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From the Editor
You probably need to be a pretty old Old Crow to know that AOC Europe traces its roots back 30 years to 1996. Imagine (or maybe you remember) the state of EW in the mid-1990s. NATO's post-Cold War drawdown had already taken a sizable bite out of force structures and defense budgets throughout the alliance. EW requirements were focused on a handful of missions, and EW systems were primarily developed for combat aircraft and surface combatants. Commercial technology was beginning to find more applications in EW, SIGINT and other defense electronics systems, but very little attention was focused on what commercial technology would mean to the next generation of threats, such as RCIEDs and drones. Europe's EW modernization programs were slow, steady and few. Fast forward 30 years to today, and Europe's EW community is quite different, as expressed in the theme of AOC Europe this week: "Re-Arming Europe." Europe's defence budgets are growing to meet new NATO spending targets, nations are keen to develop their domestic EW industries, and EW is spreading into new types of weapons systems, from satellites to soldiers, as well as all shapes and sizes of unmanned systems. In other words, Europe's EW market is becoming very dynamic in all sorts of ways. This new sense of energy, focus, urgency and opportunity is clearly visible at AOC Europe. Yesterday, the speakers at PLATH Intelligence Day did an excellent job of shaping the discussion for the rest of the week. They asked how the threat is changing, how quickly it is changing, and how do we develop new EW technologies as well as new EMO concepts to meet these challenges. For the next two days, AOC Europe sessions will focus deeper on these important themes through session topics such as Electromagnetic Operations (EMO) in the Nordic Region; space domain operations; congested spectrum; EMO training; cognitive EW; and autonomy. Next door, the exhibition hall is larger than ever, featuring many new companies from across Europe offering innovative EW and SIGINT solutions. In the EW market, this is what re-arming Europe looks like.
Today's Events
Review the online schedule of events and symposium agenda to finalize your on-site agenda. Get out your phone and download the AOC Europe 2026 app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn and use #AOCEUROPE2026 to join in the conversation. NEW! AI translation now being offered during sessions at AOC Europe. Visit aoceurope.org/translate for more information, including which languages are available and how to access the app.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS – Wednesday 20 May
*Please note: The "Power Up: Empowering Women in Electromagnetic Warfare Morning Meetup" event is for female attendees only. This event can be added when registering for AOC Europe. If you're already registered, simply log in to your account, add the event, and check out. **Please note: Preregistration was required for "An Evening in Helsinki: Off-Site Reception."
Exhibitor Happenings
Official Expo Hall hours during the AOC Europe 2026: Today Thursday 21 May
Inside the Convention
Yesterday, AOC Europe 2026 opened with PLATH Intelligence Day, which set the stage for the week with briefings about the evolution of drone operations in Ukraine, critical infrastructure protection and Software Defined Defense (SDD) as a means of accelerating EW innovation and deployment. As PLATH CEO Gregor Zowiercha clarified at the beginning, EW in the scope of the day's discussion included traditional EW, as well as SIGINT. The first keynote, from Colonel Matthias Puschnig, Federal Ministry of Defence, Special Staff Ukraine, provided an insightful perspective on the Russo-Ukraine War. Colonel Puschnig discussed the history and evolution of drone operations during the war, which he also said was "rigid" and positional – characterized by a 60km-wide kill zone. He further described it as "multidimensional trench warfare," with stalemates across multiple domains, including not only the ground domain, but also air, sea, and cyberspace. "No military aircraft is crossing the front line anymore," he said. "There is no major vessel on the Black Sea anymore. Even in cyberspace, there's something like a stalemate." Yet, the war is also characterized by a rapid innovation cycle in drones and counter-drone technologies, he explained. He said there is a "breakthrough" innovation every three months in the war, but none of these has changed the positional nature of the war. Despite these stalemates, Puschnig sees one major innovation that is changing the war more than any other breakthrough: development of a software architecture which enables Ukraine to rapidly field new C2 capabilities. "This software architecture allows for the speed of innovation, integrating everything into the system," and matching the advantage of the adversary "for some time." Next, Mario Behn, the German Defence Technology Attache in Ukraine, discussed "solving frontline challenges" in the context of protecting critical infrastructure. Like Colonel Puschnig, he also emphasized the importance of software: "Architectures are very, very important – system software architectures – because they are kind of the glueing, the knitting, bringing everything together. We have the components already; we have sensors, we have C2 systems, and we have effectors. But really, what makes everything work is the architecture which links them together. And one topic which is very relevant in this domain is CEMA – Cyber electromagnetic activity." In addition, mobility – across sensors, effectors, and C2 – is critical, he said. Today – The Welcome and Symposium Keynote Address starts at 09:00 on the Main Stage and will feature Dr. Bob Andrews, MBE, AOC Director of European Programmes & Conferences, Anthony (Tony) Lisuzzo, AOC President, and Lieutenant Colonel Erik Bamford, AOC International Region 1 Director. The symposium keynote will be delivered by Brigadier General Juha-Matti Ylitalo, Deputy Chief of Logistics, Command/Chief Engineer of Finnish Defence Forces, Finland. After that, a representative of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will speak about the Challenges of Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority in the Ukraine. Thursday 21 May – Commander Malte von Spreckelsen, DEU CYBER and INFORMATION Domain Command, Germany, will kick off the final day of AOC Europe 2026 on the Main Stage beginning at 09:00. More details are available in the full agenda.
JED News
Read the May issue of JED Cover Story: Shaping the Future of European EMSO The Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED) is the official publication of AOC and available exclusively to members. Become an AOC member to get access to the latest issue of JED, along with our extensive archive library.
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