“We’re not where we need to be, but we’re focused on it and making progress,” Vice Adm. Richard Correll said Thursday during his confirmation hearing.
Mikayla Easley
U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Richard Correll testifies during his confirmation hearing to be commander of the United States Strategic Command before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Trump administration’s nominee to serve at the helm of U.S. Strategic Command told lawmakers Thursday that the Pentagon’s ability to test, exercise and conduct electronic warfare operations are inadequate.
“We’re not where we need to be, but we’re focused on it and making progress,” Vice Adm. Richard Correll, who currently serves as Stratcom’s deputy commander, said during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
While Stratcom is primarily responsible for overseeing the Defense Department’s nuclear capabilities and global strike missions, it is also charged with leading the military’s joint electromagnetic spectrum operations. The command manages those EMS efforts from the Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Center (JEC), established in 2023 to increase the U.S. military’s readiness within the spectrum.
But Correll stressed to lawmakers both during his confirmation hearing and in written responses to advance policy questions that there is still much work to be done to integrate EW into the Defense Department’s operational plans.
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Furthermore, the joint force’s ability to test capabilities and train troops for future conflicts is limited due to increasing congestion in the electromagnetic spectrum, he added.
“We’ve got to continue along all efforts to advance our spectrum capabilities,” he said. “That includes world class test ranges, modeling and simulation and testing ourselves against the most exquisite capabilities that are out there. That’s where the joint force is headed.”
The Pentagon is limited in its ability to conduct open-air electronic warfare tests and training exercises at the joint level due to overcrowding in the spectrum, a lack of adequate ranges and frequent interference, Correll noted in his responses to advance policy questions. Simulation capabilities are also constrained, despite the department’s efforts to fund and upgrade its capabilities.
The military is working to modernize its EW capabilities through the Electronic Warfare Infrastructure Improvement Plan, which includes the Navy’s Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) and Electronic Warfare Infrastructure Improvement Program (EWIIP).
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