Association of Old Crows (AOC)

Upcoming Association of Old Crows (AOC) Events

Clearance Requirements: SECRET and/or TS//SCI
Please note, all attendees must be US citizens.
Course Dates: June 23-25, 2026
Course Location: Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238
Description: This course will highlight how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in electronic warfare (EW). AI enables EW systems to respond more quickly and effectively to battlefield conditions with complex and novel emitters. The course will describe how AI-enabled systems are different from cognitive systems and present the implications of this capability on system performance and test and evaluation requirements. It will briefly introduce AI techniques for electronic support (ES), electronic protect (EP), electronic attack (EA), and electronic battle management (EBM). The course will describe how to design and train a cognitive EW system that can be tested, including operation considerations and the role of humans. It will present how to collect and curate data, model it, and manage it on embedded devices. The course will describe how to evaluate a system that learns how to handle novel environments, including the role of trust and risk, challenges, and methods for learning assurance. The course will conclude with a discussion of projects, tools, and datasets. The course will include three Python programming modules: clustering, classification, and decision-making. The presentation is based on the book by Karen Haigh and Julia Andrusenko: Cognitive Electronic Warfare: An Artificial Intelligence Approach (second edition). This book is optional and not required to attend this course.
SwRI’s cognitive EW engineers will provide technical instruction on the actual implementation of cognitive EW at the end of each day.
Course Objectives
Participants will understand:
- The motivation for using cognitive techniques in EW systems
- Methods to design and build a system
- Methods to manage EW data
- Methods to evaluate a system that learns in mission
Registration Includes
- Three (3)-day classified course, presented by two (2) renowned experts in the EW field
- Lunch each day
- One (1) evening reception on Tuesday, June 23 at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk, 217 N St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78205
Course Pricing
- AOC Members – $1650
- Non-Members – $1800
- Gov/Mil – $1650

Course Dates:
Session 1 | July 21, 2026 | 1 – 5 PM
Session 2 | July 28, 2026 | 1 – 5 PM
Registration
*Course Pricing
Learning Objectives
Course Location: Virtual
Course Length: 8 hours total delivered across two sessions
Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 8
Description: This course introduces the fundamentals of drone warfare, with a focus on counter-UAS (unmanned aerial systems) operations from detection to defeat. It covers how drones have transformed both civilian and military environments, introducing new challenges in security, surveillance, and battlefield dynamics.
The course begins by establishing the foundations of drone technologies, including architecture, communication links, autonomy, and navigation systems. It then examines the evolving threat landscape through real-world examples, highlighting operational implications in both civilian and military contexts.
Building on this foundation, the workshop explores detection techniques across multiple domains, including radio frequency (RF), radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR), and acoustic sensing, emphasizing the importance of multi-sensor fusion. It further introduces countermeasures such as electronic warfare (jamming and spoofing), cyber exploitation, and directed energy systems, including high-power microwave (HPM) and laser weapons.
Finally, the course integrates these elements into a coherent counter-UAS framework through operational scenarios, enabling participants to understand how to design and evaluate layered defense systems in complex environments.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for professionals involved in electromagnetic warfare, air defense, counter-UAS, and security operations, including military operators, engineers, system architects, researchers, and decision-makers.
It is particularly relevant for those working in EW, SIGINT, radar systems, defense innovation, and infrastructure protection who seek a structured understanding of modern drone threats and countermeasures.
Questions related to the course and/or its content can be directed to [email protected].
AOC Members – $750
Government/Military – $750
Non-Members – $1,000
Questions related to registration can be directed to Samantha Kim, Professional Development Coordinator, at [email protected].
- Outcome 1: The ability to characterize drone threats and understand the technologies, architectures, and vulnerabilities of modern UAS in both civilian and military contexts.
- Outcome 2: The ability to select appropriate detection and counter solutions (including RF, radar, electronic warfare, and directed energy) based on operational constraints.
- Outcome 3: The ability to design and assess layered counter-UAS systems using a structured, end-to-end approach from detection to defeat across the modern real-world scenarios.
Instructor
Dr. Rafael Licursi is the author of Metasurface-Driven Electronic Warfare (Wiley/IEEE Press) and the CEO of Stronghold AI. He is an antenna and radar researcher specializing in electromagnetic warfare (EW), counter-UAS systems, advanced sensing technologies, and cognitive systems.
He earned his PhD in electronics at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, focusing on reconfigurable metasurfaces and wideband antenna systems. His career spans both operational and technical roles, including service as a military pilot, radar operator, and Electronic Warfare Officer.
Dr. Licursi has also worked as a signal processing engineer, SIGINT researcher, and antenna engineer, giving him a unique end-to-end perspective on modern electromagnetic operations. His work focuses on developing adaptive systems that integrate sensing, AI-driven models, and real-time decision-making in complex environments.

