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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 Commander Discusses Maturing Approach to Cyber Ops To be effective in the cyber domain, the U.S. Air Operations Center needs to adopt the approach of a professional sports team-coordinating its offensive and defensive units, Col. Brad Pyburn, USAF, told the Alamo chapter in August. During a luncheon speech, Col. Pyburn, who is commander of the 624th Operations Center, outlined evolutions that have taken place in the Air Force's approach to dominance in cyberspace. In particular, he explained how the 624th Operations Center is helping the 24th Air Force fulfill its mission in that domain. Thought processes and approaches have matured from the mindset of "we have an outage"-in the early days of the Air Operations Center-to "this is what we need to execute on" to fulfill the mission. Success requires a thread of intelligence to help coordinate the offensive and defensive capabilities in cyber, Col. Pyburn said. Chapter Board Adds New Faces Master Sgt. Martha Burkhead, USAF, has been named to the chapter board of directors as the new vice president of military affairs. In this role, she provides a crucial liaison for the organization to active-duty personnel and command staff throughout Joint Base San Antonio. Sgt. Burkhead was appointed to the position left vacant by Senior Master Sgt. Keith Jordan, USAF, who retired from active duty in June. Sgt. Jordan is now the chapter's vice presioent of scholarships and educational grants. Separately, the chapter has recruited its first-ever college intern. Emily Bowles, 22, is a communications major at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who will be earning credit hours through volunteer work with the chapter publicity committee. She will be seeking a job in the public relations field when sne graduates in May 2015. Belvoir Chapter Hosts Second Annual Educational Golf Tournament More than 100 industry, government and Wounded Warrior golfers attended the Second Annual AFCEA Belvoir Education Golf Tournament at the Fort Belvoir Golf Club in June. The tournament raised more than $10,000 for the AFCEA Belvoir Education Fund, which provides science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) scholarships and grants for local students and schools. "I am very pleased with the enormous turnout, our generous sponsors and the weather," said Dan Shaer, vice president of the chapters Young AFCEANs program. "Even though our primary goal was to raise money for our scholarships, 1 really enjoyed seeing folks from industry and government bond on the golf course." Dayton-Wright Young AFCEAN Power Breakfast Explores Leadership More than 30 people joined the chapter for its second quarterly Young AFCEAN Power Breakfast of 2014 in July. Lynn Moad, former division chief of the Air Force Materiel Command's Systems Integration Division, was the guest speaker on "Servant Leadership." The breakfast was a great opportunity tor anyone within government or industry to nave an in-depth dialogue with a local government leader and mentor as well as network with other professionals within the local market. The event was sponsored by TACG, The Ahrens Consulting Group. Chapter Commemorates 45th Anniversary of the Walk on the Moon The chapter was pleased to host former NASA astronaut Mark Brown for its July luncheon. Browns presentation coincided with NASA's 45th anniversary celebration of the first moon landing. He discussed the United States' current flight program back to the birth of space flight. Brown's distinguished career spanned more than 20 years as an engineer, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and NASA astronaut. Brown serves as a member of the Air Force Museum Foundation Board of Managers. Fort Knox Gold Vault Conlin Discusses Cloud Services Michael Conlin, chief technologist, U.S. Public Sector, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services, presented a fantastic session to the chapter in July regarding the challenges of cloud services. The chapter received very good comments from attendees. "As it relates to his topic on the cloud agenda, I learned that 'best of breed' should scare me, Amazon is covering the market and that 'paving the cow path' is not a very smart approach to stepping into the cloud world it I want to maximize value to my business. Michael took an over-hyped topic through a series of practical discussion points that were refreshing, shed new light and made the crowd laugh, always a bonus!" said one attendee. The chapter thanks all who helped put the event together, and special thanks to Conlin for volunteering his time and talent to help the chapter succeed. Greater Omaha State of the Chapter Luncheon In June, Col. Eric Bjurstrom, USAF, chapter president and commander, Defense Information Systems Agency Field Office at U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, provided an overview of the chapter's general health and accomplishments for the 2013-2014 board of directors term. Col. Bjurstrom highlighted how the chapter maintained its focus of establishing "IT Partnerships for Success," and overaU he rated the chapter as having a very successful year. Col. Bjurstrom discussed the chapter's recognition at the AFCEA International level, receiving the Model Chapter Award, the Diversity Award and a Regional Distinguished Young AFCEAN. Col. Bjurstrom concluded by touching on the chapter's major calendar events as well as the chapter goals for the 2014-2015 term, encouraging general membership participation throughout. Hawaii Admiral Discusses Maritime Security In August, the chapter welcomed Rear Adm. Cari B. Thomas, USCG, commander, 14th Coast Guard District. Adm. Thomas spoke on maritime security strategv/operations and mitigating security risks. Jane Ferreira, executive director for education initiatives with the AFCEA Hawaii Educational Foundation, highlighted the chapter's scholarship program. The Young AFCEAN of the Month was Michelle Sagan, senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, Information Assurance. The AFCEAN of the Month was Lt. Cmdr. Alan