January 2012

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta today offered the first glimpse into changes in store for the U.S. military that will come to pass if the president's 2013 Pentagon budget is approved by Congress. Those changes include reductions for two major branches of the military, adjustments in some major weapons systems, and asking Congress for authorization to begin a new round of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

Where Day 1 of West 2012 in San Diego focused on the inevitability of defense budget cuts, Day 2 broke down some of the disciplines that will be the focal point of difficult decisions in the coming months. Capabilities ranging from information security to nuclear submarines came under expert scrutiny as speakers and panelists tried to anticipate the changes that lie ahead and offer solutions to the challenges that are emerging.

West 2012 Online Show Daily: Day 1

Quote of the day: “It’s going to be a very grim picture if that occurs—very grim.”—Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, USN, director, the Joint Staff, discussing proposed draconian defense budget cuts.

 Anyone who wants to know the future of U.S. national security should follow the money, to paraphrase a legendary political saying. However, this money is in the future: the next defense budget, and the burgeoning national debt. One may offer draconian cuts in the military, the other poses a national security threat of its own.

These points were emphasized by a range of speakers and panelists on the first day of West 2012, co-sponsored by AFCEA International and USNI. Being held January 24-26 in San Diego, California, the conference’s usual nautical theme this year has been supplanted by a broad look at the future of the military.

Virtually every speaker warned that if sequestration cuts are allowed to take place, the effect on the military would be devastating. If it is forced to cut $500 billion in addition to the planned $480 billion over 10 years, the military would suffer significant losses in capability. Its ability to carry out its missions probably would be permanently damaged.

The U.S. Army deployed four large unmanned ground systems to Afghanistan earlier this month to assess their ability to lighten the load for combat troops.

With the military's current mandates to increase efficiencies, virtualization offers multiple benefits to the armed forces. Projects underway at the National Security Agency are advancing its use, but the government needs to reconcile security requirements with available capabilities before warfighters enjoy the full benefit of the technology.

AR Worldwide
Barrett Communications USA LLC
Cornet Technology Inc.
CPI Satcom Division
Electronic Warfare Associates Inc.
Fujitsu
Harris Corporation
Holocom
Lind Electronics
Locus Microwave Inc.
MITEQ Inc.
Optical Cable Corporation
Preformed Line Products
Rackmount Solutions
REDCOM
Syntonics Corporation
TACO Antenna
Tresys Technology
Ultralife Communication Systems

To help prepare for upcoming AFCEA conferences, SIGNAL Media now offers a single e-place[ML1] to find event details, ongoing news coverage, social media feeds and local area attractions.

AFCEA members who want to take the AFCEA Source Book with them everywhere can now download it for easy access on their laptop or tablet computers.

The AFCEA Educational Foundation and Cypherpath LLC have partnered to offer cybersecurity courses that address needs recently identified by a U.S. House of Representatives task force on the topic.

The AFCEA Educational Foundation and Cypherpath LLC have partnered to offer cybersecurity courses that address needs recently identified by a U.S. House of Representatives task force on the topic.