Course Dates:
Session 1 | August 18, 2026 | 1 – 5 PM
Session 2 | August 25, 2026 | 1 – 5 PM
*Course Pricing
- Outcome 1: The ability to understand the fundamental principles of metasurfaces and their interaction with electromagnetic waves in the context of electromagnetic warfare.
Course Location: Virtual
Course Length: 8 hours total delivered across two sessions
Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 8
Description: This course introduces the use of metasurfaces in defense applications, with a focus on their role in modern electromagnetic warfare (EW), a subject explored further in the book Metasurface-Driven Electronic Warfare. Metasurfaces are artificially engineered structures capable of dynamically controlling electromagnetic waves, enabling new capabilities in transmission, reflection, and absorption.
The course begins with a review of key electromagnetic principles and the evolution from conventional RF systems to reconfigurable, metasurface-enabled architectures. It then explores how metasurfaces can enhance traditional EW functions, including stealth technologies and adaptive antennas, and multifunctional RF systems used in electronic support (ES), electronic attack (EA), and electronic protection (EP).
Building on this foundation, the course also introduces emerging concepts including cognitive and distributed EW, with a particular focus on drone swarms and dynamic spectrum environments. Finally, the course connects these elements into a coherent framework, enabling participants to understand how metasurfaces can be integrated into next-generation EW systems and operational architectures.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for professionals involved in electromagnetic warfare, signals intelligence, radar systems, and advanced RF technologies, including military operators, engineers, researchers, and decision-makers.
It is particularly relevant for those working in EW, SIGINT, antenna design, and defense innovation who seek to understand emerging technologies and their application to next-generation electromagnetic operations.
Questions related to the course and/or its content can be directed to [email protected].
Registration
AOC Members – $750
Government/Military – $750
Non-Members – $1,000
Questions related to registration can be directed to Samantha Kim, Professional Development Coordinator, at [email protected].
Learning Objectives
- Outcome 2: The ability to evaluate the application of metasurfaces across electromagnetic warfare functions, including stealth, sensing (ES), attack (EA), and protection (EP).
- Outcome 3: The ability to assess how metasurface technologies can be integrated into advanced and distributed EW systems, including cognitive and swarm-based architectures.
Instructor
Dr. Rafael Licursi is the author of Metasurface-Driven Electronic Warfare (Wiley/IEEE Press) and the CEO of Stronghold AI. He is an antenna and radar researcher specializing in electromagnetic warfare (EW), counter-UAS systems, advanced sensing technologies, and cognitive systems.
He earned his PhD in electronics at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, focusing on reconfigurable metasurfaces and wideband antenna systems. His career spans both operational and technical roles, including service as a military pilot, radar operator, and Electronic Warfare Officer.
Dr. Licursi has also worked as a signal processing engineer, SIGINT researcher, and antenna engineer, giving him a unique end-to-end perspective on modern electromagnetic operations. His work focuses on developing adaptive systems that integrate sensing, AI-driven models, and real-time decision-making in complex environments.

