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Volume 35, Issue 2 1 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
The Association of Old Crows and AOC Education Foundation
Billy Mitchell Chapter
“El Grito del Cuervo”
The Cry of the Crow
HISTORY
The Billy Mitchell Chapter (BMC) in San Antonio, Texas, is a member of the Mountain-Western Region
of the Association of Old Crows, Inc. (AOC) and the AOC Educational Foundations, Inc. (AEF). The Billy
Mitchell Chapter (BMC) was chartered in 1968 in San Antonio, Texas. It was the 24th Chapter of the AOC.
Located in the nation's highest concentration of Information Operators, the BMC has an active membership
of 300 military and civilian personnel with numerous corporate alliances. The BMC has always had an
active luncheon program with speakers on current EW/cyber activities and functions.
Since its beginning, the BMC chapter has been an active member of the San Antonio community by
supporting numerous events such as the Alamo Regional Science and Engineering Fair with – providing
judges and awards to the category winners. Most recently, the BMC has supported the National Collegiate
Cyber Defense Competition held in San Antonio and provided scholarships to the local Cyber Patriot
winners, -- a national high school level competition. The BMC has supported many ROTC programs at the
college and high school levels with awards recognizing outstanding students. Since the scholarship
program began in 1986 the BMC has awarded over $356,000 to deserving students.
The above mentioned activities and the dedicated men and women of the BMC contributed to the BMC
winning the AOC Chapter of the Year award many times for both the large and the medium chapter
category. The BMC was named Chapter of the Year (Large Chapter Category) for 15 consecutive years
from 1993 to 2008. BMC members have served on the AOC Board of Directors and many have been
recognized for their contributions to the AOC by being awarded the Gold Medal, the Silver Medal, Life
Time Achievements Awards, and numerous competitive awards
MISSION STATEMENT
The Billy Mitchell Chapter (BMC) is the San Antonio-based chapter of the international Association of the
Old Crows (AOC). It is a volunteer, nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to advocating for a
strong national defense with an emphasis on electronic warfare and the other core capabilities of
information operations (IO): computer network operations, operational security, military deception, and
military information support operations (formerly PSYOP); it is also dedicated to fostering communication
and interaction between professionals in each of these national defense areas; it supports America’s
maintenance of the technological edge by awarding scholarships annually to San Antonio students whose
interests are in engineering, math, or the physical sciences; it raises the profile of the AOC in San Antonio
by participating in local events such as Fiesta, Cyber Caucuses, etc.; it supports DoD events by periodically
hosting local social or professional events for major non-AOC meetings and conferences.
Volume 35, Issue 2 2 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
Table of Contents
Chapter History and Mission 1
Board of Directors 2
BMC Social at “The Cove” 3
May Membership Meeting Re-Cap 4
June Membership Meeting Re-Cap 5
Crow Feathers 8
Announcements 10
Contact Info 10
BMC-AOC Board Members and Committee Chairs
Position Name email
President/Awareness/Social John Langford [email protected] Vice President/Awards/Goals Gary Henley [email protected]
Secretary / Speakers Programs Kent Namikas [email protected]
Treasurer/Historian Francisco Ball [email protected]
Scholarships/STEM/Networking Sam Smith [email protected]
Member at Large (appointed) Raul Huerta-Mendez [email protected]
Advocacy & Awareness Marc Jamison [email protected]
AOC Liaison/Membership J.J. Romano [email protected]
SWRI Liaison Jim Moryl [email protected]
Newsletter/Elections/Bylaws Ross Vincent [email protected]
Military Liaison (appointed) VACANT
Visit the AOC Jobs Board at http://www.myaoc.org/EWEB/dynamicpage.aspx?webcode=career_center
Volume 35, Issue 2 3 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
AOC-BMC Social at “The Cove”
15 April 2018
The Association of Old Crows Billy Mitchell Chapter (AOC-BMC) kicked off their first social
during their 50th anniversary year as a chapter with an informal event hosted at “The Cove” near
downtown San Antonio on Sunday afternoon on 15 Apr 2018. “The Cove” is a nationally
acclaimed eclectic venue featured on the TV show “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” for their famous
fish tacos. Sunday afternoon turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day with highs in the mid
70’s. The BMC rented eight tables for BMC guests near their outdoor Texas Bar and provided
dozens of mini-fish tacos, along with burger sliders, nachos, chips and salsa. The BMC also
provided ample drink tickets for guests to select from over 100 different beers or homemade root
beer. The event was attended by military, government civilians, contractors, and their families to
include kids. The highlight of the day was a raffle for a free glider aircraft ride provided by long-
time AOC member and BMC board member J.J. Romano. The winner was the spouse of a local
lifetime AOC member!
