Electronic Warfare: A Critical Military and Technological Asset for the Improvement of the Common European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP)

Since the Maastricht Treaty, the European Union (EU) operates under three key pillars. The second pillar, known as the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), introduced the need among Member States to develop a common European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). Aimed at providing police and military capabilities to the CFSP, this idea represented a new important element in the European integration progress. ESDP was launched formally in June 1999, establishing ESDP’s mission roots on what it is known as the three “Petersberg Tasks,” (1) Humanitarian and Evacuation Missions, (2) Peace Keeping Missions, and (3) Combat Missions for Crisis Management. The aim of EU was to upgrade its role and influence in the international arena, with no intention of overcoming NATO's role and capabilities in the field of collective defense. The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the perspectives for the development of the European Security and Defense Policy and to stress the need to consider Electronic Warfare a critical asset in the military and technological capability options. The need for common operational concepts, doctrines and training, especially in the field of EW, becomes a necessity as Joint EU Armed Forces report active and ready to manage regional and international crisis. However, the study of ESDP’s current status shows that EW, an important military component, has been addressed but not emphasized properly. In order to demonstrate EW’s “weight”, an imaginary scenario, under the name “Save Atlantia 2008”, has been created in which an advance software program, (i.e., IMOM model), simulates EW effects. The Improved Many-on-Many (IMOM) computer software, presently used by the U.S. Air Force to model the Electronic Order of Battle (EOB), will be used to model the Radar and Tactical Jamming System and conclusions will be based on the theoretical expected jamming effectiveness of the Joint European Air Force against several radar systems in the imaginary scenario.