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Army Wants Smarter Computer AI for Electronic Warfare Industry News AOC News & Events AOC Chapter News and Events

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REGISTER NOW: 2nd Annual Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare Systems Engineering and Acquisition Conference, September 26-28
Our adversaries are using ubiquitous and cheap technology to further develop cyber warfare as well as advance and proliferate electromagnetic spectrum capabilities. Electromagnetic Maneuver Warfare (EMW) is the Navy's warfighting approach to gain a decisive military advantage in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) to enable freedom of action across all Navy mission areas. Success demands a holistic system of systems focus looking not only at the systems themselves but also the "interstitial" space which is the dimension of the systems. EMW will require coordination and simultaneous integration across all domains (land, sea, subsurface, air, space, and cyber). EMW, in essence, means leveraging the cyberspace domain and the full electromagnetic spectrum for both offensive and defensive effects.

EMW is not a program, or system, or even a refined concept of operations. It is an emerging operational approach, one we must master to fully understand the battlespace. We must then use that awareness to better employ our own forces while altering the enemy's perception of the battlespace and minimizing his freedom to maneuver within it.

Mastering EMW will have commercial, financial and political impacts. It is important for program managers, engineers, and business planners to be aware of the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process, the tools used, and the complexities in performing defense acquisition and systems development in the emerging EMS environment in order to provide value to managing and performing program funding and mission success.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS



Rear Admiral David J. Hahn
Chief of Naval Research, Director of Innovation, Technology Requirements and Test & Evaluation
(OPNAV N94)    

Dr. William Conley, SES
Deputy Director, Office of the Under Secretary of) Defense for
Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (OUSD AT&L/A/) Tactical Warfare Systems

Mr. Jay R. Kistler, Jr
Assistant Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering), Dir EW & CM Office

Mr. Bryan Clark
Senior Fellow, Center for  Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)

Register Now!

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PRESENTATIONS DUE AUGUST 31: 3rd Annual Cyber Electromagnetic Activity (CEMA) Conference, October 16-19
October 16-19, 2017 | Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
"The Multi-Domain Battle: A Combined Arms Approach to Enabling Maneuver through CEMA Operations"

This conference has been approved by the Department of the Army.
Click here for a copy of the approval memo.

This year's focus will be on the emerging Joint Army/USMC Multi-Domain Battle concept and the implications with respect to CEMA. The MDB entails a combined arms approach for ground combat operations against a sophisticated peer enemy threat in the 2025-2040 timeframe. Building on current service and joint doctrine, the MDB requires flexible and resilient ground formations that project combat power into the land, air, maritime, space, and cyberspace domains. It is a continued evolution of the combined arms methodology to include not only those capabilities of the physical domains, but places even greater emphasis on space, cyberspace, and other contested areas such as the EMS, the information environment, and the cognitive dimension of warfare. As for the role of CEMA in the MDB, it's about creating and exploiting exploit temporary windows of advantage in and presenting adversaries with multiple dilemmas in the spectrum across time/space with an intensity and duration of our choosing. Acknowledging that the world is very different now with more capable near-peer adversaries who are able to contest all physical domains as well as cyberspace, we need to recognize that and challenge the CEMA community of interest for novel, adaptive and innovative capability solutions in EW, Cyber, SIGINT and other related technology areas. This is just the nature of the current environment.

Register Now!

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NEW SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED: 6th Annual AOC Pacific Conference, October 17-19 in Honolulu
Non-Kinetic Fires (EW & IO) in the Multi-Domain Battle

The theme for the 2017 AOC Pacific Conference, "Non-Kinetic Fires (EW & IO) in the Multi-Domain Battle," will drive discussions that build upon those from the last two AOC Pacific Conferences, that examined the role of IO in countering/defeating Anti-Access and Area Denial (A2/AD) strategies (2016), IO in Hybrid Warfare (2015).

America’s current and potential adversaries in the Pacific regard EW and cyber as critical components of both peacetime hybrid warfare and A2/AD. An example of offensive cyber used as part of hybrid warfare is seen in the recent "Wanna Cry" computer attack, launched by North Korea’s 6,700-strong "hacking Army" which is based worldwide. The importance of effective electronic protect computer network defense was reinforced by MG Patricia Frost, who stated simply "Without the network, there is no Multi-Domain Battle." Our adversaries will make this difficult, as they seek to overmatch our EP and CND capabilities. It is a real concern among defense experts that adversaries and threat actors are employing automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities at rates that exceeding that of the U.S.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS



Gen Robert B. Brown (invited)
Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC)    

