From the Crows' Nest

Rick Lu, with over 30 years of experience in aerospace and defense, discusses the challenges entrepreneurs face in navigating bureaucracy and developing innovations. They emphasize the importance of building relationships with the right people, understanding different motivators, and taking calculated risks. Rick also updates us on how the DoD is creating more opportunities for small businesses and startups to engage with them early in the technology development process.

Scholar and author Chris Miller joins the podcast to discuss the history of chip design and manufacturing, production challenges, funding possibilities, dynamics in the Asia-Pacific region, and the role of government in the chip technology industry.

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller, is joined by author, futurist, and former NSA official, Dr. Eric Haseltine. Ken also welcomes special co-host, Retired US Air Force Brigadier General Guy Walsh, now serving as the Executive Director of the National Security Collaboration Center at the University of Texas San Antonio. Ken, Guy, and Eric discuss how to pursue innovation in large bureaucracies that are often resistant to change and new ideas (hint: it’s about building the right relationships and using the strengths of an organization to your advantage). Eric, a respected neuroscientist, also provided a keynote address at AOC 2022 about what we can learn from nature and evolutionary biology to maintain a military advantage in electromagnetic warfare and cyber. They discuss his presentation and his two recent books:  Riding the Monster: Five Ways to Innovate Inside Bureaucracies, and The Spy in Moscow Station: A Counterspy’s Hunt for a Deadly Cold War Threat. For more information on this episode and the AOC, please visit our website here.

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller sits down with special guests Eric Bamford, International AOC Board Member from the Norwegian Air Forces and Bob Andrews, AOC Director of Global Events. Ken and his guests discuss innovation and workforce development from a NATO perspective and what lessons NATO can learn from the current Russian invasion of Ukraine.For more information on this episode and the AOC, please visit our homepage.

In the episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller sits down at AOC 2022 with Mr. David Tremper, Director of Electronic Warfare in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. David is the U.S. Department of Defense’s senior leader providing guidance and advocacy for U.S. development and acquisition of EW capabilities and systems. Ken and Dave discuss a range of topics related to the concept of an EMSO Playbook, including Electromagnetic Protection, Open Architecture and Government Reference Framework, and Counter C5ISR&T capabilities focusing on offensive EW. To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.

In this special episode of From the Crows’ Nest recorded from AOC 2022 in Washington, DC, host Ken Miller is joined by guest John Knowles, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED), the AOC’s official publication. Ken and John talk about the concept of an Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) playbook and what it means for stakeholders across the military and industry, both in the US and abroad. They also discuss how to best apply lessons from the playbook to the dynamic global threat environment, including both Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing tensions in the Pacific. To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.

AOC President Glenn “Powder” Carlson is passing the baton on to AOC Vice President and President-Elect Brian “Hinks” Hinkley. In this transition of power, Glenn and Brian give us a state of the union on the EMS community. Host Ken Miller talks with Glenn and Brian about the lessons the US needs to learn about EMS dominance and how the AOC will continue to advance EMS operations and support future engineers. Lastly, they discuss the messages they want to take to government, industry, and military stakeholders to advance EMS operations globally. Glenn and Brian bring a wealth of experience in operations to the EW community. Glenn flew B-52s in the 80s during Soviet Union’s fall. Brian played a vital role in the Navy with the EA-6B Prowler in the early 2000s with Iraq and Afghanistan. To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage. 

We often focus most on developing offensive capability, but countermeasures are often overlooked and command & control systems are left completely vulnerable. Host Ken Miller talks with David Tilton and Dr. Nathan Hansen of the Electromagnetic Security Consortium (ESC) to find out how we can address emerging threats to electromagnetic security and provide greater protection for critical infrastructure and military systems. David and Nathan share how we can pursue new standards for electromagnetic protection, how to create more urgency around the issues, and why industry and government need an entity like the ESC to increase electromagnetic security.David Tilton is the acting executive director of the Electromagnetic Security Consortium. Dr. Nathan Hansen is CEO of the Conductive Group and Chairman of the ESC. To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage. 

With recent arms transfers and sales to Ukraine, how close is Ukraine to reaching EMS superiority in the war with Russia? Host Ken Miller talks with Jeff Fischer, retired US Air Force Colonel, about how Ukraine can achieve EMS superiority and how the allies are playing a role in it. They also dive into the implications for nations supporting Ukraine and explore what methods Russia might use to force Ukraine’s allies to stop their support as winter approaches, the significance of Russia’s recent troop movement, and the challenges the US faces in supporting Ukraine that lie far beyond Congress’ decisions. Jeff Fischer is a retired US Air Force Colonel, longtime aviator, and EW officer. He is also a military fiction author and is working on the release of his 4th novel. You can find his books here.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our website. 

Maneuvering and winning in the new era requires an EMSO playbook. But what plays should we include in it, and why do we need it? Host Ken Miller talks with Dr. Bill Conley and John Knowles about strategies to include in our playbooks that can be rapidly implemented before the “game” starts, and how this will be addressed at AOC's 2022 annual international symposium and convention. They also dive into current affairs at the global level and in Congress, how to combine theater-level strategy with technological innovations, the current state of supply chain and microelectronics, and they discuss what can be done about the current instability across the global sphere.  Dr. Bill Conley is Chief Technology Officer at Mercury Systems, and John Knowles is the Editor of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance (JED).To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.