Volume 35, Issue 2 4 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
Vigilant Prospector: Next Generation ELINT Flagging
9 May 2018 BMC – AOC Luncheon By Kent Namikas
On Wednesday 9 May we had another successful luncheon
at the Lackland Club. We had about 25 attendees at the
event. Lt Col Clay “Deuce” Small, Commander of the 453d
Electronic Warfare Squadron spoke to us about Vigilant
Prospector (VIPR): Next Generation ELINT Flagging. Lt
Col Small has spoken to the chapter before and he was
providing an update on the progress that they have made over
the past few years in the area of flagging. He also wanted to
brag a little about his unit before he moves on to the Joint
Information Operations Warfare Center.
Lt Col Small explained how legacy flagging tools use
serialized, intercept-centric processes which require manual intervention for several steps in the overall
flagging process. While the VIPR system provides a holistic, emitter-
centric characterization & change detection process. This is a true
paradigm shift in the way flagging is accomplished. In general the
system “remembers’ what the electromagnetic environment looked like
yesterday and looks for changes in that environment. VIPR
accomplishes this by leveraging highly redundant “big data” then
detects anomalies to provide updates to several ELINT databases. The
system requires fewer manual steps than the legacy system thus requires
less manpower to operate. During two proof of concept exercises they
ran the legacy system alongside VIPR. VIPR required 84% less
manpower yet provided between 100% and 350% more updates. This
paradigm shift in the flagging process is required to meet the needs of
5th generation aircraft. VIPR achieved IOC in February.
Lt Col Small also
discussed some of the
updates to Improved Many-on-many (IMOM) and Distributed
Integrated Constructive Environment (DICE). Improvement
to these models are critical to enable mission planning and
training in a realistic live, virtual, constructive (LVC)
environment. He went on to discuss how IMOM is being used
to enable near-real-time decision aids for crews in flight. The
Air Force Future Operating Concept states that the Adaptive
Domain Control mission includes the ability to operate in and
across air, space, and cyberspace to achieve varying levels of
domain superiority over adversaries seeking to exploit all
means to disrupt friendly operations. Domain superiority is that degree of dominance that permits the
conduct of friendly operations at a given time and place without prohibitive interference by an adversary.
The 453 EWS is helping the Air Force to achieve EMS Superiority.
After the presentation the Vice President of the BMC, Mr. Gary John Langford thanked Lt Col Small for
the informative briefing and presented him with a memento.
Volume 35, Issue 2 5 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
BMC Field Trip to 558th Flying Training Squadron
6 June 2018 By Kent Namikas
On Wednesday, 6 June the Billy Mitchell Chapter went on a field trip to the 558th Flying Training
Squadron at Randolph AFB. A total of 23 members listened to Capt “POG” Eshleman discuss the
Marine Corps Electronic Warfare training conducted at the squadron. POG began his career as an
enlisted Marine then transitioned to the Officer Corps as a pilot for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).
He is currently an instructor for the Marines that go through training at the 558th.
Before POG began his briefings, Lt Col
“SPA” Bissonette, the Commander of
the 558th, said a few words of
introduction about the squadron and the
training program. He said that, in
addition to the Marines’ EW course, this
one squadron qualifies about one third
of all pilots produced in the Air Force!
