Army issues new doctrine on cyberspace, electronic warfare operations

The Army on April 11 published a new field manual to guide its cyberspace electromagnetic activities (CEMA).

The Cyber Center of Excellence, based at Ft. Gordon, GA, is the proponent for FM 3-12: Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations.

While emphasizing the past decade of U.S. dominance in cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum, the document acknowledges that “regional peers have since demonstrated impressive capabilities in a hybrid operational environment that threaten the Army’s dominance in cyberspace and the EMS.”

The manual is intended to provide “tactics and procedures for the coordination and integration of Army cyberspace and electronic warfare operations to support unified land operations and joint operations.”

The document is intended to offer “overarching guidance to commanders and staffs on Army cyberspace and electronic warfare operations at all echelons.”

“FM 3-12 defines and describes the tactics to address future challenges while providing an overview of cyberspace and EW operations, planning, integration, and synchronization through CEMA,” the field manual states. “It describes how CEMA supports operations and the accomplishment of commander’s objectives, and identifies the units that conduct these operations.”

According to the Army, “CEMA, by planning, integrating, and synchronizing cyberspace and EW operations, integrates functions and capabilities across warfighting functions, defends the network, and provides critical capabilities for commanders at all levels during unified land operations. Cyberspace and EW operations affect, and are affected by, all of the warfighting functions.”

The document states that the Cyber Center of Excellence “will review and update FM 3-12 and supporting publications on a frequent basis in order to keep pace with a continuously evolving cyberspace domain.”

FM 3-12 supersedes FM 3-38, which was published Feb. 12, 2014.