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Association News

The AOC’s 23rd European event in Lausanne, Switzerland, will consider the future of EW and EM Operations in the changing light of current and emerging threats, including Hybrid Warfare, Information Operations, the multi-domain battle (MDB), Cyber and Anti Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) where some potential opponents are excelling. It will consider the possible responses, how thinking and attitudes must change, and examine the new capabilities that will be required across all lines of development, by all services, in all countries in the free world.

The Conference will consist of plenary sessions focusing on operations, defence capability development, and industry inventiveness. AOC EW Lausanne 2018 will bring together the EW, SIGINT, C4ISR, Cyber EM Activities (CEMA) communities and more. Speakers will include leaders and operators from the military, government, and academia, S&T and international R&D communities and, crucially industry.  

MEET THE SPEAKERS: Learn more about the event with speakers' online interviews!

REGISTER HERE!

 

EW warfighting requirements continue to evolve in their complexity and capability to meet Air, Ground, Surface, Space, and Cyberspace requirements. The 10th Annual Electronic Warfare Capability Gaps and Enabling Technologies Conference will provide a forum for EW professionals from the military, government, industry and academic fields, to discuss issues related to the requirements of EW programs, platforms, and operations. This capstone event will focus on the identified gaps and technologies the services required to ensure EW maintains freedom of maneuver through the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) in support of achieving commanders’ objectives.

This year's event includes a robust program. View the Draft Agenda HERE.

KEYNOTE AND HIGH RANKING SPEAKERS

Mr. William Flynn, SES, Director for Integrated Fires, Innovation and Space OPNAV N2N6F3/FX
Capt. Robert Gamberg,
Future Concepts and Experimentation USFFC
Dr. Melissa Midzor, Director, Electronic Warfare Integrated Laboratories Division (Q45) NAWCWD
Dr. Megan Fillinich, Chief Technology Officer, NSWC
Mr. Patrick Molenda, Director, Warfighting Assessment and Readiness (N9 WAR)

All sessions on May 8 and 9 will be classified SECRET/NOFORN. The May 10 session is TS/SCI.

 

Devices used to produce the historical high-powered radar pulse are now being replaced with solid-state technology, which makes identify radars and collecting and analyzing data more challenging than ever. The Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) and Electronic Warfare (EW) communities are facing increasingly difficult obstacles since focus shifted from the radar barren operational theatres of Iraq and Afghanistan. Recent symmetrical threat environments such as Libya and Syria have been significantly more heavily laden with radar controlled weapon systems. 

As a result, there has been a flurry of effort to develop more advanced signal processing techniques that more effectively and efficiently exploit modern digital radar signals. Technology advances in computer processing, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) techniques, spectral presentation and data storage has made it possible to evaluate the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) like never before. The question is are we catching up fast enough or are we losing the fight?

 

Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare technical capabilities are becoming more technically similar. However, the communities which practice these disciplines remain largely separated and vary widely across the military Services in terms of their equipment, unit organization and operating methodologies. This conference provides the EW and Cyberspace communities an opportunity to collaborate and discuss capabilities, TTPs and research in EW and Cyberspace operations to enable more rapid deployment of new and improved capabilities. The Cyber/EW Convergence Conference identifies ways to develop advanced technologies and systems to address the changing battlefield dynamics of the digital age and bring EW and Cyberspace together for the Warfighter!

EVENT PREVIEW: View the latest Draft Agenda now!

Keynote and High Ranking Speakers:

Lt. Gen (Ret) David Deptula, Former Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C
MG (Ret) Michael Regner, USMC
Col (Ret) Chris Glaze, USAF, DARPA
Captain Brian Luke, USN, Navy Cyber Warfare Development Group
Mr. Gregg Kendrick, SES, Executive Director, MARFORCYBER
Col Eric Aklaskson, Assistant Commandant, US Army Cyber School, Cyber Center of Excellence, Ft. Gordon

Sponsorship opportunities still available! Find out more here!

