ETHEREAL FORGE is congressionally funded and supports the United States and its allies in maintaining a technological edge. The effort focuses on systems compatible with the Modular Open Systems Approach, a plug-and-play design model intended to allow the Department of War to upgrade systems more quickly and affordably using compatible parts from multiple manufacturers.
“The electromagnetic spectrum is critical maneuver space, not a warfighting domain; it is the connective tissue that binds together every other domain,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. AnnMarie Anthony, the JEC director. “ETHEREAL FORGE creates a structured, funded mechanism to test innovative solutions to complex EMS challenges and provide acquisition decision-makers with the operationally informed data that they need to move quickly.”
The initiative provides an operationally relevant environment to speed the maturation and fielding of software-centric electromagnetic warfare capabilities. U.S. Strategic Command said this approach is intended to significantly reduce time-to-field.
By establishing a standardised infrastructure, ETHEREAL FORGE is designed to enable a modular ecosystem that integrates flexible, best-of-breed applications. This would allow operators to tailor electromagnetic spectrum operations system configurations more efficiently to specific mission requirements.
“As it stands today, existing EW capabilities and platforms are aging,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Duc Bui, the project manager for ETHEREAL FORGE. “This puts increased risk to the Joint Force and U.S. allies and partners.”
“ETHEREAL FORGE is a paradigm shift in how we field the capabilities that we need to fight and win in the modern operational environment,” he said. “That is denying the adversary while simultaneously providing our force access to the EMS.”
U.S. Strategic Command said the electromagnetic spectrum has become increasingly contested as competitors rapidly advance their own technologies. The project is intended to help ensure the Joint Force maintains a decisive advantage in this critical area.
“Every warfighting domain depends on the electromagnetic spectrum,” Anthony said. “ETHEREAL FORGE is how the JEC will ensure the Combined Joint Force that we own it.”
The initiative is aimed at improving how electromagnetic warfare capabilities are tested, evaluated and moved toward operational use. U.S. Strategic Command framed ETHEREAL FORGE as a mechanism to provide acquisition decision-makers with operationally informed data while supporting faster fielding of systems needed by the Joint Force and allied partners.
