INDUSTRY NEWS: The USAF Is Determined to Junk Half Its Best Jammers

The U.S. Air Force is winnowing down its fleet of EC-130H Compass Call electronic attack planes. The 15 high-tech jammers belong to the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. But if the flying branch has its way, it will retire seven at the turn of the fiscal year in October, according to the Pentagon’s latest budget request. (Medium)
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FIRST WEBINAR THIS THURSDAY: Don't Miss Two New AOC Virtual Series on LTE, February 12 and 19!

LTE – Ready for Critical Communication?
February 12, 2015 | 1400-1500 EST (1900-2000 GMT)
The worldwide success of UMTS Long Term Evolution (LTE) as THE wireless communication standard for mobile broadband data and High Definition (HD) voice delivery, including video, in today’s commercial communication networks has led to a commitment by governmental authorities to select LTE as underlying technology also for the next generation public safety network. In the United States, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has reserved paired spectrum of two times 10 MHz bandwidth in the 700 MHz for a nationwide public safety network, which should be deployed, maintained and serviced by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). Recently, South Korea has also announced plans to deploy a nationwide network for critical communication based on LTE. However, LTE as a technology, and in its current version, is not quite ready to support all the requirements of the public safety community. Features like device-to-device communication (D2D) or group communication are not yet part of the standard. In fact, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the standardization body behind LTE, is still working on these enhancements. They are intended to become part of the next release of relevant technical specification, known as 3GPP Release 12 to be finalized by end of 2014. Further enhancements like Mission Critical Push To Talk (MCPTT) will be part of the following release 13. Adding these features and its Self Organizing Network (SON) capabilities makes LTE also an interesting candidate to be used as underlying technology for next generation tactical communication to be used at the "battlefield of the future." In this presentation, the current status of standardization will be presented and resulting technical challenges will be identified.
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Vulnerabilities of LTE
February 19, 2015 | 1400-1500 EST (1900-2000 GMT)
Long Term Evolution (LTE) is one of the choices for next generation broadband wireless networks. LTE is expected to be the most dominant fourth-generation technology. This commercial technology is also under consideration for defense applications where security, reliability and interoperability issues need to be addressed. This webinar offers a glimpse of vulnerabilities and challenges of LTE. A brief overview of LTE is given. Air interface challenges such as jamming and interference vulnerabilities are described, as well as interoperability with pulsed signals (radars). Extension of LTE to various applications such as planes and satellites will be discussed and associated technology development challenges are summarized. By the conclusion of this webinar, you will be able to describe LTE capabilities, air interface challenges and technology development challenges of LTE in defense applications.
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INDUSTRY NEWS: Defense Firm Exelis to be Acquired for $4.75 Billion

McLean-based Exelis is set to become part of communications company Harris Corp., maker of Army tactical radios, in a deal worth $4.75 billion, the companies announced Friday. The deal marks the first large acquisition of a Washington-area company in 2015 and continues a trend of merger activity among mid-sized government contractors. (The Washington Post)
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THROUGH FRIDAY: Third National EW Workshop India in Bangalore
The AOC India Chapter's third National EW Workshop India (EWWI 2015) is going on now at the National Science Seminar Complex (NSSC) at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. EWWI 2015 is the third event in the EWWI series of National-Level Workshops, the only national-level event in India in the field of Electronic Warfare, the niche and crucial part of Modern Warfare. The Workshop is being organized by the organizers of the prestigious EWCI series of International EW Conferences in India, the Association of Old Crows (AOC) India Chapter, Bangalore, India. The three-day workshop is designed to impart in-depth professional knowledge covering highly advanced and emerging topics in the field of EW.

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INDUSTRY NEWS: Red Flag 15-1: Simulating Modern Warfare at Nellis Air Force Base

During the past 40 years, the U.S. Air Force-sponsored Red Flag exercise has established itself as the premier integrated air warfare exercise in the world. The first of 2015’s four scheduled Red Flags is taking place at Nellis AFB from January 26 to February 13 with two mission windows (mid afternoon and early evening) flown each day. Each daily mission involves approximately 60-70 aircraft with each aircraft type representing a specific capability set utilized to accomplish the mission objectives. (The Aviationist)
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AOC BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Nominations Due by March 2

Nominations for the 2015 AOC Board of Directors election are now being accepted.

