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Professional Development Short Courses
These short courses were offered virtually on 16 November 2020 in conjunction with the first-ever virtual 2020 Directed Energy Systems Symposium. Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits were awarded for completion of the
short courses but not the workshop.
See also Course Registration & Fees at the end of this page.
Course 1. Systems Engineering and Directed Energy Systems
Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C
Instructor: Bill Decker, WMD Consulting
Duration: Half-day course, runs 0800-1200
CEUs awarded: 0.35
Course Description: The course will include a short overview of the DoD Systems Engineering Process and then discuss how to address the challenge of the systems engineer of a directed energy program. The challenges of addressing the alternative approaches will be discussed.
This course is designed to provide a better understanding of the DoD Systems Engineering Process and align
DE programs to it, to increase their likelihood of fielding to the Warfighter. At the end of the
course, attendees will be better able to direct their programs such that they are consistent with the DoD SE processes
and can integrate smoothly with existing and future DoD weapons systems.
Topics include:
- SE and Requirements/User Interaction
- Systems Architecture and its application to DE Systems
- Systems Engineering in the Technology Demonstration Phase
- Government Role (S&T and Acquisition Staffs)
- Contractor Role
- For Systems and Sub-systems
- SE at the Preliminary Design Review/Milestone B
- SE at the Critical Design Review
- Testing and SE
- Sustainment and SE
Intended Audience: This course should assist engineers and program manager who desire an overview of DE systems engineering. An engineering degree is optimal but not required.
Instructor Biography: Mr. Decker served twenty years in the US Army, including assignments as a Physics Instructor at the US Military Academy and as Research and Development Coordinator at the Army’s Night Vision and Electro-Optics Laboratory. Since his retirement, he has held management positions at ITT Night Vision, the University of Texas Applied Research Laboratory and at L-3 Brashear. He recently retired as the Director, Technology Transition Center of Excellence at the Defense Acquisition University, where he also taught engineering and science and technology management courses. Mr. Decker is a graduate of Cornell University and the Naval Postgraduate School.
Course 2. HEL Modeling CANCELLED- Will be offered Spring 2021
Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C
Instructor: Linda Lamberson, LinMar Analytics, LLC.
Duration: Half-day course, runs 0800-1200
CEUs awarded: 0.35
Course Description: This course will provide a survey of modeling and simulation tools used in HEL system analysis and how they can be used together at every level of the modeling and simulation (M&S) pyramid. The course will include a description of HEL modeling tools in three levels of M&S to include: 1) Engineering/Physics, 2) Engagement, and 3) Mission. Each of these areas will be covered during the half-day course with an emphasis on end-to-end system modeling, model fidelity/complexity trade-offs, examples of specific types of analysis applications, and operational considerations necessary to represent HEL capabilities accurately in engagement and mission-level environments. At the end of the course, the student should expect to gain a familiarity with the broad scope of HEL modeling, many of the existing tools, and examples of how to use them together for various types of analytical applications.
Topics to be covered include:
- Survey of many existing HEL modeling tools
- Methods to use the tools together to perform end-to-end system modeling
- Overview of the levels of the M&S pyramid and how to use them for different analysis objectives
- Operational considerations necessary to accurately represent HEL capabilities in engagement and mission-level environments
Intended Audience: US Government personnel and their contractors who are interested in methods and tools to assess realistic end-to-end HEL system performance through available modeling and simulation tools. The course is designed for systems engineers, operations research analysts, program managers or technologists who are interested in learning the applications of modeling and simulation techniques to evaluate HEL system performance and operational effectiveness. Technical managers or professionals with experience in HEL systems or individuals who are beginning to work in the field would benefit from the class.
Instructor Biography:Ms. Linda Lamberson is a career Military Operations Research Analyst with over 35 years of experience in system effectiveness assessment, simulation and modeling, system capability and utility analysis, systems engineering, and development planning for acquisition programs of record. After completing 34 years of service as an Air Force civilian, Ms. Lamberson currently works as an independent consultant in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ms. Lamberson graduated from the University of West Florida with a BA in applied mathematics and received her MS in Management Science from Troy University. She served as a senior operations research analyst in the Directed Energy Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico from 2004 to 2017. Prior to coming to the Directed Energy Directorate, Ms. Lamberson spent more than 20 years working in systems engineering and acquisition support for the Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Florida.
Course 3. HPM End to End Modeling: Focus on ICEPIC Source Modeling and Galaxy Executions
Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C
Instructors:
- Dr. Jason Hammond, AFRL/RD
- Dr. Peter Mardahl, AFRL/RD
Duration: Half-day course, runs 0800-1200
CEUs awarded: 0.35
Course Description: By the end of this class a student will know background of Galaxy and ICEPIC and how to obtain access to the software. The student will have a good idea on the types of HPM sources that ICEPIC can simulate and will have a good idea on the basic knowledge required to setup an ICEPIC input file. Example input files for simple configurations and one HPM source will be provided as well. In addition, setup for Galaxy parameter and optimization based parameter studies will be covered. Students will be shown the basic setup requirements and be supplied sample Galaxy/ICEPIC parameter studies. The students will also see how to execute and monitor these parameter studies on the DoD's High Performance Computers, in order to leverage the DoD's investment in world class supercomputing in order to design optimal HPM sources.
Topics include:
- Part 1: Overviews
- Galaxy Intro
- ICEPIC Intro
- Part II: Depth Setup
- ICEPIC Input File Components
- ICEPIC geometry visualization with COMET
- ICEPIC post-processing and VISIT visualization
- Galaxy Setup for ICEPIC optimization
- Galaxy Execution
- Galaxy results visualization and data analysis
Intended Audience: Anyone with interest in modeling and simulation will benefit from Part I of this course where we'll describe the capabilities and distribution of the modeling tools. Since Galaxy is a general framework for modeling and simulation anyone can benefit from using it for their M&S needs.
The second part of the course is meant more for someone who wants to know the specific details of setting up HPM source models and running the models on supercomputers.
Instructor Biographies: Dr. Jason Hammond: Received PhD in Applied Math from University of Colorado in 2013. Started working in the Numerical Simulation group of the High Power Electromagnetic Division of AFRL in 2014 working on algorithm development and implementation in ICEPIC. He became the principal investigator for the Directed Energy Software Institute (DESI) in 2016 where he manages the development, distribution, and training of the Galaxy software suite.
Dr. Peter Mardahl: PhD in Electrical Engineering from University of California, 2002: at Air Force Research Laboratory's High Power Electromagnetic Division since. Developer of several GW-class HPM sources using ICEPIC, and pioneered the integration of tools that eventually became Galaxy. Now the Technical Advisor for the Effects and Modeling branch of the HPEM Division at AFRL.
Course 4. Introduction to Counter DEW
Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution D
Instructors: Dr. Keith Slinker, AFRL
Duration:Half-day course, runs 0800-1200
CEUs awarded: 0.35
Course Description: This course provides an introduction to the field of counter-DEW; specifically this course will discuss the basic scientific aspects of protecting systems from DEW and review technologies available to counter the effects of DEW on various types of systems. Future research directions in counter-DEW technology will also be discussed. This course is intended to be an introduction to the subject and is intended to provide the attendee with a basic understanding of the technologies, issues and solutions surrounding efforts to counter directed energy weapon systems. At the end of the course you should have an understanding of (1) the basic operation & effects of directed energy weapons, (2) material hardening approaches, (3) atmospheric propagation effects & use in countering DEW, (4) operational techniques for counter-DEW, and (5) research directions for counter-DEW.
Topics include:
- Review of DEW
- Sensor Hardening
- Propagation Effects
- Operational Techniques
- Directions in C-DEW
Intended Audience: This course is intended for for engineers, scientists, system analysts, program managers, and military planners. Familiarity with basic optics and physics, such as that found in a two semester university level introductory physics course is beneficial.
Instructor Biography: Dr. Keith Slinker is a research physicist in the Composites Materials Branch, Structural Materials Division, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio working in the area of Survivability and Protection. Dr. Slinker performs hands on research and external program management on the interaction of high energy lasers and microwaves with structural materials and the development of new materials tailored to those interactions. He is active in the counter directed energy (CDEW) community, collaborating with members of industry, the Army Research Laboratory, and the Office of Naval Research.
Dr. Slinker's background is in physics, multifunctional composite materials, and embedded sensors. Prior to recently joining the Materials Directorate as a government civilian, he worked as a senior scientist for Universal Technology Corporation and supervised a team of researchers developing multifunctional composite materials. Before UTC, Dr. Slinker worked for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics for seven years developing novel materials and manufacturing methods for improved structural, electromagnetic, or multifunctional performance and affordability.
Course 5. Atmospheric Laser Propagation
Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C
Instructors:
- Dr. Steven Fiorino, AFIT
- Ms. Jaclyn Schmidt, AFIT
Duration: Half-day course, runs 1300-1700
CEUs awarded: 0.35
Course Description: This course addresses how to characterize and quantify the major effects of the atmosphere on directed energy weapons propagation. A first principles atmospheric propagation and characterization code called the Laser Environmental Effects Definition and Reference (LEEDR) is described and demonstrated. LEEDR enables the creation of climatologically- or numerical weather prediction (NWP)-derived vertical profiles of temperature, pressure, water vapor content, optical turbulence, and atmospheric particulates and hydrometeors as they relate to line-by-line or band-averaged layer
extinction coefficient magnitude at any wavelength from 200 nm to 8.6 m. Applying those atmospheric effects to High Energy Lasers (HELs) is addresses by introducing and demonstrating a high-fidelity scaling-law HEL propagation coded called the High Energy Laser End-to-End Operational Simulation HELEEOS.
Topics to be covered include:
- Intro to atmospheric structure and constituents
- Atmospheric boundary layer
- Aerosol/ fog/ clouds
- Atmospheric radiative / propagation effects
- Extinction, refraction
- Optical turbulence, scintillation
- Laser Environmental Effects Definition and Reference (LEEDR)
- HEL thermal blooming effects in the atmosphere
- Optics, beam control: turbulence / thermal blooming compensation
- Coherent beam combining
- High Energy Laser End to End Operational Simulation (HELEEOS)
Intended Audience: US Government and UK MOD personnel and their direct contractors who have program requirements for or are interested in methods and tools to assess realistic environments and environmental effects for HEL modeling and simulation, HEL mission planning, and/or military systems operations. The course assumes the students have some technical background in radiative transfer through the atmosphere--either via an undergraduate degree or career experience.
Instructor Biographies: Steven T. Fiorino received his BS degrees from Ohio State (1987) and Florida State (1989), an MS degree in atmospheric dynamics (Ohio State, '93), and his PhD in physical meteorology (Florida State '02). He is a professor of Atmospheric Physics at AFIT and director, AFIT Center for Directed Energy. His research interests include microwave remote sensing, weather signal processing, and atmospheric effects on weapon systems. He is a member of SPIE, OSA, AMS, AIAA, and DEPS.
Jaclyn Schmidt received her BS degree in meteorology from the University of South Alabama in 2010. She is currently a research meteorologist at AFIT's Center for Directed Energy. Her research interests include numerical weather modeling and enhancements to atmospheric characterization tools to benefit directed energy and intelligence communities. She is a member of DEPS and AMS.
Course 6. High Power Microwave Directed Energy Weapons and Their Effects
Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution C
Instructor: John Tatum, SURVICE Engineering Company
Day/Time: Half-day course, runs 1300-1700
CEUs awarded: 0.35
Course Description: This course is an introductory course to High Power Radio Frequency/Microwave (HPM) Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) and their effects. The course will cover what HPM weapons are, types of weapons - Narrowband and Wideband, how HPM weapons are similar, but different from traditional Electronic Warfare (EW) Jammers and Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), how HPM energy couples in to a target's electronics and the potential effects. The course will also cover some of the basic modeling and simulation (M&S) tools for computing/estimating the probability of target failure as a function of weapon power density and range. Finally, we will talk about how to protect electronic systems against HPM weapons and show an example of how to determine hardening requirements for a notional helicopter system.
Topics include:
- What are HPM DEW weapons?
- Why Does the Warfighter Care About HPM DEWs?
- What are the Types of HPM DEWs?
- How are HPM DEWs similar to EW and EMP, but different?
- How Does HPM DEW energy couple into a target?
- What are the Effects of HPM DEW?
- How can we Compute/Estimate the HPM DEW Level Required to Produce System Failure?
- How can we Protect our Systems Against HPM DEW Environments?
Intended Audience: This course is intended for those individuals that are looking for an introduction to High Power Microwave Directed Energy Weapons and their effects on target systems. The course assumes that the student has some science/engineering background and understands some Radio Frequency/Microwave theory and techniques.
Instructor Biography:
John T. Tatum is an electronic system's engineer with over 45 years of experience in Radar, Electronic Warfare (EW), Electromagnetic (EM) Effects and Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) and their effects. Mr. Tatum now works for the SURVICE Engineering Company as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) EW and Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapons (RF DEWs) and their effects. He also acts as a SME for the Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) and provides information on RF DEW technology and effects.
Before SURVICE, he worked for the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in Adelphi, Md. {formerly Harry Diamond Laboratories (HDL)} in ARL's RF Electronics Division for almost 37 years, where he directed and participated in High Power RF/Microwave (HPM) effects investigations on military systems and supporting infrastructure. Mr. Tatum also investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of RF DEW concepts for various Army applications. Mr. Tatum was the Army chairman of the RF DE Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manual (JMEM) Working Group and chaired RF Effects Panel for the OSD Technology Panel on DEW. He is a fellow of the Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS) and has published several papers on RF susceptibility assessments, system effects investigations and effects data bases in both DoD and IEEE conferences. In his spare time, Mr. Tatum volunteer teacher for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to elementary, middle and high school students.
Course 7. Design of Tests for Transitioning DE Weapon Systems to Acquisition Programs for Warfighter Fielding
Classification: Unclassified, Limited Distribution D
Instructors:
- Robert Newton, USAF, Retired
- Dan A. Isbell, USAF, Retired
Duration:Half-day course, runs 1300-1700
CEUs awarded: 0.35
Course Description:Test & Evaluation (T&E) of Directed Energy (DE) Systems is nothing new; however, the purpose of testing is changing.
DE's many decades of research focused testing is now transitioning to support programs of record that lead to fielded DE weapons systems. This
course is designed as an entry level short course where the instructors will briefly review the T&E processes and highlight applicable DoD guidance.
Since Directed Energy (DE) is a technology very different from the kinetic weapons that form the basis of DoD written guidance, the instructors will
apply the core T&E principles to DE weapon system development. This will include familiarization about methodologies along with unique test range
resources that are required for DE weapons T&E.
There are differences in DE T&E phases. For instance, laboratory Research and Development (R&D) T&E has a science and engineering focus. In contrast,
DE T&E for defense acquisition of fieldable DE weapons for warfighters has a more combat operational focus. The course will highlight the distinct
differences between these types of DE T&E to include the spectrum of R&D T&E, Developmental T&E (DT&E) and Operational T&E (OT&E).
The phases of DT&E and OT&E for DE weapon systems are the types of testing that lead to fielding a DE weapon system after it has been proven to
meet technical system performance requirements, military utility, and operational suitability requirements. These combat-relevant areas of T&E also
include Logistics T&E (LT&E), which are focused on validated reliability, maintainability, sustainability and other specific logistics requirements
that help to determine DE weapon system mission availability in a realistic combat environment.
The course will emphasize the need to consider integrated mission-level T&E for DE weapons, since the cost (in time and resources) is very high
if done in a sequential DT&E followed by OT&E, followed by LT&E (as was historically done for other types of systems). Live fire testing of DE weapon
systems is costly, and the resources are precious and few in terms of full-scale DE weapon systems test ranges and instrumentation. Careful design
of test principles can result in much more effective and efficient DE weapons T&E by integrating all the elements of DT&E, OT&E, and LT&E to the
maximum extent possible.
Intended Audience:To understand the material in this course, the attendee should have already completed DE 101, or have prior
familiarization with DE weapon systems.
Instructor Biographies: Robert (Bob) Newton is an advanced systems developer with nearly 20-year DE experience. Currently he leads a defense
technology company in applying his over 35 years of US Air Force and commercial industry experience. Beginning with a technical education in Aerospace
Engineering from The Ohio State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, his mission perspective comes from F-16 fighter and special
operations. He is an acquisition professional and test pilot with over 4500 hours in over 60 types of aircraft. His specific acquisition related
responsibilities involved F-16 performance / flying qualities / avionics / sensors / weapons flight test and airworthiness certification, F-22
program management, Air Force Material Command headquarters, Pentagon Air Staff, and industry. He has commanded flying units and is a veteran
of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM.
Dan Isbell brings a broad range of expertise and experience to the defense and technology industry with his 27 years of service in the US Air Force.
His insight comes from an educational background that includes a Master's degree in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, a
Master's degree in Human Resource Management from Troy State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Institute
of Technology. During his Air Force career he also completed flight school, test pilot school, Senior Acquisition Manager's course, Industrial College
of the Armed Forces and the professional military service schools.
Mr. Isbell's formal education and training founded his broad experience in aircraft and weapons airworthiness certification and program management,
business development and integration, technology and engineering, fighter aircraft and special operations. His positions include Chief, F-16 Systems
Program Office, Commander of 514th Flight Test Squadron, Operations Research Systems Analyst for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Program Analysis &
Evaluation, Air Vehicle Program Manager for F/A-22 Systems Program Office, Chief of Weapon System Sector and Technology Integration Lead for Battlefield
Air Operations Kit National Team.
| Course Fees |
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Single Half-day Course
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Two Half-day Courses
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| Flat rate |
$300
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$550
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Registration
To register for a short course separate from the 2020 Systems Symposium, select one of the following options.
If you plan to also register for the Systems Symposium, you may use the Systems
Symposium registration form instead.
- Complete this form to register on-line.
Note that on-line registration does not require on-line payment.
Some organizations have installed web filters that prevent on-line registration
from inside their facilities. If this appears to be true for you, please try again off-site
or use the registration option below.
- Print this registration form (in PDF format) and
follow the instructions provided.
Persons requesting cancellation through 21 September will receive a full refund. Cancellations after
21 September are subject to a $100 cancellation fee. No refunds will be given after 25 September.
Last updated: 24 November 2020
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