In electronic warfare, how is command and control affected and what countermeasures help preserve resilience?

• A. EW can degrade or deny communications and sensors; countermeasures include frequency diversity, hardened networks, redundancy, and manual procedures.
• B. EW has no impact on digital networks if properly shielded.
• C. There are no countermeasures against EW.
• D. Rely on physical security alone.

Answer: (A)

Electronic warfare disrupts command and control by degrading or denying communications and sensors, which reduces situational awareness and the ability to direct operations. The strongest countermeasures to preserve resilience combine several layers: frequency diversity reduces vulnerability to jamming by not placing all traffic on a single frequency; hardened networks with robust protections resist interference and spoofing; redundancy provides alternate paths or modes for critical links and sensors; and maintaining manual procedures ensures continuity when automated or networked systems are degraded. This approach addresses both resilience of the network and the ability to operate under degraded EW conditions. Other statements miss the real impact of EW, overstate shielding effectiveness, or rely solely on physical security, which doesn’t fully protect command and control or maintain operational capability.