Cyber/EW Convergence 2026: An Operationally Vital Summit

Theme: Challenges and Benefits of Converging Cyberspace Operations and Electronic Warfare

Objective: Reliance on the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) and the military's global IT infrastructure has expanded to include nearly every weapon system. However, even as capabilities converge, the integration of cyberspace operations (CO) and electromagnetic warfare (EW) into military operations faces significant technical, organizational, and doctrinal hurdles in dominating this shared environment.

From the technical perspective, many EW and cyber systems rely on proprietary communication protocols that are not natively integrated, making seamless synchronization across space, airborne, naval, and ground platforms difficult, while military hardware often lacks the processing power or architecture required to support modern integrated software-defined networking and AI-driven effects. Organizationally, disputes exist over who should own and control integrated assets – tactical commanders who need immediate effects versus operational commanders (like USCYBERCOM) who manage high-demand, low-density assets. Finally, EW and CO are often governed by different legal authorities. CO frequently requires higher-level governmental approval due to fears of unintended escalation, which can be too slow for the rapid pace of engagement. In 2026, legal advisors face challenges in determining when an EMS action constitutes a formal "attack" under the Law of Armed Conflict, especially when those actions could inadvertently cause collateral damage.

Recognizing the importance of information dominance in military conflict, we will explore and tackle these convergence challenges by gathering the best minds and decision-makers in their fields in a classified environment to discuss vulnerabilities, attack vectors, kinetic and non-kinetic effects, and past, current, and future successes and failures, removing operational stovepipes that exist in these transformational domains and gaining superiority over our adversaries.

Classification of Sessions: TS//SCI

All attendees must be US citizens, hold a TS clearance, and be indoctrinated into SCI by their government agency or sponsor to attend the symposium.

Location:
Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic
Cooper River Landing Conference Center (Bldg 3112)
Charleston, SC