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In May, the chapter and IDC Portugal organized the seminar Cybersecurity Forum: Security Challenges in the Third Platform at the Joint Defense Institute (IESM) in Lisbon, Portugal. The event attracted more than 200 attendees, including members of the armed and security forces, government organizations, academia, research centers and industry. The forums main objective was to address the strategies and the most current cybersecurity topics in the new technological paradigm based on cloud, mobility, big data and social business technologies. The opening session included Rear Adm. João Valente dos Santos, PRT NA, deputy director of IESM; Rear Adm. Mario C. Durao, PRT NA (Ret.), chapter president, and Gabriel Coimbra of IDC Portugal. Jose Carlos Martins, coordinator of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCS), delivered the keynote address, which described the organization and its competencies, objectives and projects. In the first session, Timóteo Figueiró, research and consulting manager for IDC Portugal, presented the trends in information security and the security challenges, stressing that the third platform will increase vulnerabilities. Christian Patrascu, director of product management for Oracle Corporation, discussed the new digital economys potential, and David Claudino of Indra in Portugal described the technology that should be used in cybersecurity. He also stressed the importance of training people at all levels of an enterprise in cybersecurity. The second session started with a presentation by Maj. Gen. Arnaut Moreira, PRT A, director of the armys biggest and oldest cybersecurity exercise in Portugal. Gen. Moreira described the objectives and the mechanics of the exercise, inviting all the companies present at the seminar to join the next exercise in November. Enrique Martin, Cybersecurity Excellence Center director, Telvent Global Services, and Marc Sarrias, regional sales manager IBERIA, Palo Alto Networks, delivered the vision of their companies on cybersecurity. The law of cybersecurity was presented by Sofia Casimiro of Vieira de Almeida and Associates Consulting. Finally, Col. Luis Camelo, PRT A, chief of the Cyberdefense Center, explained the view of the armed forces on cybersecurity.
In April, Cmdr. Andrew P. DeMonte, USN, command electronic warfare officer, Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (JEMSO) Office, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, spent time with the chapter discussing the JEMSO Office. Cmdr. DeMonte clarified that to control and manage the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) will require a new way of thinking and ultimately a change in doctrine to facilitate this new way of coordinating operations. He touched on the doctrine and concepts, discussing the relevant joint publications and how they have evolved to adequately address EMS operations. The commander displayed an EMS operational view (OV-1) chart and discussed the different facets of assuring EMS superiority. He talked about the Joint Concept for Electromagnetic Spectrum Operation (JCEMSO) framework and that establishing EMS superiority is an essential and decisive aspect of all joint operations. Cmdr. DeMonte concluded by sharing the J3E focus and initiatives with the overarching objective of developing a unified and coherent approach to JEMSO across the Defense Department.
The chapter presented an award to U.S. Coast Guard Academy Cadet Daniel Siders during a May ceremony held at the academys Leamy Hall Auditorium, New London, Connecticut. Cadet Siders is graduating and being commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Coast Guard and reporting to USCGC Venturous in St. Petersburg, Florida.<br>
The chapter wrapped up its small business speaker series with its April luncheon. Panelists included Tom Krusemark, Small Business Administration; Jean Smith, Air Force Materiel Command director of small business, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; Bill Cox, Procurement Technical Assistance Center; Debbie Tankersley, Northrop Grumman; and David Judson, JJR Solutions. Three enlisted service members also were presented chapter scholarships, and Srujal Sheth, chapter membership vice president, announced that the chapter has more than 550 members. The luncheon highlighted the chapters current and upcoming events. The chapter is preparing for a busy spring and summer. The Young AFCEANs (YACs) will continue their Power Breakfasts, which spotlight a local speaker on current business and government topics. They also will be continuing with their Fallen Warrior Park beautification project at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Daniel J. Curtis Memorial Golf Tournament will be held in June at the Walnut Grove Country Club, Beavercreek, Ohio. This charity event memorializes the former chapter president and supports the chapters educational scholarship fund for its local technical students.
The chapter was fortunate to have Col. Lisa Y. Stevenson, USAF, vice commander, 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, as the guest speaker at its May luncheon. Col. Stevenson delivered an informative presentation on the roles, missions and outstanding people of the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) community. She provided insight on how the airmen assigned to the 480th ISR Wing deliver time-dominant fusion and big data analytics globally to significantly improve lethality and reduce the time to close the kill chain.
The chapters Young AFCEAN Council was in full force assisting students at Calvary Christian Academy in Hampton, Virginia, with its Hour of Code event in May. This was an opportunity for young students to learn the basic concepts of computer science using drag-and-drop programming, repeat loops, conditionals and basic algorithms. The Angry Birds and Bad Piggies tutorials encouraged creativity and problem-solving skills. The chapter received numerous accolades from the children, parents and school administrators for its support. The Hour of Code is supported by President Barack Obama, and CEOs from Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Disney, Bing and YouTube joined the initiative that aims to give every child the opportunity to learn computer science to prepare them for any future career.
