Defense Primer: Military Use of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Since the introduction of the two-way radio in the early 1900s, militaries have been interested in the electromagnetic spectrum (“the spectrum”). The proliferation of spectrum dependent systems in all military domains—air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace—along with Department of Defense (DOD) concepts, such as net-centric warfare and multidomain battle, increases the military’s dependence on the spectrum.

This paper explores the military’s use of the electromagentic spectrum regarding governance, spectrum allocation and electronic warfare.