Dunston, USN (Ret.), chief, Joint Operations Center (JOC) C2 Systems at U.S. Pacific Command. The Executive of the Month was Shelley Rowley, program manager at the Hawaii Medical Service Association. The Senior Government Leader of the Month was Lt. Col. Gina Thomas, USA, deputy G-6,94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. STEM Scholarships Total $71K At its August luncheon, the chapter was honored to host several AFCEA Hawaii Educational Foundation (AHEF) scholarship awardees that were present to receive their awards. In attendance were Andy Truong, Drew Ollice, William Blaser III, Herman Li, Keane Hamamura, Kira Fox, Precious Binas, Christianne Izumigawa, Monica Ho and Sierra Jackson. Cathy Burtless, AHEF chairperson, and Farrah Burke, AHEF director and secretary, presented the awards. Jane Ferreira, AHEF executive director for education initiatives, highlighted the importance of the scholarship program, which reinforces education as an AFCEA core value. Out of the 60 scholarship applications received this year, AHEF awarded 32 student scholarships and two science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teacher scholarships. Awards ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 and totaled $71,000. Adm. Dick Macke, USN (Ret.), AHEF director, urged donations from chapter members to continue this worthy endeavor. Speaker Discusses Warfighter Needs In July, the chapter welcomed Col. Joseph A. Matos III, USMC, commander, Defense Information Systems Agency Pacific (DISA PAC). Col. Matos spoke on anticipating warfighter needs. Toni Marie Kaui, Ph.D. candidate, was awarded an AFCEA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Teachers for America's Future scholarship. John Sandvig, University of Hawaii at Manoa, was awarded the Donna Russell STEM Teachers scholarship. Master Sgt. Jason Zarudny, USAF, was recognized as the Young AFCEAN of the Month. Joe Tablada, director of the Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Command Operations Center, received the Senior Government Leader of the Month award. The Executive of the Month was Lt. Gen. Jeff Remington, USAF (Ret.), vice president, Government Programs and corporate lead executive, Northrop Grumman. Cmdr. James Knoll, USN, officer in charge, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Systems Activity Hawaii, received the Senior Government Leader of the Month award. Fred Romero of EMC was recognized as the Executive of the Month for June. Huntsville Dr. Vaughn Discusses SCADA Dr. Ray Vaughn, vice president for research for the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), served as guest speaker for the chapter's July luncheon. Vaughn, a retired Army colonel and former vice president of Defense Information Systems Agency Integration Services, presented the crowd with an eye-opening discussion about Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technology, threats ana the current state of the infrastructure in the United States. Vaughn explained that most SCADA systems are more than 10 years old; contain many vulnerabilities; ana do not have many security tools available. The good news is that some security providers are beginning to invest more in security tools for SCADA systems. Vaughn has set up a miniaturized, fully functional SCADA lab at UAH. A central purpose of the lab is to enable government and industry leadership to visualize the effect of compromised SCADA systems. Kaiserslautern Emerging Leader Award Recipient Honored In August, the chapter recognized its Emerging Leader Award winner, Staff Sgt. Michael D. Pasqua, USAF, a crew chief assigned to the 690th Network Support Squadron, Detachment 1. Sgt. Pasqua manages 68 technicians executing trouble tickets for the Air Force Information Networks. He also is heavily involved in furthering automation efforts within the Enterprise Service Desk. He is pursuing a bachelors degree in biology with the goal of becoming a physician's assistant. Sgt. Pasqua has received continual recognition as a superior performer by his leadership. He was recently recognized as the 690th Cyber Operations Group Noncommissioned Officer for the first quarter 2014. He also has been coined by the 67th Cyber Wing commander ana command chief. Summer Technology Expo Draws a Crowd The chapter hosted its annual Summer Technology Expo and Golf Tournament at Ramstein Air Base in July. The four-day event welcomed more than 30 senior leaders, 850 expo attendees and 27 golf teams. Visitors enjoyed seminars on topics ranging from cloud technology and security in virtualized environments to the "Art of Cyber War." Visitors also received a demonstration from one of the Kaiserslautern military community's recent Raspberry Pi tournament teams from Wiesbaden High School, with its robot Frau POW. The highlight of the event was the membership drive, bringing in 60 new members. The chapter wrapped up the event with the annual golf tournament, with more than 100 participants enjoying the company of their fellow communicators. The chapter awarded more than $2,500 in prizes during the tournament, and everyone had a great time on the links. The chapter will host the next Winter Expo in February 2015. Los Angeles Captain Discusses Naval Satellite Operations Center Capt. Jeffrey P. Marshall, USN, commanding officer, Naval Satellite Operations Center, Point Mugu, California, spoke to the chapter in July about the Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC), which is a component command of the Naval Network Warfare Command operating under the guidance of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command. NAVSOC provides continuous global narrowband communications using 13 satellites on-orbit to support the tactical and operational warfighter and strategic and interagency demands. Politehnica U Bucuresti Student Fostering Students'Interest in Embedded Systems In the second semester of the 2013-2014 academic year, the chapter, together with the Centre for Technological Electronics and Interconnection Techniques, University of Bucharest (UPB-CETTI), organized in partnership with Microchip Technology extracurricular activities for freshmen