At NITEC 2015, a collaborative venture between the NATO Communications and Information Agency and AFCEA Europe in May in Madrid, the AFCEA booth was manned by Lt. Col. José Gorgulho, PRT AF, chapter vice president. Col. Gorgulho shared the value of AFCEA and raised funds for the Robert Howell Memorial Educational Fund. The president and CEO of AFCEA International, Lt. Gen. Robert M. Shea, USMC (Ret.), visiting the exhibition area, recognized the chapters efforts and, with Rear Adm. Carlos Rodolfo, PRT NA (Ret.), regional vice president Atlantic Region, thanked Rear Adm. Mario Durao, PRT NA (Ret.), chapter president, and Col. Gorgulho.
In May, the chapter and IDC Portugal organized the seminar Cybersecurity Forum: Security Challenges in the Third Platform at the Joint Defense Institute (IESM) in Lisbon, Portugal. The event attracted more than 200 attendees, including members of the armed and security forces, government organizations, academia, research centers and industry. The forums main objective was to address the strategies and the most current cybersecurity topics in the new technological paradigm based on cloud, mobility, big data and social business technologies. The opening session included Rear Adm. João Valente dos Santos, PRT NA, deputy director of IESM; Rear Adm. Mario C. Durao, PRT NA (Ret.), chapter president, and Gabriel Coimbra of IDC Portugal. Jose Carlos Martins, coordinator of the National Cybersecurity Center (NCS), delivered the keynote address, which described the organization and its competencies, objectives and projects. In the first session, Timóteo Figueiró, research and consulting manager for IDC Portugal, presented the trends in information security and the security challenges, stressing that the third platform will increase vulnerabilities. Christian Patrascu, director of product management for Oracle Corporation, discussed the new digital economys potential, and David Claudino of Indra in Portugal described the technology that should be used in cybersecurity. He also stressed the importance of training people at all levels of an enterprise in cybersecurity. The second session started with a presentation by Maj. Gen. Arnaut Moreira, PRT A, director of the armys biggest and oldest cybersecurity exercise in Portugal. Gen. Moreira described the objectives and the mechanics of the exercise, inviting all the companies present at the seminar to join the next exercise in November. Enrique Martin, Cybersecurity Excellence Center director, Telvent Global Services, and Marc Sarrias, regional sales manager IBERIA, Palo Alto Networks, delivered the vision of their companies on cybersecurity. The law of cybersecurity was presented by Sofia Casimiro of Vieira de Almeida and Associates Consulting. Finally, Col. Luis Camelo, PRT A, chief of the Cyberdefense Center, explained the view of the armed forces on cybersecurity.
A ceremonial launch of the Glossary of Cyber Security was held in May during the Fair of Defence and Security Technologies IDET 2015 in Brno. This third extended and amended edition was published by an editorial team in cooperation with the Police Academy of the Czech Republic in Prague and the chapter under the auspices of the National Security Authority of the Czech Republic and the National Cyber Security Centre. Attending the launch were co-authors Petr Jirasek and Josef Pozar; Josef Strelec, chapter president; and editor Milan Kny of the Police Academy in Prague. Additionally, Luděk Novák and Karel Vavruka participated in the revision and translation of the glossary. The glossary is distributed both in print and electronic formats (visit www.afcea.cz).
The chapter and its working group on cybersecurity actively supported the international Security Trends conference that opened the International Defence and Security Technologies Fair IDET 2015 in May in Brno. Martin Stropnický, minister of defense of the Czech Republic; Maj. Gen. Jiri Baloun, CZA, first deputy of the Czech army chief of staff; and Dusan Navratil, director of the National Security Authority of the Czech Republic, addressed the conference. Representatives of EDA, Europol EC3, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Czech Fire Rescue Service and NATO attended the conference. The conference program committee, led by Petr Jirasek, chairman, Czech Cyber Security Working Group, prepared an exclusive program divided into three topics: the security situation in Europe; cybersecurity; and state critical infrastructure and the protection of citizens. It was a solemn opening of the technical accompanying program of IDET and confirmed the high standard of events supported by AFCEA.
Tom Patterson, vice president and general manager of Unisys Global Security Solutions, gave the chapters May Lunch and Learn presentation on advanced approaches to old security problems at the Gordon Conference and Catering Center, Fort Gordon, Georgia.
