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INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER NEWS [Signal](Signal Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) EDITORIAL POLICY: Chapter News must be received by the 20th of the month two months prior to publication date. Alamo YACs Launch New Semiannual Event Inspired by events during the annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, the chapter's Young AFCEANs launched a new type of networking event, dubbed an "Office Crawl," in May. With a double-decker bus on loan from a local British pub, YAC leader Emily Rausch led a group of about two dozen folks, both active-duty personnel and civilians, on a tour of seven government services and defense contracting companies located along a central business corridor in San Antonio: INDUS Corporation, Diligent Consulting Incorporated, ISHPI Information Technologies, AIS, SRA, LMI and Lockheed Martin. The inaugural Office Crawl was part open house, part networking, part job fair and part happy hour for those involved. Corporate representatives met with potential teaming partners and job candidates; military personnel learned more about potential career opportunities in the civilian sector; and young information technology workers gained broader perspectives on the industry as a whole. University of Texas Cadets Receive AFCEA Awards Chapter member Nate Titus presented awards to two cadets during the Air Force ROTC Detachment 825 annual awards ceremony in May at the University of Texas in Austin. The Honor Certificate Award, which recognizes achievements in leadership and academics, went to Cadet Justin Gallenstein. The Maj. Gen. Robert E. Sadler Award, which goes to the top student based on a combination of acaaemic success, community involvement, leadership ability and peer ranking, went to Cadet Rufei Wang, who lived in China and Germany before immigrating to the United States at age 11. Cadet Wang is a double major in engineering and biochemistry. Both recipients "are stellar young men who embody dependability, character, military discipline, leadership and patriotic appreciation," the detachment commander, Col. Jeffrey Staha, USAF, said in a thank-you letter to Titus, a retired colonel who is part of the chapter's scholarships and educational grants committee. AFISRA Adds to Alamo Ranks In April, the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (AFISRA) opened its doors to a handful of Alamo AFCEA board members for a special presentation coinciding with the AFCEA International membership drive. About 60 AFISRA personnel met for refreshments and a discussion on the benefits of membership and value the chapter provides for building a career, both within and outside the military. Some 23 new members joined AFCEA after seeing presentations that placed special emphasis on continuing education and professional development opportunities, free training and certification tracks offered at the annual chapter event (ACE), career mentoring, networking and transition support. Belvoir PEO-EIS CIO Addresses a Full House Hari Bezwada, chief information officer, Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems, was the guest speaker for the chapter's monthly luncheon in April at the Fort Belvoir Officers' Club. Bezwada gave a general information briefing with topics including: data center strategy, Joint Regional Security Stacks updates, strategies for addressing connectivity/NEC at camps, posts and installations, partnering with industry and general time lines for rollouts of information technology solutions. The briefing was well received by the audience and was followed by a question-andanswer period and a receiving line for individual questions. Bonn e.V. Looking for More Cybersecurity The chapter and Behoerden Spiegel offered a well-received forum at CeBIT 2014, the world's largest information technology show, in March in Hannover, Germany. Experts from federal law enforcement agencies, the Ministry of Defense, a political security think tank and information technology security companies discussed the future of cybersecurity in a world of organized crime and boundless espionage. The event raised the question, "How do we defend the digital society?" Cyberdefense has to become better, faster and more reliable, panelists agreed. Yet, there is a challenge between secure communications and the possibility to defend systems and track down offenders. Some of the experts argued that more regulation would not work. For spies and offenders, the risk to get caught and the publicity has to increase. Dayton-Wright Chapter Begins Spring with Membership Mixer The chapter kicked off the spring season with its membership appreciation event that drew 70 attendees. The May luncheon speaker was David Drake, technical director, Communications and Information Directorate, National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. NASIC