Reflecting a turbulent strategic and technological landscape, the publication of the second edition of the Lightning Press’ seminal work on cyberspace and electronic warfare is timely.
Summer is the perfect time for some holiday reading and Armada was delighted to receive a new edition of the Lightning Press’ Cyberspace and Electromagnetic Warfare Operations SMARTbook. Written by Norman Wade, the Lightning Press’ owner, the first edition was published in 2019 with a subsequent update in 2021. The second edition is now available in digital and paperback form and, like the previous versions, does not disappoint. The paper copy accompanied your correspondent on their summer sojourn and was devoured in days from the comfort of a beach sun lounger.
The Lightning Press’ SMARTbook series combines highly readable, regularly updated, introductory texts on a range of subjects as diverse as military logistics and the People’s Liberation Army. These works are as accessible for the subject matter expert as they are for the novice. Your correspondent’s paper copy is particularly well-thumbed and regularly takes excursions from the Armada bookshelves for consultation regarding Electronic Warfare (EW) tactics, techniques and procedures, among many other subjects.
Mr. Wade has developed a valuable niche with the Cyberspace and Electromagnetic Warfare Operations series. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) EW doctrine is enshrined in the classified AJP-3.6 Allied Joint Doctrine for Electronic Warfare publication. AJP-3.6 provides the standard EW text which NATO members then use to guide the drafting of their national EW doctrines. Some of these national doctrines are made available in the public domain. For example, the United States Air Force’s Air Force Doctrinal Publication 3-85 Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations document is freely available online. However, other NATO nations like the United Kingdom and France do not release their EW doctrines to the public domain. Such reticence can be understandable. After all, one does not want to give potential adversaries too much information on how NATO and allied nations may manoeuvre in the spectrum to achieve Electromagnetic Superiority and Supremacy (E2S).
Broad readership
Nonetheless, there is wisdom in having a freely available doctrinal-style publication which employs open sources to articulate a generic EW doctrine applicable to militaries large and small. Not only are the Cyberspace and Electromagnetic Warfare Operations additions relevant to the military they are ideal for anyone who needs to understand EW and how armed forces use the electromagnetic spectrum. Such individuals could include those in government, industry and academia. Moreover, nations exercising and training with the NATO and allied nations can obtain an unclassified understanding of how these actors employ electromagnetic manoeuvre to achieve E2S. Such prior knowledge can help improve synergies during training and reduce friction during combat.
Mr. Wade’s latest work is timely. The world has experienced a series of strategic shocks since the first edition was published in 2019. Russia mounted her second invasion of Ukraine in 2022. India and Pakistan went to war in May 2025; the two nations’ fourth direct conflict since attaining independence in 1947. Meanwhile Israel and the United States, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, have fought two conflicts, one of which remains ongoing, since the devastating Hamas attacks on Israel on 7th October 2023.
Meanwhile, the pace of technology continues to have a major impact on the EW discipline. The advent of artificial intelligence is having a profound effect on signals intelligence processing and jamming waveform design. The proliferation of uninhabited aerial vehicles adds a new threat with which spectrum warriors must contend. Furthermore, the intersections between information warfare, cyberwarfare and EW continue to blur. At first blush comprehension of this myriad of challenges can appear unfathomable. Fortunately, Mr. Wade provides us with a clear, concise and comprehensive work that can help us untangle these subjects, whether being read from the comfort of a hammock or in the cacophony of a command centre. You can order a copy of the second edition of Cyberspace and Electromagnetic Warfare Operations here.
by Dr. Thomas Withington
