Electronic Warfare Showcase Highlight’s NSWC Crane Region Capabilities
November 23, 2014
WestGate@Crane – November 21, 2014 – The Association of Old Crows Crane Roost presented NSWC Crane/AOC 6th Annual Capability Gaps and Enabling Technologies Operational & Technical Information Exchange last week, complete with a showcase at the WestGate Academy Conferencing and Training Center on Tuesday, November 19. The AOC Crossroads of America Electronic Warfare Showcase filled the 16,000 square foot conference room with vendors, big and small, to provide booth exhibits and discuss the wide variety of work the defense industry does to support the military’s electronic warfare requirements. [caption id='attachment_502' align='alignright' width='243']
Radius Indiana President Becky Skillman received a history of the AOC after her remarks at the Industry Night reception.(left to right) AOC Crane Roost President Jim Hearn, Radius Indiana President/CEO Becky Skillman, Maj Gen Kenneth R. Israel, USAF (ret), AOC 2015 President[/caption] AOC Crane Roost President, Jim Hearn, welcomed guests and oversaw the proceedings. “We’ve had tremendous support from the national AOC organization and from our local EW community here at Crane,” Hearn said. “I’d like to see this showcase grow and really connect our local students and workforce with the specific work we are doing on base. This is an important way for us to reach out and build up our capacity now and the next generation of EW professionals in the future.” Electonic Warfare (EW) is one of NSWC Crane’s specialties. These are the systems and equipment that provide service members with the information they need to deter threats and ensure mission success. The naval base’s Electronic Warfare Center is the Department of Defense’s largest multi-service facility for EW, EW Sensors and electronics. For more than 30 years, Crane has housed incredible resources and expertise in these areas, making it an important asset in the nation’s defense network. While it may appear complicated to the layman, there was no lack of easily accessible information about EW at the Showcase. The public was welcomed to the exhibition hall, where 20 booths, including NSWC Crane itself, displayed the significance of EW to the nation, and to the Crane communities. Not only do these systems protect service members in the field, they support numerous jobs and investments in the region. This year’s Information Exchange lasted three days and brought together military, government leaders, industry partners, and academia to learn and collaborate about the ongoing challenges in equipping the warfighter with the very best technology. Subject matter experts provided engaging material during conference sessions, and the showcase brought out the best of the industry’s solutions. The first day culminated in a catered Industry Night reception in the showcase hall, where local leaders spoke and EW experts mingled with industry representatives. Radius Indiana President/CEO, Becky Skillman, spoke about the importance of EW to the region’s economy, and Indiana Office of Defense Development Executive Director, Duane Embree, applauded the AOC’s ongoing commitment to the high-tech needs of the United States military and the state’s strategic defense assets. About AOC: The Association of Old Crows (AOC) is a not-for-profit international professional association with over 13,000 members and 200+ organizations engaged in the science and practice of Electronic Warfare (EW), Information Operations (IO), and related disciplines.