The large hexagonal building's Tidewater architecture blends well with its placid Hampton Roads surroundings. Indeed, this bucolic Virginia setting belies the beehive of combat-related activity inside-experiments that are profoundly transforming the way this nation fights wars and protects its citizens.

In the United States, both corporate and Defense Department telecommunications have developed along a path of increasing complexity to support global geopolitical or commercial requirements. The paradox is that while this complexity improves the ability to support worldwide operations, the underlying network is becoming more vulnerable.

Biometric scanners, gamma ray detectors and unmanned underwater vehicles seem like topics reserved for futuristic action-adventure movies. However, these technologies are being embraced by agencies under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's umbrella. Technologies that serve to track, trace and contain or detain potentially harmful materials and individuals are being studied, tested and integrated into many homeland security activities.

A U.S. government effort will lighten the load of identification badges personnel must carry, but both federal officials and industry representatives now realize that they have run into a few snags. While substantial progress has been made, challenges in technology as well as economics, policy and testing continue to surface. Deadlines have been set and pragmatic plans put into place; however, it is still questionable whether one card can replace numerous identification badges in the near future.

The Transportation Security Administration is doing more than just making sure travelers have a safe trip; it also is ensuring the security of the data, video and voice communications that travel on its network. In response to the deficiencies raised in a report issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's inspector general last year, the administration acknowledged its network flaws and moved forward quickly to correct them. Among the issues that needed to be addressed were policies, processes and procedures concerning security testing, audits, and configuration and patch management.

Consistently locating and tracking the world's commercial vessels, their cargos and crews is like hoisting a halyard with a large holiday ensign during a nor'easter-tricky but not impossible. More than 80,000 commercial ships from more than 100 nations ply the seas at any given moment, making maritime domain awareness critical for the nation's protection.

The headline-driven controversy over the PATRIOT Act tends to obscure many of the key issues that buttress this important element in the war on terrorism. The Free World is facing an unyielding enemy that is using every aspect of Western society-from its liberties and protections to its technological infrastructure-to suit its twisted ideology that lauds mass murder of innocents. The United States faces a difficult task in that it must adjust its institutions and its way of life to prevent further mass casualties, but it must do so without destroying the very foundation of our 230-year-old society.

The final day of West 2006, the annual conference and exposition sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute, was a star-studded event marked by a panel comprising high-ranking flag officers and a pair of speeches by two of the Navy's highest-ranking admirals.

Special operations, technology challenges and personnel issues dominated the second day of West 2006, the annual conference and exposition sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute. The busiest day of the three-day program, titled "Services Roles and Structures: What's Right for the Way Ahead," featured two top-level speakers and three panel discussions.

West 2006, the annual conference and exposition sponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute, began with a day of vital speeches and panels and ended with bagpipes and a videoteleconference with U.S. Marines in Iraq.