New President Revitalizes Chapter

In September, the chapter appointed Col. Karlton D. Johnson, USAF, as the new chapter president. Col. Johnson serves as the assistant chief of staff /J-6 and chief information officer for the United States Forces Korea. Shortly after his arrival in Korea in July 2011, the colonel expressed his desire to help revitalize the chapter. He met with chapter board members to learn about AFCEA in Korea and to discuss both his history with AFCEA and his vision for his assignment in the country. Col. Johnson is a lifetime AFCEA member, and in 1989, he received the AFCEA Award for Excellence as a new lieutenant. He has been published in SIGNAL Magazine with an article in 2002 titled “Rethinking Joint Information Operations,” along with an article in Joint Forces Quarterly titled “Unity of Effort in Joint Information Operations.” In 2005, Computerworld Laureate Magazine published his article, “Innovation for the Battlefield: Communications and Information Systems Support to the Warfighter.”

In 2008, while assigned as the J-6 for the Multinational Security Transition Command – Iraq, Col. Johnson's team created Iraq's first AFCEA chapter, and they were featured in another SIGNAL Magazine article titled “Dependable Communication Systems Boost Iraqi Security.” The colonel envisions the Seoul Chapter as a vital means of strengthening the exceptional alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea military and as a means of bolstering positive interactions in commercial sectors, all of which go beyond information technology.

Additionally, he seeks to increase the chapter's involvement in the local community via efforts such as the AFCEA Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics awards to Korean and U.S. students. In conjunction with Col. Johnson's inauguration, elections are underway for new board members. The first luncheon under his leadership will take place on November 15 in the Naija Ballroom of the Dragon Hill Lodge to install the new board members and introduce the community to the colonel's vision for the chapter. The theme of the luncheon will be AFCEA Ignited.

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