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In a global scenario marked by hybrid conflicts, technological competition, and the growing interconnection between civil and military sectors, information superiority now represents a strategic factor for understanding and anticipating global-scale phenomena. It is a decisive element in ensuring collective European and Atlantic security. In this context, Defence is called upon to strengthen its capabilities for reaction, management, analysis, and threat anticipation, in line with NATO and European cooperation guidelines, which place information interoperability at the core of new security doctrines, especially within the framework of hybrid conflicts. Emerging challenges - from the cyber domain and the increasing use of dual-use assets in operational theatres, to the economic and financial networks that influence supply chains, and even crypto assets - require tools capable of integrating heterogeneous sources and providing an analytical and dynamic understanding of these phenomena. In this scenario, info-operational cooperation and the convergence between dual-use risk analysis methodologies and military expertise take on a decisive role in building a proactive and resilient defence ecosystem. The Rome Chapter of AFCEA International and its member company Sistemi & Automazione S.p.A., for more than thirty years a trusted partner of police forces, government bodies, and defence organizations, are promoting this conference as an opportunity for dialogue among experts, institutions, and industry. The company's advanced technological solutions, based on link analysis methodologies for the search, correlation, and interpretation of large volumes of data, enhance the decision-making capacity of organizations and foster full information interoperability among allies. The contribution of institutional representatives will offer a practical perspective on the transfer of info-operational expertise into the military domain and on the analysis of the economic and financial dynamics that fuel new global threats. This will be a moment of strategic cooperation and shared vision, aimed at outlining the future trajectories of a broader, more integrated, and interoperable defence.

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This presentation explores the structural and economic convergences between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and global Open Source Communities (OSC). By analysing the mechanisms of collective defense, we demonstrate how the geopolitical principle of "Article 5" mirrors the collaborative industry response to critical digital vulnerabilities.The analysis draws direct parallels between military interoperability (NATO STANAGs) and software standardisation (APIs and CNCF protocols), illustrating how both systems utilise distributed cooperation to manage complexity and risk.Furthermore, we examine the economics of these alliances by comparing the "Defense Budgets" of NATO nations against the R&D allocations of digital "Superpowers", identifying the specific strategic roles played by industry leaders like Google, IBM, and Red Hat.We conclude that Open Source is effectively a "Digital Alliance," where corporate contributors solve the "Free Rider" problem not through taxation, but through strategic licensing and foundation governance, proving that distributed networks provide superior resilience to centralised monoliths.

New Horizons Gold Circle Breakfast at Marriott Newton Hotel, 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA

AFCEA Belvoir Networking EventJoin us for an exciting networking opportunity at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (Vienna, VA). Connect with professionals in the field, share ideas, and expand your network. This in-person event is a great chance to meet like-minded individuals and foster new relationships. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to mingle and make valuable connections.

The AFCEA Atlanta Chapter presents the next National Security Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to a technical program of unsurpassed scope and quality, AFCEA provides the central meeting place for government, academia, and industry working in all disciplines in industry, service, government, military and academic sectors.In addition to the conference, attendees are also invited to participate in a coordinated cybersecurity preparedness exercise to assess how events impacting critical infrastructure are handled. The exercise will be conducted March 10.

On March 10th, AFCEA Atlanta will host Vanguard Shield, a tabletop exercise bringing together representatives from Federal, State, Local and Industry for an afternoon collaborating on responding to threats to critical infrastructure. These exercises were inspired by the Jack Voltaic series of exercises developed by the Army Cyber Institute at West Point. This exercise is free to attend for registrants of the AFCEA Atlanta National Security Conference.The coordinated cybersecurity preparedness exercise is meant to assess how events impacting critical infrastructure will be handled. The scenario changes each year but typically involves a large trigger event and flows over the course of several turns evaluating real world impacts across multiple domains. Threats may come from a wide variety of cyber-related threats and challenges, such as state-sponsored hackers, espionage, hacktivists, ransomware and insider threats, inspired by recent events over the years.

March Member Meeting

Luncheon: AFCEA Hampton Roads ChapterMarch 10th, 2026 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (Networking from 11:00-11:30 a.m.)Location: Hilton Main 100 E Main St, Norfolk, VA 23510Luncheon Speaker: COMMANDER RANDALL L. MCATEE Deputy Chief Information Officer Commander Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR)

New Horizons at Marriott Newton Hotel, 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA