Draft:UK Cyber and Electromagnetic Command

The UK Cyber and Electromagnetic Command (CEMA Command) is a formation of the British Army established in the mid‑2020s to unify cyber operations, electronic warfare (EW), and electromagnetic activities. It coordinates offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, signals intelligence, and electronic warfare assets across the Army, while integrating with joint and NATO operations.

CEMA Command reflects the UK Ministry of Defence’s modernization strategy, which emphasizes artificial intelligence, autonomy, and digital targeting networks. It is closely associated with initiatives such as Project ASGARD, which aims to transform battlefield lethality through advanced digital systems.

Background

CEMA Command was announced as part of the UK Strategic Defence Review(SDR 25) in 2024–25, with the intention of consolidating existing EW units, including the 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare), under a single command structure. The command provides a unified approach to cyber, electromagnetic, and information operations, and works in coordination with the National Cyber Force and other UK defence cyber entities.

The UK Defence Journal reported that the Ministry of Defence sought industry input for Project ASGARD in 2024, describing it as a program to “set the conditions for the unfair fight” by integrating digital targeting, effectors, and enhanced networks into Army operations.

Structure

CEMA Command is organized to provide both strategic and tactical capabilities:

• Headquarters: Integrated within Army HQ, with operational links to NATO.
• Subordinate units:
  • 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare)
  • Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities Effects Group
  • RAF Digby signals intelligence detachments (liaison)
  • Joint EW detachments with Royal Navy platforms

This structure ensures that cyber and electromagnetic activities are coordinated across land, air, and maritime domains, supporting joint operations and NATO interoperability.

Project ASGARD

Project ASGARD is a UK Ministry of Defence program launched in 2024 to modernize battlefield reconnaissance, targeting, and strike capabilities. It is closely tied to CEMA Command’s mission.

• Purpose: To integrate AI, digital targeting networks, and enhanced communications to increase the British Army’s lethality and situational awareness.
• Development: Structured around three “tents”: effectors (extended strike capabilities), digital innovation (operational memory, common intelligence picture), and enhanced C4ISTAR & networks (situational awareness and survivability).
• Trials: Live trials in Estonia in 2025 demonstrated rapid precision strike capabilities across NATO’s eastern flank, showing how ASGARD could enable soldiers to locate and hit targets at far greater distances than before.
• Goals: Double lethality by 2027, triple by 2030, and achieve a tenfold increase by the mid‑2030s.

Breaking Defense reported in July 2025 that following successful trials in Estonia, the British Army approved a second phase of development for ASGARD, aiming to scale the system and integrate it more widely into operations.

Strategic Role

The UK Cyber and Electromagnetic Command (CEMA Command) is designed to unify cyber, electromagnetic, and information operations under a single military structure. According to Chatham House, this integration marks a strategic shift away from fragmented legacy units and toward a coherent digital force posture. The command is tasked with coordinating defence-wide cyber and EM activities, while offensive cyber operations remain the responsibility of the National Cyber Force. This division of labour is intended to streamline decision-making, reduce duplication, and align digital assets across domains for faster, more effective responses to emerging threats.

CEMA Command also plays a central role in NATO interoperability. By establishing a unified command structure, the UK positions itself as a digital leader within the alliance, offering a model for integrating cyber and EM capabilities across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. The command supports the UK’s broader ambition to modernize its armed forces through initiatives like the Digital Targeting Web, which enables real-time data sharing and precision targeting across platforms.

Challenges and Implementation

Despite its strategic promise, the Command faces significant implementation challenges. As RUSI notes, the UK has struggled to translate past modernization goals into operational reality.

The pipeline for cyber specialists remains thin, with only 32 personnel scheduled for training at Shrivenham in 2025, compared to the 250 specialists that formed the reconstituted 13 Signal Regiment. Recruitment into cyber roles is initially focused on the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, with the Army expected to follow in 2026. CEMA Command will also rely heavily on civilian contractors, forming a deployable Digital Warfighter Group to support expeditionary operations. However, concerns persist about talent retention, training capacity, and the ability to scale expertise quickly enough to meet operational demands.

The command must also overcome technical hurdles, such as integrating legacy systems with emerging platforms like Trinity Wide Area Network nodes and software-defined radios. These systems are critical to the Digital Targeting Web but require robust spectrum awareness and real-time adaptability. Without sustained investment and institutional support,CEMA Command risks becoming another reform that fails to deliver on its potential.

See also

• British Army
• Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
• National Cyber Force
• Cognitive Electronic Warfare (CEW)