Your S3 is in charge of planning and using EW. The S3 is responsible for integrating EW into your unit’s scheme of maneuver. However, it is the FSO who must intergrate EW into the overall fire support plan. This becomes especially important for suppression of enemy air defense operations. You must support your S3s EW plan by carefully selecting ESM priorities. (The S2 should assist the S3 with EW planning.) Figure 12-1 is a breakdown of who does what in EW planning.
Finally, the IEWSE officer is the resident expert on your MI unit IEW assets. The IEWSE officer:
Your unit has four electronic options to attack enemy electronic systems:
Intercepting provides combat information and technical data on the enemy’s electronic systems as well as raw data for processing into intelligence. Technical data supports jamming and electronic deception.
The locating option provides approximate locations of enemy radio and radar antennas. This aids in the use of directional antennas for jamming, and may be used with other information to provide targeting-quality data.
Figure 12-1. EW employment coordination requirements.
Jamming disrupts the receipt or exchange of orders and battlefield information. It can delay the enemy long enough for the commander to exploit a situation that otherwise would have been corrected. Jamming provides a nonlethal alternative or supplement to attack by fire and maneuver. It is well-suited for targets that cannot be located with targeting accuracy, or that only require temporary disruption.
As a general rule, you will want to destroy or jam enemy electronic systems located near your FLOT. Enemy communications systems located farther back will normally be used by enemy planning elements. Therefore, they may be more valuable as a source of information. Figure 12-2 is a list of electronic options listed by enemy echelon and distance from the FLOT.
EW planning follows the normal staff planning process. It begins with the mission and commander’s guidance. During the planning process, your staff determines electronic HPTs. You then divide your electronic HPTs into four categories: