From the Crows' Nest

What is an electromagnetic event and how could it wreak havoc on military forces and critical civilian infrastructure? Are we prepared to protect ourselves from such an event? Unfortunately, no. In this area,we are far behind the threat. There is exciting new research underway and progress is being made to develop a standard of protection thanks in large part to the efforts from organizations, such as the Electromagnetic S...

In this AOC member/subscriber-only episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined once again by John Knowles, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED), and Col. Jeffrey Fischer, USAF (Ret). They discuss recent developments in the Ukraine War, considering the recent passage of aid by the U.S. Congress. They share their thoughts on the plan to send F-16s to Ukraine, the explosive growth o...

In this episode of From the Crow’s Nest, host Ken Miller chats with Doug Thornton, the technical director of Battelle's National Security Business Unit, to learn about the role software-defined radios do – and could – play into the future of electronic warfare.

Doug tells Ken that software-defined radios offer the promise of offering more flexibility and experimentation for warfighters – but limitations from increased compl...

In this AOC member/subscriber-only episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined once again by John Knowles, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED) and Matt Thompson, AOC’s Senior Analyst to discuss current events and news on electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO). Together, they share their insights on Iran’s recent drone and missile attack against Israel and what lessons should...

In this episode of From the Crow’s Nest, host Ken Miller talks to Brian “Hinks” Hinkley, a retired Navy Captain and President of the Association of Old Crows. 

The two talk about how far the world of EW has changed in recent years, including evidence that people are understanding how critical EW and EMSO is in combat situations around the world. Brian tells Ken that America faces a variety of EW-related challenges – fro...

In this AOC member/subscriber-only episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined once again by John Knowles, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED) and Matt Thompson, AOC’s Senior Analyst to discuss current events and news on electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO). Together, they share their insights on recent developments in cognitive EW and the role of artificial intelligence a...

In this episode of From the Crow’s Nest, host Ken Miller talks to author Dr. Joseph Guerci about the evolution and outlook for cognitive electronic warfare systems. Dr. Guerci is an internationally recognized leader in research and development of next generation sensor and cognitive systems and has over 30 years of experience in government, industry and academia, including several years with DARPA.

Ken asks Dr. Guerci a...

In this AOC member/subscriber-only episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined from Toulouse, France, by Dr. Tom Withington and San Antonio, TX, by Matt Thompson, AOC’s Senior Analyst to discuss current events and news on electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO) from literally around the world. Dr. Withington is the Editor, defense commentator, journalist, and military historian with Armada. Ken, Tom, and ...

 In this episode of From the Crow’s Nest, host Ken Miller and AOC senior analyst Matt Thompson host a panel of experts with the U.S. Air Force’s 55th Electronic Combat Group called Compass Call. Lt. Col. Jesse Palchick and 1st Lt. Colin Schulz discuss the plans to transition their fleet from the aging EC-130H to the EA-37B aircraft and describe the capability differences between the new and outgoing models. They note that ...

In this AOC member/subscriber-only episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by Madison Arcangeli and Katy Nazaretova from Forza DC to discuss the current state of Capitol Hill and the annual appropriations process. They cover a range of topics including keeping the government funded through FY 2024, the beginning of the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, the Ukraine War Supplemental, and the Pres...

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller sits down with Dr. David Thirtyacre, Assistant Professor in the College of Aeronautics at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. David is the Chair and Chief Pilot for the Department of Flight and currently instructs at the undergraduate and graduate levels in Flight Operations, Aerodynamics, Aircraft Performance, Unmanned Systems, Airborne Robotics, and Aviation ...

In this AOC member/subscriber-only episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by friend and colleague, retired USAF Colonel Jeffrey Fischer, to discuss the latest developments in the War in Ukraine after two years of fighting. Ken and Jeff discuss a myriad of related topics, including F-16s to Ukraine, the status of foreign aid from the U.S. and European Allies, the Russian capture of the Ukrainian city of ...

In the episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by Dr. Andrew Long of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Dr. Long has spent more than 16 years designing antennas and RF components for various applications ranging from moonshot research to commercial products, from HF to Q-band. His current tasks and interests at SwRI revolve around design, fabrication, and measurement of exceptionally novel apertures. K...

From the Crows’ Nest Host Ken Miller is joined once again by AOC Senior Analyst Matt Thompson and JED Editor-in-Chief John Knowles. They continue their discussion from the January 24 episode on January 24 to share their thoughts on recent developments across the global EMSO community, including news from the US Air Force 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, countering attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants from Yemen, and how Dir...

In this episode of From the Crow’s Nest, host Ken Miller brings back Brian Clark, Senior Fellow and Director for the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute. Brian’s upcoming report titled “Hedging Bets: Rethinking Force Design for a Post Dominance Era” argues that the United States is in a “post dominance era” and faces relatively new disadvantages due to weapon proliferation. Brian notes that o...

In the first episode of From the Crows’ Nest subscriber series, host Ken Miller sits down with John Knowles, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED), and AOC’s Senior Analyst Matt Thompson.

They discuss a range of current events topics including the Compass Call and the arrival of the new EA-37B aircraft, the U.S. defense budget, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

These AOC member/subscribers-only epi...

In this episode of From the Crow’s Nest, host Ken Miller speaks with Jarrett Holcomb, a senior research engineer at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Jarrett launched his career by developing an EW-centric test software called SPARTA, which later won an R&D 100 award. He was also recently recognized as an AOC Future 5 for his contributions to the Electromagnetic Warfare community. 

In recent years, Jarrett has f...

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller sits down with retired US Air Force Lieutenant General Lance Landrum during AOC 2023 to discuss Strategic Partnerships and Alliances. General Landrum was a keynote speaker on the last day of the annual symposium. He is the former 23rd Deputy Chair of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee. In this capacity, helped forge consensus among Allie...

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by Day 3 Keynote Speaker Vice Admiral Francis Morley, US Navy. Admiral Morley is the Principle Military Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition. They discuss the the current state of play in today’s Department of the Navy acquisition efforts, including specific areas of EW, the challenges of today and tomorrow, oppo...