NOMINATIONS DUE MARCH 1: 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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DON'T MISS NEXT WEEK'S AOC VIRTUAL SERIES: EW Crystal Ball: Insight into Global EW & Military Radar Markets, March 3
1200-1300 EST (1700-1800 GMT)

Strategy analytics forecast spending on defense systems will approach $140 billion by 2023, translating into a substantial opportunity for component technologies suitable for radar, communications, EW and other military/defense applications. The global radar market will grow at a CAGR of 3.6 percent, with fire control radar and early warning and surveillance radars accounting for around 76 percent of the global market. The associated market for semiconductors and other components will be spurred by the move towards AESA architectures. Countering these modern frequency agile radar systems and network-based IP-centric communications in conventional symmetric warfare scenarios and combating asymmetric threats from improvised explosive devices are representative of the ever-increasing complex spectrum environment that will underpin spending on the EW sector. Strategy analytics forecast spending on global electronic warfare systems and services will grow to over $18.7 billion.

Learn More and Register Now

Gold Sponsor

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REGISTER NOW: 45th Annual Collaborative Electronic Warfare Symposium, April 6-7 at Pt. Mugu
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 45th Annual Point 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


Rear Admiral Mathias W. Winter
Chief of Naval Research/Director, Innovation
Technology Requirements, and Test & Evaluation (N84)

RADM Mark W. Darrah
Program Executive Officer for
Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons

RDML Michael T. Moran
Program Executive Officer for
Tactical Aircraft Programs


RDML Lorin Selby (invited)
Commander
Naval Surface Warfare Center

RADM Scott A. Stearney (invited)
Commander
Navy Warfare Development Command

Conference Details

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NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES: 2016 AOC Awards Nomination Process is Now Open
Honor those who have furthered the discipline of Electronic Warfare (EW), Information Operations (IO), Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) and the AOC! Recognize their dedication by nominating them or the unit for an AOC 2016 Individual or Unit Award!

To view the list of awards and download the application, go to http://www.crows.org/community/awards.html. Nomination Forms are due by May 1! If you have any questions concerning the awards please contact Glorianne O’Neilin (oneilin@crows.org)

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CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS: 8th Annual EW Capability Gaps and Enabling Technologies Operational & Technical Information Exchange, May 10-12 at Crane, IN
EW warfighting requirements continue to evolve in their complexity and capability to meet air, ground, surface, space and cyberspace requirements. The 8th Annual Electronic Warfare Capability Gaps and Enabling Technologies Operational & Technical Information Exchange 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 require to ensure EW maintains freedom of maneuver through the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) in support of achieving commanders’ objectives. Speakers and presenters will look back at the previous few years and identify progress made to ensure the success of the warfighter in tomorrow’s battlespace.

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS
This call for papers challenges presenters to explore innovative and leap-ahead enabling technologies and methodologies to meet currently identified EW Capability Gaps. Presentations or demonstrations from all United States Services, DoD, Industry and Academia are requested to identify technical paths, options and potential opportunities for filling current and future EW Capability Gaps. Submitted abstracts are specifically requested to address one or more of the symposium sessions. Amplifying information on the three sessions is referenced above. 

Abstracts for presentations are required in unclassified textual format. Please forward abstracts to speaker coordinators, Mr. Clint Seyer and Mr. Jimmy Hearn, at clint.seyer@navy.mil and jimmy.r.hearn@navy.mil respectively, and to Ms. Shelley Frost at frost@crows.org.

The submittal deadline is 10 March 2016. We request abstracts be limited to one page of text or 400 words. To facilitate the selection process, please ensure your submitted abstract file is labeled with your last name, session number and short title. For example: "Seyer_Session1_Cognitive_EW.doc." Notification of acceptance and presentation submission instructions will be provided by 18 March 2016. Presentations must be in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 or earlier format.

IMPORTANT 2016 DATES:
(note: dates are proposed for initial planning purposes only and are subject to change.
Actual dates are expected to fall on or within 7-10 days of listed dates)
Abstracts Due: 10 March 2016
Notification of Acceptance: 18 March 2016

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NEW AOC VIRTUAL SERIES: Networks in the Tactical Environment, March 17
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)
The observed manner by which consumers easily access and share information using Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) technologies is influencing how planners envision the conduct of 21st Century military operations. However, the environment that each operates within are drastically different resulting, false assumptions. Though the concept of System of Systems (SoS) approaches are well reasoned and existing technology should support their implementation, comparing the tactical environment with the commercial reveals a whole host of unique challenges. Factors such as environmental conditions, dynamic network configuration and server access along with the unique characteristics of each participating node impacts the ability to command and control the internal and external movement of information throughout the battle space. Even though each SoS and its associated operating environment is unique, Networks in the Tactical Environment will identify, describe and help the participant better understand how these factors impact the 21st Century Warfighter using analysis and recent examples.

Register Now

GOLD SPONSOR

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REGISTER NOW: 16th Annual AOC Electronic Warfare Europe, May 10-12 in Rotterdam
"Transforming EW – Evolving Threats, Concepts and Capabilities"

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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APRIL AOC VIRTUAL SERIES WEBINAR: Active vs Passive Electronically Scanned Antennas, April 7
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)
In the early 1970s, electronically scanned antennas (ESAs) emerged as a new and impactful technology for ISR missions. Replacing mechanically scanned antennas (MSAs), ESAs were much faster for beam switching from a mission timeline perspective, and eliminated the size weight and power associated with a gimbal. As ESAs became better understood, passive EW modes were added as part of their capability offering. This highlights the revolutionary impact of ESAs on the warfighter battlespace.

