Army responds to tech-savvy enemies.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Washington PULSE

As if soldiers weren't busy enough these days, the Army now is requiring them to become electronic-warfare specialists. The new mandate stems from the realization that insurgents in Iraq have become quite deft at exploiting the electronic spectrum--creating command-and-control networks with cell phones, and detonating bombs via electronic devices. Disrupting those networks has been difficult despite the assistance from Navy EW officers who have been assigned to Army units in Iraq. The Army apparently is not entirely happy with that arrangement and wants to breed its own EW talent. The goal is to replace 150 naval personnel by March 2008, says Col. Laurie Buckhout, chief of the Army's electronic warfare...