August 2011

Although women make up nearly 50 percent of the U.S. work force, they fill less than 25 percent of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) positions. The unequal share of women in STEM is particularly apparent in the engineering field, where only one out of every seven engineers is female. This vast gender gap restricts the United States in the global race for a high-tech work force.

“It’s all about the network” is the rallying cry for the digital resources that enable the Army to perform its mission more effectively and efficiently. Yet, the Army Network requires a significant amount of effort, not only to develop, implement, maintain and improve it, but also to keep it secure. Those specific network or “Net-Work” tasks are the responsibility of everyone who touches the Army Network.

“It’s all about the network” is the rallying cry for the digital resources that enable the Army to perform its mission more effectively and efficiently. Yet, the Army Network requires a significant amount of effort, not only to develop, implement, maintain and improve it, but also to keep it secure. Those specific network or “Net-Work” tasks are the responsibility of everyone who touches the Army Network.

The commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan has recommended that the network architecture approach established in that country be developed for future alliance and coalition operations and exercises.

Young summer campers whose focus is cybersecurity rather than swimming or working on their tan had a chance to show their skills and maybe earn a scholarship recently in Virginia. It is part of the latest in a series of U.S. Cyber Challenge Camps taking place across the country as part of an effort to get more young people to seriously consider careers in the high-demand field of cybersecurity and information assurance.

Joining AFCEA provides business-building opportunities. Your company’s visibility is elevated through its corporate profile listing in the AFCEA Source Book.

Mentoring has been an integral part of Charisse Stokes’ life. As a participant in the Air Force Junior ROTC in high school, Stokes was intrigued and interested in the organization and its structure. An “outstanding adviser and mentor” encouraged her to continue her ROTC involvement—advice that resulted in Stokes becoming a scholarship cadet at Clemson University. She received her commission in the U.S. Air Force in 1998.

Now, Stokes is paying it forward. As the director of the Education Foundation for the AFCEA Montgomery Chapter, she’s mentoring, advising and guiding young students into information technology (IT) career fields. “It’s amazing to be able to stand in front of students and tell them how successful they can be and what career options are available to them. Not to mention, having the ability to award them with scholarships, grants and internships is a feeling unlike any other!” she says.

Stokes joined AFCEA in 1999 as a 2nd lieutenant while helping her superior plan an AFCEA Partnership Day. “This was a great event and ideal exposure to the strong relationships and partnerships that AFCEA forms and maintains,” she relates. Since that time, Stokes has participated in the association in a number of ways, including as a Mid-South Regional Young AFCEAN representative and the Young AFCEA vice president, chapter vice president and chapter president for the Montgomery chapter.

To raise funds for the chapter’s Education Foundation, she has taken the lead in the Montgomery Information Technology Summit golf tournament and the Air Force Information Technology Conference banquet—the chapter’s two largest fund-raising events for scholarships.

Under a memorandum of understanding announced on July 14, the U.S. Coast Guard Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information Technology (C4IT) Service Center will leverage AFCEA resources for providing market research, identifying technology trends and raising awareness of ongoing initiatives.

AFCEA headquarters lost power right in the middle of the production cycle of this issue of SIGNAL Connections. Rumor has it that road construction taking place in the area caused the glitch. Without access to computers and VoIP phones, staff members emerged from their work spaces like bears after hibernation and actually talked to each other face to face. The incident brought to light an escalating issue that is often ignored: technology is a tool; it’s not communication.

A large cyberespionage campaign has been ongoing for five or more years, with its targets ranging from private companies to nations. Commercial cybersecurity experts say all the evidence so far points to a “state player” as the source of the attack, and they have located server logs outlining the extent of the attack.