Russia Is Attacking US Forces With Electronic Weapons In Syria, General Says (yahoo.com)
john of sparta shares a report from Yahoo: American forces in Syria are increasingly facing attacks from Russian and Syrian electronic warfare weapons, as Moscow uses the conflict to test its future arsenal. General Raymond Thomas, head of the U.S. Special Operations Command, said that Syria has become "the most aggressive electronic warfare environment on the planet," Breakingdefense.com reported. Speaking at a geospatial intelligence conference in Florida, Gen. Thomas said that Russian and Syrian regime forces "are testing us everyday, knocking our communications down, disabling our [EC-130 aircraft]."
The Lockheed Martin EC-130 Compass Call is one of America's most advanced electronic warfare weapons. Based on the C-130 Hercules, the plane was developed to disrupt enemy communications, radar and command operations. The craft's presence in Syrian skies gives Russia the chance to test its weapons against the best the U.S. has to offer, whether directly or through its Syrian allies. Earlier this month, four anonymous officials told NBC News that Russia has also been regularly targeting smaller U.S. surveillance drones. One of those quoted said Russian operations were having a significant impact on U.S. capabilities. The sophisticated attacks were even successful against encrypted signals and anti-jamming devices, the official said. Slashdot reader john of sparta adds, "Well, it's war; not a surprise..."
The Lockheed Martin EC-130 Compass Call is one of America's most advanced electronic warfare weapons. Based on the C-130 Hercules, the plane was developed to disrupt enemy communications, radar and command operations. The craft's presence in Syrian skies gives Russia the chance to test its weapons against the best the U.S. has to offer, whether directly or through its Syrian allies. Earlier this month, four anonymous officials told NBC News that Russia has also been regularly targeting smaller U.S. surveillance drones. One of those quoted said Russian operations were having a significant impact on U.S. capabilities. The sophisticated attacks were even successful against encrypted signals and anti-jamming devices, the official said. Slashdot reader john of sparta adds, "Well, it's war; not a surprise..."
Well now, they're also jamming ENCRYPTED communication!
That doesn't just piss off Trump... it also pisses off all the sex traffickers that weren't on backpage.
Seriously, sometimes the press releases the military puts out are so stupid.
"We had a really good supply caravan. With hidden stuff under blankets. And then the Russians blew it all up,
even the stuff under blankets!!!!!"
Encryption is of no value when the underlying medium is sufficiently attacked.
E
The British and US military and governments are a bunch of bloody hypocrites. :-(
BTW, I'm British.
""are testing us everyday, knocking our communications down,"
They also knocked a moron as president down your throats.
The craft's presence in Syrian skies gives Russia the chance to test its weapons against the best the U.S. has to offer...
At the same time it also gives the US a sample of the best Russia can throw at them and the effect that has on US tactics which have relied on battlefield networking, large numbers of remote controlled drones and the apparent assumption that these communications will never be significantly disrupted or even completely disabled. Let's just hope that this lesson will be better heeded than those learned by the Americans who fought the Japanese in the run-up to WWII. Their reports were filed away or ignored by the Pentagon which ignored the threat because the reports contradicted their preconceptions about the Japanese.
Where they beaming creimer ebooks at them? That should be against the Geneva convention!
From the beginning of the Russian attack against Ukraine, the Russian military has been using and testing its electronic warfare capabilities. They were even able to track an app Ukrainian artillery units were using to calculate their fire and use it to target the units.
The OSCE monitors routinely report their UAVs are being jammed while over Russian-occupied territory. Also, these monitors report on a regular basis the presence of Russian mobile electronic jamming vehicles.
Fortunately, as was stated further up, this jamming has given us a look into Russian procedures and allows us to find ways around it or at the least, to mitigate it. As a result, Ukrainian military units are able to communicate and coordinate their activities to target Russian military personnel on Ukrainian territory.
Turns out the Russian's secret weapon (in the best tradition of Russian engineering) is just a giant magnet.
It's all FAKE NEWS!
> American forces in Syria are increasingly facing attacks from Russian and Syrian electronic warfare weapons
Impossible, for the simple reason that Syria is well, syrian. Thus Syria and their official russian and iranian allies can only DEFEND against US, saudi and zionist invasion forces. It's the capitalist-greater-zionist-imperialist, YHWH-satan worshipping side who is the attacker in Syria. The supposedly secular (1st Amendment) America is actually "dog on chain" of jewish zionism and christian zionism, which want to burn Damascus just because some 3000 year old horror story called Isaiah 17:1 says so.
