“The Association of Old Crows (AOC) is a non-profit international professional association with over 13 500 members and 185+ organizations engaged in the science and practice of Electronic Warfare (EW), Information Operations (IO), and related disciplines.”
AOC has members in 47 countries with 69 chapters in 20 countries. AOC’s membership includes executives, scientists, engineers, managers, operators, educators, and military personnel. Founded in 1964, the AOC owns a headquarters building in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC.
The name “Old Crows” emerged from the first large-scale use of Electronic Warfare during the WWII Battle of Britain and the US and allied bombing raids over Europe. The Allied Radar Countermeasure operators used the code name “Ravens” and employed receivers and transmitters to monitor and jam threat frequencies. Military jargon later changed “Ravens” to “Crows.”
With origins in WWII, Electronic Warfare has been, and remains, a critical enabling capability in military operations in peace and war. With the evolution of digital/computer technology, Electronic Warfare (EW), Information Operations (IO), and related disciplines are increasingly necessary to achieve knowledge superiority, strategic and tactical dominance, and asset protection in both offensive and defensive operations. Information Operations include those actions taken to influence, effect, or defend information, information systems, and decision-making. The development of information technology also enables EW and IO systems to cover both the analogue and digital domains including the entire acoustic, magnetic, seismic, and electromagnetic spectrums.