US Army preparing to fight in the Pacific...top of the shopping list EW gear, Anti-Air & Ship Killing Missiles...

via AOL Breaking Defense.

There are lots of things the Army needs to buy. “Number one is Electronic Warfare (EW),” Brown said, detecting, jamming, and deceiving enemy sensors and communications while protecting one’s own. The general envisions “thousands” of cheap decoys generating signals to hide the true locations of Army radars, for example. Another priority is Short-Range Air Defense (SHORAD), made newly relevant in the age of drones. Both SHORAD and EW suffered massive cutbacks after 1991 and will take years to recover.
But there is plenty the Army can do right now to train itself for Multi-Domain Battle, said Brown. “I never had to worry about cyber (as a young officer),” Brown said. “A company commander from just a few years ago never had to worry that much about cyber, never had to worry that much about space (or) the sea.”

I'm glad to see the focus on electronic warfare.  We're behind, it makes sense and its an obvious capability gap that when filled will save lives.  The talk about "tactical cyber" is beyond me.  I have yet to hear anyone explain how that will work and what the need is.  It sounds more like marketing than a real capability.  With the Army and Marine Corps talking about giving IPads to ground forces it really sounds like a capability the enemy will need more than us...but disrupting those devices seems to fall under EW so what is cyber suppose to do?

Back on task.  From the same article.

Embracing initiative this way is a competitive advantage for Americans, Brown said. On a recent trip to China to visit the People’s Liberation Army, he was very impressed in many ways: “Very tough soldiers, amazing equipment,” and in some areas, such as electronic warfare and long-range weapons, “they have surpassed us.”

And then this.

With one eye on China and another on North Korea, US Army Pacific is injecting cyber warfare and new joint tactics into every wargame it can. At least 30 forthcoming exercises — culminating in the massive RIMPAC 2018 — will train troops on aspects of Multi-Domain Battle, the land Army’s effort to extend its reach into the other “domains” of air, sea, space, and cyberspace. Meanwhile, USARPAC simulations of the concept test near-future weapons such as ship-killer missiles and cruise missile-killing cannon.

They're finally doing it.  The US Army is finally going to RIMPAC.  About freaking time!  They're slow but they're listening....no charge Army...consider it free....