CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS DEADLINE FEB. 5: 45th Annual Collaborative Electronic Warfare Symposium, April 6-7 at Pt. Mugu
We challenge presenters to explore the way forward in enabling collaborative EW through innovation and invention. Requested are presentations or demonstrations from all United States and Australian services, DoD, industry, and academia that identify technical paths, options, and potential opportunities for EW collaboration. Submitted abstracts should address one or more of the symposium sessions: threat trends, collaborative EW science and technology perspectives, cognitive and adaptive EW technologies, coordinated/distributed networked-enabled systems, and warfighter perspectives.

Abstracts for presentations must be at the unclassified level and in text format. Please forward abstracts to Ms. Shelley Frost at frost@crows.org by February 5, 2016. Abstracts are limited to one page of text or 400 words. To facilitate the selection processes, please ensure your submitted abstract file is labeled with your last name, session number and short title. For example: "Smith_session1_Welcome_and_Intro.doc." Symposium presentations may be classified or unclassified; however, abstracts must be unclassified. Notification of acceptance and presentation submission instructions will be sent out by February 12, 2016. Presentations will be required to be completed in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 or earlier format.

In order to meet required foreign disclosure procedures, final presentations must be submitted with appropriate foreign disclosure paperwork by February 19, 2016. Foreign disclosure processes will be available at www.crows.org when finalized.

IMPORTANT DATES 2016:
(Note: Dates are proposed for planning purposes only and subject to change. Actual dates are expected to fall within 7-10 days of listed dates.)
Abstracts Due: February 5
Notification of Acceptance: February 12
Final Presentations with Foreign Disclosure paperwork: February 19
Security Clearance: March 8

Conference Details

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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: 2016 AOC International Elections
Each year the AOC's membership determines the future of the Association by electing representatives to its Board of Directors. Nominations for the 2016 election are being accepted now through March 1.

The election will begin on July 1, 2016 and will end on July 31, 2016.

The 2016 election slate will include two (2) At Large Director positions, who will serve a three (3)-year term. In addition, the two International Regional Directors will be elected for three (3)-year terms from International 1 and International 2 regions. These new Directors will be installed at the Annual 2016 Convention/Symposium and the Board meeting venues scheduled for that first week of December 2016.

The 2016 AOC Nomination Form is available. Nomination packets must be received at AOC headquarters by close-of-business on Monday, March 1, 2016. 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.

When completed, the forms should be returned to the N&E Committee at: Association of Old Crows, 1000 North Payne St., Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314 or by fax to (703) 549-2589. Completed forms may also be returned by email to oneilin@crows.org.

The N&E Committee will be happy to answer any questions you may have. You may contact me at amorosonino@aol.com or you may contact Glorianne at AOC Headquarters, as above or at (703) 549-1600, and she will insure your inquiry gets to the Committee.

Nino Amorso
Chair, Nominations & Election Committee

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WE NEED YOU: Calling All EW Rockstars!
Are you dreaming of headlining one of the most epic shows in the EW community? Then the AOC Virtual Series is your Madison Square Garden. The AOC Virtual Series webinars are the premier stage to share achievements, insights, expertise, breakthroughs, and experiences that rock the EW world. The Association of Old Crows is currently seeking presenters and topics for the 2016 Virtual Series World Tour.

Virtual Series Greatest Hits:

•     DRFM for Dummies
•     Understanding Phased Arrays: From AESA to PESA to MIMO & ULSA
•     Unlocking the Mysteries of Radar
•     The 3 Pillars of EW
•     GPS Interference: Origins, Effects and Mitigations
•     Demystifying Monopulse Radars
•     Evolving to the Next Generation of Multifunctional Electronic Warfare
•     Fundamental Tradeoffs in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
•     ...and many more!

This Year's Potential Tracks:

•     Anechoic Chambers 101: Setup for Near Field vs. Far Field
•     Radar Fundamentals II - Pulse Doppler Radar
•     Active vs. Passive Antennas
•     LPI Radars
•     Conformal Arrays & Meta Materials
•     Latest EW Developments and Goals in the Helicopter World
•     Networks in the Tactical Environment
•     GaN & its Role in Reduced SWaP
•     ...and many more

None of these topics striking a chord? No problem! If you have a topic that fits your expertise and want to share it then submit any and all ideas & abstracts. We want to hear them!

Abstracts for presentations are requested in unclassified textual format and may be received within the body of an email or as an email attachment. We request that abstracts be limited to one page of text. Final presentations will be unclassified in Microsoft PowerPoint format, and typically last about 30 minutes. Abstract approval will be provided by the AOC, and we will be in contact with further steps in scheduling the webinar. Please forward abstracts to our Virtual Series coordinator, Tim Hutchison, or simply reply to this email.

Take the stage and rock the EW world with the AOC Virtual Series. But please, leave the pyrotechnics to the professionals!

Contact Tim Hutchison at hutchison@crows.org.

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR: 16th Annual AOC Electronic Warfare Europe, May 10-12 in Rotterdam
"Transforming EW – Evolving Threats, Concepts and Capabilities Hybrid Warfare and the Future of EW"

As nations re-focus on contingency operations after over a decade of counter-insurgency, there are many challenges and opportunities for governments, the military, academia, science and technology and industry. Recent events have reminded everyone of the deadly nature of RF guided weaponry and that the threat from insurgents has not ended, but intensified. The widely reported use of wholesale, sophisticated Russian counter-C3 systems in and around Ukraine in parallel to cyber operations and widespread dis-information/psychological operations has given rise to what leading military and political thinkers refer to as Hybrid Warfare. The question is what does this mean for the future of EW in the free world? Almost all military operations are enabled by wide-ranging electromagnetic (EM) operations, a concept that NATO and others have fully embraced. These include SIGINT; C4ISR; precise navigation and timing; targeting; communications, spectrum management and the whole gamut of EW. But, are there new requirements for EW arising from hybrid warfare? The answer to the question then, is yes, a great deal, with an obvious example being EM-enabled cyber operations.

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 Rotterdam 2016 will consider the future of EW and EM Operations in the changing light of current and emerging threats, including Hybrid Warfare; 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 defence, by all services, in all countries. Part of the event will include twin-tracks focusing respectively on operations, capability and defence lines of development and industry developments and inventiveness. AOC EW Europe 2016 will once again bring together, this time in Rotterdam, perhaps the most happening and connected city in Europe right now, all the communities involved in EW, SIGINT, C4ISR, Cyber EM Activities (CEMA) and more. This is the largest global EW networking, exhibition, seminar and conference, outside of the U.S., and is not to be missed!

Conference Details

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PAPERS DUE BY FEBRUARY 15: Dixie Crow Symposium 41 – EW/ISR: Today’s Innovations Countering Tomorrow’s Threats, March 20-24
The EW/Avionics Division, AFLCMC/WNY, and the Dixie Crow Chapter of the Association of Old Crows (AOC) will co-sponsor the AF Technical Program, 2016 Dixie Crow Symposium 41, on 22-24 March 2016. The program will be at the Scott Theater (Building 1500), Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, GA.  An AF conference approval request has been submitted by the EW/Avionics Division.

This year’s theme, shown above, illustrates collaboration within the Information Operations (IO) environment and integration within the operations environment for both new and legacy systems.   

Papers to support this theme should include issues relating to Electronic Warfare (EW), Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) and collaboration within the existing and future IO environment. Efficient utilization, understanding and control of the Electromagnetic Spectrum are necessary for defense of our forces and our homeland. Collaborative improvement is necessary to assure our tactics and products are affordable and successfully protect the warfighters.  Maximization of modern and legacy systems demands "unique" approaches.

Papers may be unclassified or classified. Briefing sessions will be separated as follows: 1) Unclassified with no restrictions; 2) Unclassified US ONLY, EXPORT CONTROLLED; 3) Classified Confidential or Secret, US ONLY.

A Releasibility Certification (form included with full Call for Papers) is required before presentation can take place.

Please be aware the Dixie Crow Technical Committee does not release any bio, abstract or briefing information. Any attendee wishing a copy of the briefing must contact the briefer directly.   

Presentations will be targeted for 20 minutes (including questions and answers).

Please let us know if you are interested in presenting a paper. Abstracts (less than 200 words) must be UNCLASSIFIED and may be submitted electronically any time before February 15, 2016. 

Full Call for Papers

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REGISTER NOW: Fourth EW International Conference India (EWCI 2016), February 22-25

The Fourth EW International Conference India (EWCI 2016) is the latest event in the benchmark of EWCI Conference Series in the advanced field of EW. The conference is being organised by the award-winning India Chapter of Association of Old Crows (AOC), Bangalore. The conference is supported by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore is the patronising sponsor of the event. The conference addresses the technical and commercial needs of operational users, planners, developers, procurers, testers and trainers of the latest EW technologies and systems.

A large scale indoor exhibition will accompany the conference, displaying the latest EW products from international EW organisations. There will be an intense one-day pre-conference tutorials preceding the conference. The conference is envisaged as the important platform for EW professionals who would share the research and development output in the field of EW at the global level. Also keeping in view of the government of India's "Make in India" policy, the participants of the conference will be exposed to the state-of-the-art developments in self reliance in the field of EW in India and, hence, the theme of the conference is chosen as "EW: Partner for Self-Reliance."

