AOC 2021, the Association of Old Crow’s International Symposium & Convention, is fast approaching. This much-anticipated return to an in-person event will take place at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center from Nov. 30 – Dec. 2.

Vaccine/Negative Test Verification
Prior to picking up your badge on-site and receiving access to the event, all individuals must show:

A valid government-issued ID (driver’s license, military ID, or passport) and either:

• Proof of being fully vaccinated* against COVID-19 or
• Proof of a negative test** for COVID-19 within 72 hours of check-in to the event

Please refer to our Health and Safety page for all the policies and requirements in place for our event.

Latest Agenda
The agenda is coming together nicely! View the latest schedule.

Registration Is Open!
If you have not registered, you can do so now at 58.crows.org.

Seeking Volunteers
Our volunteers are critical to the success of AOC 2021, interested in being a part of this year's event? Find out more at crows.org/2021Volunteer.

Hotel Information
Be sure to book your room at this year's host hotel, the newly renovated, upscale Courtyard/Residence Inn by Marriott Downtown/Convention Center!

Booth Space Selling Out!
Learn more about exhibitor benefits, rates and how to reserve your booth at 58.crows.org. You can also contact Sean Fitzgerald at Fitzgerald@crows.org or 703-549-1600 x222 for more information.

The 2021 AOC Board of Directors Elections are NOW OPEN! Your participation is critical. Please exercise your right to vote for AOC President-Elect and Board of Directors candidates.

You should have received an email with a username and password from our independent election service - Elections On-Line. This password is secure and unique to you. If you didn't see the email from Elections On-Line, try checking your spam folder. If you have not received it, please contact Glorianne O'Neilin.

All AOC members will be able to vote for President-Elect and two At-Large Directors. Members in the Central Region, Mid-Atlantic Region, and Mountain West Region will be able to vote for their respective Regional Directors (Only members of a region can vote for their director.)

Learn more about the candidates. You can read their platforms and watch some of their videos!

Voting ends Oct. 31, so don't delay! Vote now.

STEM Competition Now Open!

The AOC STEM Program invites students in grades 9-12 to submit a one- to five-minute video for the chance to win $2,000 for their group and gain access to member benefits to enhance their future career goals. AOC recognizes the importance of educating and guiding the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians using an interdisciplinary and applied approach. 

Competition Opens: Oct. 1.
Competition Closes: Nov. 30.

This contest aims to encourage and support student STEM groups to consider the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) in their studies. The competition is a chance for your School or STEM team to work on a fun project with an AOC Mentor, learn about the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) and how it applies to everyday life and a future career. In addition, this competition is an opportunity to win a significant financial award for your school/group and a chance to be informative, inventive, artistic, scientific, technical and creative in a short video.

Learn more.

5G for Critical Communications
Oct. 7 | 2-3 p.m. EST (18:00-19:00 UTC)

From the beginning, 3GPP’s 5G New Radio standard addresses a triangle of applications, namely enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). The requirements for the later, driven initially by the two market verticals of industrial internet of things (IIoT) and automotive, will be beneficial for the use case of 5G for mission-critical communication. In this webinar, we will take a look at how the 5G New Radio standard addresses mission-critical communication, how that differs, or relates to device-to-device (D2D) communication in LTE as of 3GPP Release 12.

Register now.

Network With Senior Defence Leaders From Around the World

AOC Europe is the meeting place for electronic warfare experts from across the globe. Delegations from more than 20 countries were present at the previous edition, with almost 36% of overall attendees from military or government sector.

Confirmed VIPs for 2021 include:

• Chilean Centre for Military Studies and Research
• Netherlands Ministry of Defence
• Italian Air Force
• Swedish Armed Forces Electronic Warfare Unit
• Lithuanian Defence Intelligence and Security Service
• UK Department for International Trade
• NATO

Browse the agenda and register a pass now.

AOC continues to connect Electromagnetic Warfare practitioners, industry partners, policymakers, and procurement decision-makers.

The year 2020 was a massive interruption to life and business, changing how we work, how we connect and forced us into a new way of doing things. We have created new ways to connect and share with our members through these changing times. We have taken events to a virtual space and created new and exciting opportunities for our members to continue looking to AOC as industry leaders.

Now more than ever it's important to keep in touch and AOC sponsorships are a great way to be part of what's happening right now in the electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO) industry.

Partner with AOC to increase your reach!
By partnering with AOC, Industry Partners have a variety of ways to connect with members throughout the year. Stay relevant to your customer base, participate in high-level discussions and, most importantly, nurture relationships with key contacts.

Learn more.

The Association of Old Crows is pleased to provide its online Career Center – the premier resource to connect career opportunities with highly qualified EW, EMSO, CEMA, SIGINT, ELINT & IO talent. You can access the AOC Career Center at https://careers.crows.org.

Featured Jobs:

• EW/RF Systems Engineer – Arcata Associates – Point Mugu, California, United States
• RF Engineer – Integration Innovation, Inc. (i3) –  Huntsville, Alabama, United States

There are many things Lt. Col. Crawford Elmer Hicks, USAF (Ret.) was known for: B-17 pilot, prisoner of war, local hero, author. He was all of those things but he was also more than his military record. Crawford was the kindest and most generous soul who opened his heart to all. The 100-year-old Warner Robins resident passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Part of the Greatest Generation, he was born on Feb. 10, 1921 in Leitchfield, Kentucky. Crawford’s dream from a young boy was to be a pilot. His dream was realized when he joined the Air Corp Cadet Program in 1942 and started flying trainer planes in Albany, Georgia. His first mission in WWII occurred in May 1944. His B-17 was shot down in Germany on his 10th mission. He was a POW for nearly a year before being rescued by Allied Forces on April 29, 1945.

After the war, Crawford spent another two decades in the U.S. Air Force. He served his country for many more years as an attorney in the U.S. Housing and Development Authority. He met Edna Hicks at a dinner at the Warner Robins Officers Club. The irony was that while Edna was in London during the Blitz in WWII, Crawford was defending her country against the invading Germans. The couple married in 2003 and were gracious enough to share their stories about the war countless times. His wife describes Crawford as the biggest flirt one could meet and that he never met a stranger.

The Australian Chapter of the Association of Old Crows is pleased to announce the EW Australia 2021 Brisbane Symposium. Being held at Customs House in Brisbane on Wednesday, 13 Oct., this full-day thought leadership symposium will focus on: “ADF Information Dominance – Building a Resilient Sovereign Capability.” Attendees will hear Defence and civilian speakers on EW, IO and Cyber, while being able to maintain connections and expand networks within the Australian EW, IO and Cyber Defence community. The speaker list is being finalized with further details to be released shortly. For further information visit oldcrows.org.au.

In its wide-ranging fiscal 2022 intelligence policy bill, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) paves the way for the creation of a separate Space Force intelligence center — but with caveats that raise questions about any actual change stemming from the move. (Breaking Defense)

China put a number of operational and prototype unmanned aircraft designs on display at the ongoing Zhuhai Airshow, giving an insight to its increasingly wide range of unmanned systems in service. (Defense News)

Staff from the U.S. Army’s National Simulation Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, have tested a new variant of a tool they say will help soldiers prepare for battle more effectively and efficiently. The Live, Virtual, Constructive Integrating Architecture, or LVC-IA, is a system of systems that links separate simulators and simulations across disparate geographies. The newly introduced capability represents the fourth version of the system, which was first fielded in 2012. (Defense News)