is the Air Force and Department of Defense center of excellence for all-source air and space intelligence. It supports Air Force and joint operational, acquisition and policy-making customers at the national intelligence community level. The Communications and Information Directorate is responsible for procuring, developing, operating and maintaining leading-edge communications and information multimedia and application systems for NASIC. It comprises 270 personnel controlling $ 150 million in hardware and software. As technical director, Drake serves as the senior adviser to the commander on all technical aspects of NASICs information technology structure. Greater Omaha Chapter Learns About Space Weather In April, Maj. Jeff Gipson, USAF, director of operations, 2nd Weather Squadron, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, discussed space weather with the chapter. Maj. Gipson clarified that military operations have become reliant on data systems using elaborate depictions of weather to accomplish their missions. Maj. Gipson elaborated on different space weather impacts like direct radiation, geomagnetic storms, particle events and scintillation. He said scintillation affects ground-to-ground communications, and operators require tactical patience to realize not all effects are being perpetrated by adversaries but are the direct effect of space weather. Maj. Gipson touched on geomagnetically induced currents like the Carrington storm of 1859, where massive electromagnetic interference resulted in the melting of electric lines. The major pointed out that this event highlights the need to be properly prepared, using circuit breakers and anti-corrosive pipelines whenever feasible. In parting, he talked about the benefit of using models to predict/project the effects of space weather. Hawaii Luncheon Features Speed Networking In April, participants made many new connections during the second annual speed-networking luncheon modeled after speed dating. In addition, the chapter recognized outgoing officers for their outstanding commitment and service: Jeff Bloom, executive vice president; James Muller, vice president of membership; 1st I.t. Daniel Trujillo, USAF, vice president of ++awards; and Farrah Burke, secretary. Nearly all will continue to serve the chapter in other executive capacities. The chapter's Students of the Month were Corey Snider and Janiene Scovell, both of Radford High School. The F.xecutive Leader of the Month was Robert "Bob" Lietzke, principal, Booz Allen Hamilton. AFCEAN of the Month was Bloom, business development, AvePoint Public Sector. Lt. Trujillo, officer in charge, messaging and collaboration services at Detachment 1, 561 Network Operations Squadron, was recognized as the Young AFCEAN of the Month. The chapter congratulates and thanks its awardees for tneir ongoing service. Lexington-Concord Chapter Holds Fellowship Awards Banquet The chapter held its annual Fellowship Awards banquet in May at the Burlington Marriott Hotel, Massachusetts. John Barrette, board chairman, Educational Foundation, presided as master of ceremonies. Scholarships of $1,000 were awarded to 25 exceptional high school seniors pursuing undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Nine corporate sponsorsDraper Laboratory, General Dynamics, IPT Associates, Jacobs Engineering, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, The MITRE Corporation, P3I Incorporated, The Raytheon Company and Textron Systems-participated in the Fellowship Awards program by providing each student with a paid summer internship. Gilbert A. Barrett III, grandson of the late Gilbert Barrett, founder of the Fellowship Awards program, assisted Barrette in presenting the Gilbert A. Barrett Award to Michael Woods, East Bridgewater High School. This award carries an additional $1,000 scholarship to the top-ranked student among the award winners. Guest speaker Dr. Joe Chapa, director of operational analysis and simulation for the Raytheon Company, riveted students with motivational comments and practical advice. ROTC Cadets Receive Scholarships Maj. Kate Stowe, USAF, presided as master of ceremonies over the annual ROTC scholarship luncheon held in April at the Bedford Doubletree Hotel, Bedford, Massachusetts, jointly hosted by the chapter and the Association of Old Crows (AOC) Patriots Roost Chapter. This signature event recognized 42 of the most outstanding AFCEA and AOC ROTC cadets and midshipmen from across northern New England with $1,000 scholarships. Dr. Sheila Widnall, former secretary of the Air Force, addressed the cadets with an inspirational discussion about career choices and leadership. Col. Scott Owens, USAF, chapter vice president for ROTC affairs, presented $21,000 in scholarships to the chapter's recipients. Widnall joined Bud Vasquez, chapter president, in presenting the Gen. Bernard Schriever Award, which carries