AOC Announces 2026 Future 5 Award Winners

Five early-career standouts have been named the AOC Educational Foundation’s 2026 Future 5, an annual honor that spotlights emerging talent pushing the boundaries of electromagnetic warfare, spectrum operations, and information operations. From cloud modernization to open-architecture design, this year’s cohort reflects the breadth of skill driving the field forward.

Selected for their technical achievements and their vision for where the community is headed, the honorees are already shaping the future of defense.

Future 5 award winners will be honored at the 2026 AOC International Symposium & Convention, December 8-10 in National Harbor, MD.

Connecting Legacy Systems to Modern Infrastructure

Barrett Batten has built an early career spanning legacy EW systems, data analytics, and cloud-enabled defense infrastructure. His work supporting the AN/ALQ-161A Countermeasure System and efforts to modernize information infrastructure for the US Air Force and intelligence community earned him Northrop Grumman’s Rising Innovator award. Batten holds a bachelor’s degrees in computer science and cognitive science from the University of Georgia and is pursuing a master’s in computer science at Georgia Tech. He aims to help scale a defense technology company that strengthens the US industrial base and delivers electromagnetic superiority to the US and its allies.

Driving Standardization Across the EW Industry

Griffin Murphy has taken on a leadership role in the SOSA Consortium’s Hardware Acceleration Environment Subcommittee, working to reduce vendor lock and speed technology integration across the industry. His proudest achievement was leading a joint project that packaged SwRI firmware into encrypted, portable form for successful use on a third-party system during flight test. Murphy holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Mercer University. He aims to become an industry leader in developing and maintaining EW standards that let new technology reach the warfighter faster.

Merging RF and Photonics for Spectrum Dominance

Brooke Sapolsky of Critical Frequency Design leads efforts to integrate photonics into next-generation EW systems. As lead microwave photonics engineer, she guided a six-person team through the design and testing of Jammer Hammer, a wideband interference cancellation system that expanded receiver dynamic range a thousandfold in strong-interference conditions. Sapolsky holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Florida and a master’s in optics and photonics from UCF. She hopes to become a chief engineer who bridges RF, photonics, and system architecture, establishing photonics as a core enabler of spectrum dominance.

Modernizing Mission-Critical Tools

Victoria Evelina Teran of the 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron co-led Project Event Horizon, migrating her squadron’s VBA-based tools to a new Python data architecture after the Air Force discontinued VBA macro support. The effort produced the 350th SWG’s first NIPR-to-SIPR cross-domain solution and earned Teran Category II Civilian of the Year honors. She holds degrees in mathematics and interdisciplinary data science. Teran’s long-term goal is to become chief engineer of her squadron and eventually move into a Senior Executive Service position.

Building Open, Adaptable Architectures

Nicole Vitale led an IRAD developing an open-system, hardware-agnostic EW/SIGINT/C5ISRT architecture. She most recently led her team through a week-long demonstration campaign at Lockheed Martin’s Wayfinder facility in Honolulu, presenting to more than 50 customers. Vitale holds a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering. Her ultimate goal is to become a chief engineer who both advances warfighter-focused technology and mentors the next generation of engineers.

About the AOC Educational Foundation

The AOC Educational Foundation supports students and veterans pursuing careers in electromagnetic warfare and spectrum operations through scholarships and educational programs, advancing the mission of the Association of Old Crows.