UK AOC Newsletter - August 2011

ROYAL NAVY FLEET EW EFFECTIVENESS TROPHY

The St ALBAN’s EW Team  have provided regular and good quality returns to FLEET and during a very successful sensor equipment trial they provided detailed correlation of intercepts which has greatly enhanced understanding in the defensive aids area. The team are strongly led by PO(EW) Gibbs, who demonstrates an extremely effective managerial and leadership style.  The team can take particular credit from their understanding, development and application of maritime security procedures. An Administration Visit also reaffirmed the team’s ability to maintain an effective standard of administration.

TONY SALE

It is with deep regret that we learned that Tony Sale had passed away on 28 August aged 80.

Anthony Sale, far better known as Tony, had a distinguished set of achievements throughout his life. Since 1949 he had successively worked with the Royal Air Force, with MI5, operated his own software development company, and worked as a Senior Curator at the National Museum of Science and Industry within the British Museum. But his most internationally well regarded achievements relate to his outstanding work at Bletchley Park and, in particular, being the powerhouse behind the 14-year reconstruction of COLOSSUS which now forms a key working exhibit. COLOSSUS was used to decrypt the high-grade German LORENZ messages which were even more difficult to decrypt than ENIGMA messages.

Tony lectured on wartime code breaking at many sites within the UK, Europe and America. He is the author of and special contributor to a variety of factually important books and papers which are widely distributed.  He has been the technical consultant to video documentaries and films. The salvation and gradual recovery of Bletchley Park and the associated facilities is due in no small part to the unstinting personal dedication and effort of Tony and his wife Margaret. Their joint contribution to what has become a national treasure is immeasurable.

Tony was most deservedly inducted into the AOC Technology Hall of Fame this year upon the recommendation and strong support of the AOC UK Chapter.

CONGRATULATIONS

Many congratulations to John Stubbington, our treasurer, for the award of the AOC Lifetime Achievement Award and to John Wise MBE for the AOC Board of Directors Award. These very well deserved awards recognise an outstanding contribution to the world of EW and to the UK Chapter. The awards will be presented during ceremonies at the AOC annual symposium and exhibition in Washington, DC during November 2011. 

NOTES FROM “DONNINGTON PARK SERVICES” - EPISODE 2 *

By Roger Blackburn

The 16th Shephard/AOC Annual EW Conference was held at the Estrel Conference Centre, Berlin, between 25 and 27 May 2011.  It was surprising that Shephard decided to return to “Donnington Park Services” again this year.  As last year, the hotel staff provided excellent service throughout, but it is a pity that the venue is not more centrally located in the beautiful city of Berlin.

This year’s conference was extended to include a COMINT day, which increased my COMINT knowledge from the back of a postage stamp to the back of a postcard.  Like all unclassified conferences, the presentations ranged from the blatant company plug to some innovative demonstrations of a counter IED protection device. Once again our current President, John Clifford, managed to get his Icelandic friends to create yet another volcanic ash cloud to thwart his arranged programme.  In the end, most people managed to make it by circuitous routes including, in one case, by air, train and car.   The main programme consisted of just the right amount of papers from operators with experience of current operations, and technical papers, particularly on the COMINT day.  Once again, Air Marshal Sturley chaired the sessions with his usual “simple pilot” insight and awarded yellow cards to the more obvious company marketeering presentations.

 
Last year’s discussions on how EW differs from IO and Cyber were replaced by “is EW the Electromagnetic Environment or is it a Domain?”  I know that not all of us will agree with all the policy words and definitions but something has to be done to get the shakers and movers in both the military and government to champion EW.  If a new set of words achieves this then all well and good.  In fact one US delegate said that President Obama had become interested in EW only when his Blackberry stopped working.  Is that EW or Cyber?

New Chapters

At the conference we had a UK Chapter booth which we shared with both AOC HQ and the “Red Baron Roost”, who managed to get their towels on the chairs most of the time.  However, it looks like the Danes are going to create their own Chapter from their 300 AOC members.  Likely names are “The Little Mermaid Chapter”, which sounds a bit girly to me, or “The Hamlet Chapter”.  It seems to me that we might increase our membership, particularly from the younger members of our fraternity, if we had a more punchy title than just the UK Chapter.  So get your thinking caps on and send your suggestions to the Secretary.

 
* Donnington Park Services because it has an M1 Services like food court in its central atrium.

VISITS AND EVENTS

 
The following visits and events are being arranged and details will be published as they become available:

• The Birth of Airborne Countermeasures and Airborne SIGINT”, 13 October, RAF Club
• Visit to Bletchley Park, 8 November
• 48th Annual AOC International Symposium, 13-16 November, Washington, DC
• AOC/Shephard EW Asia 2011, 6-7 December, Singapore
• 7th Classified EW Symposium, 7-8 December, Defence Academy Shrivenham
•  AOC UK Chapter Christmas Dinner, 9 December, RAF Club London

THE BIRTH OF AIRBORNE COUNTERMEASURES AND AIRBORNE SIGINT

Two illustrated historical presentations will be given in the RAF Club, London, on Thursday 13 October. First, John Stubbington will talk on the birth of airborne SIGINT with particular reference to the origin and operations of No 192 Sqn within No 100 (Bomber Support) Group during World War II and the Cold War, through to renumbering to No 51 Sqn as of today. Then David Kitching will talk on the birth of airborne radar countermeasures with No 515 Sqn, its equipment and ECM operations during World War II.

Both presentations draw heavily on highly classified documents and files now available in the National Archives and will be illustrated with original drawings, photographs and maps. An application form to attend can be downloaded by clicking on this LINK.

VISIT TO BLETCHLEY PARK

A guided tour of Bletchley Park for AOC members has been arranged for Tuesday 8 November. Starting at 11am, the visit begins with refreshments and a talk, followed by the first part of the guided tour. After a lunch on site, the second part of the guided tour will take place, finishing at about 4pm. An application form to attend can be downloaded clicking on this LINK.

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