AOC 2024 is now over, but the lessons drawn from the event still resonate for attendees. The symposium theme was right on target – Electromagnetic Spectrum Warfare: The Great Power Competition. It set the stage for the entire week and it set a goal for our community – both as a North Star and as a meaningful measuring stick to chart our progress and recognize our EMSO gaps. There are "hard" gaps, such as materiel development and procurement, numbers of personnel, etc. And there are "soft" gaps, such as organization, leadership, processes, quality of personnel, quality of training, etc. In Great Power Competition, overcoming these "soft" gaps matters just as much as tackling the "hard" gaps.

AOC 2024 delved into many areas, such as electromagnetic battle management (EMBM), JADC2, AI for EW systems, and EW rapid reprogramming, all of which the EMSO community has been working on (and anticipating) for many years. As each of these areas get closer to becoming reality, they fuel new EMSO possibilities. Yet at the same time, we're still grappling with data access and security levels in EMBM, understanding all the ways AI can benefit EMSO, determining how quickly we need to generate new mission data and target waveforms and how close to the tactical edge this needs to be done. These challenges aren't roadblocks. They're the types of question you ask when you've been making progress and you're moving into more detailed aspects ahead of deploying these capabilities and processes.

All in all, AOC 2024 left the EMSO community with a better understanding of where we are and how we need to continue preparing for Great Power Competition. At AOC 2025 (Dec. 9-11 at the Gaylord in National Harbor, Maryland) we'll have another opportunity to measure our progress.

In her Friday morning keynote, Major General Elisabeth Michelsen, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, NATO Joint Force Command – Norfolk covered three related topics: how can NATO dominate in the EMS; lessons from the war in Ukraine; and why the High North (the Arctic and the area around it) is important to NATO. With more than 30 years of experience in the Norwegian armed forces and her current NATO assignment, she discussed these topics with tremendous insight.

Regarding NATO's need to dominate in the EMS, General Michelsen said, "I would say the full realization of the multi domain operation will require dominance in the EMS in order to facilitate seamless command and control across all domains and comprehensively connect all sensors, actors and effectors across the NATO enterprise. The EMS together with the digital infrastructure could be seen as the glue in an MDO multi domain enabled alliance." She discussed the need to "innovate, integrate and invest to dominate," in EW technologies, including sensors and AI-driven analytic tools, directed energy weapons and developing resilient systems that can resist EW from adversaries.

A second aspect of EMS dominance is cooperation, General Michelsen said. "Having technology alone is not enough," she explained. "We must integrate electromagnetic spectrum warfare into our operational plans and strategies. Conducting coordinated training programs and exercises across NATO allies is essential to improving interoperability and operational effectiveness." She added, "Continuous training and realistic simulation are crucial in preparing our forces for real world electromagnetic warfare scenarios."

General Michelsen's second focus area was the War in Ukraine. She spoke of the importance that "will" plays in war and the EW experience of Russian forces. When Russia began its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, General Michelsen, as commander of Norway's Home Guard, deployed to the UK to help train Ukrainian soldiers. "I met the soldiers. The will they showed was and has been strong from the beginning. But the will in the alliance is also strong from each country to support the Ukrainians and must continue to be so in the time to come. But we can also learn from the war in Ukraine. They [the Ukrainians] are the one with the most experience in this [EW] field in recent times."

She also said, "Russian forces have long operated in an electromagnetic warfare environment, where the complexities of spectrum denial are a regular aspect of their operations. While these challenges pose risk, including the potential of blue on blue, the Russian military has adapted to working in this contested space. Their ability to manage and navigate within the electromagnetic warfare denied environment gives them a certain resilience. But it also presents vulnerabilities that can be exploited by [their] adversaries, in this case, Ukraine. The ongoing conflict has provided valuable insight into the role of spectrum warfare. We have seen how critical it is to adapt our tactics based on the real world experience. Success stories from the Ukraine can guide us and lessons learned must shape our future story strategies." She described these lessons: the need for advanced SIGINT for real-time monitoring and disruption of adversary communications; integrating cyber and EMS capabilities to create a multi-layered defense and complicate adversary attempts to disrupt operations; and harmonizing EW with other effects.

