Estonian Military Academy's electronic warfare center of excellence opens e-warfare lab

Estonian Military Academy's electronic warfare center of excellence opens e-warfare lab. Photo: Kaitsevägi

A classroom and lab facilities of the Center of Excellence for Electronic Warfare were inaugurated at the Estonian Military Academy in Tartu on Thursday, featuring facilities for research and development related to electronic warfare.

The new facilities enable state-of-the-art electronic warfare research and development activities, as well as the testing and development of novel solutions, devices, and concepts, spokespeople for the defense forces said.

The goal of the Center of Excellence for Electronic Warfare is to bring together electronic warfare expertise in Estonia. Until now, various universities and the Estonian defense forces have been involved in this field, but there has been a lack of a unified central hub.

The classroom and the research laboratory spaces will be utilized for learning purposes by cadets and officers of the Estonian Military Academy, as well as by military personnel from other units within the Estonian defense forces and employees of partner institutions.

In addition, the premises are suitable for the teaching of various subjects and work on projects related to electronics, information technology and innovation with a view to carrying out developments related to the capabilities of the partner countries of the defense forces, the equipment used and the equipment to be acquired.

"In contemporary warfare, we cannot afford the luxury of not talking about electronic warfare, as it has become a daily presence. We just need to look at what is happening in Ukraine or what is happening between Israel and Hamas," Brig. Gen. Vahur Karus, the head the Estonian Military Academy, said in his opening remarks. "Therefore, every officer who graduates from the academy must be aware of what is happening in today's technology and what tools will be used against them on the battlefield from the very first moment."

Kaarel Piip, the head of the Center of Excellence for Electronic Warfare and its lead researcher, said that electronic warfare and, more broadly, the electromagnetic spectrum are an integral part of modern warfare, and the importance of the domain is also demonstrated by the war in Ukraine.

"Virtually all modern weapon systems use the electromagnetic spectrum, whether it's radio waves, infrared radiation, or visible light," Piip said.

The Center of Excellence for Electronic Warfare, launched in 2022, focuses on three main areas: teaching, research and development, and testing of existing equipment and the equipment to be acquired. So far, the first research projects have been launched and researchers from the center of excellence have delivered lectures and practicals as part of other curricula. In addition, the center of excellence is an official testing center for NATO's DIANA (Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) program, which allows startup companies participating in the program to use the capabilities of the Estonian Military Academy to develop their products.