Commentary

Changes are taking place in the world of intelligence. The creation of the new position of director of national intelligence, or DNI, illustrates how the U.S. government views

The U.S. decision to reduce the number of its forces in Europe has increased the need for interoperable systems among the militaries of the Continent. For decades European

There should be no debate over the need for effective information security in the information revolution. As digital information becomes more vital with the growth of cyberspace, securing it increases in importance. However, even with broad public awareness of the need for cybersecurity, the infosphere is faced with a serious challenge that is multifaceted and that defies easy solution.

A little more than a month ago, the United States observed Memorial Day, during which it remembered the men and women who have given their lives in support of freedom. Many other AFCEA-chaptered countries celebrate the equivalent of Remembrance Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, commemorating the coming of peace in Europe after World War I and honoring those who have given their lives for freedom or another noble cause. Here in San Diego at Camp Pendleton, Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski, USMC, commanding general, 1st Marine Division, was the keynote speaker for Memorial Day services held May 30, 2005, at Camp Pendleton. He paid tribute to the 420 U.S. Marines who have died in the past 365 days of the global war on terrorism. Quoting George Orwell, he said, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

When people look at the ongoing force transformation, they probably see investments in technology changing the way that the military services are equipped. The goal is for the military to be better prepared to fight the nation's wars in the foreseeable future. This visage might translate to lighter, more agile forces; a more ground-centric military; or more automated and unmanned platforms-depending on the viewer's perspective.

This year will mark a watershed event for AFCEA International; one that we think will be very beneficial to all of our constituencies: government, military, industry and academia.

As Alvin Toffler predicted almost 30 years ago, society is transitioning from its second wave, the industrial revolution, to the third wave, the information age. All three waves, beginning with the agrarian age, offered their own elements of control that proved vital to prevailing economically and politically. In the first wave, the objective in the agrarian society was to control the land from which life-giving food would be harvested. In the industrial second wave, the objective was to control the means of production. Now, in the information age, the objective is to control the information technology.

Just one year after the Defense Department launched its Defense Reform Initiative, information technology is proving to be a vital player in this effort to bring the department into the next millennium. The U.S. military's increasing reliance on information systems for operations and support has opened the door for the commercial sector both to enable change and to benefit from it.

The network-centric Free World is placing a greater emphasis on intelligence than ever before-both for battlespace military operations and for winning the war on terrorism. However, while much attention has been focused on intelligence collection, processing and dissemination, it is knowledge management that will win or lose conflicts in the future.

This month, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) celebrates its 50th anniversary. In addition to preserving peace and freedom for members on three continents, NATO's strength and resolve contributed to the collapse and dissolution of its adversary. With the alliance's original task accomplished, NATO now stands on the cusp of a new era where its primary mission can be to extend freedom to those long denied.