| Mission Statement | Mission
Statement
The United States continues to face many security challenges as it seeks to modernize and transform itself to meet the countless threats of the 21st Century. Not only must we combat terrorism at home and abroad, we must also confront rogue nations, and counter other asymmetric threats. Our armed forces must learn new ways to combat and defeat the enemy, identify and address shortfalls in capabilities, and discover advanced technologies for future investment. To accomplish these objectives is no easy task, but one lesson that our armed forces continue to learn is the central importance of electronic warfare (EW) to maintaining military superiority. The definition of EW has become fluid with the advent of information operations, but essentially, it is the control and manipulation of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrum is the environment in which information, data, and energy live. Electronic warfare provides knowledge of the enemy and access to the battle space, degrades the enemy’s capability to attack, and, most importantly, saves lives—both military and civilian. Electronic warfare is a force multiplier and it enables our armed forces to effectively and efficiently accomplish their mission. Furthermore, by leveraging the electromagnetic spectrum, EW assets and capabilities can advance the operational effectiveness of our military and homeland defense agencies in response to humanitarian conflicts, terrorism and insurgency, drug trafficking, border security and natural disasters. While development and deployment of EW assets and capabilities is important, the effectiveness of EW also requires extensive training of officers in all ranks of military. A well-trained force that understands the science of EW, the capability it brings to an operation, and how to integrate it with other capabilities is essential. We need leadership in Congress and the Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure that EW receives the awareness, resources and support necessary to keep pace with the increasing modernization of enemy defenses and the growing asymmetric threats confronting our nation. With this in mind, I founded the EW Working Group in 1999 as a focused, bipartisan task force that serves as a resource to Members of Congress and the defense community to educate them about the importance of EW and hold DoD accountable in its commitment to strengthen its EW assets and capabilities. As a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, I served three tours of duty in combat in Vietnam as a navigator and EW officer on-board a B-52. My background in EW has given me an understanding of the EW needs of our military. I strongly believe that the EW Working Group will continue to play an essential role in raising awareness about the importance of EW assets and capabilities. Joseph R. Pitts Joseph
R. Pitts – Founder and Co-Chairman (PA-16)
Web site U.S. Armed Services Organizations
Defense Companies |
Electronic Warfare Working Group
Congressman Joe Pitts, Founder and Co-Chairman
420 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202 225-2411 phone 
202 225-2013 fax