This talk will show the genesis from MSA to passive ESA to active ESA and provide a conceptual understanding of the advantages of an active ESA. Additionally, the talk will show how the next ESA transformation that is currently taking place is from analog active ESAs to digital active ESAs.

Register Now

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PLAN NOW TO ATTEND: 7th Annual Cyber/Electronic Warfare Convergence Conference, June 7-9, Charleston, SC
Electronic warfare and cyberspace technical capabilities are becoming more technically similar. However, the communities that 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 EW/Cyberspace 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!

Conference Details

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NEW AOC JOB VACANCIES PAGE: Post Your Open Positions for Free
The AOC has launched a new webpage where members and sponsors can post job vacancies. Follow the guide located HERE to provide information on posting a job listing. Submitted listings will remain live for 30 days. The AOC will not format or edit submitted postings, and will not respond to any questions from candidates concerning postings. We are hoping that members and sponsors will take advantage of this free AOC service. Complete the guide linked above and submit to Tim Hutchison at hutchison@crows.org.

Job Vacancies Page

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REGISTER NOW: 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.

Register Now!

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The US Air Force (USAF) is exploring potential electronic warfare (EW) capabilities as part of a study preparing for the launch of a next-generation combat aircraft programme, according to a senior service official. "One of the things that will come out of 'air superiority 2030' will be what electronic combat support you will need to do air superiority in the future," Lieutenant General Mike Holmes, the USAF's deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, said during a 18 February Air Force Association event. (IHS Jane's 360)
Learn More...

 

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The Defense Department has put a lot of emphasis lately on the importance of cyberspace, electronic warfare and new technologies, and that emphasis is reflected in its 2017 budget request for research and development. DOD as a whole is asking for $72 billion in R&D to, in Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's words, "make sure that we retain the qualitative edge in capabilities–advanced capabilities." He mentioned, specifically by name, "undersea capabilities, electronic warfare, space, cyber, new kinds of strike systems, increasing the lethality of our fleet of aircraft and...ships, and so forth." (Defense Systems)
Learn More...

 

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For a two-term president issuing his last federal budget that was dismissed before it even hit the Hill, the defense budget rollout has received unusually heavy coverage. This is driven mostly by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter's unveiling of the "Third Offset" strategy and its official launch and inclusion in the 2017 request. Put simply, the new strategy is an attempt to offset shrinking U.S. military force structure and declining technological superiority in an era of great power competition–a challenge that military leaders have not grappled with in at least a generation. (American Enterprise Institute)
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The U.S. Air Force is nearing completion of a study about U.S. air dominance in 2030 that will lay the groundwork for future purchases of a "family" of new combat weapons that could include a fighter jet, a top general said Thursday. Lieutenant General Mike Holmes, deputy chief of staff of the Air Force for strategic plans and requirements, told reporters the study should be presented to top Air Force leaders next month. (Reuters)
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As key Air Force and Navy fighter jets–such as the F-22 Raptor and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet–face the end of their service lives in the 2030s, work is being done in earnest by the two services to field a new fighter. The sixth-generation fighter, as it has been called, is still largely conceptual. While the services have ideas about some requirements and the industry has already begun distributing artist renditions of potential aircraft, a formal program is still years away. (National Defense)
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The US Air force has issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to examine the potential for high-power electromagnetics (HPEM) to be applied in cyber and electronic warfare (EW) missions. The effort is being led by the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL's) Directed Energy Directorate, which stood up its High Power Electromagnetics Cyber/Electronic Warfare Applications (HPEM CEWA) programme in 2013. (IHS Jane's 360)
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The Communications Security Establishment, Canada's electronic spy service, is set to play a more prominent role in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, The Canadian Press has learned. Multiple sources familiar with the plans, speaking on condition of anonymity owing to the sensitivity of the matter, say the government is deploying a capability that only a "handful of countries" in the world can provide. (CBC News)
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The Navy has issued new cybersecurity standards that every unit, office, and contractor had better get to know. Governing everything from business systems to weapons systems to machinery controls, the standards will govern future information technology acquisitions and provide a benchmark for assessing where existing systems fall short. (Breaking Defense)
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State-run Chinese media is claiming that the People's Liberation Army has been able to track the U.S. Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor stealth fighters over the East China Sea. While the Chinese report might be easily dismissed as propaganda, it is not beyond the realm of possibility. In fact, it's very possible that China can track the Raptor. Stealth is not a cloak of invisibility, after all. Stealth technology simply delays detection and tracking. (War is Boring)
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First launched in 1954, the B-52 Stratofortress was a cornerstone of American Cold War nuclear deterrence for decades. And as a plane that could carry conventional weapons as well, it saw service in Vietnam, Desert Storm and the War on Terror in both Afghanistan and Iraq. But with a replacement bomber still on the drawing board, the B-52 could see service well into the 2040s. At that point, some of the older airframes could be approaching 90 years of age–likely to be the oldest aircraft in the history of the Air Force. (Air Force Times)
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China has deployed the powerful HQ-9 air and missile defense system to Woody Island–also known as Yongxing–in the Parcel archipelago, marking a new level of escalation in Beijing's quest to control the South China Sea. The disputed island, which has been inhabited by about 1,000 Chinese citizens since 1956, is also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan. (The National Interest)
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