The chapter held its annual Fellowship Awards banquet in May at the Burlington Marriott Hotel. John Barrette, board chairman, Educational Foundation, presided as master of ceremonies. Scholarships of $1,000 were awarded to 28 exceptional high school seniors pursuing undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Nine corporate sponsorsDraper Laboratory, General Dynamics, Jacobs Engineering, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, The MITRE Corporation, P3I Incorporated, The Raytheon Company, Booz Allen Hamilton and Gemini Industriesparticipated in the Fellowship Awards program by providing each student with a paid summer internship to afford them practical STEM experience before entering college. Ed Barrettson of the late Gilbert Barrett, founder of the awards programassisted Barrette in presenting the Gilbert A. Barrett Award to Jacqueline Chea, Nashua High School, New Hampshire. This award carries an additional $1,000 scholarship for the top-ranked student among the award recipients. Guest speaker Steve Coughlin, vice president, secured network and advanced technology solutions, General Dynamics, provided practical advice to the students about how important their STEM education will be to their future economic and professional success in todays global economy. Event corporate sponsors included Google (premiere sponsor); General Dynamics; Northrop Grumman; Oasis Systems; P3I; Raytheon; MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Boeing; and Lockheed Martin.
The chapter hosted a speaker series breakfast in May at Waxy O'Connor's, Lexington, Massachusetts. Dr. William A. LaPlante, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, spoke to a packed audience of government and industry representatives about initiatives to improve systems acquisition and his top priorities. These include the F-35, KC-46A and the Long-Range Strike Bomber; acquisition transparency and bending the cost curve; owning the technical baseline; better buying power; and strategic agility. He also emphasized the importance of building open architectures to facilitate experimentation and implementation of new applications quickly and to allow warfighter adaptability to use systems in ways not originally envisioned to counter adversaries.<br>
The chapters May luncheon featured Dr. Eileen Bjorkman, a member of the Senior Executive Service, deputy to the director of air, space and information operations, Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. She advises the operations director in shaping the work force and infrastructure for operations to test, field and sustain war-winning capabilities. The directorate is responsible for developmental test and evaluation (DT&E) infrastructure for AFMC. As the directorates senior civilian, she oversees all test-center activities. She focused on the sweeping changes in information security to cybersecurity. The luncheon corporate sponsors were AT&T, Evanhoe and Associates, JJR Solutions, Northrop Grumman and Segue Technologies. JJR Solutions sponsored the corporate raffle for the scholarship fund.
The Bonn Tech Expo in May was a great success. Visitors were able to speak with 127 vendors. Technology ranged from civilian to military sectors in a very wide array of capabilities. Static displays were shown as well as functional demonstrations. Members gained knowledge of future concepts as well as current day-to-day cyber operations.
At an April event, Jeff Ramby of EMC discussed the importance of planning for the failure of data storage systems though the combined use of cloud, local and off-site data backups. After his presentation, Ramby was presented with an AFCEA polo shirt from Lt. Col. Nicholas Kozdras, USAF, chapter president.
In May, the chapters Young AFCEANs had the opportunity to tour the Defense Information Systems Agency Pacific Command (DISA-PAC) facilities. DISA-PAC provides regional management, operational direction and maintenance of assigned portions of the Global Information Grid (GIG) and command, control and communications (C3) information systems operations in the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas. The Young AFCEAN group received a behind-the-scenes look at the DISA-PAC enterprise operations center that manages communication links for military networks throughout the Pacific.
The chapter was honored to welcome June keynote speaker Capt. Cliff Bean, USN, commander, National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) Hawaii. Capt. Bean addressed the topic of cybersecurity as a commodity, identifying multiple trends and discussing the impact from a business perspective both to Hawaii and globally. He spoke of the importance of developing local talent, the benefits of a diverse work force and the partnerships that have been formed between government organizations and schools in Hawaii. Capt. Bean also mentioned the advantage that the ohana (family) spirit brings in forming the tight-knit team needed in these partnerships. Outstanding June awardees are Young AFCEAN Henry Inocencio, Defense Information Systems Agency Pacific Command; AFCEAN Larry Cox, U.S. Pacific Command J-8; and Executive George Gagne, POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
A principal software architect for Cisco Systems spoke to the chapter in May about cyber and its ingredients. Andrew Benhase touted the Global Positioning System as the worldwide source for the precise timing signal needed to make cyber work. To modernize and standardize the cyber systems in the Department of Defense, 130 teams of cyber specialists are being sent to the various department installations. Benhase related that use of cloud computing will reduce the amount of hardware needed in a location. He remarked that the CIA is using the cloud. Because much data is short-lived, commercial encryption is being used in some applications. In chapter activities, President Dave Bryant asked members for nominations to the board of officers being elected in August.
The chapter welcomed the 2015-16 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) scholarship award winners and their parents to its June monthly luncheon with keynote speaker Capt. Kevin Hill, USN, commander, Afloat Training Group Atlantic. Arthur Hernandez, chapter vice president of education, presented.