The election will begin on July 1, 2015 and will end on July 31, 2015.

The 2015 election slate will include the annually elected position of President-Elect, which as defined in the Bylaws, will result in that successful person serving consecutive terms beginning at Convention in 2015 – first as Vice President, followed by the Presidential term a year later beginning in 2016. The AOC President appoints the association’s Secretary and Treasurer, presides over the Board of Directors and Executive Committee and appoints committee chairs. The President is also the AOC’s primary spokesperson, visiting AOC chapters around the world and meeting with leaders in the Electronic Warfare, Cyber, Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) and Information Operations (IO) communities. This is a significant but rewarding commitment.

The 2015 election slate also will include two (2) At Large Director positions. At Large Directors serve a three (3)-year term.  In addition, three (3) Regional Directors will be elected for three (3)-year terms from the Mid-Atlantic, Central and Pacific Regions.

A 2015 AOC Nomination Form is attached. Nomination packets must be received at AOC headquarters by close-of-business on Monday, March 2, 2015. If you wish to nominate more than one person, please duplicate the form. Nomination forms are also available on the AOC website at www.crows.org or by contacting the AOC’s Director of Membership, Ms. Glorianne O’Neilin, at oneilin@crows.org.

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INDUSTRY NEWS: ONR Makes a Serious Game of Missile Defense, Electronic Warfare

A Navy ship being under missile fire is no game, but making a game of that scenario can help sailors prepare for it. That’s the idea behind Strike Group Defender: The Missile Matrix, a multiplayer game that combines analytics, crowdsourcing, social media and cloud technology to create a realistic picture of an attack and lets users explore the options for response, whether through a "soft kill" by using the electromagnetic spectrum or a "hard kill" with traditional weapons. (Defense Systems)
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INDUSTRY NEWS: 4 Big Questions About America's Next Warplane

Even with the long-delayed F- 35 Lightning II still in development, industry players and the Pentagon are already looking at the next-generation warplane. The forthcoming F-35 is considered a 5th generation aircraft; it's highly networked with sensors and stealthy to evade radar. What the 6th generation fighter looks like ultimately will depend upon what the Pentagon wants it do to. (Popular Mechanics)
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AOC VIRTUAL SERIES: Test and Measurement Receiver Architectures for Use in SIGINT, EW and Radar Applications, March 12
March 12, 2015 | 1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)

Receivers found in Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), Electronic Warfare (EW), and Radar applications possess certain characteristics such as bandwidth, dynamic range, sensitivity, and cost that are optimized for their particular use case. In addition, test and measurement signal analyzers use these applications as a means of both characterizing microwave components and verifying complete systems. Due to the general purpose nature of test and measurement equipment, the necessary flexibility can also lead to confusion in how best to configure the instrument for a particular measurement situation. In this presentation signal analyzers based on both super-heterodyne and direct conversion architectures are analyzed with emphasis on showing how to minimize analyzer generated spurious responses. Knowing the source of distortion enables the user to optimize the signal analyzer performance for any measurement scenario.

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INDUSTRY NEWS: DOD Puts Emphasis on Navigation Warfare, Accurate GPS Signals

The Global Positioning System has long been a great tool for military – and, of course, civilian – activities, but the military’s heavy reliance on it also makes it a likely target. Which is the rationale behind a Defense Department instruction issued Feb. 5 that both mandates the use of what’s called Navigation Warfare, or Navwar, and provides guidelines for the Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) tools used in Navwar – including the possibility of technologies other than GPS. (Defense Systems)
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REGISTER TODAY: 40th Annual Dixie Crow Symposium, March 22-26
The Dixie Crow Chapter of the Association of Old Crows is proud to announce their 40th Annual Dixie Crow EW/IO Symposium to be held in Warner Robins at the Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, Georgia. Our theme, "The Power of EW & ISR for Sustained Air Supremacy," emphasizes the important work carried out by the men and women on Robins AFB; military and civilian along with our local contractors. The defense complex supports worldwide those that develop and maintain Electronic Warfare (EW) and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems deployed by our Warfighters on a daily basis to defend our freedom and preserve liberty around the world.

