Course Details
Cognitive Electronic Warfare: An Artificial Intelligence (AI) Approach – CLASSIFIED
Offered by: Association of Old Crows (AOC) and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
   
Clearance Requirements: SECRET and/or TS//SCI
Course Dates: January 20-22, 2026
Course Location: Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238
Description: This course will highlight how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in electronic warfare (EW). AI enables EW systems to respond more quickly and effectively to battlefield conditions with complex and novel emitters. The course will describe how AI-enabled systems are different from cognitive systems and present the implications of this capability on system performance and test and evaluation requirements. It will briefly introduce AI techniques for electronic support (ES), electronic protect (EP), electronic attack (EA), and electronic battle management (EBM). The course will describe how to design and train a cognitive EW system that can be tested, including operation considerations and the role of humans. It will present how to collect and curate data, model it, and manage it on embedded devices. The course will describe how to evaluate a system that learns how to handle novel environments, including the role of trust and risk, challenges, and methods for learning assurance. The course will conclude with a discussion of projects, tools, and datasets. The course will include three Python programming modules: clustering, classification, and decision-making. The presentation is based on the book by Karen Haigh and Julia Andrusenko: Cognitive Electronic Warfare: An Artificial Intelligence Approach (second edition). This book is optional and not required to attend this course.
SwRI’s cognitive EW engineers will provide technical instruction on the actual implementation of cognitive EW at the end of each day.
Course Objectives
Participants will understand:Â
- The motivation for using cognitive techniques in EW systemsÂ
- Methods to design and build a systemÂ
- Methods to manage EW data Â
- Methods to evaluate a system that learns in missionÂ
Security/Clearance Requirements
Below is the information that is needed to access the SwRI property and how attendees can provide SECRET and/or TS//SCI security clearance level(s) to the SwRI security staff. This information needs to be provided to the SwRI security staff (S. Scott, T. Baucham and/or D. Ledermann) no later than seven (7) business days before the start date of the event.Â
For access onto SwRI property:Â
Required information: Last Name, First Name, citizenship statusÂ
This information must be submitted by AOC coordination staff directly to the SwRI security staff.Â
All visitors will report to the Main Gate at 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238 for access.Â
All visitors will be required to show a valid US government ID for validation.
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For passing/transmitting security clearances:Â
All Collateral and SCI clearances must be submitted via DISS to Southwest Research Institute using the SMO Code: SMO 26401-Southwest Research Institute-2Â
Event Name: AOC EventÂ
Event Date: January 20-22, 2026Â
Security/Tech Point of Contacts:
Daniel Ledermann – [email protected]
Scott Streton – [email protected]
Tonika Baucham – [email protected] Â
All visitors will be required to show a valid US government ID for validation.Â
As a reminder, it is the visitor's responsibility to verify with SwRI security staff that their clearance information has been received, (210) 522-2400/6690.Â
No clearances will be validated at the event.Â
Registration
Registration Includes
- Three (3)-day classified course, presented by two (2) renowned experts in the EW field
- Lunch each day
- One (1) evening reception on Tuesday, January 20 at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk, 217 N St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78205
Course Pricing
AOC Members – $1650
Non-Members – $1800
Optional Books
Dr. Haigh’s books can be purchased separately through the publisher, Artech House. Please note that the books are not required for the course. Books are not included in the registration fee and will not be available for purchase onsite.
AOC Professional Development Onsite Event Cancellation Policy
To cancel a pre-conference course or onsite event registration, submit a written request at least two (2) weeks before the scheduled event via email to [email protected]. Phone cancellations are not accepted. Cancellations received less than two (2) weeks prior to the event will not receive a refund.Â
- Refunds will be issued minus a $100 administrative fee.Â
- If the registration fee includes materials (e.g., textbooks, printed content) that were pre-purchased or developed before the event, registrants will be invoiced for these items that will include the cost of the material (s), shipping, taxes, and any customs fees, if applicable. Once paid in full, materials will be shipped. Payment must be received within 14 days of the date when the invoice is sent. Invoices not paid within the 14-day window will be subject to additional late fees.Â
- No refunds will be issued for cancellations made within two weeks of the event or for no-shows.Â
- If a registered attendee is having trouble obtaining a visa, a written notification must be sent no less than 30 days prior to the course/onsite event to [email protected]. Refunds related to visa obtainment will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.Â
Not a member? Join now and save! AOC Members receive discounts on all courses, free access to all webinars and much more.