This conference is CLASSIFIED: TOP SECRET//SI/TK//NOFORN. All attendees must be registered and have an active TS//SCI clearance.

 

Requirements are a fundamental part of systems engineering, but are often poorly understood, particularly in the context of Electronic Warfare systems. The goal of this presentation is to provide the audience an understanding of requirements engineering as it applies to EW programs. This will include a discussion of how EW systems are measured, how those metrics can be translated into system requirements, and qualities of a good requirement. The presentation concludes with a discussion of requirements from EW projects, their impact on system design, and how they can be improved.

 

The Annual AOC International Symposium and Convention is the leading event for electronic warfare, electromagnetic spectrum operations, cyber-electromagnetic activities, and information operations experts from around the world. This event brings together nearly 2,000 professionals from 25 countries spanning industry, military, and government sectors to gather for educational sessions, networking, and of course, exposure to a show floor brimming with cutting edge technologies and services.

Learn about Exhibition & Sponsorship opportunities here

 

The Association of Old Crows is pleased to announce its new Career Center - the premier resource to connect career opportunities with highly qualified EW, EMSO, CEMA, SIGINT, ELINT, & IO talent. You can access the AOC Career Center at https://careers.crows.org.

Manage Your Career:
- Search and apply to the best Electromagnetic Warfare jobs at organizations that value your credentials
- Upload your anonymous resume so employers can contact you, but you maintain control of your information and choose to whom you release your information
- Receive an alert every time a job becomes available that matches your personal profile, skills, interests, and preferred location(s)
- Access career resources and job searching tips and tools
- Browse 100+ jobs already posted at https://careers.crows.org

Recruit for Open Positions:
- Post your jobs, or your organization’s jobs, where the most qualified industry professionals will find and apply to them
- Promote your jobs directly to AOC job seekers via our exclusive Job Flash email - sent on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month
- Search the resume database and contact qualified candidates proactively

From now until June 30, we are offering a special to all employers & recruiters. For your first job posting, enter the code CrowsCareersLaunch18 and receive 50% off the normal job posting price!

We hope this new career center will make a significant difference for our members as they navigate their career paths. Thank you for your ongoing support!

 

To date, the AOC Virtual Series has steered clear of mathematics, but that is about to change! This webinar will tackle the radar and jammer range equations head on to unpack the many layers of information buried in these important results.

By the end of this presentation, attendees will have gained a clearer understanding of how the parameters of radar and EW systems interact to determine system performance - the fundamental objective of the radar and jammer range equations. Factors including antenna gain, radar cross section (RCS), effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP), coherent processing time, range (yes, really!), and others will be explored to understand what they actually mean in real systems.

 

We are pleased to announce the Association of Old Crows has launched a new website that is fully integrated with our membership database.

At the new crows.org, you can gain access members-only resources, the latest industry news, chapter groups, special interest groups, register for AOC events, and communicate with fellow members through our new community platform.  

Since this is a brand new platform, you will need to login to the new system by following these simple steps:

1.    Click here to reset your password
2.    Click here to login
3.    Enter your EMAIL ADDRESS – NOT your old username
4.    Enter your new password created above

If you have any questions or comments regarding the new site/platform, feel free to contact us.

There will be many improvements and features being added in the coming weeks and months, so please check back regularly. Thank you for being a part of the AOC community!

The Modern Threats: Surface-to-Air Missile Systems Conference will provide the latest findings from ongoing, allsource analysis of high interest threat air defense systems to include threat system capabilities and vulnerabilities, status of new development programs, and current and projected proliferation. Attendance at this conference is appropriate for those involved in the design, development, testing, evaluation and employment of electronic warfare systems, techniques and tactics for protection of U.S. and allied aircraft.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Deadline is June 29th!  Refer to crows.org for topic details and submission guidelines.