an additional $1,000 scholarship, to the top cadet in the group: Cadet Nathaniel Holtgrewe, Norwich University. A total of $44,000 in scholarships was presented, including AOC grants. Speaker Addresses the Innovator's Dilemma In March, Dr. Tim Rudolph, chief technology officer, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, spoke to a sold-out crowd of industry and government attendees at a chapter luncheon held at Waxy O'Connors, Lexington, Massachusetts. Rudolph addressed "The Innovators Dilemma," noting the rapid adoption of technology in some sectors countered by amazingly slow acceptance of new technologies in others, such as the Air Force adoption of clouds. He also noted that as the technology world moves toward "software-defined everything," including networks, storage systems, data centers and even software, there will be more of a desire to take advantage of open technology development and commoditized infrastructure. Los Angeles Luncheon Features Speaker, Awards Cordell DeLaPena, a member of the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service, and director, Program Management and Integration Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Air Force Space Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, spoke at the chapters May luncheon. He is the primary adviser to the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Space for weapon system management, acquisition, integration and analysis. He develops and deploys policies, strategies, processes and tools for these functions across the Space and Missile Systems Center. He is responsible for the training and equipping of more than 900 military and civilian program managers, executing $8 billion annually. They develop, acquire, field and sustain systems in the areas of space superiority, space support, force application and space force enhancement. DeLaPena discussed the challenge that exists to reduce the time of the procurement cycle. Process improvements are being assessed, and he indicated that they need industry support to improve the overall time line. Montgomery Retired Air Force Colonel Shares Life Lessons In March, the chapters Young AFCEAN Advisory Council (YAAC) hosted a Business Over Breakfast event featuring guest speaker Col. Ted Lowry, USAF (Ret.), who discussed the topic "Lessons From Life." Col. Lowry began his presentation by discussing his initial years serving in the Air Force, working his way up to a position as an F-105 pilot during the Vietnam War and eventually to various commander and leadership roles. He emphasized the importance of carrying over leadership practices and management skills learned while serving as a member of the armed forces or as a part of a military organization. Col. Lowry mentioned the significance of holding oneself accountable, regardless of the job, and understanding that ones work affects others' lives every day. Col. Lowry encouraged attendees to explore new ideas and to speak up with suggestions for new work practices and methods. He mentioned that individuals should never go home at the end of the day having not learned something or having failed to exert a true effort in honoring their responsibilities. YAACs Get Fit in Centerpoint Run In March, the chapter's Young AFCEAN Advisory Council (YAAC) participated in the Centerpoint Half Marathon and 5k runs as part of the chapter's Get Fit Program. Team YAAC consisted of various military personnel from Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base as well as government and industry professionals who gathered bright and early at the YMCA in Prattville, Alabama. Tne Centerpoint Run is an annual event organized by the Prattville Centerpoint Fellowship Church to raise funds for future mission trips. The chapter's Get Fit Program will continue with Team YAAC participating in the Walk of Life 5k in support or breast cancer research. Northern Virginia Small Business Committee Tackles the Changing Federal Landscape In April, industry leaders in the federal contracting sector at the chapters Small Business Breakfast focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the recent changes to the small business contracting laws via the Jobs Act. This event aligned industry leading experts, including Satish Venkatesan, CEO of Technik Incorporated; Kevin Plexico, vice president, Information Solutions at Deltek; Kenyata Watson, associate director, CECOM Small Business; and Ken Dodds, director of policy, planning and liaison, Small Business Administration. The panel engaged in a lively debate and discussion on practical solutions for small businesses that are available in todays federal marketplace. Ottawa SIRC, Evaluation and the Community In April, the chapter held a luncheon featuring Michael Doucet, executive director of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC), who spoke on the SIRC, evaluation (oversight) and the community. Pocono