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Amazing anecdotes kept the audience entertained during the lunch session at the AFCEA International Homeland Security Conference. The experts were speaking about a serious subject: cyberwar. But the stories about their hands-on experience in learning how to fight cyberwars, how they've fought cyberthreats and what they believe is needed to prepare future cyberwarriors kept conference attendees enthralled.

In a time when government agencies and industry must tighten their belts, it may be a cloak that saves the security day. AFCEA International Homeland Security Conference, panelist Tim Kelleher, vice president of professional services, BlackRidge Technology, shared details about his company's approach to stopping cybermarauders in their recon tracks.

Richard Spires, chief information officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, kicked off DHS Industry Day by declaring that it is time to find the balance between the IT needs of individual DHS agencies and leveraging IT throughout the department as a whole. The department needs to take a "shared first" approach to commodities and then look at unique technologies the individual agencies need.

Although not claiming victory, the DHS has made some serious headway in improving cybersecurity, according to panelists discussing the topic at the DHS 2012 Information Technology Industry Day in Washington, D.C. Experts said the threats have not disappeared but rather have changed, and various DHS agencies have been learning how to better handle them.

Members of the two morning panels at the DHS 2012 Information Technology Industry Day hammered home the need all DHS agencies have for information sharing and information security within a mobile environment; however, the agencies continue to face slow processes to put these capabilities into place.

Rear Adm. Richard B. Landolt, USN, has been assigned director, J-3 Operations/Cyber, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany.

BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Incorporated, Rockville, Maryland, and Science Applications International Corporation, McLean, Virginia, are each being awarded a potential $698,249,000

Northrop Grumman, San Diego, California, is being awarded a $34,226,968 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN) contract for a four-month extension for

Rear Adm. Craig S. Faller, USN, has been assigned director for operations, J-3, U.S.

Maj. Gen. Otis G. Mannon, USAF, has been assigned chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany.