Background: Divergent Options is a non-politically aligned, non-revenue generating national security website that, in 1,000 words or less, provides unbiased, dispassionate, candid articles that assess a national security situation, present multiple options to address the situation, and articulate the risk and gain of each option. Please note that while we assess a national security situation and may provide options, we never recommend a specific option.

Below you will see a Call for Papers. If you are not interested in writing on this topic, we always welcome individual articles on virtually any national security situation an author is passionate about. Please do not let our call for papers cause you to hesitate to send us your idea. We look forward to hearing from you!

Call for Papers: As high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly mature, the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) has transformed from a supporting domain into a primary, hyper-contested battlefield. Modern warfare demands continuous, real-time adaptation across the spectrum, where cognitive electronic warfare (EW) systems can sense, process, and counter dynamic multi-spectral threats faster than human operators can react. However, this shift introduces profound operational dilemmas: total reliance on AI-driven EMS superiority creates new vulnerabilities, while operating under relentless electromagnetic sensing strips away traditional concealment. Furthermore, ongoing high-intensity conflicts—most notably in Ukraine—have highlighted both the devastating lethality of persistent spectral surveillance and the rapid attrition of static EW capabilities. To maintain a competitive edge, national security strategists and military planners must re-evaluate how forces survive, maneuver, and dominate in a fully transparent, highly automated electromagnetic environment.

Below is a list of prompts that may inspire potential writers:

• Assess the strategic and tactical risks for combat forces operating under hyper-automated, continuous electromagnetic surveillance. How must doctrine and emissions control (EMCON) evolve when traditional concealment is virtually impossible?

• Provide options for military commanders to balance the operational necessity of AI-enabled spectrum access against the risks of signal detection, electronic spoofing, and spectral saturation.

• Assess key lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine conflict regarding the integration of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies, rapid software iteration, and distributed EW tactics in high-intensity modern warfare.

• Provide options for defense acquisition frameworks to keep pace with rapid software-defined and AI-driven EW advancements, moving beyond legacy procurement cycles.

• Assess the vulnerabilities inherent in deploying algorithmic and machine learning-driven EW systems. How can forces mitigate risks related to adversarial AI, spectral jamming of training data, or automated miscalculation?

• Provide options for joint or coalition forces to establish seamless, cross-domain electromagnetic battle management (EMBM) when operating alongside allies with varying levels of technological maturity.

• Assess the impact of edge-computing capabilities on tactical units. How does decentralizing AI processing to small-unit electronic warfare assets alter force survivability and mission command?

Please limit your submission to 1,000 words and write using our Options Paper or Assessment Paper templates which are designed for ease of use by both writers and readers alike.

Please send your article to submissions@divergentoptions.org by September 15, 2026.