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AFCEA is moving forward amid a time of great change, both internally and externally. The defense community of the United States and its allies is in flux as nations weigh the need for stronger defense against severe budgetary pressures. The nature of threats is as dynamic as the technology-inspired changes that are revolutionizing societies everywhere. AFCEA is both responding to these conditions and laying the groundwork for future developments.

Policy makers must join technologists in shaping this future.

Unfortunately, cyberspace is an increasingly attractive venue for aggression these days. The digital domain facilitates operational maneuver in a manner that obfuscates an actor’s identity, affiliation and tactics. But unlike sea, air and land, much of cyberspace’s doctrine remains undefined, to include even the most fundamental of terms. We do not even have an agreed-upon definition of what constitutes an attack in cyberspace—and it is high time we did.

Constant vigilance is key to protecting mounds of data created via billions of connections.

When everything is connected, everyone is vulnerable.

Small businesses can be hungrier than contract giants, giving military directorates more flexibility and agility in gaining technology solutions.

Having spawned a plethora of innovative technologies, the SBIR program looks toward marketplace impact.

Small companies may find more chances to insert technologies into major weapon systems.

Even a dynamic process can be influenced by government action.

But universal optimism about the concept does not reign yet at IARPA.