Through advocacy and educational forums, the AOC advocates for a strong defence capability emphasising electronic warfare (EW) to government, industry, academia and the public. It also provides a forum for sharing ideas and experiences through communication, education and leadership.
As the oldest and one of the most active chapters outside the US, the UK Chapter has members from the armed forces (active and retired), government agencies, academia and industry. A small board of volunteer directors comprising both elected and co-opted members manages the UK Chapter.
With a career spanning 24 years in the Royal Air Force and more than a decade in industry, Mark, who is Leonardo’s UK Head of Capability (IMS), brings a wealth of experience to his new AOC role which he will serve for the next three years.
Mark said: “I’m very aware of the challenge to make the UK Chapter more active and appealing to the younger generation. Only by modernising the AOC’s image will we be able to increase membership. I hope that my significant industry knowledge and experience will help increase the relevance of AOC to existing and new members as we freshen things up and recruit more young people at Board level.”
“The modern battlespace, which is changing a breakneck speed through various conflicts, has highlighted the importance of electronic warfare. The range of threats posed by different actors has exposed the gap in EW capability by many armed forces, and resulted in the critical need to rapidly develop and adopt effective electronic countermeasures. Through the AOC, we are addressing this and helping educate and share best practice with our members.”
Stephanie, who is a Lead Capability Engineer at Leonardo, where she has worked since graduating in 2014, has worked in roles embedded within UK Ministry of Defence and with AOC members from international chapters. Working in roles that emphasised the need for cooperation to overcome joint technical challenges convinced Stephanie of the importance of organisations that span the breadth of the field.
Stephanie added: “Working in defence, it’s easy to end up focusing on a narrow area. Organisations like the AOC are so important for bringing people together across government, military and industry, because we’ve all got many shared challenges. I’m hoping to get more people engaging with the AOC, particularly at in-person events, but also online, to strengthen the connections across UK defence.”