Course Dates: September 14-16, 2026 | 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Course Location: John Hopkins University
Kossiakoff Conference Center
Classrooms 7-8
11100 Johns Hopkins Road
Laurel, Maryland 20723
Course Length: 20 hours total delivered across 3 sessions
Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 20
Description: This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the principles of electronic warfare (EW), covering the foundational concepts required to understand modern EW systems and operations. Topics include EW fundamentals, RF mathematics, antennas and receivers, emitter detection and geolocation, radar systems, and electronic attack and protection techniques. The course combines theory with practical examples to build intuition and analytical skills applicable to real-world EW problems.
Who Should Attend: Engineers, analysts, program managers, and military personnel seeking a foundational understanding of electronic warfare. Ideal for those new to EW or professionals transitioning into EW-related roles.
Registration Notice: This course is limited to 50 participants. After the first 50 registrations, a waitlist will automatically be used. If a spot opens, individuals on the waitlist will be contacted in order.
Notice: Association of Old Crows has leased or rented facilities from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). However, Association of Old Crows and any programs operated by Association of Old Crows are not related to or affiliated with APL or the Johns Hopkins University in any way.
Agenda:
- EW Principles & Overview
- Math for Electronic Warfare
- Antennas, Receivers & Signal Processing
- Search and Emitter Location
- Radar Characteristics
- Electronic Attack Concepts & Calculations
- Jamming Techniques and Electronic Protection
- Chaff, Decoys, and IR/EO Threats & Countermeasures
Learning Objectives
- Outcome 1: An understanding of the core principles of electronic warfare, including RF fundamentals, radar basics, and the roles of electronic support, attack, and protection.
- Outcome 2: Hands-on familiarity with solving introductory EW problems using MATLAB/Octave, enabling students to perform calculations, visualize RF behavior, and build intuition through computational analysis.
- Outcome 3: The ability to apply foundational EW concepts to real-world scenarios, using analytical and computational tools to better understand system performance and tradeoffs.
Required Materials
Please bring a laptop, and have either MATLAB (https://www.mathworks.com/) or Octave (https://www.octave.org/) installed on your computer. The Instructor, Chuck Quintero, will give out a Google drive link to download the MATLAB/Octave simulations and lecture notes.
Registration
Course Pricing
- AOC Member – $1,400
- Gov/Mil – $1,400
- Non-Member – $1,600
Hotel Recommendations
AOC does not have a hotel block for this Course. However, we do recommend the following hotel as it is within walking distance to the venue.
Homewood Suites by Hilton Columbia/Laurel
7531 Montpelier Road, Laurel, MD
Rates from $151+
Instructor
Chuck Quintero is an engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory specializing in RF seekers and remote sensing in electronically competitive environments. He has 40 years of experience at RCA Missile & Surface Radar, Martin Marietta, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, ITT, L3 Harris, Northrop Grumman, Leidos, SRI International, and APL in electronic warfare systems, signal processing, and applied RF engineering, supporting national security missions.

Modern Electromagnetic Warfare Operations (EMO) relies on mission datasets that predict and catalogue emission signatures to support emitter Identity (specific source) and Recognition (type or category). These datasets feed the Recognised Electromagnetic Picture (REMP) and the Common Operating Picture (COP). However, real-world conditions often diverge from predictions: variations in equipment, probabilistic signal observations, and incomplete TECHINT analysis can introduce uncertainty.
When Identity or Recognition is ambiguous, geolocation accuracy also suffers. For example, multiple identical emitters observed through Lines of Bearing (LOB) can generate numerous candidate positions, of which only some are correct. As emitter density increases, this ambiguity grows exponentially, degrading Situational Awareness (SA) and operational decision-making.
This session explores the underlying problem space of LOB-based geolocation under ambiguity, including how observer count, altitude, and system scaling influence the number of candidate solutions and the probability of identifying the correct emitter location. It introduces a geometric, equipment-agnostic discrimination method based on a graph data-structure with probabilistic agreement between observer pairs, enabling probability imbalance to isolate true solutions.
Unlike approaches that rely on tracking, parametric comparison, or Machine Learning (ML), this method operates at the detection stage, reducing false solutions without added latency or trust concerns. It supports coalition operations by decoupling reliance on emitter identity and enabling geolocation of previously unencountered emitters. Operational use cases demonstrate how asset tasking can further bias probabilities to improve solution accuracy, preserving SA in complex and dynamic EW environments.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Attendees will learn/takeaway:
- Outcome 1: Understand the challenges of Line of Bearing (LOB) geolocation and how emitter ambiguity degrades accuracy and situational awareness.
- Outcome 2: Analyze how system factors—such as number of observers, altitude, and linear scaling—lead to exponential growth in false geolocation solutions.
- Outcome 3: Apply a graph-based, equipment-agnostic geolocation discrimination method that reduces false solutions and supports coalition EW operations without reliance on tracking or ML
TARGET AUDIENCE:
EW practitioners, particularly those involved in SIGINT analysis and geolocation.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army has been undertaking a massive modernization effort that will see it "fully mechanize, fully informationized, and fully intelligence-ized." The "intelligence-ization" phase of Chinese modernization is about exploiting the most recent advances in information technology, including aspects of artificial intelligence, but also big data.

