Description: "At the beginning of the 20th Century, naval warfare, which for centuries had been limited to the surface, moved quickly into the domain below the surface and the air above. The influence of undersea and aerial warfare in naval history is well known. The fourth domain involving the electromagnetic spectrum, which also appeared at this time, also had an impact on naval warfare, though much less has been written about this important aspect of military conflict on the high seas. When navies began to make use of the airways, they soon discovered that it could also be used as a unique source of information about the opposing force, instituting a form of intelligence that would later be termed Electronic Intelligence. Also discovered was the value of interrupting or corrupting the enemy's communication signals that were transmitted in the ether, thus beginning a method of fighting we now term Electronic Warfare"--
Brief description: Thomas Wildenberg is an award-winning scholar with a specialization in aviation, aviators, and technical innovation in the military. He is the author of numerous books, including The Origins of Aegis: Eli T. Reich, Wayne Meyer, and the Creation of a Revolutionary Naval Weapons System (2024) and Fighting in the Electromagnetic Spectrum: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Electronic Warfare Aircraft, Operations, and Equipment (2023), both from Naval Institute Press.
Review Quotes: "As the United States comes out of a two-decade focus on counterterrorism operations, the need to reinvigorate electronic warfare capability across the military services has become paramount. Skills that were well-honed during the Cold War have atrophied to levels that require dedicated focus to rebuild. Wildenberg's work provides an historical review of how the United States Navy and Marine Corps built their electronic warfare capability in the years following the introduction of the electromagnetic spectrum to air operations. This book should serve as a roadmap for electronic warfare strategists and practitioners who are working to rebuild the capability across the services; it also fills a considerable historiographical gap and should be of interest to all airpower historians." --Tyler Morton, author, From Kites Cold War: The Evolution of Manned Airborne Reconnaissance
"Thomas Wildenberg's Fighting in the Electromagnetic Spectrum is a fascinating look at a much overlooked area. While many talk about Electronic Warfare few truly understand its history and its importance. Wildenberg has done away with the mythology and secrecy in what will surely be one of the defining books on the subject. Here is the story of "EW" from its inception to its modern use on the battlefield, told in the way only one of America's preeminent Naval Historians is capable of doing." --Dr. Brian D. Laslie, Command Historian United States Air Force Academy "Wildenberg's thorough research is a fantastic and much-needed resource on the often-overlooked realm of electronic warfare. Electromagnetic Spectrum Warfare is often an arcane subject, but Wildenberg makes it understandable and puts it in a useful historical context." --Michael W. Hankins, author, Flying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia "Wilbenberg traces the development of naval airborne electronic warfare back through WWII, and captures the various innovations, tactics, and controversies of these unique platforms and capabilities." --CIMSEC This is an excellent reference book! In addition to the well-written text (with its many adequate photographs and diagrams) the notes and selected bibliography provide and exceptional reference source for further reading. The book provides an outstanding foundation for the study of EW. It certainly meets Wildenberg's objective. Very much worth the read! --Journal of the AFHF