Mountains Cybersecurity in the U.S. Army At its April luncheon, the chapter hosted Howard Taylor, National Security Agency visiting professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, as its guest speaker. Taylor addressed recent cyber incidents making the news and established a framework of reference for categorizing them from nuisance to an act of war. He also described ongoing cyber initiatives within the U.S. Army, including the establishment of the Army Cyber Institute at West Point. One hundred forty-five attendees were significantly enlightened on this very important subject. Portugal Corporate Membership Certificate Presented at Madeira Island In May, Maj. Gen. Miguel Rosas Leitao, PRT A (Ret.), chapter vice president, traveled to Madeira Island and presented Roberto Almeida Santos, director of Eutelsat Madeira, with a corporate membership certificate recognizing the Eutelsat Center of Telemetry, Command and Ranging of Satellites as a member of AFCEA. Defense SMEs: Challenges and Opportunities In April, the chapter, in coordination with the Portuguese Industrial Association (AIP), Euro Defense-Portugal and Universidade Lusófona, organized a seminar on "The Defense SMEs in the Context of a New PostDecember 2013 European Council Agenda: Challenges and Opportunities," hosted by the university. The secretary of state for national defense, Berta Cabral, chaired the opening session and José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, the minister of national defense, chaired the closing session. This forum captured the attention of more than 100 attendees from the armed and security forces, government departments, academia and industry. The event was focused on strengthening the sustainability, the competitiveness and the efficiency of the European defense technological industrial base, in particular, the smalland medium-size enterprises (SMEs), as a fundamental pillar to the reinforcement of the economy. At the closing session, Aguiar-Branco highlighted the importance of research, development and innovation for the defense industry and stressed the importance of SMEs in the defense sector. Quantico-Potomac Event Supports Wounded Warrior Cyber Combat Academy The chapter hosted an event in April with Gen. Keith B. Alexander, USA (Ret.), former director of the National Security Agency and commander of the U.S. Cyber Command. Gen. Alexander was joined by Brig. Gen. Kevin Nally, USMC, director of command, control, communications and computers (C4) and chief information officer of the Marine Corps, and Dr. Ron Ross, a fellow with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, for an industry mixer to discuss the future of cyber and the importance of training future cyber warriors. All proceeds from the event went to support the Wounded Warrior Cyber Combat Academy (W2CCA), an organization focused on building the next generation of cyber defenders by cross-training wounded warriors to help protect and defend the nations information systems. More than 70 people gathered at the Globe and Laurel in Stafford, Virginia, including four wounded warrior Marines who are enrolled in the pilot program. 5th Annual USMC IT Day Held The chapter hosted the 5th Annual USMC IT Day in April. The keynote speaker was Maj. Gen. Vincent Stewart, USMC, commander, Marine Forces Cyber Command. This event raised more than $70,000 toward undergraduateand graduate-level scholarships and information technology education, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) grants. Guest speakers included Brig. Gen. Kevin Nally, USMC, director for command, control, communications and computers (C4) and chief information officer for the Marine Corps; Brig. Gen. Eric Smith, USMC, senior military assistant to the deputy secretary of defense; and Brig. Gen. William Mullen III, USMC, director, Marine Corps Capabilities Development Directorate. This session included the chapters first cyber discussion panel with a mix of active-duty Marine and industry leadership. The chapter also gave $10,000 to the Wounded Warrior Cyber Combat Academy (W2CCA) program and a $5,000 scholarship to Northern Virginia Community College in direct support for Marines applying from the Marine Corps Network Operations and Security Center. Scott-St. Louis Area Cyber Command and Control atTRANSCOM The chapters guest speaker for May, Col. Tom Clancy, USA, chief, U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) Joint Cyber Center, presented three "big ideas" about command and control of cyber to the chapter. These ideas were: focus on the commander and operations; scope to mission through key cyber terrain with shared cyber situational awareness and partnering; and generate effects through the appropriate authorities. On the business side, the scholarship committee announced the selection of 16 scholarship recipients and five science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) grants