Yes, that is why the News is the enemy of the people, as we are told daily in our reports from the only trusted source in news.
like swimming in a cesspool & complaining/reporting that everybody else smells bad.. cease fire stand down,, there's moms & babys in every town.. thanks
How dare they interrupt our electronic weapons with their own electronic weapons!
If this is such a concern, I've got a strategy the US can use to combat this: Get the hell out of Syria.
It's ridiculous to be offended/upset that someone is using countermeasures against the drones being used against them or their allies.
This is my signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
In the New Amerika, ignorance is strength!
And Trump says,
"Why can't we just all get along?"
"Why can't we have golden showers?"
"Why can't we launder for Russian crooks?"
"There was no COLLUSION! It was a Hoax!"
Rocket Man! Burning out his fuse up here, alone!"
Sadly.. this isn't far off the mark. The thing is most of the people around me are beginning to wake up. Everyone I knew supported the original Iraq war. I haven't really spoke with anyone that supports this crap in Syria and I live in rural America. Most everyone including me is Republican.
Yeh, and Trump warns them by twitter before each air strike. Lasts years airstrike blew holes in concrete... about 1000 bucks of cement. This year they hit empty targets because he tweeted.
Get the soldiers out because he'll undermine the soldiers.
This cannot be possible because there is no provision enacted under international law that would allow a foreign power to station troops in the sovereign nation of Syria without explicit permission of the government.
because the U.S. is supposed to be allowed to attack not only Russia, a dozen weak 3rd world countries who can't defend themselves, but also Europe and other "allies" with electronic and cyber weapons. But if anyone fights back, then they are terrorists!
The U.S. actions in Syria are entirely self-serving, they have no interest or care for the Syrian people just as little as they had for the people in Libya, or Iraq, or Afghanistan, or Jemen. The U.S. is the axis and pivot of evil, not all the other smaller countries they accuse and lie about.
Not to sound pessimistic, but this is how the military works. SOmebody says "America, Mom, Apple-pie, RUSSIANS ARE WINNING, give me $100B to get better weapons!" These reports may all be true, but it seems like perhaps the answer ought to start with thinking instead of spending.
GPS jamming has been around a long time. Shifting the signals so that GPS receivers are off 1500ft is VERY useful. The US allies do the same things.
RF jamming has been around even longer.
Modern war should assume these systems have been compromised. They can be unavailable or tainted.
And this is why driving assist in vehicles shouldn't trust GPS.
I see no reason at the US forces should be in Syria in the first place. They were not invited by the legitimate regime. Maybe it was Israel who invited them just like US was invited to WW1.
We get to study their capabilities too.
Time for EMP and direct laser weaponry to wipe out the Russian forces in Syria. It is time for them to retreat.
Seriously, sometimes the press releases the military puts out are so stupid.
The US military is becoming more and more like CRY BABIES
By what legal authority is the US flying over Syrian territory? Does it have an invitation to be there from the government of Syria? Is there a security council resolution authorising the use of force?
No?
Then they're there illegally. Forget jamming them, I'd be shooting them out of the sky.
While we are on the subject of Syria....anyone else notice the US is in Syria illegally, while Russia was invited by the Syrian government.
You are right, but sometimes in military speak they refer to transmission security also as encryption. For example, you could change the transmission frequency frequently based on the output of a cryptographic algorithm to make jamming more difficult to someone without the key.
C-130 Hercules, the plane was developed to disrupt enemy communications, radar and command operations.
So it is ok for the US to put a bigass electronic weapon in a foreign country.
Russia has also been regularly targeting smaller U.S. surveillance drones
But they are pissed that the other side do the same thing to a few drones?!
The headline should be "US General Surprised That Enemy Actually Hit Back"
Is ROT13 from WW-II useful for military now?
Because in Soviet America, voters must vote for the candidate sponsored by GS and Lockheed Martin.
make it so hot that not anything electronic works anymore,
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
The author of the article makes it sounds as though some outrage is being visited on American troops in Syria. All that is happening is the the Russians and Syrians are using electronic tools to counter our own electronic surveillance. It's a little difficult for me to get upset about this.