This presentation examines how artificial intelligence is enabling a fundamental shift in unmanned platform RF architecture — replacing discrete radar, communications, jamming, and ESM payloads with a single integrated low-SWAP multifunctional RF system. The key enabler is AI's ability to switch and orchestrate shared apertures and waveforms across all functions in microseconds, continuously rebalancing mission priorities as the electromagnetic environment evolves. We explore the AI technologies driving this capability — from reinforcement learning-based aperture scheduling to cognitive waveform synthesis — while candidly addressing the core tradeoffs: performance versus resource sharing, switching speed versus reasoning depth, and adaptability versus training data dependency. For drone platforms where every gram and cubic centimeter is contested, AI-enabled multifunctional RF is not an incremental improvement — it is the only architecture that makes full-spectrum capability physically possible.

Course Dates: Monday, October 26, 2026 | 8 AM – 12 PM
Course Location: Water’s Edge Events Center
4687 Millennium Drive, Belcamp, MD 21017
Course Duration: 4 hours
Description: This four-hour course will review the basic operation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), their vulnerabilities, and the threats and risks associated with overdependence. The development of interference techniques will be discussed, along with their use on the battlefield and in low‑intensity conflict. The role of positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) in great power competition and NAVWAR asymmetry will also be covered.
Who Should Attend: Crows interested in the fundamentals of PNT and the intersection of technology, policy, and global power.
Agenda:
- 8:00 – 8:45 AM
- Global Navigation Satellite Systems – The Technology
- 8:45 – 9 AM
- Discussion and Break
- 9:00 – 9:45 AM
- Threats to Satellites, Signals, and Users
- 9:45 – 10 AM
- Discussion and Break
- 10:00 – 10:45 AM
- Alternative PNT Technologies
- 10:45 – 11 AM
- Discussion and Break
- 11:00 – 11:45 AM
- PNT in Great Power Competition
- 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
- Wrap-up
Registration
Registration will open this summer. Registration for the course can be added when registering for Cyber Electromagnetic Activity (CEMA) 2026.
Course Pricing
Questions related to pre-summit registration can be directed to Samantha Kim, Professional Development Coordinator, at [email protected].
Not a member? Join now and save! AOC Members receive discounts on all courses, free access to all webinars and much more.
Instructor
Dana A. Goward is President of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, a public‑benefit scientific and educational charity advocating for policies and systems that protect GPS/GNSS satellites, signals, and users. He has served at sea as a ship’s navigator, as a Coast Guard helicopter pilot, and as the maritime navigation authority for the United States.
He is the recipient of the Air Medal and the Institute of Navigation’s Hays Award for inspirational leadership, is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation, and received the Harrison Award from the International Association of Institutes of Navigation.
Goward served for more than a decade as a member of the President’s National Space‑Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board until its charter expired in 2025.