to be given at the May 15 awards dinner. The chapter also held its scholarship golf tournament in May and chapter officer elections in June. Engineering Methodology Impact on Public Policy The chapter met at the Regency in March for its monthly luncheon. Zane Scott, vice president of professional services, Vitech Corporation, presented a talk about a modelbased systems engineering methodology and its application to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and public policy. Chapter announcements were made, including STEM scholarship opportunities, a golf scholarship fundraiser on May 2 and a scholarship dinner on May 15. A raffle was conducted and prizes distributed. Silicon Valley Chapter Tackles Big Data The chapter hosted a panel discussion on the topic of big data to educate and inform its members during its May luncheon at the Moffett Field Historical Society Museum. The five-person panel with a moderator discussed how big data affects their respective fields: academia, law, research and development, and scientific research. The panel members were: Dr. Deven Kalra, vice president of engineering at AtHoc (moderator); Dr. Hsuanwei Michelle Chen, assistant professor, San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science; Satya Narayan, attorney with Royse Law; Charles Burgoyne, vice president of research and development at Mach 1 Development; and Dr. M. Windy McNerney, neuroscientist at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories. In the panelists' opening remarks to the chapter, they pointed out that big data surrounds everything, and companies are wrestling with a host of new issues due to big data. The panel also fielded questions from audience members, who tended to be concerned with the legal and privacy aspects of big data. Chapter Participates in Award Ceremony In May, chapter member Bob Landgraf presented the Honor Certificate Award and Ribbon to Cadet Robert Powell at San Jose State University during the Air Force ROTC Detachment 045 Awards Ceremony. Cadet Powell is an engineering student at Santa Clara University and just completed his third year in the Air Force ROTC program. The award recognizes achievements in leadership and academics. TampaSt. Petersburg Young AFCEANs Volunteer for Tinker Walk-a-Thon The Young AFCEANs of the Pelican Chapter showed their commitment to the military community by volunteering at Tinker Elementary School's 2014 Walk-a-Thon in May. Tinker Elementary School is the only school located on MacDill Air Force Base. The majority of students at Tinker are military children, many of whom have parents deployed overseas. The Tinker Walk-aThon is a major fundraiser in which members of the community have a chance to help the school meet financial goals for muchneeded educational resources. The Young AFCEANs were just as excited to help and cheer as the kids ran their laps. The greatest reward was the smiles and the high-fives as the children completed their laps. Pelican Chapter Welcomes Lt. Gen. Basla In April, the Pelican Chapter hosted Lt. Gen. Michael Basla, USAF, chief, Information Dominance, and chief information officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Gen. Basla leads four directorates and supports 77,000 cyber operations and support personnel across the globe with an overall responsibility for networks and network-centric policies, communications, information resources management, information assurance and related matters for the Department of the Air Force. With regard to mission, Gen. Basla addressed members of industry and the military by stating, "The way ahead is to integrate cyberspace in air and space operations, stand up a Cyber Innovation Center and continue shaping the Joint Information Environment." He also spoke about the cut in numbers to the military. His message was, "We are not going to beat them in numbers. Americans have the greatest capability, most dedication and willingness to make sacrifices, freedom we refuse to give up." Wasatch Chapter Awards STEM Grant In May, the AFCEA Wasatch Chapter awarded a $1,000 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Science Teaching Tools Grant to Box Elder High School in Brigham City, Utah. STEM teachers Nolin Crook and Eric Thorson and Principal Gary Allen accepted the grant from Ed Drollette, chapter president; Sammy Fan, vice president of finance; and Dr. Tim Martin, regional vice president. This grant will enhance the engineering program at Box Eider High by providing key equipment for deepening student understanding during in-class activities. Funds will be used to purchase work tables, breadboarding electronics, a load-testing machine for truss experiments, VEX robotic parts, a storage supply cabinet, an in-class presentation sound system and miscellaneous consumables. (c) 2014 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association |