In General Michelsen's last focus area, she discussed why the "High North" is important for NATO. Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula retains its strategic importance (as it did during the Cold War) of harboring a high concentration of Russia's nuclear arsenal. She explained how this drives NATO's need to perform in-depth surveillance of this area for effective indications and warning. She mentioned that seven out of the eight countries that border the high north are NATO members, and the Arctic's retreating ice cap means more shipping travels through the High North each year, which increasingly drives NATO's attention toward the area.

General Michelsen said the High North presents several operational considerations for NATO. She explained, "Electromagnetic warfare presents unique challenges in the High North or the Arctic region. Due to the region's extreme environment, [it features] vast expenses of land and harsh conditions. The Arctic geographical and environmental characteristics, such as long polar night [in the winter], continuous daylight in summer and magnetic anomalies, affects both the performance and reliability of the electromagnetic systems. One of the primary challenges is the interference caused by the Earth's magnetic field, which is particularly strong in the polar regions. This can disrupt satellite communication, GPS signals and other satellite space systems [that are] crucial for navigation and coordination. Additionally, the Arctic environment is prone to intense solar activity, such as solar flares and geomagnetic storms, which can further degrade the effectiveness of communications and router systems. We need to have the knowledge of operating during these conditions."

General Michelsen concluded her keynote by stating, "Innovation, integration and strategic investment will determine our success in upholding peace and security. We must rise to the challenge of securing the electromagnetic spectrum for the future security of our nations. The electromagnetic spectrum, once an area of communication and navigation, is now a battlefield. An area where wars are won and lost. In this increasingly technological age, where information can be our most valuable ally or our greatest adversary, control over electromagnetic spectrum can determine the outcome of any conflict."

	Col Ivan Pavlenko

AOC 2024 closed with an excellent session, "EMSO Within Current Conflicts and Hotspots," which provided perspectives from Lord Stuart Peach, Air Chief Marshall, RAF; Lt Col Erik Bamford, Branch Chief Electromagnetic Warfare, Norwegian Armed Forces; and Col Ivan Pavlenko, Senior EW Officer and Chief, EW and Cyber Directorate, Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Lord Peach, speaking via Zoom from the UK, issued a "…clarion call, a call to arms on counterintelligence, operational security, and importantly, and critically, emission security." He discussed the role the OPSEC played in World War II and the Cold War and the value of it during those periods. "I think we need to go back to some of the lessons from the past, some of the lessons from that Cold War, some of the lessons from operational security, and what we need to try and do as a principle of war, even in a densely contested and operating electromagnetic spectrum, we need to create the conditions for surprise."

He also spoke about the need for more innovation. "We need to innovate faster than we've ever done before," he said. "The Ukrainians have shown us the way. The Russians never stopped doing electronic warfare, and we can see that every day, every night, seven days a week, and others are watching, and others will be copying, and others will be denying us use of the spectrum. And one of the key tenets for me, and I hope this resonates with the conference, is that we need to be really serious with everybody we talk to about operating in a denied environment."

Lord Peach concluded his address with a final challenge to the audience: "Who owns the spectrum will win now and in the future. And we, using simple language as the advocates of electronic warfare, need to say that to our leaders. We need to say it to our classmates, our colleagues, our friends from other services, our friends from other countries, our allies in NATO and beyond."

Next, Lieutenant Colonel Bamford provided some of his personal observations on the Ukraine War. He began by reminding everyone that Ukraine has been the only nation actually fighting Russia. "The first caveat is there's only one champion that's currently deploying successful EW onto the Russians. And we need to acknowledge that the rest of us, we're just bystanders. Okay? We are. Yes, some of us are actively discussing things with the Ukrainian authorities. Some are participating with donations. But seriously, they are the only champions. The Ukrainian armed forces are the only champions that are out there right now."