 

The inaugural 2018 EMSO Challenge is a unique two-day event that will include hands on, team-based EMSO Decathlon challenge events in the morning followed by afternoon technical briefing sessions that will be Unclassified. The conference will focus on emerging concepts, innovative technologies, and unique approaches to current challenges that exist within contested and congested electromagnetic spectrum operations.

The EMSO Decathlon is a STEM-focused hands on competition consisting of 10 team-based technical challenges that include principles of Electronic Warfare, Information Operations, and Cyber Warfare. The challenges require basic knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with an aim to maximize the learning experience, promote intellectual development of EW/Cyber/Spectrum skill-sets, and recognize superior “EMSO Decathletes.”  Decathlon participants will engage in basic exercises in spectrum, radio frequency propagation, frequency allocation, polarization, direction finding and geolocation, repeater placement, satellite communications, waveforms, jamming principles, cyber vulnerability concepts, EMS trivia challenge and more, progressing through a series of interactive lanes featuring technologies, equipment and platforms utilized today and planned for the future.

 
Pentek
Mercury Systems
D-TA Systems Inc.
W. L. Gore & Associates
Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions
IMS 2018
Chapter News
  

The Israeli AOC Chapter 13th Conference

EW – the cornerstone of national security – past, present and future.

Marking 70 years for the State of Israel.

May, 8, 2018
In the ELTA auditorium, Ashdod

The conference classification is SECRET and open to Israeli citizens with appropriate clearance.

For information : info@iaoc.org.il

The Australian AOC 2018 Cyber Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA) convention

Investigate both organizational and technical interoperability and collaboration across EW, CEMA and IO battlespace.

May 28-30
Adelaide Convention Center
South Australia

Industry News
  

In a stinging rebuke to the Air Force, The House Armed Services Committee wants the service to build a replacement for the aging E-8 JSTARS radar surveillance aircraft, an expense Air Force leaders want to avoid. Further, until the service signs a contract for a new plane, the draft defense bill would restrict spending on the alternative the Air Force prefers, a dispersed network of sensors called the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). (Breaking Defense)

Last week, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) held subcommittee mark-ups of the FY 19 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), H.R. 5515.  Each Subcommittee convened on Thursday, April 26, to agree on provisions relevant to each Subcommittee’s jurisdiction.  The full committee will meet next week, Wednesday, May 9, to mark-up the entire NDAA, which will then move to the House floor in the coming weeks. 

  

The first warship to traverse open waters without a single crew member recently joined the U.S. Navy's fleet after eight years of development and testing. And now nearly every element of the vehicle, known as the Sea Hunter, has become classified. "About all I can tell you is that it has transitioned from [the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] to the Navy, and that's a success in the world of science and technology," said Rear Adm. Nevin Carr. (CNBC)

  

The Air Force has begun early testing, software development and weapons integration for its upcoming Block 4 variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, an emerging model intended to give the multi-role fighter a new dimension of attack mission possibilities, service leaders said. The new version, to emerge in the early 2020s, will add new long-range precision-tracking weapons such as the Small Diameter Bomb II and also integrate a computer-generated automatic ground collision avoidance technology. (The National Interest)

  

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as “drones,” have been gaining popularity in recent years, not just as a cool new toy for hobbyists seeking a pastime, but also as an invaluable utility in industries such as defense and security. One particular application that has gained popularity in the last few years has been the use of drones as mobile spectral monitoring nodes, i.e. equipping the UAV with a mobile radio device to gather signal intelligence (SIGINT) and relay that info back to the home base for further analysis. (IEEE)

  

For a development that could revolutionize air combat, the announcement was surprisingly humdrum. In the bureaucratic language of federal contracts, the U.S. Air Force simply said that the MQ-9 Reaper drone would be getting air-to-air missiles. Or more specifically, Reaper manufacturer General Atomics would be awarded a sole-source contract that "requires development of a MQ-9 Reaper Air-to-Air Missile AVSIM capability." (The National Interest)