LTG Bryan Fenton, USA (invited)
Deputy Commander, U.S. PACOM     

MG Patricia Frost, USA
Director of Cyber, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Army G-3/5/7


BG Miguel Castellanos, USA (invited)
Deputy Commanding General for CJTF-HOA in Somalia    

BGen Brian W. Cavanaugh, USMC (invited)
Deputy Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific    

Mr. Jay Kistler, SES
Director, Electronic Warfare & Countermeasures Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering)



Col. William McClane, USMC
Commander, Marine Corps IO Center

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS: DUE AUGUST 31
AOC and the PACOM J39 is soliciting original unclassified English language presentations and/or papers for the 6th AOC Pacific Conference from subject matter experts in the U.S. and Allied militaries/government, as well as from academia and industry on the conference theme. Presentations for the full symposium must be UNCLASSIFIED, or UNCLASSIFIED releasable to participating Allied militaries of Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. Presentations for classified sessions at Camp Smith should be at the SECRET REL/FVEY level, or at higher classification for smaller break-out sessions.

Please contact the Symposium Chair, Arthur Tulak, COL USA, Ret, at arthur.n.tulak.ctr@pacom.mil 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. Industry presentations that support the conference theme may be submitted for either the UNCLASSIFIED or SECRET REL FVEY days. Company or product-focused briefs will not be accepted. The deadline for submitting is close of business Wednesday, 31 August 2017, but earlier is better.

Learn More...

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AOC ELECTIONS: Voting Begins September 1
The 2017 AOC Elections are fast approaching. Read candidate bios and instructions in the Election Guide. Beginning  September  1,  AOC  Members  can visit the AOC homepage, www.crows.org, where they will see election information and a link to the voting site. Note: Your dues must be current as of August 20 in order to vote.

View the Election Guide

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REGISTER NOW: 54th Annual AOC International Symposium and Convention, November 28-30 in Washington, D.C.
"Innovation and Change in Electromagnetic Warfare"

The electromagnetic environment is changing at an increasing pace, and thus the importance of electronic warfare (EW) system adaptability, flexibility, and innovation has also increased. Not only are innovative technologies greatly needed, but the Industry and EW Community itself needs to change organizationally to embrace innovative ideas, technologies, and tactics – and at a significantly faster pace. Innovation is more than just technology refresh, it is also culture refresh.

The 54th Annual AOC International Symposium and Convention will focus specifically on these ideas and provide Industry, Government, and Militaries a world-class forum to address how we should change and innovate as an EW community. The Symposium will highlight some of the most advanced and innovative technologies on the horizon and discuss how organizational change can be embraced to be more agile and engender more calculated risk taking. Talks will focus on what challenges are currently in the way and some stories of how change is currently being implemented.

Upgrades to our systems, as well as our acquisition cultures, is vital to maintain (and in some cases, regain) our electromagnetic warfare superiority.

Register Now
Hotel and Travel
Symposium Details

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PLAN NOW TO ATTEND: AOC EW Conference at DSEI, September 12
Tuesday, September 12 | 15:30-17:00 | Future Electronic Warfare and Electromagnetic Operations
We live in a time of increasing uncertainty on many fronts.  Threats, challenges and opportunities are increasing.  Technology is accelerating.  The world is undoubtedly changing and in unforeseen and perhaps unforeseeable ways.  In terms of future warfare, national forces are being re-shaped and re-equipped to face an operational maneuver space that is already more complex and connected, but constrained.  It may well be chaotic unless the right, informed choices are made now.  In terms of EW and electromagnetic operations, and the Electromagnetic Environment/Domain that underpins much of warfare and everyday life, how can we make sense of all of these things?  

The AOC EW conference will consider the future of EW and EM Operations in the changing light of current and emerging threats, including Hybrid Warfare and Cyber Electromagnetic Activities where potential opponents are out-performing the West.  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.  This is an unclassified conference.

The AOC Programme is in the West Theatre at 15:30. Click here for programme detail and click AOC EW to learn more.

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CONGRATULATIONS to the 2017 AOC Award Winners!
The AOC will recognize the premier leaders in EW, IO and EMS Operations fields throughout our 54th Annual Symposium and Convention. Please join us in celebrating these award winners for their exemplary service to our community. The Gold Medal Award is the highest award given by the AOC for outstanding advances and contributions in all fields of EW and IO. The Gold Medal Award will be presented during the Opening Session on Tuesday, November 28th. The Hal Gershanoff Silver Medal Award is presented to an AOC member to recognize outstanding service in furthering the goals of the Association or its Chapter Organization(s). It is the highest award given to a member for service to the AOC. The Hal Gershanoff Silver Medal, the Colonel Anton D. Brees Lifetime Service Awards, and the Joseph W. Kearney Award will be presented at the Annual Banquet on Wednesday, November 29th. All other Individual awards will be presented at separate venues.

