management capabilities for reactive jamming. Stand-in component: An expendable air platform providing critical capabilities against certain advanced threat emitters and employed in threat environments not accessible to the core component. Subsequent to this analysis, DOD developed a system of systems strategy for meeting airborne electronic attack mission needs. A system of systems is a set or arrangement that results when independent and useful systems are integrated into a larger, connected and interdependent system that delivers unique capabilities during military operations. The system of systems strategy established specific roles and operating responsibilities among the military services in a joint environment and expanded the basic core and stand-in component needs into four major capability areas for airborne electronic attack: Stand-off: Jamming occurring outside of defended airspace. Planned stand-off systems included the Air Force’s EC-130H Compass Call aircraft and development of an electronic attack variant of the Air Force’s B-52. Modified escort: Jamming occurring inside defended airspace, but outside of the range of known surface-to-air missiles. Planned modified escort systems included the Navy’s EA-18G Growler and EA-6B Prowler aircraft. Penetrating escort: Jamming occurring inside the intercept range of known surface-to-air missiles. The department planned to rely on aircraft equipped with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, including the F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lightning II aircraft to perform this jamming function. Stand-in: Jamming occurring inside the “no escape range” of known surface-to-air missiles. The department planned to rely on development of recoverable Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J- UCAS) and the Air Force’s Miniature Air Launched Decoy—Jammer (MALD-J) to provide this function. As time progressed, budget issues and lessons learned from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan drove changes to the strategy and program content. Most notably, the department canceled development of two major components of the system of systems—the B-52 Standoff Jammer and J-UCAS—in 2005 and 2006, respectively, citing higher-priority needs and budget constraints. The B-52-based jamming concept was later rejuvenated through the Air Force’s Core Component Jammer initiative, but that program was similarly canceled in 2009. Following these developments, the department revised operating concepts and joint service responsibilities, moving away from its system of systems plans in favor of a family of systems strategy for airborne electronic attack. A family of systems is fundamentally different from a system of systems. Under a family of systems construct, independent systems—using different approaches—together provide capability effects to support military operations. Unlike the synergy found in a system of systems, a family of systems does not acquire qualitatively new properties or necessarily create capability beyond the additive sum of the individual capabilities of its members. The member systems may not even be connected into a whole. In the case of airborne electronic attack, DOD officials stated that a system of systems would have employed a dynamic, networked capability to share data in real-time among platforms—a concept known as electronic warfare battle management. Under the family of systems strategy, officials stated that this process is less automated and the parts are less connected. Therefore, in making this strategy change, the department traded some unique, synergistic capabilities that the system of system’s interdependent components might have provided in favor of near-term budget savings and other priorities. Figure 2 outlines the department’s current family of systems strategy for countering near-peer adversaries. This family of systems includes traditional fixed wing aircraft, low observable aircraft, and related mission systems and weapons. DOD’s 2009 electronic warfare capabilities analysis identified the growth of irregular warfare in urban areas as presenting challenges to military operations. The analysis noted that irregular adversaries can exploit civilian and commercial communications infrastructure to minimize detection and subsequent attack. According to the department, precise electronic attack planning and execution are required to ensure that these threats are defeated while avoiding interruption to U.S. communications capabilities. The department has used existing airborne electronic attack systems, such as the EA-6B and EC-130H, to meet its near-term irregular warfare needs in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, officials report that these platforms are optimized for countering high-end, near-peer threats, and their use against irregular warfare threats is inefficient and costly. Consequently, the department has begun investing in new, less expensive airborne electronic attack systems tailored to counter irregular warfare threats. These systems are fielded from both traditional fixed- wing aircraft and from unmanned aerial vehicles. Figure 3 illustrates operations involving these systems. As DOD’s acquisition plans for airborne electronic attack systems have evolved, operational stresses upon the current inventory of systems have grown. These systems date back to the 1970s and 1980s and were originally designed to counter Cold War era threats. Many of the department’s existing airborne electronic attack systems face capability limitations, requiring the department to pursue modernization efforts to increase the effectiveness of the systems or to identify and develop replacement systems.