Army responds to tech-savvy enemies.

As if soldiers weren't busy enough these days, the Army now is requiring them to become electronic-warfare specialists. The new mandate stems from the realization that insurgents in Iraq have become quite deft at exploiting the electronic spectrum--creating command-and-control networks with cell phones, and detonating bombs via electronic devices. Disrupting those networks has been difficult despite the assistance from Navy EW officers who have been assigned to Army units in Iraq. The Army apparently is not entirely happy with that arrangement and wants to breed its own EW talent. The goal is to replace 150 naval personnel by March 2008, says Col. Laurie Buckhout, chief of the Army's electronic warfare directorate. Eventually, "every soldier in the Army has to be good at this," she says. "The Army hasn't done electronic warfare in 30 years. All the services are in the EW business except the Army." The problem is that the Navy and the Air Force focus on airborne electronic arrack, which is not as useful for Army operations, Buckhout says. "Ground EW is a whole new skill set." The Army has allocated $25 million to begin training officers and senior enlisted personnel.

By Sandra I. Erwin | Email your comments to [e-mail]