By Monsi A. Serrano
The character of warfare in the Indo-Pacific is changing fast, moving beyond ships, missiles, and troop deployments into a new domain where control of data, signals, and digital networks could determine the outcome of future conflicts.
This caveat was underscored by Italian electronic warfare expert Antonio Dovizio during a high-level security forum organized by the Italian Embassy in Manila, where he emphasized that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by dominance in cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum.
Speaking at the seminar “Indo-Pacific: Cyber Domain as the New Frontier of Security,” Dovizio said the global security environment is undergoing a profound shift — from a unipolar world order toward an increasingly volatile multipolar landscape marked by intensifying strategic rivalry among major powers.
At the center of this transformation is the electromagnetic spectrum — the invisible but critical domain that enables communications, intelligence, surveillance, navigation, and weapons systems.
“The battlefield of the 21st century is no longer made of metal, but of frequencies, data, and signals,” he said.
From radar and satellites to maritime communications and civilian telecommunications networks, modern societies are deeply dependent on spectrum-based systems, making them vulnerable to disruption, interference, or manipulation.
This has given rise to electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO), an integrated approach that combines electronic warfare, cyber operations, signals intelligence, and spectrum management into a unified operational framework.
Dovizio warned that cyber and electromagnetic threats are increasingly converging, exposing even secure digital systems to risks due to their reliance on wireless connectivity.
“Defending the network without defending the spectrum is like not defending the network at all,” he said.
Cyberattacks delivered through electromagnetic pathways, he noted, could target critical national infrastructure, including energy grids, telecommunications systems, maritime logistics networks, and military command structures — with cascading effects that could disrupt essential services and economic stability.
Cognitive warfare and the battle for decision-making
Beyond physical infrastructure, Dovizio highlighted the rise of cognitive warfare — a strategy focused on influencing decision-makers by manipulating information.
False or distorted data, he explained, can lead to flawed strategic decisions, misallocation of military assets, and operational failure.
“In modern warfare, influencing decisions can have direct effects on the use of force,” he said.
He outlined a broader doctrinal shift in global military strategy — from platform-centric warfare focused on ships and weapons systems, to network-centric operations, and now toward data-centric warfare, where the ability to collect, process, and act on massive volumes of information is key to gaining strategic advantage.
Major powers are rapidly investing in integrated cyber-electromagnetic capabilities, increasingly supported by artificial intelligence and advanced digital technologies designed to achieve preemptive dominance across multiple operational domains.
West Philippine Sea vulnerabilities
For the Philippines, these developments carry significant implications, particularly amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
Dovizio identified a range of vulnerabilities linked to the country’s maritime geography, including cyber espionage targeting naval operations, hybrid attacks on maritime logistics and port infrastructure, supply-chain disruptions, and deep infiltration of both digital systems and personnel networks.
He warned that cyber operations are increasingly mirroring physical confrontations, with digital attacks capable of shaping real-world military standoffs in contested maritime spaces.
In such an environment, the human factor remains a critical vulnerability, as phishing campaigns, social engineering, and insider threats continue to exploit gaps in cybersecurity awareness.
Rising threat environment, technology as defense
Cyberattacks have surged sharply in recent years amid ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, highlighting the urgency for countries to strengthen cyber resilience in an increasingly unstable security landscape.
Dovizio stressed that technological innovation remains a crucial line of defense, with integrated cyber-electromagnetic solutions enabling governments to enhance situational awareness, detect emerging threats, and protect critical infrastructure.
These capabilities, he said, are becoming essential as warfare evolves into a complex, multi-domain contest where digital superiority can shape outcomes on land, at sea, in the air, and in space.
Strategic imperative for the Philippines
For the Philippines — strategically positioned at the heart of Indo-Pacific geopolitical competition — strengthening cyber-electromagnetic capabilities is no longer a hypothetical risk but an empirically grounded national imperative.
Safeguarding national security, protecting maritime interests in contested waters, and sustaining economic growth now hinge on the country’s ability to adapt to the realities of modern conflict, where control of information, data, and the electromagnetic spectrum increasingly determines strategic advantage.