Letter to Secretary of Defense William Cohen

Friday, January 14, 2000

The Honorable William Cohen
Secretary
U.S. Department of Defense
The Pentagon
Washington, DC  20301-0001

Dear Secretary Cohen:

Last year's Operation Allied Force over former Yugoslavia underscored both the importance and the potential deficiencies of America's airborne electronic-warfare assets. NATO commanders determined early in the planning for the operation that effective jamming and tactical electronic intelligence would be indispensible to a successful outcome.  However, they also discovered as the operation unfolded that the nation's airborne EW systems are few in number, overcommitted, and aging rapidly.

That concerns us, because U.S. military supremacy in the twenty-first century promises to be even more dependent upon control of the electromagnetic spectrum than it was in the closing decades of the last century.  Although nearly all experts in the field acknowledge this fact, electronic-warfare requirements have not received focused attention in the armed forces or the Congress.  We believe that the Department of Defense should strengthen its integrated roadmap or vision of EW needs that rise above service- or program-specific considerations. 

With that in mind, we have established, within the House of Representatives, a bipartisan Electronic Warfare Working Group to encourage awareness of and support for EW capabilities.  It is not our goal to advance the interests of a particular service or program, but simply to assure that concerned House Members have a clear understanding of what the issues and requirements are affecting future electronic warfare. As we formulate a legislative agenda, we want to make certain any initiatives we pursue are compatible with the broader goals of our national security strategy, and contribute significantly to the defense of democracy in a new age. We would welcome any insights that you or your advisors wish to provide that might help to guide our deliberations.

Sincerely,

Joseph R. Pitts
John M. Spratt, Jr.
Duke Cunningham
Norman D. Dicks  

Electronic Warfare Working Group

Congressman Joe Pitts, Founder and Chairman

420 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

202 225-2411 phone    202 225-2013 fax