“We are so honored that our efforts to promote understanding of the EMS has been recognized by our friends and colleagues in the Association of Old Crows,” said Melinda Tourangeau, RVJ Institute Executive Director.
The AOC awards recognize those whose performance is specifically noted for furthering the aims of the Association of Old Crows (AOC) in support of the United States and/or Allied Electronic Warfare (EW), Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO), Cyber-Electromagnetic Activity (CEMA), and Information Operations (IO). Formal presentation of the awards occurs during this year’s 58th Annual AOC International Symposium & Convention in Washington, D.C. November 30 through December 2.
The two Tourangeaus, spouses and both former USAF officers, are being recognized for their contributions to the EMS community in three areas: for serving the AOC at the regional level, serving at the international level, and for standing up the RVJ Institute, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research center of excellence dedicated exclusively to advancing EMS knowledge holistically and empirically.
Mr. Steve “Tango” Tourangeau: The Hal Gershanoff Silver Medal Award
Tango is honored to be receiving the highest honor presented to a member of the AOC for service to the AOC. A member for 35 years, he has served as a member of the AOC Board of Governors, Vice-President of the Kittyhawk Chapter, and is currently in his fourth term as President of the Granite State Roost. Following retirement from the Air Force as a seasoned electromagnetic warfare (EW) officer, he founded Warrior Support Solutions to provide his EW expertise to the Department of Defense. More recently, Tango was the progenitor of the RVJ Institute and is co-founder with his wife, Melinda Tourangeau, and serves as Dean of the Institute.
The namesake of Tango’s award, Hal Gershanoff (1935-2008) was noted for exemplary service to the AOC for taking over the Journal of Electronic Defense (JED) in 1978 (now Journal of Electromagnetic Dominance) and for building it into a leading defense industry journal. Gershanoff was also noted for his work in building relationships both within the EW industry as well as within the larger EW community. Today Tango serves on the Editorial Board of JED and has developed relationships throughout the EMS enterprise, including developing a significant network of military, government, industry and university colleagues.
Mrs. Melinda Tourangeau: The John Clifford Award for the Advancement of the Electromagnetic Domain
Melinda is being honored for having “promoted and instilled advocacy and leadership in EW and EMSO.” In addition to her 12 years as an AOC member and serving as Secretary and Social Chair for the Granite State Roost, and is co-founder of the RVJ Institute where she serves as the Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Melinda’s award namesake, John M. Clifford [1933 – 2020], retired Royal Air Force (RAF) Wing Commander and AOC UK Chapter president, was known to have “worked tirelessly to advance the community’s conversation surrounding EW strategy and operations” at every stage of his career. Clifford served the RAF, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), and as a consultant and active leader within the AOC. Clifford was awarded the “Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)” by Her Majesty the Queen of England for his work in EW. He also wrote the UK MOD’s EW Policy which is still in use today. Melinda, like the namesake of her award, is working tirelessly to stand up and drive the RVJ Institute to serve as the preeminent international center of excellence for electromagnetic spectrum operations.
About the RVJ Institute
The Reginald Victor Jones Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity center of excellence (CoE) designed to advance the art and science of Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (EMSO) for the United States and her allies. Unlike traditional think/knowledge tanks, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and University Affiliated Research Centers that are devoted to many different disciplines, the RVJ Institute is the only CoE in the world focused solely on EMSO. It is the one-stop-shop and go-to authority for erudite EMS related research, studies, and analysis that will forge success in the invisible frontier.
Additional information on the RVJ Institute can be found at https://rvjinstitute.org/ or by calling Melinda Tourangeau at +1 (603) 459-3151 or emailing her at mtourangeau@rvjinstitute.org
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