NSWC Crane Co-hosts the Association of Old Crows 15th Annual Capabilities and Gaps Conference

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) co-hosted the Association of Old Crows (AOC) 15th Annual Capabilities and Gaps Conference. The event, held this summer, brought together subject matter experts from across a wide range of expertise to discuss critical developments within electronic warfare.

The event also recognized the accomplishments of both NSWC Crane employees and AOC members.

“We are honored to co-host the 15th Annual Capabilities and Gaps Conference this year,” said AOC Crane Roost President Patrick Flannagan. “The work we do at Crane and the mission of AOC blend together well.”

NSWC Crane is known within the Department of Defense (DoD) as specializing in both ElectroMagentic Warfare (EW) and ElectroMagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO).

“We have a long history with NSWC Crane. We value our friendship and our mutual goal of equipping our Warfighters to remain dominant in both EW and EMSO warfare,” said AOC President Tony Lisuzzo. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with NSWC Crane.” 

Great power competition with near and near peer adversaries is now centered on maintaining technological superiority for our Warfighters. EW and EMSO operations are key areas critical to our national security.

“It is critical we get ahead and stay ahead in utilizing EW/EMSO technology,” said NSWC Crane Commanding Officer CAPT Rex Boonyobhas. “Events like this one and other forums sponsored by AOC are critical in ensuring that we are able to provide innovative and critical technologies to our warfighters at the speed of relevance.”

The conference covered critical technologies, and issues impacting both EW and the use of EMSO in warfare. The DoD has highlighted the critical nature of EW and EMSO operations and the need to get these technologies to the fleet faster as part of Navy’s fleet modernization efforts. Fleet Modernization, in response to a rapidly changing global environment, is a DoD priority. This conference serves as an opportunity to bring together key stakeholders from academia, industry, and government to discuss those challenges.

NSWC Crane’s Senior Scientific Technical Manager (SSTM) for Disruptive EMS S&T and AOC member Dr. James Stewart was the keynote speaker for the event; he spoke to the crowd about the critical nature of their work and the needs of the DOD in this area.

“This is about more than just weapons and technology, this is about our Warfighters,” said Dr. Stewart. “Our adversaries are working tirelessly to gain the advantage in EW/EMSO. We need to ensure we meet them there.”

The event also recognized in person the contributions of NSWC Crane employee Ms. Imani Davis with her receiving the 2024 Future 5 Award from both Lisuzzo and Flannagan in person. The award recognizes five young professionals who are actively innovating and striving for excellence in the EW/EMSO field as they build their career.

“We were unable to recognize her in December at the AOC international conference so we (AOC) chose to recognize Imani Davis at this conference. She received the award for her superior work in convergence of cyber and EW through research and development, workforce development, and cross-community collaboration,” said Flannagan. “Her vision is to connect cyber engineers with the EW mission.”

Davis is honored to have been recognized for the Future 5 Award and is passionate about using cyber security and expertise to help add advantage to our Warfighters in the EW and EMSO.

“It is such an honor to receive the 2024 Future 5 Award. It’s a testament to the dedication and hard work of my entire team. Our senior engineers and leadership have fostered an environment of innovation and empowerment that enables young engineers to grow, share ideas, and develop creative solutions,” said Davis. “Their guidance and belief in me were instrumental in making this achievement possible. Going forward, I plan to continue pushing boundaries in EMSO and contribute to our greater mission to support the warfighter.”

As the nature of modern warfare continues to evolve, maintaining superiority in EW and EMSO will to be increasingly crucial.

“The critical need this conference aims to address is not going away,” said Dr. Stewart. “We will continue to utilize our relationship with AOC, the resources of our ecosystem partners, and the innovative thinking oF academia to ensure our Warfighters are equipped with the best technology possible. We cannot do this without this forum. We look forward to continuing our relationship with AOC on this conference for years to come.”

About NSWC Crane | NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electromagnetic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi-spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.