Chapter Helps Organize C4ISTAR Conference

The C4ISTAR conference in March was organized by the chapter and the Communication and Information Systems Agency as part of the 100th anniversary of Czech Signal troops. The conference drew attention to the historical origins of the Military Telegraph Service, as well as speakers focusing on the future development of signal troops, communications systems and cooperation between Czech and international organizations. Col. Frantisek Ridzak, CZAF, director, Communication and Information Systems Agency of the Czech Ministry of Defense, opened the conference with a brief history of Czech military signals on its homeland. He then set out the objectives of the meeting, which were primarily to facilitate and stimulate the exchange of expert knowledge and experience. The principal speaker was Lt. Gen. Jiri Baloun, CZAF, first deputy chief of the general staff. He presented an exhibit from the Military History Institute, a 100-year-old field telephone device produced in Japan that was operated by a telegraph company for the Czechoslovak Legion in Russia. “In the future, military communication will not just be about the hardware and software specialists supporting military personnel, but the soldiers of the future will need to evolve into cybernetic environment campaigners,” said Gen. Baloun. He urged the members of the Signal Corps to be the strong foundation for the core aspects of the cybernetic troops of the future because of their long history in the telegraph service and their considerable experience in the transition from radio and data communications to informatics. The conference hosted a number of prominent guests from the Czech Ministry of Defense, international and Czech associations and armed forces from around the globe.

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