He went on to say that while Ukraine is doing the actual fighting, it is also sharing a lot of information with NATO nations not only about Russian tactics but also analyses based on its exploitation of Russian equipment. The bottom line is that NATO has been gaining huge amounts of extremely valuable information about Russian EW and other EMS capabilities from Ukraine.

The final speaker in the closing session was Colonel Pavlenko, who began by explaining that from a Ukrainian perspective, its advantages have been realized by robots (drones) and fighting for control of the EMS. Drones (especially first-person view drones) enable Ukraine to fight while preserving its limited manpower compared to the attritional warfare strategy favored by Russian forces. The use of drones by both sides means that Ukraine needs to protect its access to the EMS and deny Russia's ability to use the EMS. Russia is doing the same. He said that in some operations, around 70% of the strikes are performed by FPV drones and "bomber" drones.

Colonel Pavlenko dove into the technical and tactical aspects of the EW-enabled drone battle between Ukraine and Russia, including the expanding frequency ranges used by drone operators and EW systems as Russian and Ukrainian forces try to outmaneuver each other in the EMS. He discussed the breadth of drone and EW technologies involved, the importance of developing software processes that help rapidly deploy mission capabilities, countermeasures and counter-countermeasures.

One of Colonel Pavlenko's slides described Russia's EW force structure across strategic, operational and tactical levels. Russia has fielded 7 EW brigades, 8 EW centers, 36 EW battalions, 245 EW companies and 42 control centers.  This accounts for 296 ground EW military units (245 for EA and 42 for electronic protection) with approximately 28,000 EW personnel across its ground forces. The scale of Russian EW is simply staggering.

Overall, the closing session proved an excellent finish to close an extremely informative and thought-provoking week.

	Paul Wilkowski

Each year, AOC recognizes five young professionals as the year’s "Future 5" – individuals who actively innovate and strive for excellence as they support their respective organizations and build their EMSO careers. In each issue of the Show Daily, we will spotlight one of this year's Future 5 and their career goal in their own words.

Today, we recognize Paul Wilkowski, Senior Specialist, Systems Engineer, L3Harris Technologies

My ultimate career goal is to be a disruptor within the Defense Industry; driving not only the new technological pipelines but to also to architect large-scale solutions with our customers which would drastically improve their capabilities and effectiveness. While I currently view a majority of the industry products developed to be one-dimensional, I am looking to harness the ideologies of Open System Architecture and Multifunction Processing in product development. This allows the team that I look to lead to develop innovative technologies at a rapid pace in all aspects of Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations. While personally I may not have executive expertise in all of the EMSO domains, I will lead a multifaceted team where we will quickly deploy effective capabilities into the hands of the warfighter; such that they can successfully execute their missions and return home safely to their families.

I have already laid a solid foundation to achieve this goal. I have earned technical degrees in both Electrical and Systems Engineering which have granted me the opportunities to work at some of the largest DoD Contractors such to develop Avionics, C4ISR, and EW products; bestowing an understanding of the various perspectives of the warfighter's mission. I am pursuing my Master of Business Administration degree in order to hone my financial and entrepreneurial skills such to be able to go to the table with industry leaders to secure funding for my ideas and effectively manage teams to implement them. And lastly I have established a culture of continuous improvement on my teams such that we do not only ensure we improve our products everyday but also the process in which we develop them.

As I continue down my career path, I am looking to empower the not only the best, brightest, and most experienced in their individual domains but also to elevate those curious yet passionate in the areas of EMS/EW/IO, such that together we can introduce technologies which truly disrupt the industry.

JED: When did REI begin making spectrum analyzers, and how has the company evolved this product line?