Then POG took the stage to present his
briefing (which was actually three
briefings in one).
First POG briefed about the mission of the 558th. He explained how the squadron produces both
RPA pilots and RPA sensor operators. After some initial training for the pilots at Pueblo Colorado
(the Air Force’s Initial Flight Training Program – IFT)and for the sensor operators at Lackland
AFB, the students report to the 558th. Their training with the 558th is 3.5 months for the pilots and
1.5 months for the sensor operators. After graduation they branch off to separate formal training
units for their assigned weapon systems.
Next POG talked about Marine Corps operations in the EMS. He discussed the general
organization of a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF). He explained how changes in the
operating environment and the threat are driving changes in the MAGTF. The Marine Corps
Operating Concept 2016 places more emphasis on cyberspace and the EMS. As a result, the
Command Element is being reorganized as the MEF Information Group (MIG) to encompass
operations in the information environment. Three of the eight sections within the MIG deal with
operations in the EMS: Radio Battalion, Communications Battalion and Intelligence Battalion.
The Marines have already completed many of the foundational documents to make this new
structure a reality. EMS Operations (EMSO) is a fundamental element of the new system. The
USMC’s EMSO Concept was signed in October 2017. Each MEF will have a battalion of EW
Marines in the Radio Battalion and the Air Wing will have Intrepid Tiger 2 (IT II) pods for all
TACAIR.
Volume 35, Issue 2 6 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
Finally POG talked about their EW training. With the retirement of the Prowler, EW expertise in
the Marine Corps is diminishing. The class taught at Randolph is currently the only EW course in
the Marine Corps; but that is only temporary. Leadership is working to determine the long term
solution. The EW course is being taught to the Marine graduates of the RPA program. He teaches
up to 24 students per class and up to seven classes per year. The course is a two week block of
instruction and leverages other EW training venues (Aviation Electronc Warfare School, Joint EW
Theater Operations Course, etc.). He also has guest instructors come in from the Joint Electronic
Warfare Center at Lackland and from the SIGINT Operators course at Goodfellow AFB. Aside
from the classroom instruction, POG has established an extensive reading list for the students.
After the presentation John Langford presented Capt Eshleman with a plaque to thank him for the
very informative briefing and for hosting the BMC at Randolph. In addition, John called up Kent
Namikas and presented him with a plaque to thank him for his dedicated service to the Billy
Mitchell Chapter. Then the entire group went outside for a few pictures in front of the T-29. The
T-29 was the old navigator trainer prior to the T-43. There was also a variant of the T-29 that was
modified for EW training. Several members that attended the briefing had flown on the T-29. All
in all it was a great day to be a member of the BMC!
Volume 35, Issue 2 7 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
Volume 35, Issue 2 8 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
This month, we have another installment of “Crow Feathers” – little known stories from the history
and technology of EW. We owe a big thanks to members of the 563d EWS – creators of the
original Crow Feathers Companion Reader.
Suter—Father of Red Flag
He was a hard-living, no-nonsense fighter pilot—and he fundamentally changed how the Air
Force conducts operations. Then Major Richard “Moody” Suter got a vision—legend has it that
he wrote it down on a napkin at a bar. That idea became Exercise RED FLAG in 1975. Today,
RED FLAG is the largest air exercise in the world. Generations of aircrew have learned valuable
lessons from these exercises. This is the story of the man who created them.
There were many difficulties facing the Air Force in the years after the Vietnam War. One of
those concerned our air combat skill. The statistics did not look good. Our kill ratio in the air had
been very low, and the death rate among our pilots had been very high. The top leadership in the
Air Force was not satisfied with the current state of aircrew combat training.
(Left) Not a good day—an F-4 is caught in the crosshairs of an antiaircraft gun in an early RED FLAG. (Right) Col Richard Suter left a permanent mark on the Air Force.
“Moody” Suter had a plan to fix that problem. He had discovered that a flyer was most likely
to get shot down during his or her first 10 combat missions. He argued that if he could get a bunch
of flyers together in a large exercise and have them go against a realistic threat, they could safely
fly those first 10 crucial missions at home and live to apply the lessons they learned. That threat
became the aggressors, fighter pilots who flew aircraft simulating potential enemies. The aircraft
were U. S. fighters painted to look like Russian fighters. The pilots used Soviet-style tactics. In
addition, there was an array of simulated ground threats like surface-to-air missile systems and
antiaircraft guns. Suter dreamed this up while stationed at Nellis AFB NV. He took his dream
with him to a staff job at the Pentagon. He campaigned hard to get the idea approved. Senior
officers were concerned that emphasizing realism might come at the expense of safety. Suter
Volume 35, Issue 2 9 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
assured them it would not and that this exercise would be a winner for both realistic training and
safety.
Suter’s tenacity paid off and his dream came true on November 29, 1976 when the first-ever
EXERCISE RED FLAG was held at Nellis, which is near Las Vegas. The event featured 37
aircraft: F-4D’s, F-105’s, F-5’s, T-38’s, OV-10’s, HH-53’s, and EC-121’s. With a staff of
only five, Suter pulled off an amazing 4-week exercise with astounding results and no accidents.
The scenario involved a strike force with supporting assets against an integrated and realistic
force of air and ground threats.
RED FLAG has evolved and grown tremendously over the years. It is the largest flying exercise
in the world where up to 250 air and space units and over 750 aircraft vie for air supremacy over
the mountains of central Nevada against what has become the world’s most intense and best-
trained IADS. An important facet of RED FLAG is the inclusion of electronic warfare in all
exercises and the specialization that occurs during GREEN FLAG exercises—which concentrate
on integrating EW assets into the fight.
More importantly, the lessons learned from these exercises have now been applied in combat
several times over. From limited actions in the 1980’s to DESERT STORM to the War on Terror,
the Air Force has at least three generations of air warriors who have trained in the Nevada desert.
Suter’s vision has come true. Our aircrews who get RED FLAG experience seem to fare better
when they go to war.
(Left) “Smoky SAMs” simulate the launch of surface-to-air missiles on the RED FLAG ranges. They are used to provide a little visual realism. (Right) This Russian Hind helicopter has been added to the aggressors’ arsenal in recent years. Their weapons include a full range of real and simulated threats.
Suter himself was a remarkable character. He was very sure of himself—to some he may have
seemed arrogant. He seemed to delight in being able to irritate people with his pithy statements,
which have become revered in the world of fighter pilot folklore as “Suterisms:”
If a flyer showed up in the morning looking a bit rough, he would say, “The fruit flies are
circling his head.”
If he thought someone was not too smart, he would say, “He looks at his name tag a lot.”
And if a superior officer asked him a question, he would answer, “We are looking at a glaring
glimpse of the obvious.”
Volume 35, Issue 2 10 April-June 2018
AOC – The Electronic Warfare & Information Operations Association Billy Mitchell Chapter □ 5430 Tulip Bend □ San Antonio, TX 78253 □ (210) 279-9837 □ [email protected]
Announcements
AOC-BMC STEM Program Support
The BMC has partnered with Northside ISD’s Dr. Hector P. Garcia Middle School to support
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education for our next generation of leaders.
If you would like to help out with the STEM program, you can contact either Ms. Wernli
([email protected]) or Ms. Schantz ([email protected]). If you would like to help
with the robotics program you can contact Mr. Barksdale ([email protected]). You will
also need to complete a volunteer application / background check form on the district website:
(https://hrvolunteer.nisd.net/TempMod.nsf?Open).
The Association of Old Crows
and AOC Education Foundation Billy Mitchell Chapter 5430 Tulip Bend
San Antonio, TX 78253
(Voice) (210)279-9837
(E-Mail) [email protected]
Newsletter Editor: R. Vincent
Telephone: 210-977-5927
(e-mail) [email protected]
We’re on the web at https://www.crows.org/chapters/billy-mitchell-home-page.html