Then and now. If you go back just a decade, Space was a recognized warfighting domain, but Space Command was buried within the Air Force. China had conducted a controversial kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) test against one of its own defunct weather satellites in 2007. That test, which was the first kinetic ASAT test conducted by any country since 1985, served as a wake-up call to western governments. The resulting debris field of more than 3,000 trackable (golf-ball sized or larger) objects traveling through low-earth orbit also alarmed the growing commercial space market. After 2007, many nations began to acknowledge the reality of contested space operations.

Today, we're in a different place. There is an established US Space Force, a robust commercial satellite launch market and a fast growing industry providing commercial services to support military space operations. EMSO in Space is widely and openly discussed, and you'll hear about it this week at AOC 2023.

Today at 2:30 PM in Potomac Ballroom B, Josh Chavez, Product Manager at Hawkeye 360, will provide a perspective on space-based ESM with his presentation on "Enabling Access: Space-Based Radar Geolocation/Detection for New Audiences in EW."

On Tuesday, from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM, Tim Fountain of Rohde & Schwarz moderates a Symposium Breakout Session about "Space EW" with presentations from the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, MITRE, the Space Information and Analysis Center and GTRI.

For more background on the US Space Force, see "Space Delta 3 Guardian Embrace Electromagnetic Warfare," JED, October 2022; and "Space Delta 3 as a Pathfinder," AOC Podcast, Jan. 5, 2022.

For more info on the emerging space-based ESM market, see "EW Goes Commercial…from Space," JED, February 2021.

For more information about the basics of space EW, see "Introduction to Space Electronic Warfare," AOC Webinar, June 25, 2020. (Access for AOC members only.)

60 Years Later – The Unique Founding of the Association of Old Crows (AOC)
In this episode of History of Crows, we look back at the founding of the AOC to celebrate embarking on its 60th year. The necessity of EW for mission success and saving lives in 21st-century warfare is primarily due to a small cadre of EW operators from WWII and the Korean War. They wanted to form a group to foster and preserve the art of electronic warfare and commemorate fittingly fellow Crows' memory. Who were these early pioneers in EW who established the AOC? Why was forming an association so crucial to advocating for EW? And, of course, why did they call themselves the "Old Crows?"

To help with this journey and answer these questions, narrator Ken Miller is joined by Lifetime Achievement Awardee, AOC Silver Medal Winner, Technology Hall of Fame Inductee and long-time Old Crow, Paul Westcott. To learn more about today's topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit crows.org.

	Dennis Monahan

What are you most excited about for each day of the symposium?

Our opening day will set the stage for this year’s theme of Advancing EMS Superiority Through Strategic Alliances and Partnerships. After our Keynote and Spotlight sessions, we will facilitate a discussion on Joint All-Domain Command & Control (JADC2), technical briefs on space-based Radar geolocation and detection, RF FPGAs with integrated 64 Gsps data converters and the complexities of electromagnetic warfare for future operating environments; as well as a Program Manager Briefing Series for Army Programs related to EW & cyber, sensors aerial intelligence, aircraft Survivability Equipment, Electronic Warfare and Unmanned Aircraft Systems. This will be a very informative first day for EMSO stakeholders across government, industry and academia.

Dennis Monahan
AOC 2023 Daily Co-Chair

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – Monday, Dec. 11

Review the online schedule of events and symposium agenda to finalize your on-site agenda.
Check out the floorplan and search for an exhibitor and make plans to visit the companies you wish to connect with.

Get out your smartphone and download the conference app from the App Store or Google Play. Follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn and use #AOC2023 to join in the conversation.

We have a terrific line-up of keynote speakers for you each morning of the 2023 AOC Convention. Come early, grab a cup of coffee and settle in for some valuable insights from some of our leading military, government and industry thinkers.

Today: Lieutenant General Matthew G. Glavy, USMC, Deputy Commandant for Information
Tuesday, Dec. 12: The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, United States Secretary of the Navy, and Vice Admiral Stephen T. "Web" Koehler, USN, Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, J5, Joint Staff/Senior Member, Navy, United States Delegation to the United Nations Military Staff
Wednesday, Dec. 13: Vice Admiral Francis Morley, USN, Principal Military Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition), and Lieutenant General (Ret) Lance Landrum, Former 23rd Deputy Chair of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee
More details, including descriptions of all symposium spotlight and breakout sessions, program manager briefings, and technical briefings, are available in the full agenda.

