At this year’s Northern Strike, the U.S. National Guard’s premier readiness exercise in Michigan, soldiers faced an intensive training environment that pushed the limits of electromagnetic warfare (EW) in realistic combat scenarios.
Held at the Michigan National All-Domain Warfighting Center, the exercise brought together U.S., British, and Latvian forces in a high-pressure environment designed to replicate the chaos of modern warfare. Soldiers trained to disrupt enemy communications, intercept signals, and scan for threats in an evolving fight across the airwaves.
Last year, the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) piloted a program sending mobile EW teams into the field to disrupt the communications of training units. This year, the concept advanced — EW teams were embedded directly within infantry squads, forcing soldiers to adapt to jamming and signal denial in real time.
“This is a rare training opportunity in the National Guard and in the Army as a whole,” said Spc. Robert Bowley, an Electromagnetic Warfare Specialist with the 37th IBCT from Columbus, Ohio. “To train with the equipment, you need the funding, and Northern Strike allows for that.”
Bowley carried the Beast+ system, a handheld multi-channel receiver and transmitter designed for Army EW operations. The device scans the electromagnetic spectrum, detects spoofing or jamming threats, and can jam enemy communication systems.
“The antenna gives you a general direction and signal strength. I can see anything on the RF spectrum,” Bowley explained. “For this mission, I will be an early warning system. I will be giving the direction of the opposing force and jamming their comms.”
The operation paired the 37th IBCT with the Royal Irish Regiment and the Latvian National Armed Forces. Bowley embedded with the Irish regiment while Latvian forces managed signal towers.
“In my job, you are on the front lines. We are not cyber on computers, we are in the field,” Bowley said, adding that the challenge lies in explaining EW’s importance to those focused on conventional weapons.
At 1800 hours, Bowley and seven Royal Irish soldiers moved to an urban training facility. After securing a defensive position, Bowley set up his Beast+ to monitor the spectrum and prepare for jamming enemy signals. His orders were clear: disrupt communications when critical transmissions occurred, such as medical evacuation requests or pre-assault coordination.
“I brought a lot of caffeine,” Bowley said with a laugh. “The problem with jamming is that it is risky. Turning off comms can do a lot. The things that I will be looking at jamming are important.”
Through the night, Bowley monitored enemy frequencies, identifying them within minutes. At 2200, the defenders repelled probing attacks, but at 0300, an assault began. Bowley jammed multiple channels, forcing the attacking force to yell commands across the darkened training ground.
“I was able to jam a couple of communication channels,” Bowley said. “They realized we were jamming them and immediately got off their comms.” Moments later, the attackers breached and overtook the defenders in the exercise.
Corporal Glen Williams, Bowley’s squad leader, ensured the jammer had the best position and carried additional batteries to keep operations running.
“We had a standard operating procedure and were able to work well together,” Williams said.
Master Sgt. Jason Ross, electromagnetic spectrum operations noncommissioned officer for the Army National Guard Information Advantage Division, stressed that integrating EW into training is essential as communications systems evolve rapidly.
“The threat has grown significantly. Thinking outside the box is critical,” Ross said.
Maj. Tucker Palmatier, a cyber electromagnetic warfare officer with the 37th IBCT, highlighted the challenge of training under federal restrictions. “The FCC law on jamming dates back to 1934, which makes it difficult to realistically train for today’s technology-driven battlefield,” Palmatier said. “Our challenge is maximizing training opportunities without breaking laws or regulations so soldiers know exactly what to expect when it matters most.”
According to Palmatier, the EW integration at Northern Strike was a success.
“Our enemy was not anticipating electromagnetic warfare. We were able to degrade their communications, which left them unable to coordinate their attack, allowing a smaller force to successfully defend the position,” he said.
Northern Strike demonstrated that when the right equipment, integration, and scenario come together, electromagnetic warfare can decisively shape the outcome of a battle — even when the battle is invisible.