The term DOTMLPF-P doesn't usually receive a lot of attention. DOTMLPF-P covers just about everything in a given warfighting domain: Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy. It's so far up there on the concept hierarchy that we often overlook it – or outright ignore it – in an effort to discuss more concrete things that we can see and touch. But everything in EMS operations – and I mean everything – not only falls under DOTMLPF-P, but it is also connected through DOTMLPF-P. For EW professionals, this is the EMS enterprise that we all support in one way or another. So, it is quite fitting that the first day of AOC 2025 draws the "big EMS picture" with three sessions (see article below about today's symposium sessions) that look at EMS challenges through a DOTMLPF-P lens.

In electromagnetic warfare, we have historically tended to emphasize the "M" in the DOTMLPF-P equation. Modern EW was born in World War II and named for a technology: electronic warfare. Only recently did we begin to change this perception by replacing "electronic" with "electromagnetic" in our name. The new term re-aligns EW from a technology orientation to one that focuses more broadly on all the activities that collectively build operational advantage across the EMS. That subtle name change reflects DOTMLPF-P thinking and pulls EW out of the technology "weeds" and into alignment as a warfighting domain. When we start to think in terms of EMS domains and EMS enterprises, we start to think bigger across the board. We also identify more challenges and seek new types of solutions. Yes, some of these solutions involve developing new technologies (the materiel part, again). But a lot of the work involves connecting the people, activities and organizations that we already have – growing them in the right directions and at the same time knitting them closer together.

Why is all this so important right now? Just look at the world around us and a few things are clear. There are emerging regional competitors – and at least one emerging global competitor – that are building sophisticated miliary capabilities that utilize the EMS in ways that we are not ready for today at the high end (space EW, AEA, directed energy) and at the low end (drones and decoys). EMSO must mature, and that requires all of us to develop coordination and coherent thinking across the EMS domain.

– John Knowles, JED Editor-in-Chief

In this special episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller sat down with retired US Army Col. Kevin Finch, a member of the Association of Old Crows Board of Directors and Symposium Committee Chair for the AOC 2025. Together, they discussed navigating the future of electromagnetic spectrum operation and the evolving landscape of electromagnetic warfare amidst political, strategic, economic, and technological changes. Shifts in geopolitics have altered the focus and strategic objectives of all members of the international community. This year's symposium will explore the changing strategic roadmap for achieving spectrum superiority, informed by international investments, evolving focus areas, and the latest advancements from industry and the Science and Technology (S&T) community to achieve the 2035 vision.

Listen to the episode now!

Don't Miss FTCN Live at AOC 2025! From the Crows’ Nest host Ken Miller will be recording episodes with special guests from a studio on the show floor. Stop by booth 738 to hear interviews with exhibitors, military leaders, and EMSO experts. Plus, From the Crows' Nest will be live on the Main Stage at 4:45 PM Wednesday, December 10, where guests will discuss the question: Is it time to establish an EMSO force? Subscribe today to catch up on past episodes and be part of the conversation going forward.

Whether it’s your first time or you’re returning to the convention, our AOC 2025 Know-Before-You-Go Video Series will help you make the most of your experience. These quick videos walk you through planning your schedule, navigating the venue, understanding badge types and education sessions, exploring the Expo Hall, and maximizing networking opportunities.

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

Get out your smartphone and download the AOC 2025 app. Then follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and use #AOC2025 to join in the conversation all week.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – Tuesday, December 9

The AOC symposium is tackling some of the biggest issues in the EMSO community, and we have an excellent line-up of keynote speakers to help set the stage for these conversations. Come early, grab a cup of coffee, and settle in for some valuable perspectives from senior military leaders. Keynote sessions kick off at 8:30 AM each morning.

Laurie Moe Buckhout	The Honorable Don Bacon	Lieutenant General Paul T. Stanton

Today, Laurie Moe Buckhout, Former Assistant National Cyber Director for Policy at the White House, will open the symposium. She served in the US Army from 1984 to 2010, where her assignments included Presidential Communications Officer at the White House, leading 600 soldiers as commander of the 32d Signal Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and action officer for J6 on the Joint Staff. In 2006, she was assigned to the Army Staff where she stood up the Department's first Electronic Warfare Division. After retiring from the Army, she started Corvus Consulting Group, which Castellum bought in 2019. She served as Chief Strategist at Castellum until 2023. She was also a member of the Defense Science Board's landmark 2013 Summer Study on 21st Century EMS Operations, which helped build momentum for the DOD's current focus on EMSO. Most recently, she served as Assistant National Cyber Director for Policy at the White House. Her operational background and experience growing EW organizations will make this a very informative opening keynote. This session will also include the presentation of AOC’s 2025 Prestige and Community Awards, celebrating excellence and service across our community.