Event Registration: Dixiecrow2015.infinity-international.com

We are happy to have the following committed speakers to date:
Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula, USAF (Ret.) – Banquet Speaker
Maj. Gen. Ken Israel, USAF (Ret.), AOC President – Guest Speaker
Maj. Gen. Bob "Cowboy" Dulaney, USAF (Ret.) – F-35 Community Relations, LM
Col. John "Hap" Arnold, USAF (Ret.) – DARPA    
Lt. Col. Chad "Cheat" Fager, Deputy Commander, 53rd EWG
Lt. Col. Gene "Joker" McFalls, 53rd EWG/F-35 – Banquet Emcee

SECURITY CLEARANCE INFORMATION
Clearance is required for access to the 40th Annual Dixie Crow Symposium technical sessions.

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INDUSTRY NEWS: The Future of Airpower as Seen from the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron

During our visit to the USAF Warfare Center we had a chance to sit down with Lt. Col. Benjamin "Bach" Bishop, the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron director of operations, to discuss his experience with the Operational Testing of the F-35, and the way ahead. Lt. Col. Bishop is an experienced F-15 pilot with a very strong engineering background. His squadron is assigned to the 53d Test and Evaluation Group, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The squadron performs operational testing of all fighter aircraft and munitions entering and in operational use by Air Combat Command (ACC). (The Second Line of Defense)
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AOC CAPITOL CLUB: Recap from January Information Operations Classes

The Capitol Club Chapter of the AOC hosted four Information Operations classes on January 20, 2015. The first class, an "Introduction to Information Operations," was taught by Dr. Leigh Armistead. "Fighting a War of Information like a Real War" was then taught by Dr. J. Michael Waller. "Russian Information Warfare" and "Ukrainian Information Warfare Initiatives" was taught by Joel Harding, and "Cultures and Values" was taught by Christine MacNulty. Twenty-five of 25 seats were reserved, the class started on time and the students included many senior IO personnel. The discussions were lively and energetic.
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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED: 44th Annual Collaborative EW Symposium, March 31-April 3, 2015, Pt. Mugu, CA
As EW warfighting requirements continue to evolve in their complexity and interdependency, it is clear that future EW systems must work collaboratively with other air, ground, surface space and cyberspace systems. The 44th Annual Pt. Mugu Electronic Warfare Symposium will facilitate the exchange of enabling concepts and provide a venue to disseminate current research in the fields of Collaborative Electronic Warfare. Prominent leaders, contributors and representatives from the United States and Australian military, government, academia and industry will come together to address current Electronic Warfare gaps and emerging technologies in Collaborative Electronic Warfare required to address these gaps.

Keynote Speakers

VADM David Dunaway, USN (invited)
Commander, Naval Air Systems Command

RADM Donald Gaddis, USN (invited)
Program Executive Officer, Tactical Aircraft Programs [PEO(T)] Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)

RADM John R. Haley, USN (invited)
Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic


RADM Mathias W. Winter, USN (invited)
Chief of Naval Research Director of Innovation Technology Requirements, Test & Evaluation (N84)

BGEN Kevin J. Killea, USMC (invited)
Director of Futures Directorate, Commanding General, USMCs Warfighting Laboratory and Vice Chief of Naval Research

RDML Scott A. Stearney, USN (invited)
Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command

ADM Samuel J Locklear, USN (invited)
Commander, US Pacific Command

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PLAN NOW TO ATTEND: AOC EW Latin America 2015, April 16 in Rio!

"Evolving Electronic Warfare in Latin America"

The AOC is planning to hold its inaugural AOC Latin America symposium during LAAD, Brazil, currently planned for April 16, 2015, in conjunction with our logistics partner and LAAD organizer, Clarion Events. The conference language will be predominantly Portuguese.