Register Now

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A group of St. Mary’s public school students participated last month in a STEM program in Washington, D.C., that included interactive learning stations and information on college and careers. About 50 young people, including students enrolled in the St. Mary’s STEM Academy at Great Mills High School, students from the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center and one student at Leonardtown High School participated on Dec. 3 at the Association of Old Crow’s inaugural STEM program, where they joined more than 200 other D.C.-area students for an all-day science, technology, engineering and mathematics experience. (The Enterprise)
Learn More...

 

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After steaming across the Atlantic and following a close call with an Iranian training exercise in the Straits of Hormuz, the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman arrived in the Persian Gulf earlier this week and began combat operations against the Islamic State. The carrier, along with its accompanying strike group of destroyers, frigates and submarines, fills a strategic capability gap that had been left open when the carrier the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt departed the region in October. (The Washington Post)
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The Defense Department’s advanced research arm is searching for futuristic technologies in line with the Pentagon’s third offset strategy, signaling movement in the department’s year-old blueprint. A recent announcement by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency seeks ideas and disruptive technologies in the areas of electronic warfare, battle management command and control, maritime systems and other areas. (Federal News Radio)
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While China's Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) operations rely on heavy air defenses, Chinese air force planners may also have to account for enemy surface-to-air missiles, all the more with Taiwan and Japan embarking on a new buildup of missile shields. In December, one of the responses was revealed: the Shenyang J-16D. (Popular Science)
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Although the notion of C5ISR has taken hold, the concept can confuse more than it clarifies. C2 is becoming an essential element for force structure transformation, rather than focusing excessively on the ISR or collection of information to inform decisions. The shift from the kinds of land wars fought in the past decade and a half to the range of military operations that insert force and prevail in a more rapid tempo conflict than that which characterized counter-insurgency operations carries with it a need to have a very different C2 structure and technologies to support those structures. (Second Line of Defense)
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2016 will be challenging for the Navy. At sea, the fleet will continue to face demands that exceed its supply of forces, while at home the fiscal 2017 budget is likely to make difficult choices that prioritize high quality over adequate quantity. Most significantly for sailors, the supply-demand mismatch will get worse next year. While the fleet will grow by 10 ships in FY2016 (about 3.5 percent), implementation of a new process to better prepare carriers and surface ships for deployment will reduce the amount of presence the fleet can generate by about 10 percent. (Breaking Defense)
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A possible new electronic warfare (EW) variant of the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation (SAC) J-16 twin-seat strike fighter made its first flight on December 18, according to Chinese sources, potentially adding a significant offensive capability to the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Images of the new variant have emerged on several Chinese military web pages, including a December 21, 2015 video report on the popular Ifeng web page. (Next Big Future)
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As terrorist attacks and full-scale warfare escalate in North Africa, Italy has renewed its lease of a Lockheed Martin signals intelligence aircraft, while a Pentagon-chartered King Air aircraft has begun surveillance flights over the region from Italy. Italy first leased the Gulfstream III SIGINT aircraft from Lockheed Martin in 2012 as its G222 SIGINT aircraft was retired following final service in the NATO air campaign over Libya in 2011. (Defense News)
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"The bad news: Russia and China are outpacing the US in development of electronic warfare technologies, signal elements defining the current and future battle space. The good news: The US has the technology to reclaim an undisputed lead in "battle space knowledge," RADM Mark ‘BamBam’ Darrah, PEO of Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons said, opening a panel discussion titled "Electronic Attack = Assuring All Domain Access," held last week at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum. (The Leader)
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On Dec. 28, Iraqi forces raised the national flag over government offices in Ramadi for the first time in months. The Islamic State had held the largest city in the strategic Anbar province for more than six months. As Baghdad’s forces pushed through, fast-flying U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers – and other strike aircraft – pounded the entrenched militants from the air. It’s no secret that the Washington-led aerial armada was key to retaking the city. (War is Boring)
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Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson will unveil new Navy guidance today outlining how the service would address complex challenges and short-term steps to reach those goals, according to a draft of the document obtained by USNI News. (USNI)
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The German air force has touted the benefits that a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air vehicle would have over a converted business jet to fill the signal intelligence capability gap that it was left with in 2010. It retired its Breguet Atlantics that carried out this role to pave the way for the introduction of the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk-derived Euro Hawk UAV. (Flightglobal)
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India’s Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will conduct a flight demonstration during this year’s Bahrain International Air Show held from January 21-23, The Business Standard reports based on information obtained from India’s Ministry of Defense (The Diplomat)
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