	Brittany Joy

Today's Future 5 profile spotlights Brittany Joy, a Senior Staff RF and Analog Design Engineer at Motorola Solutions Applied Technology in Schaumberg, IL

Brittany earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2017. During her undergraduate studies, she was accepted into a summer internship at Motorola and this experience led her to join the company after graduation.

At Motorola, Brittany has found the job and the mission fulfilling. "I’ve become a valued member of our rapid development field experiment team that travels frequently to experiments and exercises" she explains. "These events give us tremendous opportunities to talk first hand with operators and customers and receive feedback on our prototypes and products." She adds, " By paying attention to the needs of our EMS/EW operators and customers and getting experience in the field, I am able to grow by helping guide our product strategy to best serve our warfighters. I’ve seen the impact I can have by guiding others and as a result, I can see myself growing into senior leadership one day to build relationships with new customers and help drive business goals."

In terms of her development as an EMSO professional, she says, "My biggest career achievement was creating our most successful and highest performing build to date of our 30 GHz software-defined radio (SDR). Years of research and creative evaluation techniques helped me build up my mmWave design capabilities. After establishing myself as a technical leader through proven designs, communicating existing flaws of this mmWave product design featuring our own custom RFICs, exposing areas where we could make significant improvement in the product design, and suggesting new processes to reduce risk, I was able to take ownership and leadership of that mmWave design." She continues, "This was achieved directly as a result of getting to employ my creative thinking and problem solving skills, clearly and effectively communicating known flaws to the right people, challenging what has been done in the past, and successfully leading a team to achieve this success. As a result, I feel valued and appreciated at my company as an inventive contributor, collaborator, and leader."

You can learn more about Brittany and her fellow Future 5 professionals at crows.org/page/2023Future5.

For more information about the AOC's Future 5 program, please visit crows.org/page/future5.

The 60th Annual AOC International Symposium & Convention is the leading event for electronic warfare, electromagnetic spectrum operations, cyber-electromagnetic activities, and information operations professionals worldwide. Make the most of your experience using the tips in this helpful video to help you prepare for your arrival and assist you onsite, ensuring you have the best experience possible.

If this is your first AOC Convention, or you just need a refresher, be sure to watch the orientation video.

Need more information about dress code, sessions locations, Wi-Fi access, or even where you can find coffee in the morning? Check out the 2023 AOC Convention's FAQ page to find answers.

Official Exhibit Hall hours during the 2023 AOC Convention are as follows:

Today
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Join us in the Exhibit Hall for lunch (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM) and Happy Hour (4:30 PM - 6:00 PM).

Tuesday, Dec. 12
9:45 AM – 6:00 PM
Join us in the Exhibit Hall for lunch (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM) and Happy Hour (4:30 PM - 6:00 PM).

Wednesday, Dec. 13
9:45 AM –  2:00 PM
Join us in the Exhibit Hall for lunch (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM).

To plan your time in the Exhibit Hall, view the floor plan and search for exhibitors.

Tuesday, at 10:30 AM in the Potomac A Ballroom, Mr. Daniel Hettema, Director, Digital Engineering, Modeling & Simulation (DEM&S) for OUSD (R&E), will moderate a Symposium Breakout Session on "Unlocking DoD Open Systems Architecture (OSA)." The DOD's embrace of OSA seeks to gain benefits seen in other tech markets, including faster upgrades, greater competition and lower life-cycle costs. OSAs such as CMOSS and SOSA are impacting EW and SIGINT system design down to the board level. This session will examine the current state of incorporation of DoD Open Systems Architecture (OSA) standards into weapons and capability development through the acquisition-oriented lenses of implementation, integration, operationalization and sustainment. Presentations will offer unique Service perspectives on OSA, and the session also will also feature a unique live CMOSS/SOSA capability demonstration.

For more context on OSAs, see:

"How the Services are Approaching CMOSS" in JED, March 2021

AOC Webinar: "What SOSA Means to the Warfighter," Oct. 14, 2021 (AOC membership required)

AOC Podcast: "Accelerating Open Systems Architecture," Oct. 20, 2021

Read the December issue of JED, hot off the presses in time for the 2023 AOC Convention:

Cover Story: EW Concepts for Global Air Combat Program
Interview: Dave Harrold, BAE Systems
News: Beowulf MFA Planned for Growler Block 2; US Army, Lockheed Martin Conduct Test of MFEW-AL Payload

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.

