Garden State Chapter Recognizes Outstanding Achievements at Annual Summer Mixer

On August 20, the AOC Garden State Chapter hosted its annual Summer Mixer and EW Awards at the Shannon Rose in Clifton, N.J. Nearly 40 crows attended, including AOC National President Tony Lisuzzo and Garden State Board Director Mario Casabona. Proceeds supported the chapter’s scholarship fund, which provides annual awards to students pursuing STEM studies with an emphasis on electromagnetic warfare and electromagnetic spectrum operations.

The evening placed the spotlight on several exceptional awardees:

Talisman Sabre DiSCO Team – NJ Outstanding Team Achievement Award

The Talisman Sabre Distributed Spectrum Collaboration & Operations (DiSCO) Team received the NJ Outstanding Team Achievement Award for its groundbreaking work with L3Harris’ advanced DiSCO product. Designed for cloud-enabled signal detection, analysis, and data aggregation, DiSCO enables electromagnetic battle management (EMBM) at scale.

Key features include distributed architecture, real-time processing, scalability, interoperability, and advanced analytics. During recent exercises, the DiSCO team successfully executed numerous first-ever events such as RF fingerprinting, cognitive EW, and multi-domain operations across a cloud-connected mesh network.

Their accomplishments included flawless sensor performance, long-duration ISR missions, rapid relocation during unannounced amphibious operations to prevent platform loss, and resilient mission execution despite challenges. By fusing data from multiple intelligence disciplines, the team delivered timely and accurate battlespace updates, demonstrating operational excellence and adaptability.

The DiSCO Team’s ability to function as a forward-deployed quick reaction unit has significantly advanced the capabilities of the DiSCO architecture and set a new standard for future operational exercises.

Wesley Mierzwa – Rising Crow Award

Wesley Mierzwa was honored with the Rising Crow Award for his contributions to integration and test activities within Advanced Programs. For six years, Mierzwa has played key roles in flight test support for the Kearsarge family of programs and most recently served as Lead Systems Engineer for the K9 demonstration.

He has also been a vital contributor to the Duster effort, supporting customer needs during HIL and Pole testing, and has become a trusted expert in systems integration and lab operations at the ASTRO lab. Mierzwa has proven himself to be a valuable resource and leader providing integration and lab expertise to the many programs that traverse the ASTRO lab.

Luis Garrido and Samantha “Sam” Schattin – 2025 Future 5 Award Winners

The chapter also celebrated two of AOC’s 2025 Future 5 honorees, Luis Garrido and Samantha “Sam” Schattin. Each year, AOC highlights five rising professionals for their innovation, leadership, and contributions to EW, EMSO, and IO.

Luis and Sam, along with three additional Future 5 honorees, will be recognized at the 2025 AOC International Symposium & Convention, December 9–11 at the Gaylord National Harbor. This program honors and encourages the best and brightest young leaders in the industry.

The Garden State Chapter congratulated all the awardees and thanked its members for their continued support of AOC and its mission.