Cognitive Electronic Warfare: Beyond AI-Enabled Systems (Workshop | Online)

This presentation introduces Cognitive Electronic Warfare (CogEW) as the next step in the evolution of AI-enabled radiofrequency (RF) systems. CogEW unifies the principles of cognitive radio, cognitive radar, and cognitive electronic warfare (EW). These systems share the same goal: perceiving, deciding, and acting in dynamic and uncertain electromagnetic environments in real time. This presentation will illustrate how AI techniques such as situation assessment, decision-making, and machine learning are applied across RF domains and explain what makes EW uniquely demanding. Unlike many AI applications, EW systems must learn from novel experiences during the mission itself without human supervision, often from a single observation. This requires self-supervised, reinforcement-driven adaptation on operational timescales. Consequently, traditional validation approaches often fall short. The focus must shift from validating static models to validating the learning process itself. This talk will discuss the implications for test infrastructure, including the need for automated, closed-loop, multi-resolution testing, and methods for assessing the effectiveness of learned actions. It draws material from the book Cognitive Electronic Warfare: An Artificial Intelligence Approach, highlighting the promise and practical challenges of deploying cognitive systems.

In this webinar, you will learn how to/learn more about:

• How cognitive systems perceive the environment and take actions to achieve goals.
• How traditional approaches to EW are failing and automated learning improve performance in novel RF environments.
• Machine learning (ML) vs. Cognitive Training
• Information flow in a cognitive system
• Testing for cognitive systems with focus on the process

Speaker: Dr. Karen Haigh, Cognitive Electronic Warfare Expert
Dr. Karen Haigh is an expert consultant specializing in cognitive electronic warfare (EW) and embedded artificial intelligence (AI). She focuses on physical systems with limited communication and computational resources that must be performed under strict real-time requirements. She recently co-authored the book Cognitive EW: An AI Approach with Julia Andrusenko. Dr. Haigh was a pioneer in three fields that are now common around the globe: (1) closed-loop planning and machine learning for autonomous robots, (2) smart homes for older adult care, and (3) cognitive radio frequency (RF) systems.

She is a frequent presenter to academic and military audiences worldwide and has created online content on embedded AI for mission-critical systems, rapid in-mission learning, and AI assurance. Her course on Cognitive EW is available through the Association of Old Crows. Dr. Haigh has over 30 years of experience in the aerospace industry and has worked for Honeywell, BBN Technologies, L3, and Mercury Systems.

Eventdatum: Dienstag, 10. März 2026 13:00 – 14:00

Eventort: Online