Full List of Award Winners
AOC Annual Symposium and Convention Page

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VISIT THE AOC JOB VACANCIES PAGE: Post Your Jobs
Employers can post on the Job Vacancies page for free. 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 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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Facing an electromagnetic jungle of electronic warfare threats, the Army wants smarter computers for EW and jam-proof navigation. The Army has put out a request for information for machine learning technology -- computers capable of learning on their own how to track electronic warfare threats and manage responses. The problem is that soldiers are overloaded with trying to keep track of threats. "Compounding the issue is the source and location information of, potentially, infinite number of electronic signals through various sensing means, coordinating defensive and offensive operations to defend against electronic attack, and blunt the electronic means of the threat," said the RFI. (Defense Systems)
Learn More...

 

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Exercise Mobility Guardian highlighted the close relationship between Mobility and Combat Air Forces, who teamed up to execute approximately 90 sorties together, July 31 to Aug. 12, 2017. The exercise provided the MAF and CAF opportunities to integrate combat capabilities in a dynamic, highly contested environment to help ensure future mission success at both the tactical and strategic level. "Everything that Air Combat Command does, we do on the back of mobility forces," said Gen. Mike Holmes, the ACC commander. "We’re a global Air Force, and we’re a global Air Force because we can pick up and move wherever we need to and know that we can be there quickly with everything we need to operate. Without (Air Mobility Command), we’d be a regional Air Force." (Air Force Link)
Learn More...

 

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N10: The US Navy’s Airborne Electronic Attack Weapons School, call sign "HAVOC", stood up in 2011 to execute the NAWDC mission as it pertains to Electronic Warfare and the EA-18G Growler. HAVOC is comprised of highly qualified Growler Tactics Instructors, or GTIs, that form the "tactical engine" of the EA-18G community, developing the tactics that get the most out of EA-18G sensors and weapons. HAVOC’s mission is also to train Growler Aircrew and Intelligence Officers on those tactics during the Growler Tactics Instructor Course. The Growler Tactics Instructor Course is a rigorous 12 week syllabus of academic, simulator, and live fly events that earn graduates the Growler Tactics Instructor designation – the highest level of EA-18G tactical qualification that is recognized across Naval Aviation. (SLD Info)
Learn More...

 

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Tehran is planning to start military drills with a focus on electronic warfare in the next few days, local media reported on Tuesday, citing Iranian Navy Commander Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari. Sayyari said while visiting the Iranian North Fleet in the city of Bandar Anzali that specialized drills engaging electronic warfare systems will be held in the southeastern Makran region in coming days, the Tasnim news agency reported. The Navy Commander stressed that Iran's naval forces were expected to stage 25 specialized war games by March 2018. (Sputnik News, Russian State Sponsored Media)
Learn More...

 

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The Army is beginning to implement recommendations from a cyber and electronic warfare doctrine released in April. Maj. Gen. John B. Morrison Jr., commander of the Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Fort Gordon said that the doctrine is the first of its kind to include standards and guidelines for electronic warfare and is now being integrated into the center's training for officers as well as enlisted soldiers. (FCW)
Learn More...

 

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Flying thousands of feet in the sky and zooming sensors in on enemy movement below, the Air Force manned Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System has been using advanced technology to gather and share combat-relevant information, circle above military operations and share key Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance data with service command and control. Since its combat missions during the Gulf War in the early 1990s, JSTARS has been an indispensable asset to combat operations, as it covers a wide swath of terrain across geographically diverse areas to scan for actionable intelligence and pertinent enemy activity. (Scout Warrior)
Learn More...

 

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Electronic warfare is a pressing issue that the Pentagon has identified as part of the "third offset"–which is a collection of battlefield tech that the U.S. military has to master in order to get a leg-up on its competition, our adversaries, or their enemies. According to the July 2015 report, 21st Century Operations in a Complex Electromagnetic Environment the United States military is "no longer the overwhelming leader in these technologies." Whether this is for certain, Dr. William Conley, Deputy Director of Electronic Warfare, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (AT&L) of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), will speak at the Potomac Officer’s Club Electronic Warfare Forum on the morning of Sept. 12. (Executive Biz)
Learn More...

 

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