Electronic Warfare Career Field

Electronic Warfare Career Field

What is it'

The Army established new Electronic Warfare (EW) career fields with Soldiers projected to arrive in units beginning the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010. They are as follows: Functional Area (FA) 29 for officers; Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 290A for warrant officers; and MOS 29E for enlisted personnel. Approximately 1,600 EW personnel will fill out Army units over the next three years.

What has the Army done'

As the bridging strategy until the implementation of the new Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) and functional area, Army Soldiers are being trained at Fort Sill, Okla., and Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and awarded an EW Additional Sill Identifier (ASI). Fort Sill, Okla., conducts an operational EW course and awards a 1J ASI. Fort Huachuca, Ariz., conducts a tactical CREW operator course and awards a 1K ASI. This ASI forms the foundation of the MOS and provides manning for upcoming rotations to OIF/OEF. Fort Sill, Okla., continues to develop the EW career field qualification courses. Army CREW Mobile Training Teams have reached out and trained more than 89,000 Army Soldiers and more than 5,000 joint personnel in preparation for unit deployments.

What efforts does the Army plan to continue in the future'

The Army is investing considerable manpower for EW and is working to develop a family of combat systems to support Soldiers and commanders in the field and countering the EW threat.

Why is this important to the Army'

No one knows better than those of you engaged in combat operations the importance of EW on today's battlefield. For this reason, Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Army Vice Chief of Staff, has stated that "One of the enduring features of any future battlefield will be determined by resourceful enemies attempting to undermine our will by leveraging the electronic spectrum. Building an electronic warfare structure within the Army will greatly enhance our ability to proactively counter these threats. A commitment to EW allows us to tightly integrate non-kinetic and kinetic capabilities across the Army and as part of joint operations."

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Related article: <a href=" http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/02/06/16536-army-creates-electronic-warfare-career-field/" target="_blank">Army creates electronic warfare career field </a>