LJ: Research Electronics International (REI) was established in 1983 and developed a wide variety of countersurveillance products, including broadband receivers. In 1994, REI introduced the OSCOR 5000 Omni Spectral Correlator; a transportable spectrum analyzer with a 3-GHz frequency range (21 GHz with an optional Microwave Downconverter (MDC). OSCOR 5000 was replaced by the OSCOR Blue in 2010. OSCOR Blue and subsequent models were developed to be smaller, faster, more portable and easier to use while improving features and performance. 

JED: What are some of the electronic warfare trends you are seeing, and how are these driving applications for portable spectrum analyzers?

LJ: Field personnel need to quickly and easily assess signal activity in any situation. This requires analyzers that deploy rapidly and provide immediate information. They need to detect, identify, and analyze enemy radio signals, communications methods, and potential threats, often in real-time, especially in situations requiring rapid situational awareness.
Handheld analyzers are portable and quickly operational. They’re self-powered, self-contained, and quick to activate. They must display a broad frequency range and a high level of information.
REI makes the user interfaces easy to navigate and understand so that a wider range of personnel with varying technical aptitudes can competently conduct sweeps with confidence.

JED: Please tell me more about REI's spectrum analyzer family and how each of these products meet various EW applications.

LJ: Our OSCOR Spectrum Analyzer is portable and detects unknown, illegal, disruptive, interfering and anomalous rogue transmissions across a wide frequency range. It has a built-in auto-switching antenna system that displays 24 GHz of data, allowing continuous sweeping without stopping to change antennas, and it surveys RF activity without missing signals due to limited frequency range or from having to switch antennas saves time and provides more information faster. The on-board interface and the touchscreen control put all the data and analysis features in the user’s hands.
Our MESA 2.0 Mobility Enhanced Spectrum Analyzer is a smaller more tactical analyzer with a frequency range to 6 GHz (12 GHz with the down converter antenna). MESA 2.0 is also touchscreen controlled and has a user-friendly interface with full on-board spectrum analysis, and operation modes for detecting and displaying WiFi, Bluetooth and Mobile Bands. MESA 2.0 has a range of antennas for varying situations. It is more compact, portable and lightweight, weighing less than 2.5 lb. Variable Bandwidth resolution allows it to sweep faster at 312.5 kHz resolution (200GHz/sec). It has specific sweep modes for WiFi, and Bluetooth that provide additional device details. SmartBars is a patented mode that quickly detects new energy in an environment.

JED: In addition to the hardware performance, does REI develop software features that address EW applications?

LJ: REI spectrum analyzers provide a way to quickly determine what signals should and shouldn’t be there. They include software features like SmartBars and RSSI graphs to indicate when a suspect transmission is getting closer or farther away. They provide many of the common display features like Persistence, Raster Waterfall, Peak Trace and other display features that show different perspectives on signal behavior. 

JED: REI provides comprehensive training center for its customers. Do some of your military customers take advantage of this?

LJ: REI conducts over 50 regularly scheduled courses throughout the year and provides many custom courses at REI and at the customer’s location. Many active duty, government and contractor personnel, as well as law enforcement, corporate and private security students attend REI training. We offer a 3-level progressive curriculum. REI training courses teach basic and advanced signal detection techniques and include hands-on exercises in dedicated project rooms. Course schedules are posted on REI’s website.

Read the December issue of JED, hot off the presses in time for the 2024 AOC Convention:

Cover Story: Peaking into Quantum Computing
Interview: Rich Sorelle, Spectrum Control
EW 101: Introduction to Emulation

Read the full issue now and read more each week at JEDOnline.com.

The Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED) is the official publication of the Association of Old Crows (AOC), an independent, nonprofit, international professional association promoting public understanding in the science and practice of EW, SIGINT and related disciplines. Become an AOC member to get access to the latest issue of JED.

Check out current issues and news from our media partners throughout the week.

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Military Embedded Systems September Resource Guide
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