Hello and welcome to the AOC Convention! Hopefully you’ve settled in and are as excited to be back to an in-person event as we are to have you here.
We’ve got great sessions and speakers in store for you this week, kicking things off with our opening keynote session, delivered by the Honorable Heidi Shyu beginning at 8:30 AM.
The exhibit hall also opens today. Please be sure to check out the schedule to see what is of interest to you, and feel free to stop by the Crows’ Nest to meet with AOC staff.
Sessions start in the afternoon, led off by the Symposium Spotlight Session beginning at 12:30. Today’s session will be led by Gen. Stephen W. "Steve" Wilson (Ret), former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force. Gen. Wilson will focus on the implications of technology to our national defense and how strategy and policy can be used to drive innovations and technology into defense programs, particularly EMSO programs. Later in the afternoon we’ll have breakout sessions that start at 2:30 PM.
And don’t forget you can end each day by networking at our Happy Hour in the hall.
We’re looking forward to hosting a great event for you here and we can’t wait to see you!

Today's Symposium Agenda includes the full schedule of education and special events. Check it out now to plan your day.

Today's Convention Highlights

• The Opening Keynote Session kicks off today with an address from The Honorable Heidi Shyu, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)).
• The exhibit hall opens today! There is a lot going on in the exhibit hall this year, including the Small Business Showcase, a packed Exhibitor Happenings schedule, our Podcast Recording Studio and Program Managers Briefing Series. Stop by the Crows' Nest to meet with staff about AOC programs and services. And don't forget to enjoy lunch in the hall.
• Our first Symposium Spotlight Session starts at 12:30 p.m. with Gen. Stephen W. “Seve” Wilson (Ret), former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force and Dr. Victoria Coleman, Chief Scientist, U.S. Air Force.
• Breakout Sessions begin this afternoon, so make sure you have those on your schedule.
• End your day networking with a Happy Hour in the hall.

 

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE - Tuesday, November 30

7:30 AM - 6:00 PM	On-site Registration Hours Pick up your badge in the West Salon of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
7:45-8:45 AM	Symposium Morning Coffee
8:30 - 10:00 AM	Opening Keynote Session
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM	Exhibit Hall & Crows' Nest Open Join us in our expansive exhibit hall. Be sure to stop by the "Crows' Nest" to relax, recharge and refuel.
11:00 - 11:45 AM	Program Manager Briefing Series
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM	Lunch in the Hall
12:30-2 p.m.	Symposium Spotlight Session
1:00 - 1:45 p.m.	Program Manager Briefing Series
2:30 - 4:00 PM	Symposium Breakout Sessions
4:30 - 6:00 PM	Happy Hour in the Hall

 

Get the most out of your Exhibit Hall experience! Search exhibitors easily on the AOC Convention website or the app, and view the Floor Plan to use your time efficiently and effectively.

Today is Giving Tuesday, for those who aren’t familiar, it is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. Your support of AOC’s Educational Foundation will help AOC’s mission to assist future crows in their career goals.

AOC is challenging everyone to donate to our foundation this week, we are hoping to reach a goal of $5,000 by the end of convention!

To donate: Text DONATE2AEF to (202) 858-1233, scan the code to the right or visit the Membership Desk in the Crows’ Nest.

Connect with #AOC2021

"Like" us on Facebook and get association and convention updates as well as an opportunity to network and connect with fellow Crows.

Follow @AOCrows on Twitter. Use the hashtag #AOC2021 when tweeting about this year's symposium and convention.

Follow our company page on LinkedIn and get up-to-date information on the association, industry news, and future program offerings.

Download the Mobile App

It's never been easier to take advantage of everything going on at this year's event! This year's event app let's you keep track of every symposium session, every major event, you can even search for exhibitors and plan meetings! Download the app now.

The 2022 JED Editorial Calendar features topics across the spectrum of electronic defense. Our editorial philosophy is focused on helping industry professionals do their jobs more effectively, efficiently and profitably by providing a balance of business- and technical-related content.

If you have a story idea or are interested in writing or contributing to JED in 2022, email JEDeditor@naylor.com.

