The electromagnetic spectrum is a foundational enabler of modern military operations and a driver of military innovation. It will increasingly be a key arena of strategic competition in modern battlefields. In line with this year’s edition of UNIDIR’s Innovations Dialogue, unpacking the international peace and security implications of increased competition in this sphere should be a key priority for the disarmament community.
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all electromagnetic waves, including radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays, each distinguished by a specific frequency and wavelength. These regions of the spectrum all behave differently, leading to distinct applications in science and daily life. For example, radio waves enable long-range communications, microwaves support radar functions by reflecting off objects, and infrared light allows the detection of heat signatures. The electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) underpins everyday capabilities, from wireless mobile communications and the positioning necessary for various forms of transport to the imaging necessary in advanced medical applications. As such, the EMS is one of the main enablers of modern life.
In addition to its centrality to civilian life, the EMS is critical for the military domain. It enables key military functions including sensing, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, positioning, weapons guidance, battlefield networking, and command and control. With the modernization of the battlefield, and the increase in capabilities that rely on the EMS for their functioning, its importance to the military domain has grown. For instance, modern capabilities increasingly require continuous data exchange, precision navigation, and sensor integration. It follows that weaponizing these dependences, and disrupting access to the EMS has become central to the conduct of war.
Why does it matter for peace, security and disarmament?
Armed forces do not just rely on the EMS; they actively compete within it. Through what is commonly termed “electronic warfare”, armed forces seek to deny or degrade adversaries’ access to the EMS, while securing their own use. By jamming (the degrading or blocking of a signal) or spoofing (replacing a signal by a fake one) armed forces seek to deny adversaries the ability to utilize networked capabilities or to rely on their communications.
Electronic warfare has therefore become a mainstay of modern conflicts, turning the EMS into a heavily contested domain. Accordingly, seeking ways to overcome EMS disruptions to ensure continued operations is today a central aspect of military operations. This has created a “measure- countermeasure” dynamic – whereby developments to disrupt the EMS are matched by developments seeking to overcome disruptions – that has acted as a strong driver of innovation in weapon systems.
For example, the proliferation of fibre optic UAVs, that are now common on modern battlefields, is a result of efforts to overcome a highly contested electromagnetic environment. Relatedly, spectrum denial has contributed to accelerating the integration of AI-enabled autonomy in specific functions of various weapon systems. This is especially true, for example, of terminal guidance for UAVs, where jamming can sever the link between drone and operator. Such advances have been matched by innovations in electronic warfare capabilities, such as its convergence with AI into “cognitive electronic warfare”. Hence, competition in the EMS can be understood as a strategic force driving the path of development of weapon systems, and military capabilities more broadly.
Harmful interference, mainly through jamming and spoofing, has, however, become more common beyond battlefields. Between January and August 2024 alone, a 500% increase in spoofing of civil aviation was noted, while the first quarter of 2026 marked the single largest concentration of maritime jamming events ever recorded. This trend risks increasing instability due to the potential cascading effects of these disruptions on civilian life and critical sectors that rely on the EMS.
Notably, a 2025 joint statement by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) raises concerns over the rise of harmful interference with Radio Navigation Satellite Services (RNSS).
The EMS is an inherently dual use resource; shared by both civilian and military systems.
Hence, increased disruption, either caused by the growing use of electronic warfare in conflicts, or intentional harmful interference by state and non-state actors, should be cause for concern. An escalation of competition and confrontation in the EMS must be avoided.
What comes next for the disarmament community?
The dynamics that emerge from or in reaction to EMS disruptions warrant the attention of the disarmament community. The EMS is an operational environment that shapes military effectiveness, drives technological innovation across sectors, results in the development of novel disruptive capabilities, and whose disruptions have cascading effects across civilian domains. Therefore, it is necessary to:
- Foster a better understanding of the importance of the EMS, the relationship between disruption and military innovation, the path of development of weapon systems, and the implications for disarmament and arms control;
- Determine the relevance of norms and measures to build confidence, increase transparency or reduce risks given that the rapidly evolving, dual-use capabilities employed to disrupt the EMS do not fit easily into existing arms control efforts;
- Ensure that growing competition in this domain does not lead to more instability and impacts on civilian life and industry.
To this end, UNIDIR’s Innovations Dialogue 2026 will focus on electromagnetic disruption, peace and security. On November 11, 2026, technical experts, state representatives, members of the private sector, and international security and disarmament experts will meet to discuss the issue and explore the role of the disarmament community in managing the multitude of consequences related to the growing centrality of the EMS in the military domain.