Tomorrow on Day 2, the Honorable Don Bacon, Chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, IT and Innovation Subcommittee, US House of Representatives, will deliver the keynote address. Congressman Bacon joined the US Air Force in 1985 and spent much of his 29-year military career in the EC-130H Compass Call, including multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as the RC-135S/V/W. In one of his final assignments before retirement, he commanded the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, NE. In 2016, he was elected to the US House of Representatives, where, among his interests, he has been a co-chair of the EW Working Group since 2017. As a keynoter, he brings a unique perspective that spans EMSO operations and policy.

On Day 3 (Thursday), Lieutenant General Paul Stanton (US Army), Cyber Defense Command Commander and Director, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), will deliver the final keynote of the week. After graduating from West Point in 1995, he spent the next 20 years in the infantry, including company commander in the 1-502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, in Operation Iraqi Freedom. After earning a PhD in Computer Science, he joined the Army's growing cyber operations corps in 2015, eventually becoming commander of the US Army Cyber Center of Excellence in 2021. He assumed his current role in October 2024, which includes responsibility for supporting and shaping the DOD's EMS policy. As a keynoter, General Stanton's infantry experience, alongside his knowledge of cyber and spectrum policy, makes him a very interesting speaker. We will also honor AOC’s 2025 Military Award recipients whose contributions continue to shape the future of electronic warfare.

More details, including descriptions of all symposium spotlight and breakout sessions, program manager briefings and technical briefings are available in the full agenda.

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. All Future 5 will be honored on the Main Stage on Wednesday, December 10 during the Keynote Session.

Today, we recognize Luis Garrido of L3Harris Technologies.

"My ultimate career goal is to accelerate the development and deployment of critical technologies that help the US military maintain national security and support our allies. Achieving this requires sustained investment in basic research and innovation across the aerospace and defense industries. Government and industry must continue to collaborate with universities and small businesses to leverage emerging technologies, such as AI for communications and electromagnetic warfare, advanced materials, RF component manufacturing, integrated circuits, and next-generation signal processing. Every year, tens of thousands of research papers are published and thousands of startups strive to bring innovative ideas to market. Many of these innovations come from small companies with breakthrough solutions that risk being overlooked in favor of larger defense contractors. I see it as my responsibility to bridge that gap – connecting cutting-edge technologies with government mission needs. By attending technical conferences, connecting with researchers and innovative companies, and engaging with the government to understand their mission needs, I aim to create opportunities and bridge specific solutions or critical technologies to help the government resolve these needs. By building better processes for discovering innovation and improving the speed at which innovative ideas can be deployed by the government, we will save time, save money, ensure our national security, and protect the lives of those who defend that security every day."

Learn more about the Future 5.

Here are some of the symposium sessions happening today:

1 PM, Main Stage
Strategic Vision for Electromagnetic Warfare in 2035: What does EW need to realize its future potential? It is easy to "micro-focus" on important concepts and efforts and to forget that these are often interconnected and interdependent parts of a larger EMS enterprise. In this session, a distinguished panel of experts will take a "big picture" look at EMSO in their discussion of the "Strategic Vision for Electromagnetic Warfare in 2035" through the lens of DOTMLPF-P. EW transformation depends on new thinking to achieve speedier acquisition; educate personnel with new skillsets; train operators and commanders in realistic high-fidelity EMS environments; create coherent EW organization structures; and grant more authority to those who lead these organizations. As we pursue these and other goals across the EMS Enterprise, we must also understand how they connect to one another.

