EARLY BIRD RATES END FRIDAY, APRIL 22: Time is Running Out! Register Now for the 16th Annual AOC Electronic Warfare Europe, May 10-12 in Rotterdam
"Transforming EW – Evolving Threats, Concepts and Capabilities"

Don't miss this critical event in Rottderam, named one of the top 10 cities to visit in 2016 by Lonely Planet!

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.

EARLY BIRD RATE ENDS FRIDAY, SO DON'T DELAY!

NEW: CONFERENCE AGENDA. Click HERE to View

FEATURED SPEAKERS


Colonel Jeffery Church
Chief of the Electronic Warfare Division, Army G-3/5/7 Operations Directorate, US

Lt Gen Bob Elder
Past AOC President, Former Commander 8th Air Force, USAF

Air Cdre Madelein Spit
Assistant Director, Joint Air Power Competence Centre & Air Force Armaments Group Chair, NATO

Dave Hime
President, AOC

Conference Details
Register Now

---

 

DON'T MISS TOMORROW'S WEBINAR: Challenges of Greater Data Converter Bandwidth in EW Systems, April 21
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)

As any practitioner of the EW trade knows, the need for greater bandwidth in signal processing electronics has been relentless. The reason for this is not only that the spectrum of interest keeps expanding, but also that the electronics hardware has to meet increasingly stringent SWaP requirements – which leads to the need for each RF-to-digital signal chain to handle a larger chunk of bandwidth. However, the requirements for dynamic range performance are not relaxing at the same time and there is a fundamental tradeoff between bandwidth and dynamic range that thus stands in the way of this trend. In this seminar we will look at this ever-present challenge and what the RF signal processing industry has been doing to deal with it. The focus of this seminar will be on the wideband data conversion section of the signal chain and all the bandwidth and dynamic range issues associated with it; as well as the state of the industry in this area.

Register Now

GOLD SPONSOR

---

 

ACCESS DEADLINE APRIL 22: 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.

Don't delay – deadline for clearance and base access is Friday, April 22!


DOWNLOAD AGENDA HERE

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Mr. William P. Bray, SES
Executive Director, Program Executive Office
Integrated Warfare Systems Office of the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research,
Development and Acquisition)

Margaret G. Palmieri
Director, Integrated Fires (OPNAV N2N6F3)

Register Now

---

 

NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES: 2016 AOC Awards Nominations Being Accepted Through May 1
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)

---

 

 

MAY 5 AOC VIRTUAL SERIES WEBINAR: Our Brave New Digital World - Where Analog Rules
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)

It is widely believed that the move towards digital systems has rendered analogue technologies obsolete, and that understanding the digital domain is more important than understanding physics. But as usual, the truth is far more complex! Even though we increasingly view the world through digitised eyes and use digital tools, the world remains analogue and is still governed by physical laws. Far from becoming obsolete and irrelevant, analogue technologies and physics are even more important today than ever before.

The motivation for the ever-expanding use of digital technologies will be summarised by briefly considering some aspects of the theoretical performance achievable by digital systems. Some examples of how RF and microwave front-ends and basic physical laws affect the performance of systems will then be described. In this way, the crucial importance of analogue subsystems and physical laws on the performance of any system – analogue or digital – will be demonstrated.

Register Now

Platinum Sponsor



Gold Sponsor

---

 

REGISTER FOR THE MAY 19 AOC VIRTUAL SERIES WEBINAR: Protecting the Sky: Detection, Direction Finding and Countermeasure for Threats Imposed by Radio-Controlled Micro-UAVs
1400-1500 EDT (1800-1900 GMT)

Today, more than 300.000 Radio-Controlled Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (commonly referred to as "drones") are sold worldwide every month. It was expected that around 0.5 to 1 million micro-drones were to be sold for Christmas last year in the U.S. alone. The increasing amount of affordable civilian drones capable of carrying payloads of some 100g up to a few kg leads to an emerging threat ranging from simple disturbances (privacies), spying or even incur severe destruction (terror attacks). These might include disturbing public events, important summits, endangering air traffic (drone sighting near airport), threatening governmental facilities, sensitive sites and industrial facilities (i.e. high-tech industries) as well as illegal smuggling contraband into correctional facilities and cross border.

The day has come where drones are "hovering over the sky." Facing with the challenges and difficulties of intercepting radio controlled drones especially to capture their operators, many authorities have been striving to achieve a solution in drone monitoring and countermeasures. A technical approach for countering the threats posed by such micro-drones is in tremendous demand, in order to achieve an idealized solution in "protecting the sky" against the drones.

In this webinar: "Protecting the Sky", we will provide insight into the application, specifications and impact of civilian recreational drones that are increasingly being used for other (sometimes hostile) purposes. The technical approach for countering the threats posed by drones to protected environments have been revealed, which includes:

•     monitoring the spectrum for relevant signals
•     identification and classification of frequency-agile RC signals
•     direction finding
•     possible defensive countermeasures

This webinar will review a strategic approach for the development of a solution for signal monitoring of radio-controlled microdrones and the possible countermeasures.

