By John Knowles
US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) activated its Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Center (JEC) in a July 26 ceremony at Offutt AFB, NE. Brig Gen AnnMarie Anthony (ANG) has been serving as the JEC director since April, and she will lead the organization as it spins up and takes greater responsibility for JEMSO “force management, planning, situation monitoring decision making and force direction,” according to a USSTRATCOM statement.
Improving operational EMSO was a major focus of the DOD’s 2020 EMS Superiority Strategy and the JEC was announced as part of its EMSSS Implementation Plan in 2021. That plan split EMSO activities between the DOD CIO, which is responsible for EMS policy and governance and USSTRATCOM, which is focusing on operational priorities for EMSO.
Prior to standing up the JEC, USSTRATCOM had managed its EMSO activities through a Deputy Director, Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (J3E) office since 2016. This office had responsibility for the Joint Electromagnetic Warfare Center (JEWC) in San Antonio, TX, and the Joint Center for Electromagnetic Readiness (JCER) at Nellis AFB, NV. General Anthony assumed the J3E role in 2020, and her continued leadership during the transition to the JEC will help to ensure these organizations remain focused on warfighter support as JEC takes on more EMSO responsibilities.
As she explained the DOD’s need to maintain strategic EMS advantage across every warfighting domain, Anthony said during the ceremony, “These challenges require updated systems, new techniques, and better integration. It requires an organization that synchronizes efforts across the Joint Force. The members of the JEC are knowledgeable, poised and ready to meet this challenge. Our team will enhance, maximize, and ensure EMS superiority.”
