From the Crows' Nest

Innovation is a buzzword to showcase game-changing technologies and capabilities. But how do you get the people’s attention to consider the possibilities, risks, and opportunities? How do you raise awareness to move innovative ideas from the mind to the lab and to the field, not to mention the average household? So much innovation is downstream from culture. In a special episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller breaks format to talk about the important role of movies and pop culture to advance innovation. Ken is joined by David Kirby, author of Lab Coats in Hollywood: Science, Scientists and Cinema, to explore the relationship between real scientific advancements and action on the big screen. David tells Ken that movies can influence policy, as bombastic apocalypse movies like “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” have had real-world impacts on U.S. policy towards near-Earth objects. David says that while some researchers may have gripes with how a movie depicts the science of certain blockbuster films, the public’s attention is a finite resource – and a big Hollywood movie can be a useful way to bring widespread attention to an issue otherwise overlooked.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by returning guest Duncan McCrory from the Freeman Air & Space Institute at King’s College London to unpack concerns of a Chinese escalation in the Pacific to reunification with Taiwan — and what this move could mean for the United States and alliances around the world.McCrory says that defense experts have focused on 2027, known as the “Davidson Window,” following reports from the U.S. Intelligence Community that Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered its military to be ready to invade Taiwan in 2027. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the largest military force in the world with 2 million active-duty soldiers. McCrory says a successful invasion of Taiwan from China could weaken alliances and have devastating economic impacts on the United States… but a miscalculated intervention could introduce direct conflict with one of the biggest superpowers in the world.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.

As August kicks off and summer hits full swing, From the Crows’ Nest takes a step back from its usual format for a special Q&A episode. Host Ken Miller is joined in the studio by Voxtopica producer Laura Krebs to answer questions from listeners and the (very real) studio audience. The conversation touches on topics like EMSO’s role in future global conflicts, what to watch from the latest World Radio Conference, and even the lighter side of the spectrum—like what kind of mascot might best represent the field. Ken also shares some insights on the Indo-Pacific region and weighs in on today’s fast-changing security environment. It’s a relaxed but thought-provoking episode that brings fresh perspective to some of the big questions facing EMSO today. To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage. We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller delves into the intersection of privacy and national security with Susan Landau, the Director of the Cybersecurity Center at Tufts University.Landau testified before Congress last month calling for improved encryption as a matter of national security. She tells host Ken Miller that the modern debate over encryption and cybersecurity dates back to a cyber espionage operation run by Chinese hackers called “Salt Typhoon” that breached various parties and critical U.S. infrastructure, including wiretapping members of both the Trump and Harris presidential campaigns. Their ability to breach texts and voice messages and access databases highlighted inefficiencies in America’s cybersecurity infrastructure – and the tension between protecting American citizens from cyberattacks while posing additional challenges to law enforcement agencies worldwide.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.

In this 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 2025, the progress of the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, and the latest on the annual Defense appropriations Act. To learn more about Forza DC, please visit here.

In this episode, host Ken Miller is joined by friend and colleague John Knowles, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED), to discuss the defense budget, as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the latest on military actions in Iran. They draw comparisons between the actions taken in Iran and Ukraine's strategic actions taken against Russia, highlighting the importance of electromagnetic spectrum dominance and air superiority in multiple theaters.You can reach the host directly to share your thoughts or questions you want FTCN to cover in future episodes at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller takes us inside the cutting edge of airborne electronic attack with a deep dive into the U.S. Navy’s latest game-changer: the Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB).Joining Ken is Chuck Angus, Business Development Director at Raytheon, who shares how this powerful new system is redefining the electromagnetic battlespace. Built with advanced Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology, the NGJ-MB delivers unprecedented power density and direct array control—no third-party components, just pure precision.Deployed on the EA-18G Growler for both the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force, this next-gen jammer is replacing the legacy ALQ-99 and setting the standard for future conflicts. Chuck explains why NGJ-MB isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a critical leap forward in spectrum superiority.Don’t miss this insider look at how the future of electronic warfare is taking shape right now.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller gets insight into the front lines of the war in Ukraine with today’s guest, Jack de Santis. The Croatian-born drone pilot with the Ukrainian military, is also an engineer and businessman, and is the founder of Omira AI — a company that specializes in counter-EW communications technology. Ken and Jack are also joined by FTCN regular guest, retired USAF Colonel, author and journalist, Jeffrey Fischer.Jack tells Ken that his approach to electronic warfare was born from what he saw as a volunteer for the Ukrainian army. Jack’s experience as a drone pilot and engineer before the conflict allowed him to step into the front lines of the Russo-Ukrainian war. But it’s what Jack saw during a Russian artillery bombardment of Ukrainian forces that led to a new understanding of the conflict: the Ukrainian military needs better EW tools to do the job.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.

In this episode of From the Crows' Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by friend and colleague John Knowles, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED), to discuss the ongoing congressional defense budget and reconciliation processes on Capitol Hill. They also discuss the latest developments in Spectrum auction and the need to invest in dynamic spectrum sharing technology and processes. Ken and John also discuss the recent eye-opening Ukrainian drone offensive against Russia, Operation Spiderweb. This is yet another successful EMSO mission that should capture our attention to understand how we can better utilize electromagnetic energy in combat, but also better protect our forces abroad and critical infrastructure at home from a similar exploitation by peer competitors and adversaries.You can reach the host directly to share your thoughts or questions you want FTCN to cover in future episodes at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.

The Association of Old Crows (AOC) wants to make our podcast the best it can be. To help us succeed, we'd like to hear your thoughts. Please take just a few minutes to complete our 2025 listener survey because your opinion is very important to us. In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by a panel of two Army colonels to unpack how the Army has made strategic investments into growing its EW capabilities.Col. John Hosey, Chief of Cyber and Commandant of Army Cyber School, tells Ken that the Army began producing soldiers with cyber training in 2008 – very new in the military world. He says one of their points of focus now is to improve the ability of the Army to reprogram their kit to change their tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) as threats evolve.Col. Leslie Gorman explains to Ken that her role as the Army Capability manager for EW is to help the Army, as a retired general officer told her last year, “own the EMS like [the Army] owned the night in the 1980s.” Col. Gorman says their push now is to set the conditions so advanced machine learning and algorithmic-based analytics can set the stage for the future of the Army’s EW efforts. To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at host@fromthecrowsnest.org.