3 PM, Maryland Ballroom A/1-3
Multi-Domain Operations: The EMS has been a central element of the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) concept from the start. As our understanding of MDO has continued to evolve through experimentation, field demonstrations and training exercises, so has EMSO's role within MDO. This has driven new requirements and key investments in new sensors and non-kinetic effectors, from large, complex weapon systems to EW payloads on small drones and decoys. But how can these be utilized to maximum effect for MDO? This afternoon's MDO session will provide an insightful DOD perspective on MDO through the lens of doctrine, training and materiel development.

3 PM, Maryland Ballroom B/4-6
Technical Briefings: As many new weapons systems become smaller and evolve toward autonomy, sensors also must continue to shrink in size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C). These sessions will look at some of the ways this can be achieved.

• 3 – 3:25 PM: Rapid EW and SIGINT Deployment Using Low SWaP-C and Highly-Configurable Software-Defined Radios
• 3:30 – 3:55 PM: Enabling Distributed, Low SWaP-C RESM for Information Superiority in Modern Operational Environments
• 4:00 – 4:25 PM: New Compact Sensor Technologies that Enable RF ISR-T From Small UAS in Denied Environments

3:00 PM, Maryland Ballroom C
Defense/Threat & Industry View: EW and SIGINT systems access the same pool of core technologies as the radars, radios, and PNT receivers they must sense and defeat. With the introduction of modular open systems architectures (MOSA), AI and other new technologies, however, this electromagnetic competition is becoming more complex. Added into this competition is the DOD's emphasis on speedier development and acquisition. How are military, government and industry approaching this challenge together. This panel of industry and military leaders will discuss the challenge and the way forward.

Official Exhibit Hall hours during AOC 2025 are as follows:

Today
10 AM – 6 PM
Join us in the Exhibit Hall for lunch (11:45 AM – 1 PM) and Happy Hour (4:30 PM - 6 PM).

Wednesday, December 10
10 AM – 6 PM
Join us in the Exhibit Hall for lunch (11:45 AM – 1 PM) and Happy Hour (4:30 PM - 6 PM).

Thursday, December 11
10 AM – 2 PM
Join us in the Exhibit Hall for lunch (11:45 AM – 1 PM).

New at AOC 2025, AOC and the AOC Foundation will partner with HeroBox to support warfighters who implement the electromagnetic warfare and spectrum operations technologies we advance as a community. Stop by Hero HQ (booth 204) in the Expo Hall to help assemble care packages and write personalized notes to deployed service members.

Learn more about how you can participate at AOC 2025.

Bill Ostrowski served 26 years in the US Army, including assignments as a warrant officer with US Army Special Forces. Since retiring from active duty in 2008, he has worked at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab and Draper Lab, as well as companies such as FLIR Systems and L3Harris Technologies, where he was Director, Spectral Solutions. In 2020, he was named President and CEO of ELTA North America. He served in the same role at Klas Government, Inc. (now part of Anduril) before joining MyDefence in May 2025.

JED: When was MyDefence started, and what ideas drove the founders to start the company?

Ostrowski: MyDefence began in 2009 when a conversation with a wounded soldier revealed the need for better protection against wireless-controlled threats on the battlefield. That moment formed the backbone of our C-UAS technologies, which were finalized in 2013. As drone threats grew, we shifted from counter-IED innovation to becoming a leader in soldier-borne counter-drone capabilities. The increasing demand from US military and security operators has significantly shaped our direction. In 2025, we opened a US production facility and research and development department to strengthen supply chain resilience and accelerate development for American customers. Today, our expanding US team continues to advance next-generation C-UAS technologies, rooted in real operational feedback from the US Army.

Read the full interview here.

Read the December issue of JED, hot off the presses in time for the 2025 AOC Convention. The current issue features:

Cover Story: NATO SEAD Recapitalization: Time to Stand-In and Deliver
Feature: Learning in Contact with Cognitive Electronic Warfare
EW 101: Space EW (Part 7) – Location of an EW Threat

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 AOC, a professional non-profit association that educates, connects, and advocates on behalf of its members and stakeholders across the global electromagnetic warfare and spectrum operations community. Become an AOC member to get exclusive access to the JED archives.

Check out the latest news coverage and industry updates throughout AOC 2025.

Official Publication of AOC 2025:
Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED)

AOC 2025 Media Parters:
Aerospace & Defense Review
Armada International
Defense News
everythingRF
Microwave Journal
Microwave Product Digest
Navy League's Seapower