Course Dates: Monday, October 26, 2026 | 8 AM – 5 PM
Course Location: Water’s Edge Events Center
4687 Millennium Drive, Belcamp, MD 21017
Course Duration: 8 hours
Description: This course is designed to help cybersecurity and IT leaders maximize the value of their cybersecurity programs by aligning people, processes, and technology into an effective and sustainable security operation. Participants will explore the critical components that make up a successful cybersecurity program, with a strong emphasis on protecting organizational data from both internal security risks and external offensive attacks.
The focus of the course is understanding how different cybersecurity disciplines share common goals while addressing distinct threats and challenges. Participants will learn how to communicate cybersecurity value and risk effectively through meaningful reporting to upper management and executive leadership, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
By the end of the course, you will be equipped to build or enhance a cybersecurity program that minimizes risk, optimizes team performance, supports operational efficiency, and delivers measurable value. The end goal is a cybersecurity program that protects data, earns executive confidence, empowers employees, and fosters pride in a job well done.
Who Should Attend:
- Software and Hardware Engineers
- Engineering, IT, and Cyber Security Managers
- Executive Leaders
- Course Introduction and Objectives
- The Most Important Factor: The People
- Technology and Tools
- Processes That Drive Consistency and Success
- Scalability Across Different Organizations
- Core Cybersecurity Focus Areas
- Commonalities and Differences Across Cybersecurity Domains
- Risk Mitigation and Executive-Level Reporting
- Wrap-Up: Building a High-Value Cybersecurity Program
Registration
Registration will open this summer. Registration for the course can be added when registering for Cyber Electromagnetic Activity (CEMA) 2026.
Course Pricing
- Non-Member – $750
- AOC Member – $500
Questions related to pre-summit registration can be directed to Samantha Kim, Professional Development Coordinator, at [email protected].
Instructor
Aram Grigoryan is the Regional Account Manager for Ace Embedded. He has more than 15 years of sales, management, and engineering experience across the aerospace, automotive, and even medical sectors. His technical expertise ranges from hardware-in-the-loop system testing to mechanical hardware development and presently onto real-time embedded technology. Grigoryan serves the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions in providing the latest and greatest in embedded systems technology for military and commercial application.

In honor of Veterans Day, join us for a special webinar, “Evolution of EW,” recognizing the service and contributions of veterans who have shaped the field of electromagnetic warfare.
From the earliest efforts to control and exploit the electromagnetic spectrum to today’s advanced, spectrum-dominant capabilities, electromagnetic warfare has continually evolved alongside the changing character of conflict. This webinar will explore the progression of EW technologies and operational tools used by the military, highlighting how decades of innovation, operational lessons, and emerging threats have driven new approaches to spectrum operations.
Participants will gain insight into how early EW techniques and platforms laid the groundwork for modern systems, as well as how current capabilities are designed to meet the demands of multi-domain operations and increasingly contested electromagnetic environments.
Through historical perspective and technical discussion, this webinar will honor the veterans who pioneered these capabilities while examining the technologies that continue to shape the future of electromagnetic warfare.
Speaker Bio:
Panelists Bio's:
Wayne Shaw is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who flew in the B-52, B-1B, F-111E and EF-111 and a tour flying with the U.S. Navy in the EA-6B and was a Navy Weapons School Instructor. He flew thousands of hours and hundreds of combat missions over Bosnia and Iraq. For a one-year remote, Wayne ran U.S. Central Command’s EW Coordination Cell in the Middle East. There he balanced EW resources for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His military decorations include two Bronze Stars, four Air Medals and many others.
Dr. Thomas Withington is an award-winning analyst and writer specialising in electronic warfare, radar and military communications; a Research Associate at the Royal United Services Institute and a Senior Non-Resident Associate Fellow at the NATO Defence College. He has written widely on these subjects for a range of specialist and general publications. He also works as a consultant and adviser in these areas for several leading government and private sector clients. Furthermore, Dr. Withington provides regular commentary on security and defence aspects of electromagnetic spectrum use for major media organisations around the world.