AUGUSTA, Ga. — With no new starts for electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO) capabilities budgeted for fiscal 2027, the Army is looking to leverage prototypes and broad requirements from other programs to get new kit in the hands of soldiers, officials said this week.
Earlier this year, the Army published two documents — a Characteristics of Need (CoN) for EMSO systems, which is a guiding document that outlines broad based needs as opposed to hyper-specific requirements, and the Rapid Electromagnetic Warfare & Signals Intelligence Commercial Solutions Offering (REWSI) Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO), which is a library of capabilities to choose from — all in the name of getting new kit to soldiers faster.
No new starts means the Army isn’t creating any new programs or receiving money to fund brand new efforts as part of the FY27 budget. But with the desire to leverage commercial systems and soliciting industry ideas to continue to continue to get after gaps through the CoN, “there’s two ways to skin that cat,” Mark Saxon, deputy project manager for Electromagnetic Warfare & Collection, told Breaking Defense in an interview.
First, his office is looking at experimentation in small quantities working with the Army’s V Corps, taking advantage of research and development funds. V Corps, which is based in Kentucky but has forward deployed troops in eastern Europe, will also help serve as a pilot for the REWSI, he said. The REWSI will allow the Army to pick and choose capabilities from a library of commercial systems creating constant competition and ensuring they don’t have the same thing that might not work for every formation in every theater.
