Wars are no longer fought only with tanks, aircraft, ships, and soldiers. Increasingly, they are fought through satellite constellations, encrypted navigation signals, cyber operations, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, and command-and-control networks. The battlefield has expanded beyond land, sea, and air into space and the electromagnetic spectrum.

Recent reports suggesting that Iran may be using China’s encrypted BeiDou satellite navigation system to improve the effectiveness of its missile arsenal should concern every American policymaker. If these reports are accurate, they represent more than a technological upgrade for Iran. They offer a glimpse into how China may be preparing to challenge the United States through indirect means, using proxies and partners to test Western defenses without placing a single Chinese soldier in combat.

This is not simply about Iran.

It is not simply about Israel.

It is about the future of American national security.

Modern missile defense depends on a layered architecture built around both hard-kill and soft-kill capabilities. Hard kill refers to physically destroying an incoming missile using interceptor systems such as Patriot, THAAD, Aegis, Arrow, David’s Sling, or Iron Dome. These systems have saved countless lives, but every interceptor comes at a significant financial cost.

Soft kill is different. Instead of destroying the missile, it attempts to prevent the missile from reaching its target through electronic warfare. This includes radio-frequency jamming, GPS spoofing, electronic deception, cyber intrusion, and disrupting a missile’s guidance or seeker systems.

In many situations, soft-kill capabilities are more economical than firing interceptor missiles. A sophisticated electronic warfare system may neutralize multiple threats without launching a single interceptor. That matters because missile defense is not only a technological competition; it is also an economic one.

Military planners often speak of the cost-exchange ratio. A relatively inexpensive drone or missile can force defenders to launch interceptors costing hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of dollars. Adversaries understand this imbalance and increasingly design their strategies around exhausting the defender’s inventory rather than ensuring every missile reaches its target.

Electronic warfare has traditionally helped offset that imbalance.

But........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)