Symposium Agenda
As of 7 May, 2026. Speakers are being added often – check back to see who else will join us!
Wednesday 20 May – AOC Europe Day 1
09:00 – 10:20
Main Stage
SESSION 1
Welcome and Symposium Keynote Address
Dr. Bob Andrews, MBE
AOC Director of European Programmes & Conferences
Anthony (Tony) Lisuzzo
AOC President
Lieutenant Colonel Erik Bamford
AOC International Region 1 Director
AOC Awards Ceremony
Presented by AOC President Tony Lisuzzo
A Comprehensive Approach to EMO – Balanced Capability Roadmap
Brigadier General Juha-Matti Ylitalo
Deputy Chief of Logistics, Command/Chief Engineer of Finnish Defence Forces, Finland
Challenges of Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority in the Ukraine
A Representative of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
10:50 – 12:20
Main Stage
SESSION 2
EMO in the Nordic Region
Electromagnetic Operations Planning – In PracticeMajor Anssi Kervinen
Lead EW Planner, Army Command Finland, Finland
Operationalising Spectrum Awareness for Electromagnetic Operations: Lessons from Three Coalition Exercises
Stephen Vance
Director Consulting Services, CGI IT UK LTD, UK
NATO Maritime EW: Taking Steps Towards Campaign Support
Bas Nieuwenhuijse
Chairman, NATO Maritime EW Syndicate & Dutch Ministry of Defence, Netherlands
10:50 – 12:20
Spotlight Stage
SPOTLIGHT SESSION A
Technological Developments in EW Techniques and Systems
Session Chair
Alasdair Gilchrist, MBE
Programme Manager, Dstl, UK
Jamming Without Fratricide
Professor Taneli Riihonen
Associate Professor, Tampere University, Finland
Re-arming Europe: The Shift from Strategic Assets to Tactical, Distributed Electronic Warfare (EW)
Pekka Halme
Head of Product, Saab, Finland
Implementing EW Weapon Systems
Chris Surma
Technical Expert EW, MBDA, UK
13:20 – 14:50
Main Stage
SESSION 3
Space Domain Operations
Active EW in and for Space - The New German Space Safety and Security Strategy and its EW Ambitions
Major General Michael Traut
Commander, German Space Command, Germany
National Resilience
Air Vice Marshal Jamie Thompson
Commander, UK Space Command, UK
Radio Wave Interference Situation in Space
Masataka Shinagawa
Senior Engineer, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
13:20 – 14:50
Spotlight Stage
SPOTLIGHT SESSION B
Operating in the Congested Spectrum – Challenges and Opportunities
Session Chair
Professor Taneli Riihonen
Associate Professor, Tampere University, Finland
Contested Spectrum, Covert Advantage: Unlocking mmWave for Future Communications, Security and Resilience
Dr. Tudor Williams
Chief Technology Officer, Filtronic, UK
Managing Dynamic Spectrum De-confliction in Multinational Multi-Domain EW Operations
Patrick Kaufmann
Senior Technical Sales Manager, LS Telcom, Germany
One REMP to Rule Them All?
Stefan F. Marks
Programme Manager SIGINT&EW, IABG mbH, Germany
15:20 – 17:00
Main Stage
SESSION 4
NATO EW Training Challenges
NATO JEWCS
Lieutenant Colonel Holger Schmör
Executive Officer, NATO Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS), UK
Training for the Invisible War
Silver Andre
Chief Executive Officer, CR14, Estonia
Training Trust: Testing and Verifying Defence AI to Uphold Jus In Bello
Andrew Rogerson
Spectrum Operations Training and Consultancy Expert, Inzpire LTD, UK
Thursday 21 May – AOC Europe Day 2
09:00 – 10:30
Main Stage
SESSION 5
EW Aspects of the Russo-Ukrainian War
EW Coalition for Ukraine
Commander Malte von Spreckelsen
DEU Cyber and Information Domain Command, Germany
Battle Management in Modern Electromagnetic Operations (EMO)
Junior Lieutenant Pavlo Utiuzh
EW Company Commander, The 1st Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard "Azov," Ukraine
Stars & Signals: Lessons Learned from Ukraine for Tomorrow's Fight
Commander Michael Posey, USN
Assistant Professor, Army War College, USA
Lieutenant Colonel David Zesinger, USSF
Assistant Professor, Army War College, USA
11:00 – 12:30
Main Stage
SESSION 6
Achieving Success in EMS Operations
Smart Kill
Alasdair Gilchrist, MBE
Programme Manager, Dstl, UK
Strategic Options for NATO Space-Based Detection and Tracking of Hypersonic Glide Vehicles
Professor David Stupples
Director of Space Surveillance Research, London University, UK
Achieving Success in EMS Operations – From Signal Validation to Behavioural Assurance
Dr. Len Sciacca
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Systems Research Pty Ltd, Australia
11:00 – 12:30
Spotlight Stage
SPOTLIGHT SESSION C
Enhancing EMO with AI, ML and Cognitive EW
Session Chair
Mark Neasham
Head of Capability, Leonardo, UK and VP of AOC's UK Chapter
When ML Falls Short: The Imperative for Cognitive EW
Dr. Karen Haigh
Cognitive EW SME, Haskill Consulting
On-Orbit Intelligence: Autonomous Decision Making for Resilient LEO Defense Operations
Alex Trigoub
Director, Product Management, Aitech Systems, Israel
AI/ML for Electronic Support: Blind Spectrum Analysis to Characterize Emerging SATCOM Threats
Harris Mohamed
Principal AI Engineer, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., USA
13:30 – 15:00
Main Stage
SESSION 7
PNT/GNSS Denial and Protection
Conditio sine qua non: Control of the Electromagnetic Spectrum on the Battlefield, and the Crown Jewel is Secure PNT
Major General Friedrich Teichmann
Commander Joint CIS, Cyber, EW, Geo and Space Services Command, MoD, Austria
A Tier System for Categorising GNSS Interference Intensities and Severities in Finland and Escalatory Pathways
Dr. Tegg Westbrook
Associate Professor, University of Stavanger, Norway
Navigating Without GNSS: Maritime PNT Resilience in the Contested Baltic Sea Electromagnetic Environment
Jeremy Twaits
Technical Marketing Manager, Novator Solutions, UK
13:30 – 15:00
Spotlight Stage
SPOTLIGHT SESSION D
Autonomous Platforms in Electromagnetic Operations
Session Chair
Professor David Stupples
Director of Space Surveillance Research, London University, UK
Current Ukrainian FPV Strike Drone Unit Operations
Henri Girard
Engineer, RF Modulation Consulting, Canada
Technical Consideration on Performing the EA/Escort Jammer Role with UAV
Peter Müller
Senior Expert Airborne Electromagnetic Warfare, Airbus Defence and Space, Germany
Drone Platforms for ISR: Use-Cases, Challenges, and Solutions for Signal Hunters
Dr. Corbett Rowell
Senior R&D Director, Rohde & Schwarz GmbH, Germany
15:25 – 16:45
Main Stage
SESSION 8
How Russia Lost the War in the Spectrum: What Would a Ukrainian Electromagnetic Victory Look Like?
Moderator
Dr. Thomas Withington
Writer and Analyst, Armada International Electronic Warfare Newsletter, France
Duncan McCrory, CEng, FRAeS
PhD Candidate, Freeman Air & Space Institute, King's College London, UK
Tim Mak
Founder, The Arsenal, Ukraine
Julia Muravska
Research Division Senior Associate Fellow, NATO Defense College (NDC), Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Freeman Air and Space Institute (FASI), King’s College London, UK
16:45 – 17:00
Main Stage