From the Crows' Nest

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller sits down with the heads of two startups in the military space to get a glimpse at the cutting edge of military, warfare and EMSO operations.Ethan Thornton of Mach Industries and Rob Sladen of Zulu Pods are both young innovators in the military space, with Mach Industries focusing on pioneering unmanned systems and Zulu Pods aiming to improve fluid delivery systems in assets that support expendable assets like drones and missiles. Both entrepreneurs say their technologies can be key to bridging the gaps between how technology is currently used and the mission of new, radically different systems — like with the proliferation of expendable, unmanned drones — but also to ensure military dominance regardless of theater.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.

Join us today to hear Host Ken Miller's conversation with John Knowles, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance, about how U.S. and allied forces are adapting for the next era of electromagnetic spectrum operations (EMSO).They discuss takeaways from recent trade shows, how the Army and Air Force are rethinking their force structure, and what new reports say about preparing for future conflicts. John shares insights on why modernization needs to move faster, and how innovation in software and agile tech will shape success on the spectrum battlefield.They also touch on global EMSO growth in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, lessons from Ukraine, and what’s ahead in the Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage. And please follow our new Instagram account, @fromthecrowsnestpodcast.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at [email protected].

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller unpacks one of the key challenges with using  artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) in combat: How can human agents trust AI in a live, complex military operation?Jeff Druce, Senior Scientist, Human-Centered AI at  Charles River Analytics, is at the heart of trying to answer this question. Jeff says that neural networks are inherently opaque; a system can perform millions of computations in seconds with a user being in the dark of how a system arrived at a certain recommendation or action. He tells Ken that their RELAX (Reinforcement Learning with Adaptive Explainability) research effort aims to add ways that AI systems can explain their decision making to human operators. Jeff says that efforts to improve transparency and trust in these AI tools are key, arguing bottlenecks for AI use soon may not be from the technology plateauing but operators being unprepared and ill-equipped to effectively use this technology.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.

In mid-September, in Lviv, Ukraine, the second annual Defense Tech Summit was held with representatives from over 50 countries in attendance. A policy shift from the Trump administration in support of Ukraine signals new focus on ending the Russia-Ukraine War that is now approaching four years. The two-year war continues between Israel and Hamas in Gaza without progress toward a ceasefire. Oh, and now, the US government is in shutdown mode as of October 1. Host Ken Miller sits down with journalist, author, and expert Col. Jeffrey Fischer, USAF (Ret) to discuss all these topics and more in this episode of From the Crows’ Nest. Ken and Jeff discuss the chaotic global security environment on the eve of the US government shutdown and how need to change our thinking and priorities to effectively resolve tensions around the world. Jeff joins the show from Vienna, Austria, where he was in attendance at the Defense Tech Summit in Ukraine and provides an unfiltered perspective from Europe. To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage. Also, visit us on social media, including Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. We invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at [email protected].

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller looks at innovation in EMSO and how ideas get from whiteboard to the battlefield through a new lens: science fiction. Lisa Yaszek, Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech, tells host Ken Miller that scientists are indebted to science fiction writers, as the genre gives people interested in science and technology a way to theorize about promising technologies years, decades, or even centuries in the future. She says the genre is an incubator for new ideas and has led to innovative breakthroughs from scientists like physicists Richard Feynman and Kip Thorne. Beyond its scientific impact, the genre also allows cultures from all over the world to see the real world as one of possibility.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.

In this episode, host Ken Miller is joined by friend and colleague Tom Withington, award-winning editor, defense journalist, and expert with Armada International. Ken and Tom discuss the latest developments in the Russo-Ukrainian War with a special focus on the recent Russian drone incursion into Poland and what it means for all of NATO. They also discuss how the Russo-Ukrainian War, along with other global security challenges in the Middle East and Indo-PACOM region, are changing the way we have to prepare for future escalation and conflict. For more information on FTCN and the Association of Old Crows, visit fromthecrowsnest.org and crows.org, respectively. You can reach the host directly at [email protected] to share your thoughts or questions you want FTCN to cover in future episodes. Please also follow our new Instagram account, @fromthecrowsnestpodcast.

After decades of being the purview of world governments, space operations have exploded in commercial and civilian necessity in recent years. Commercial satellites have increased 7 fold over the last 15 years and now total more than 10,000. Space capabilities are central to nearly every operational concept and military mission, not to mention every modern economy. Furthermore, space operations and electromagnetic spectrum operations are inextricably linked. How does the Unites State juggle the competition between military and commercial in space? How can the United States secure an enduring advantage in space operations in modern conflicts? In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by Brian Weeden, Systems Director in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy with The Aerospace Corporation. Brian says the creation of the U.S. Space Force and the renewal of U.S. Space Command offers opportunities to rethink how the nation works outside of Earth’s orbit and to solve big questions. How can America support terrestrial military operations or conduct activities in space itself all while juggling spectrums shared by satellites in low-orbit and thousands of miles above Earth’s atmosphere?To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage. And please follow our new Instagram account, @fromthecrowsnestpodcast.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at [email protected].

Innovation is a buzzword to showcase game-changing technologies and capabilities. But how do you get the people’s attention to consider the possibilities, risks, and opportunities? How do you raise awareness to move innovative ideas from the mind to the lab and to the field, not to mention the average household? So much innovation is downstream from culture. In a special episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller breaks format to talk about the important role of movies and pop culture to advance innovation. Ken is joined by David Kirby, author of Lab Coats in Hollywood: Science, Scientists and Cinema, to explore the relationship between real scientific advancements and action on the big screen. David tells Ken that movies can influence policy, as bombastic apocalypse movies like “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” have had real-world impacts on U.S. policy towards near-Earth objects. David says that while some researchers may have gripes with how a movie depicts the science of certain blockbuster films, the public’s attention is a finite resource – and a big Hollywood movie can be a useful way to bring widespread attention to an issue otherwise overlooked.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at [email protected].

In this episode of From the Crows’ Nest, host Ken Miller is joined by returning guest Duncan McCrory from the Freeman Air & Space Institute at King’s College London to unpack concerns of a Chinese escalation in the Pacific to reunification with Taiwan — and what this move could mean for the United States and alliances around the world.McCrory says that defense experts have focused on 2027, known as the “Davidson Window,” following reports from the U.S. Intelligence Community that Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered its military to be ready to invade Taiwan in 2027. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is the largest military force in the world with 2 million active-duty soldiers. McCrory says a successful invasion of Taiwan from China could weaken alliances and have devastating economic impacts on the United States… but a miscalculated intervention could introduce direct conflict with one of the biggest superpowers in the world.To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at [email protected].

As August kicks off and summer hits full swing, From the Crows’ Nest takes a step back from its usual format for a special Q&A episode. Host Ken Miller is joined in the studio by Voxtopica producer Laura Krebs to answer questions from listeners and the (very real) studio audience. The conversation touches on topics like EMSO’s role in future global conflicts, what to watch from the latest World Radio Conference, and even the lighter side of the spectrum—like what kind of mascot might best represent the field. Ken also shares some insights on the Indo-Pacific region and weighs in on today’s fast-changing security environment. It’s a relaxed but thought-provoking episode that brings fresh perspective to some of the big questions facing EMSO today. To learn more about today’s topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage. We also invite you to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future episodes by emailing host Ken Miller at [email protected].