According to the July 2015 report, 21st Century Operations in a Complex Electromagnetic Environment the United States military is “no longer the overwhelming leader in these technologies.” Whether this is for certain, Dr. William Conley, Deputy Director of Electronic Warfare, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (AT&L) of U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), will speak at the Potomac Officer’s Club Electronic Warfare Forum on the morning of Sept. 12.
In a past statement on EW, Conley has been quoted as saying: “We–in my opinion–basically got to where we are in electronic warfare after 25 years of inattention. We will get out of it with 25 years of attention.”
The U.S. Army Command’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, or CERDEC, provides the Army with expertise in cyber and electromagnetic activities, or CEMA.
CERDEC’s strategy in addressing cyber attacks also includes adapting to a rapidly changing cyber environment, in the hopes of ensuring that soldiers can meet and overmatch regional peers in CEMA situations. It is Conley’s recommendation that industry members bring their ideas forward, working toward the end goal of going above and beyond what is currently available today.
“One of my goals is to make sure that as we lay out (where are going in the next five years) we are asking for things that are A: possible and B: cutting edge,” says Conley. “If we ask the appropriate questions, we can get to something that is both achievable and gives us an advantage.”
In the past ten years, the lines between what has been identified as a cyber threat, namely anonymous hacking of private data, and traditional electronic warfare threats, such as radio frequency-embedded IEDs—have been blurred. This presents new challenges and opportunities for the deployment of tactical assets and networks, according to Giorgio Bertoli, CERDEC I2WD acting chief scientist and senior scientific technology manager of offensive cyber technologies.
With 22 years of federal service under his belt and nearly seven years of military experience serving as a combat engineer, Bertoli has extensive government experience in the fields of electronic warfare, computer network operations (CNO), Cyber and Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) technologies, in addition to an advanced proficiency in multi-lingual computer programming and vast expertise on the subject matter of Genetic Algorithms and Software Agent Technology.
As the Senior Scientific Technical Manager (SSTM) for Offensive Cyber Operations (OCO) at Intelligence & Information Warfare Directorate, Bertoli will speak on the EW Forum panel along with two leading experts in the field of cyber technology and electronic warfare: Joseph Bucci, Deputy Program Executive Officer of Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors for the U.S. Army, and Dr. Vincent Urick, Program Manager and Strategic Technology Officer for Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA).
Backing the discussion with obvious ethos, Bucci possesses approximately 30 years of experience in testing, evaluation, research and development and program management for the U.S. Army, assisting in the development and implementation of sensor integration across technologies ensuring warfighters have a complete understanding of the battlefield. As acting PEO IEW&S, Bucci suggests that this understanding is gained through the placed importance of assimilating sensor information into relevant, timely products that can be used for Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Target Acquisition (RSTA), targeting, situational awareness, force protection and Military Intelligence.
Sitting alongside Bucci is Dr. Vincent Urick, who joined DARPA in May 2016 as a program manager in the Strategic Technology Office. Urick’s exemplary research surrounds that photonics, electronic warfare, and sensing in urban environments. Prior to coming to DARPA, he headed the Applied Radio Frequency Photonics Section at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) where he worked on the transition of photonics technology to the Navy and other Defense Department agencies.
All together, Bertoli, Bucci and Urick will provide valid and invaluable information on what the future of electronic warfare looks like, what is surely a “cannot miss” opportunity for those in the cyber and defense community.
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