Hotel
Holiday Inn Riverwalk
A block of rooms at the government rate has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Riverwalk, 217 N St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX 78205.
Click the button above to go to the hotel website, then enter the arrival/ departure dates, and it will automatically populate the group name and discounted group rate.
Please note that the group rate of $137 will be presented as $139 on the hotel website, inclusive of a tourism fee (TPID 1.25%). There are a limited number of rooms available at this rate, so it is highly recommended that reservations are made as soon as possible. The rate applies to reservations made for Monday, January 19 to Thursday, January 22. Attendees arriving before or after the dates covered will be charged the hotel’s selling rate at the time.
Attendees can also call the hotel’s 24-hour reservation phone number at (210) 224-2500, option 2.
If calling, please remember to reference the group's block code: AOC (short for the Association of Old Crows).
The last day to make reservations at the group discount is December 29, 2025. Reservations received after December 29, 2025, will be provided on a space available basis at the hotel’s current selling rate.
Individual reservations must be cancelled 24 hours prior to the intended date of arrival to avoid cancellation charges (one night’s room plus tax).
When making individual reservations or confirming individual reservations, please call (210) 224-2500 and ask for AOC Meeting group.
Individual reservations must be guaranteed for late arrival with a credit card for the first night’s room and tax. Should cancellation of an individual reservation be necessary, cancellation must occur no later than 24 hours prior to arrival date to avoid cancellation fee of first night’s room and tax.
All questions related to the hotel including but not limited to the room rate, parking, and any other information should be directed to the Holiday Inn Riverwalk. The AOC and SwRI teams are unable to assist with hotel reservations. Those in need of assistance can call the hotel’s 24-hour reservation phone number at (210) 224-2500, option 2.
Parking Information: Valet parking is available at $39/day. Self-parking is available at $29/day. Parking charges include in-and-out privileges for registered guests. Rates are subject to change. Hotel garage may not be able to accommodate oversized vehicles.
Additional Hotels in the Surrounding Area
Should attendees be unable to secure a room within the block arranged with the Holiday Inn Riverwalk, there are other hotels within the Riverwalk area. Please note that AOC/SwRI has not reserved blocks with any other properties than the Holiday Inn Riverwalk. Obtaining the government rate at any other hotel is the responsibility of the attendee and/or registering hotel guest.
Instructor
David A. Brown is Chief Engineer with the Defense and Intelligence Solutions Division at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). His research interests are centered on applied cognitive EW, including methodologies to push AI/ML algorithms to the sensor edge. Prior to joining SwRI, he held a variety of EW-related research and development positions and was an adjunct professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT). In addition to engineering experience in EW, Brown earned his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) from Georgia Tech, where he gained practical experience in EW application as a B-1B Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) and Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO). Mr. Brown is retired military, having served for both the US Army and US Air Force.Â
Dr. Karen Zita Haigh is an expert and consultant in cognitive EW and embedded AI. Her focus is on physical systems with limited communications and limited computation resources that must perform under fast hard-real-time requirements. She recently wrote the book, Cognitive EW: An AI Approach, with Julia Andrusenko. She was a pioneer in three fields now common across the globe: 1) closed loop planning and machine learning for autonomous robots, 2) smart homes for elder care, and 3) cognitive RF systems. Dr. Haigh is a regular presenter to both academic and military communities around the world and has created a variety of online content discussing embedded AI for mission-critical systems, supporting rapid real-time in-mission learning, and assuring AI in the field. Her course on cognitive EW is available through the Association of Old Crows.
Dr. Haigh has more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry, working for Honeywell, BBN Technologies, L3, and Mercury Systems. She has chaired over a dozen AI conferences, symposia, and workshops and is a regular program committee member and technical paper reviewer. She has 21 patents and has authored more than 100 publications and three books. She received her Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in Computer Science with a focus on AI and Robotics and her undergraduate from the University of Ottawa in Honours Computer Science (summa cum laude).