Let's go have the beer
All the beer are belong to us.
Is ROT13 from WW-II useful for military now?
No, now they have to use double ROT13 encryption. I read somewhere that quad-ROT13 encryption is in development.
And they are doing it with tools they have now, not 'OMG AI!' that will never exist. Silicon Valley is a special kind of blind, and is the first world bullshit epicenter of the entire planet.
Iraq and Syria declared ISIS defeated in December. Russia and Iran are telling the USA that it is now time to leave Iraq and Syria. A lot of people in the USA govt, France, Saudi Arabia, and Israel want the USA to stay.
Which goes on the show that people have a really short memory.
Doing nothing is exactly what the west did in Afghanistan between 1989 and 2001, before or after the Taliban took power in 1996. Far away. Not my problem. Do you need me to remind you how that ended?
Fact is, the west certainly does have a legitimate interest in what happens in Syria. ISIS might be a shadow of its former self, but let's not forget that this is a group that preached holy war not against the Turks, Iranians or Russians who had boots on the ground in Syria, not against the same plus mainly Saudi Arabia and the other gulf states who where bankrolling their opponents, but against the west.
As for the chemical weapons strikes, well it's one of two things: either you have a convention that forbids them and consequences if you cheat it (like Syria did), or you have nothing. Would you be happier to live in a world where any state has chemical weapons at the ready? Including ones with Syria's history when it comes to supporting terrorists? Or maybe you think a strongly worded letter is consequences enough?
Just wait until some one brings back the "support our troops" bumper stickers because some how you cant support the troops if you're against the war.
I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
Go for full energy independence. Unleash solar, natural gas, nuclear, and hydro. Once we do that, who gives a rat's ass what happens over there, wherever "over there" is.
So in other words, the real communists are pointing at the fake communists and saying "look! over there!" while they continue the slow unraveling of western society.
> According to the Great President Comrade Trump the Glorious, Russia is being our friend! No way Jose! Must be Capitalist Running Dog Propaganda! Let's go have the beer and watch a baseball instead of reading this story! No collaboration!
Not that I disagree with you, but I think you're barking at the wrong tree.
While kids are dying in Syria, some nations (i.e. Russia *and* USA) seize the opportunity for a joint weapons improvement program.
It reminds me of a situation which occurred 70 years ago and that we're (more or less) solving only now... it took like forever, many died because it was not your mother, your kids or your friend. Don't be silly. The USA reputation is so bad now that you get a hardliner President and we still think he is a fool (albeit dangerous).
Also, when the Sparta guy says "no surprise, it's war", I cannot help but wonder what is his understanding about the situation. It's not just war, like "oh, look those poor fellows; good thing it is far from here"... it's uppercase WAR between Russia and USA troops. I fail to see how that can end well (at least "well" from a world peace point-of-view).
Budget season. Public presentation by a four star screaming "Crisis! Give me more money!"
Do electronic counter measures qualify as attacks, especially when the US military are flying war planes in sovereign Syrian airspace? Oh the US military are such poor, delicate victims of these evil Syrian radio waves. Why won't the Syrian military stop?
Debate is a form of harassment. Do not question my truth.
Please post a referenced quote where Trump said Russia is our friend.
I suspect the Israelis are somehow monitoring this with great interest. They have the capabilities to have good performance in this area on both sides of the EW battle. And they would not be tipping their hand to either side.
USAamericans are such pussies when it comes to war. Stop hiding in your planes and get down to killing Russian "contractors" on the ground already.
Good thing Trump has no conflicts of interest with Russian money. Good thing indeed. Only a pussy democrat would run from a fight right gais??
You vote for whoever the machine.
Voting "machines".. lol! What a shithole cuntry!
If the attacks were having no real effect and the existence of any technology used to thwart them was secret, our personnel would be committing treason not to complain about how it is shutting us down. They might even crash or blow up a drone or have an EC-130 leave the scene or otherwise pretend to be jammed. With more critical techs, they wouldn't even be allowed to turn on the secret capabilities unless the situation was critical. For that reason, this article isn't worth reading. It is as likely to be propaganda written for the opponent's eyes as truth.
The movie?
Syria, much like Iraq, is simply a testing ground for both sides to see how well their new toys perform outside of a controlled environment.