Register Now


Platinum Sponsor

---

 

SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED: Register Now for the 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!

KEYNOTE AND DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS


MajGen James Livingston, USMC (Ret.)
Congreessional Medal of Honor Recipient     

COL Bryant Glando, USA
Chief, Regional Inter Agency Division,
USCYBERCOM

Captain Scott Heller
Commanding Officer,
SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic
   
Col Brandan Harris, USAF
Deputy Director, Mission Integration Directrorate,
National Reconnaissance Office

Conference Details

---

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare (EMW) Systems Engineering and Acquisition Conference, September 20-22

Just announced! Stay turned to the Conference page for additional information.

Conference Page

---

 

SAVE THE DATE: Cyber Electromagnetic Activity 2016, October 17-20

Just announced – the second annual CEMA Conference, October 17-20 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. Save the date and stay tuned for more information.

Conference Page

---

 

NEW VIDEO: Don't Miss the AOC on Vimeo
See EW in action! Click the image or HERE to play on Vimeo.

---

 

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

---

 

The work being done at the high-profile Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center (JICSPOC) includes live experiments with satellites, in addition to the wargaming that all assumed has been taking place, Deputy Defense Bob Work says. "There are satellites up there, as you know, that don’t have a lot of useful life left," Work replied when asked what he meant by "live experiments." He said they are actually moving satellites in some cases to mimic real-life responses, much as the services do with major exercises. (Breaking Defense)
Learn More...

 

---

 

Regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election, top Pentagon leaders will urge their successors to focus on four top priorities - cyber, space, nuclear deterrent and electronic warfare, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said. "Those are the four things that we have the most difficulty coming to grips with in the department because they go across so many different functional areas," Work told Reuters. (Business Insider)
Learn More...

 

---

 

A squadron of Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler electronic attack aircraft has deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to support coalition air operations over Syria against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). U.S. European Command announced in an April 14 release that the EA-6Bs would support Inherent Resolve through September. (SEAPOWER)
Learn More...

 

---

 

The Defense Department has turned to a wide array of capabilities in its fight to deal ISIS a "lasting defeat," in the words of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. In an announcement late this week, DOD said EA-6B Prowler aircraft from the Marine Corps Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 have deployed to Turkey to "support electronic attack requirements in Operation Inherent Resolve, the effort to counter" ISIS, also known as ISIL. (Defense Systems)
Learn More...

 

---

 

An unusual joint statement by the federal government’s antitrust agencies assured the Pentagon that national security concerns weigh heavily in the review of defense industry mergers. A forceful declaration the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission issued April 12 headed off the prospect of a contentious interagency feud. A protracted bureaucratic battle would have been set off by a Defense Department effort to introduce new legislation that would have given DoD more powers to block mergers. The Pentagon announced soon after the statement was released that it would back off its pursuit of a legislative fix. (National Defense)
Learn More...

 

---

 

Air Force Research Laboratory work on key technologies in hypersonic air vehicles, directed-energy weapons and autonomy, or human-machine teaming, will be "game-changers" in a renewed Pentagon push to counter new threats around the globe, according to a top military commander. (Military.com)
Learn More...

 

---

 

Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster has a shaved head and gung-ho manner that only add to his reputation as the U.S. Army’s leading warrior-intellectual, one who often quotes famed Prussian general and military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz. A decade ago, McMaster fought a pitched battle inside the Pentagon for a new concept of warfare to address the threat from Islamist terrorists and insurgents in Afghanistan, Iraq and other trouble spots. Now, his new mission is more focused. Target: Moscow. (Politico)
Learn More...

 

---

 

In the conditions of modern warfare, weapons on the battlefield decide a lot, but not everything. If, in the past, victory was ensured by rapid-fire rifles or cannons, now armies are equipped with systems that can incapacitate any weapon, even the most powerful, and not even allow the enemy to use it. (Russia Beyond the Headlines)
Learn More...

 

---

 

The Russian invasion and subsequent annexation of Crimea in early 2014 set in motion a sequence of profound changes in planning NATO force posture, some with negative consequences that may not yet be fully appreciated. Much of what has changed in the last two years involves the alliance’s land and naval components. Yet NATO airpower is the most directly involved in ongoing contact with the Russian military. It is also the most vulnerable to planning missteps made now that would become highly problematic in the event of hostilities against the Russian Federation. (War on the Rocks)
Learn More...

 

---

 

Six months in the making, DARPA's Gremlins program is finally getting off the ground – and that statement probably requires a bit of explaining. "DARPA" is the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the "mad scientists" division of the Pentagon, responsible for funding and developing leading-edge technologies that can be employed in warfare. Respectively, "Gremlins" is one such technology. (Motley Fool)
Learn More...

 

---