EW Latin America 2015 will be attended by a wide range of leading military, government, academic and industrial leaders and thinkers from across the region and beyond. The inaugural symposium audience will include senior serving military leaders and operators, security personnel, government officials, leading academics and world class industry leaders, and will discuss the increasingly important field, in Latin America, of Electronic Warfare and associated Electromagnetic Operations (EMO), including signals intelligence, information operations, air platform protection, land EW operations, innovative maritime EW solutions, EW-capable UAVs, operational experience and advanced technology. Focus areas include:

•    Keynote speakers
•    Regional issues and factors
•    EW capability and the maritime, land, air/space, electromagnetic and cyberspace operational environments; platform protection and situational awareness
•    Operational experience and lessons
•    Information operations, cyber and network enabled capability
•    EW operational support and modelling and simulation
•    EW Developments from Industry
•    EW concepts and critical lines of capability development  
•    Related EM capabilities including C4ISR, SIGINT and Spectrum Management

In common with our other global events, an EW, EMO, SIGINT and associated C4ISR dedicated exhibition is being arranged by Clarion Events within the AOC Pavilion.

Symposium planning is being led the AOC Director Global Operations, Wing Commander John Clifford, OBE, RAF (Ret.), who can be contacted at clifford@crows.org.

Stay tuned to www.crows.org for more information.

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CALL FOR PAPERS: 15th Annual AOC Electronic Warfare Europe, "Future EW – Innovation, Information & Interoperability"
May 26-28, 2015 | Stockholm, Sweden
As nations refocus on contingency operations after over a decade of counterinsurgency, there are many challenges and opportunities for governments, the military, academia, science and technology, and industry. Events in 2014 have reminded us of the deadly nature of RF-guided weaponry and that the counterinsurgency threat has not gone away, but intensified. Air attacks on IS terrorists in Syria and Iraq are inevitably enabled by the usual panoply of Electromagnetic (EM) operations: SIGINT, C4ISR, precise navigation and timing, targeting, communications, spectrum management and the whole gamut of EW. EM-enabled cyber operations are part of defeating terrorists, as well as state actors across the spectrum of warfare, starting with influence and counter-propaganda and most likely going much further.

National forces are being re-shaped and re-equipped to face the future, which will be contested, congested, complex, connected, constrained and potentially chaotic unless the right informed choices are made now. AOC EW Stockholm 2015 will look at future EW from three connected perspectives – innovation by industry, government agencies and academia, the importance of information (including cyber) and interoperability both of capabilities like EW, SIGINT and ISR and between services and partners in joint, combined and coalition operations.

Mark your calendars now for this premier AOC Global event!
Conference Details

CALL FOR PAPERS
The AOC is soliciting original unclassified English language papers for the Stockholm conference from international leaders, military personnel, subject matter experts and leading thinkers from the military, academia and industry. Please contact the conference director, John Clifford (clifford@crows.org), if you are interested in speaking or want more information and provide the title of the proposed paper, a brief synopsis and information on the speaker. Company or product briefs will not be accepted. The deadline for submitting is close of business Friday, February 27, 2015 but earlier is better.
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SAVE THE DATE: 6th Annual Electronic Warfare/Cyber Convergence Conference
June 2-4, 2015 | SPAWAR, Charleston, SC

Plan now to attend this annual event. More details to follow in  the new year.

Conference Page

Also, Save the Date for the 7th Annual EW Capability Gaps and Enabling Technologies Operational & Technical Information Exchange, August 11-13 in Crane, IN. Look for updates in the coming months on the Conference Page.

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INDUSTRY NEWS: Analysts: Navy Brass View F-35C's Stealth as Overrated

The top officer of one of three services projected to spend tens of billions of dollars on stealthy new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, now says "stealth may be overrated." During a speech last week to a Washington audience, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert described what he's looking for in the next generation of strike aircraft – and it doesn't look like the controversial F-35. (Military Times)
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