Neither side can show what they're really holding though lest they spoil the surprise.
As a result, these are the minor, expendable assets they're playing with atm.
Albeit, at the expense of Syrian lives.
I am American and many people are saying that this story is almost totally fakes by the liberal mainstream media to continue to try to make Russia sound like bad guys when it is USA and deep state network run by Hillary Clinton and Gorge Soros who are behind this kind of corruption and evil.
> consequences if you cheat it (like Syria did)
Syria destroyed their chemical weapons on 2013. There were consequences. How do we go about countries that break important treaties like the ABM prohibition one?
I expect the US to issue an EW version of the Monroe Doctrine in the next few years with the full support of EU allies. Basically saying what was said almost 200 years ago: EW against the US and its allies will be "the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States."
Si vis pacem, para bellum.
Remember, the USA got involved to punish Assad for using chemical weapons. For some reason, the USA decided that regime-change was (once again) the answer. It was obvious when Russia joined the war, that regime-change by remote-control was no longer possible. The Korean war taught the USA to not invade the enemies of their allies, so the USA won't escalate the conflict and can't abandon their allies; thus leaving it stuck in another endless bitch-fight.
Translation: Americans helpless now they don't have the biggest 'gun'.
Seeing that a) the US is an invader in Syria and b) Russia is there at the invitation of the invadee a correct headline should be "Russia Is Defending against Attacking US Forces With Electronic Weapons In Syria, General Says"
Even switching To chaotic waveforms does little in the face of broadband signal interference.
Course there is a ready solution. Anti jamming missiles but that would start a real war.
Time to push for quantum entanglement as a communications medium. Seems we can transmit waveforms across it. Nobody could jam or intercept that.
Thank YOu. :)
[($)]
Those reports about the US battle ship blinded "electronically" by one (older) Russian military plane in the Black Sea and the suspicions, a similar technique was used by Russians and/or Chinese to make US battle ships crash into commercial ships in South-East Asia had been caused by electronic weapons and/or infiltration of the US systems seem to be true? Someone with business connections to Russians developing such systems told me 6 months ago that the Russians had such a system and/or remote access to the software of US weapon systems and even to some databases with personal data of all US military staff The Russians only would only be "kind" enough not to demonstrate that power in full size against the US because they think the US army is still somewhat useful for the unstable stability of the world: Imagine what would happen if the Russians would demonstrate that the US army is the emperor without clothes and that they can bring down any US weapon system easily from the distance? A world-wide "anarchy" would breakt out that would be even worse than everything the US caused since 1945.
Oh my Gawd! They are taking them babies out of those incubators again!
:-P
Nayirah Kuwaiti girl testimony
Our weekly propaganda to keep the shit rolling...
They left the children to die on the cold (it snows regularly in Kuwait) floor! Oh my Gawd, oh my Gawd!
nobody would ever fly , i'm still not sure how quantum transmission is going to change the world other than instant data mirroring (which is probably already quite hardcore, i dont want to sound like the expert) over vast distances. I mean , i can imagine how it would help to build a colony somewhere round proxima centauri if you had matter synthesis handy AND a first ship to fly all the way there with the 3D printer (in a manner of speaking) as you could build a copy here and the exact same data would exist there but thats still way beyond star trek i think. If one side has access to quantum computing (which is gonna hack EVERYTHING, right) then how long will it take for all major players to have it, unless the first side strikes first and HARD (but not so hard as to destroy the whole planet) in order to eliminate all potential future opposition in some kind of quantum-blitzkrieg? Why wouldnt they be able to intercept with technology that doesn't exist yet and nobody really understands, do they ? I see more irony in the fact that they assume that it's safe to repeat afghanistan because in this case there's already an al-qaeda clone active so they dont have to worry about creating one, the big mistake from last time ... when has it ever been that the eagle and the bear go playing on a foreign court without actually poking at each other while both simply levelling the place as if their name was Dalek ?
they're doing it again
Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
Freq hopping a confidentiality technique not an availability technique.
But the U.S. is not at war in Syria, right?
No boots on the ground, so it doesn't count.
Just like the first Sunday in December, 1941, at Pearl Harbor.
There's no time like the present. Well, the past used to be.
So the US is bitching about Russia for doing to them what they are doing to the russians, but the russians seem to be better at it.. hahaha..