from the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology. The objectives were to familiarize students with microcontroller architecture and the programming of microcontrollers and to provide an introduction in microcontroller-based electronic modules. The collaboration with Microchip was the next step to better understand embedded systems. As thanks for the solid and constant support given to the chapter in training students in the field of microcontrollerbased intelligent electronic modules and systems, in July the chapter presented the Excellence Award to Delia Chiricescu, Ph.D., managing director, and Horia Boicu, CAE leader, Microchip Technology Romania. The diplomas were awarded Dy Dr.h.c. Paul Svasta, Ph.D., professor and adviser for the chapter, ana Cristina Marghescu, first vice president of the chapter. Porto Student Meeting with New Student Club President In July, Jose Valente assumed the role of president of the Porto Student Club. Rear Adm. Carlos Rodolfo, PRT NA (Ret.), Portugal Chapter president, gathered at the Faculty of Engineering of tne Porto University (FEUP) with Valente and the club's faculty adviser, professor Jose Carlos Alves. The club informed Adm. Rodolfo that it plans to continue its activities of improving a robotic sailboat and will participate in the World Sailing Championship 2014 held September 8-13 in Galway, Ireland. Silicon Valley Broken Side of Internet Security In August, Cisco Systems Incorporated opened its doors to host the chapters quarterly luncheon. The meeting focused on the vulnerabilities and perils of Internet security. The speakers, Jonathan Bennun, Cisco security product manager, and Reema Prasad, Cisco solutions architect, provided concrete examples of flaws in Internet security and insights into how hackers leverage those flaws. Bennun started off by saying, "It is challenging for the common user to understand Internet security beyond just passwords, but it is important to face that challenge in order to understand concrete risks and ways of mitigation." The group then delved into discussing whose job it is to improve national and personal security. Prasad stated, "There must be a collaborative effort between the government and civilian sectors to take on cybersecurity through continuous monitoring and analyzing collected data." The chapter's November meeting will look at social media and personal privacy. South Carolina Low Country Lunch Highlights CURI and Local Military Community Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, director of business development for the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI), provided a briefing on the various programs and initiatives of CURI during the July luncheon. Colbert-Busch is responsible for CURI's private/public strategic planning for business and economic develojpment. The briefing was well-received by chapter members and guests, including six members of the local military community who joined as sponsored guests through the chapter's "Lunch with a Warrior" program. For chapter luncheons, chapter corporate members are given the opportunity to sponsor a table of local active duty service members with which to dine ana socialize as well as to introduce them to the chapter. The July sponsor was Motorola, and warriors from various units based at Joint Base Charleston were in attendance. Meet and Greet with Navy Fleet Cyber Command CIO Chapter members attended an informal meet and greet with Kevin Cooley in July. This was a pop-up opportunity arranged on short notice to leverage Cooley's presence in Charleston on government business. Cooley is the command information officer (CIO) for Navy Fleet Cyber Command and the 10th Fleet. He is an experienced CIO, having held that position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). During the meet and greet, Cooley gave informal remarks, providing keen insight into the challenges of working in the cyber domain. Following Cooley's remarks, Tony Orlando, chapter president, presented Cooley with a 2014 Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition Challenge Coin as well as a chapter coffee cup. Tampa St. Petersburg Speaker on Acquisition Challenges and Goals The chapter welcomed James "Hondo" Geurts, acquisition executive, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, as the speaker for its July luncheon. Geurts is responsible for all Special Operations Forces research, development, acquisition, procurement and logistics. As acquisition executive, his challenge has been determining how to operate small teams around the world without gateways and infrastructure in place. With regard for budget, he emphasized to industry the need to try new plans and new strategies while still allowing industry to compete at their best at a fair and reasonable price. Geurts challenges industry to ask two questions when reaching out to his office: 1. Does it help him become an expert? 2. Does it help him become a trusted provider to the forces? Young AFCEAN Event Benefits Canines for Veterans South Carolina Low Country The chapters Young AFCEANs hosted a party for revelers of all ages ready to "throw it back '80s style." The party drew a crowd dressed as iconic characters from the '80s, including best costume winners as the Ghostbusters, runnerup Richard Simmons, aka Capt. Nathan Swab, USAF, chapter military liaison chairman, and even senior chapter leaders impressively disguised as Cheech and Chong. The event raised more than $2,500 through admission tickets and sponsorships from industry partners. Proceeds were donated to Canines for Veterans, a national program that provides disabled veterans with quality trained service dogs. The program works with military prisoners at the Naval Consolidated Brig Charleston and teaches them how to train rescue dogs as service dogs. Service members or veterans with a disability, including mobility limitations, traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder, are invited to apply for a Canines for Veterans service dog. Canines for Veterans does not charge a fee for the service dog. (c) 2014 Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association |