JED: What are some of the major EMS Operations (EMSO) trends that you are seeing and how are they driving the types of equipment that your company is offering?

Rofheart: With the proliferation of A2AD systems, jammers and counter battery radars, small, autonomous, unmanned systems are needed to penetrate, observe and affect targets; and all aircraft need real-time EMS situational awareness.

To address this, ASI is focusing on delivering products for RF driven mission autonomy emitter/threat/target detection, DF and geolocation; Small UAS / Launched Effects (LE) air platforms with integrated small RF sensors for deep, stand-in sensing; High Altitude Platforms (HAPS); and ultrawideband EMSO on aircraft not specialized for COMINT/SIGINT/ELINT.

JED: As your company began to focus on the EMSO market, what types of software and hardware did you develop that enabled you to scale COTS your equipment into solutions that simulate large, complex EMS operating environments?

Rofheart: For the EMSO market to innovate at a pace necessary to stay ahead of adversaries, deployment of open standards that are interoperable with commercial technologies is essential. A Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) can accomplish this. This belief is at the core of ASI’s product philosophy.

JED: What are some of the product areas where your company is focusing on new offerings for the EMSO and EW markets?

Rofheart: The EMSO and EW markets have gaps in deep, stand-in, and long-range, stand-off, sensing from small, affordable, survivable platforms that can geolocate complex, agile, very fast frequency hopping, RF waveforms from single platforms. Traditional approaches need large antenna arrays or multiple, networked small platforms looking at the same target at the same time. This is an inefficient deployment of resources – the platforms either need to be large or operate in uncontested spectrum. ASI’s application of ultrawideband DF and geolocation technology delivers solutions that enable small, single/standalone unmanned autonomous platforms and non-SIGINT specialized aircraft to accomplish the same objectives, at a much lower operational cost and no, or low, human cost.

JED: What has your company done to improve the quality and speed of your manufacturing process?

Rofheart: ASI’s philosophy is to integrate and leverage open standards and COTS products to deploy a scalable and innovative product portfolio. Through our use of COTS modules, modular assemblies, and semiconductor products coupled with our manufacturing partnerships, we can rapidly customize our standard products for specific platforms, unique operating conditions, and customer-requested software integrations. This approach allows our customers to evolve as quickly as adversaries using commercial technologies.

JED: Over the past few years, how has your company learned from its customers and used this information to either introduce new services or refine some of the existing services it offers to the market?

Rofheart: With the accelerated deployment of A2AD systems, jammers and counter battery radar, we think small, autonomous, unmanned systems are needed to penetrate, observe, and affect targets – and all aircraft need EMS awareness.

ASI’s application of ultrawideband delivers solutions that enable small, single/standalone unmanned autonomous platforms and non-SIGINT specialized aircraft to accomplish the same objectives, at a much lower operational cost and no, or low, human cost.

Our portfolio of small form-factor, ultrawideband, RF direction finding, and geolocation systems enable EMSO on non-specialized aircraft; deep, stand-in sensing from small UAS, Launched Effects (LE) and UAS munitions; long range, standoff sensing, from High Altitude Platforms (HAPS); and, RF driven Mission Autonomy.

Coupled with our philosophy to integrate and leverage open standards and COTS products we can evolve as quickly as adversaries using commercial technologies.

JED: How does the company attract the engineering talent it needs in a job market where it must compete with commercial technology companies, as well as larger defense systems developers?

Rofheart: Today’s engineering talent thrives on having a purpose and making meaningful contributions for a better, safer world – not spending their talents on gaming for teens. Alternatively, large defense contractors are driven by build-to-order and engineering services business. We offer product innovation and the opportunity to conceive and refine new applications in concert with end customers. Our success in product focused solutions for complex EMSO challenges, and rapid innovation sets us apart, enabling us to attract and retain top-tier technologists.

JED: What technologies will you be showcasing in your booth at AOC 2023?

Rofheart: Applied Signals Intelligence will be showcasing its small form-factor, ultrawideband, RF direction finding and geolocation systems.

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

JED
Armada International
Defense News
everythingRF
MilEmbeded Systems
SOSA Special Edition
Microwave Product Digest (MPD)
Navy League 
Microwave Journal
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