Steve "Tango" Tourangeau is the co-founder and Dean of the Reginald Victor Jones Institute (RVJI), an EMSO-focused non-profit organization that was established earlier this year by Tango and his wife Melinda, who is the Institute's Executive Director. RVJI is a new resource within the EMSO community, and it has an important role to play in the growth of EMSO, which Tango discusses here.

JED: As longtime members of the EMSO community, what needs did you and Melinda see that made you decide to establish the RVJ Institute?
Tourangeau: The problem we saw was that for the past 30 years, we watched Congress and the DOD request EW/EMS studies. These studies invariably got assigned to a think tank or another organization that already had a contract vehicle, mostly to save time and not because the think tank or organization possessed the right expertise. These think tanks would typically have several subject priorities they were researching (such as Air Power and Cyber), and EW was rarely one of them. This meant the think tank didn’t maintain a staff of EW SMEs or possess prior studies from which to begin the research. They would move out to find the right experts and prior studies and conclusions, but this process took months. Furthermore, those searches usually weren’t successful. The tasked organization was left to make assumptions about what was done before with the limited expertise they had on staff, or just start from the beginning. If they were unexpectedly successful in obtaining prior studies, they would need to spend months digesting those conclusions.

By the time the actual study work began there was little time left to complete it. So, a report would be written that would barely answer the question. The report would then be put on a shelf or in a desk drawer (or a classified drawer) and forgotten. Then the cycle would start again the next time somebody requested another study.

We set up the Institute to adeptly shorten this reporting lifecycle and to establish the starting line from which future, responsible EW and EMSO conclusions would come. The Institute is capturing all the previously accomplished studies and knowledge specifically on EW and EMS. It is also recruiting a distinguished cadre of experts who are ready to begin advising on EW/EMSO studies. Finally, it is performing erudite research to answer the DOD’s most difficult EMSO questions. This puts the Institute in a position to finally advance the art and science of EMSO, something we believe no one else on the planet is doing.

JED: What are some of the initial roles that you want the RVJ Institute to perform, and what are some of your related near-term goals?
Tourangeau: Initially the Institute is on a campaign of awareness and education. Specifically, we’re excited about the request we received to provide Congress with a portal for unbiased information and education regarding the importance of the electromagnetic spectrum. In addition to this, we’re also excited to serve as a source of scholarly research to inform decision makers on one of modern warfare’s most challenging subjects: the EMS.

JED: Our community continually suffers the loss of knowledge when people who have a lifetime's worth of EW and SIGINT expertise decide to retire and close out their EMSO careers. How do you see the RVJ Institute working to capture, retain and share that valuable knowledge? 
Tourangeau: Great question, and actually one of the three pillars of the Institute is the Cadre of Experts, to preserve this exact precious expertise and knowledge. Our Cadre of Experts have a diverse amount of experience within the EMSO workforce, including scientists, entrepreneurs, innovators, policy experts, acquisition professionals and operators. Maintaining strong ties to this wealth of experience enables the Institute to provide expert opinion, analysis and recommendations to EMSO-specific questions.

JED: How do you see RVJ Institute collaborating with other organizations in our community?
Tourangeau: Well, the RVJ Institute is already collaborating with the EMS enterprise and the community at large, and we expect for this to grow in the future. One particular collaboration that we’re especially excited about is the “Full Spectrum” initiative, which is focused on achieving increased emphasis on EMS-related courses of study and majors at our colleges and universities. Enhancing the future workforce with a greater appreciation and understanding for the electromagnetic spectrum is something that we’re very passionate about.

JED: In what ways do you hope to see the RVJ Institute grow over the long term? 
Tourangeau: We’re excited to see the RVJ Institute continue to grow both nationally and internationally. Recently we’ve had some very good discussions with our friends in the UK, Australia, and Sweden, and we expect for that to only increase in the near future. Research and academics are an easy rally point for all who are friends with the United States, and offers a tremendous partnership opportunity to achieve shared understanding and interoperable (and dare I say, “collaborative”) capabilities for spectrum superiority.

Check out news from around the industry, including updates from the AOC Convention. You'll also be able to find news coverage from throughout the week on the AOC Convention's News page.

JED
Armada International
DC Military
Defense News 
Microwave Journal
Mil Embedded Systems
Navy League
Shephard