China may struggle in electromagnetic spectrum fighting, Pentagon says

WASHINGTON — The Chinese military is wrestling with shortcomings in fights where access to and control of the electromagnetic spectrum is hotly contested, according to a U.S. Department of Defense assessment.

The spectrum is a critical resource in modern conflicts, as its manipulation enables navigation, communication, deception and even weapons guidance. A dizzying amount of electronic jamming and spoofing is expected in a fight between world powers.

China is aware of its perceived deficiencies and is trying to remedy them, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters in a discussion about the 2023 China Military Power Report. The document is published annually and provides the public in-depth analysis of the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, and Beijing’s modernization goals.

“Some of the things that they talked about are how they can operate — or need to be better prepared to operate — in what they call a complex electromagnetic environment,” said the official, who declined to be named under rules set by the Defense Department . “They still talk about some of the challenges they’re involved in command and control and coordination, among others.”

The U.S. is reinvesting in electronic warfare and other spectrum-related capabilities after years of decline. China in 2015 established its Strategic Support Force, centralizing its space, information, cyber and electronic warfare efforts.

Further, the PLA is leaning into what’s known as systems destruction warfare. The premise, referenced in the 2022 and 2023 China Military Power reports , envisions warfare no longer solely focused on the decimation of enemy troops. Rather, wars are won by the side that can disrupt, cripple or outright ruin the other’s underlying networks and infrastructure.

The Defense Department has observed Chinese forces “continuing to try to improve their cyber and electronic warfare” arsenals, the U.S. official said.

Both the U.S. and China fold electronic warfare into military exercises . The latter uses the opportunities to test units’ understanding of jamming systems and procedures as well as evaluate research-and-development advancements, according to the report.

“The PLA really sees space, cyber and electronic warfare as very closely interconnected,” the official said. “They’ve written about a concept that they refer to as integrated network electronic warfare for many years.”

Colin Demarest was a reporter at C4ISRNET, where he covered military networks, cyber and IT. Colin had previously covered the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration — namely Cold War cleanup and nuclear weapons development — for a daily newspaper in South Carolina. Colin is also an award-winning photographer.

华盛顿——据美国国防部评估，中国军队在争夺电磁频谱控制权的战斗中正面临诸多不足。

频谱是现代冲突中至关重要的资源，因为对其的操控能够实现导航、通信、欺骗，甚至武器制导。在世界强权之间的对抗中，预计会出现数量惊人的电子干扰和欺骗手段。

一位美国高级国防官员在与记者讨论2023年《中国军事实力报告》时表示，中国意识到自身存在的不足，并正在努力弥补。该报告每年发布，向公众提供对中国人民解放军（PLA）及其现代化目标的深入分析。

“他们讨论的一些内容包括如何在他们所谓的复杂电磁环境下开展行动——或者需要做好更充分的行动准备，”这位官员说道，他因国防部的规定而拒绝透露姓名。“他们仍在讨论他们在指挥控制和协调等方面面临的一些挑战。”

美国在经历了多年的衰落之后，正在重新加大对电子战和其他频谱相关能力的投入。中国于2015年成立了战略支援部队，集中了其在太空、信息、网络和电子战方面的力量。

此外，解放军正在大力发展所谓的“系统性破坏战”。这一理念在2022年和2023年的《中国军事力量报告》中均有提及，其设想的战争不再仅仅局限于消灭敌军，而是取决于哪一方能够破坏、瘫痪甚至彻底摧毁对方的基础网络和基础设施。

这位美国官员表示，国防部观察到中国军队“继续努力改进其网络和电子战”武器库。

报告指出，中美两国都将电子战纳入军事演习。中国利用演习机会检验部队对干扰系统和程序的理解，并评估研发成果。

这位官员说：“解放军确实将太空战、网络战和电子战视为紧密相连的三者。多年来，他们一直在阐述一种被称为一体化网络电子战的概念。”

科林·德马雷斯特曾是C4ISRNET的记者，负责报道军事网络、网络安全和信息技术方面的新闻。此前，他曾为南卡罗来纳州的一家日报报道美国能源部及其下属的国家核安全管理局，主要关注冷战后的清理工作和核武器研发。科林还是一位屡获殊荣的摄影师。