The first reported attempts at conducting Electronic Warfare occurred during the Russo-Japanese War.

The first reported attempts at conducting Electronic Warfare occurred during the Russo-Japanese War. At the Battle of Tsushima, in May 1905, Japanese reconnaissance ships trailed the Russian shipping fleet, transmitting details of the fleet's activities back to the Japanese High Command. The commander of the Russian cruiser Ural requested permission to use his radio transmitters to suppress the Japanese broadcasts, however in a decision he was later to regret, the Russian Vice Admiral denied this request. Thus, the Japanese HQ was kept constantly informed of the Russian ship positions. Some forward thinking Russian commanders later decided on their own initiative to jam these transmissions, however their efforts came too late to prevent the defeat of the Russian fleet who lost 60% of their capital ships on the first day of battle.

Since these early attempts at conducting EW, widespread use of the electromagnetic spectrum for communications and reconnaissance purposes has predominated throughout all stages of subsequent conflicts as well as peacetime activities.