Chapter News

The chapter was proud to participate in the 56th North Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair. The event was hosted by the College of Engineering on the campus of the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Students ranging from 5th-12th grade participated. The chapter gave a $125 award to the following student winners of the competition: Naomi VanHouten, grade 7 Covenant Christian Academy; Logan Slowik, grade 8, Grace Lutheran School; David Charles Walker, grade 9, Decatur High School; and Corey James Crouch, grade 8, East Limestone High School. Congratulations to all the winners!

The chapter had the opportunity to feature Dave Hall from Nova Management as the February luncheon speaker. Hall is a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and has experience with NASA, the Department of Commerce, the Missile Defense Agency, as well as numerous state and local agencies. An expert in risk management, Hall also holds the International Information System Security Certification Consortium Inc., (ISC)² sought after Certified Information Security Systems Professional (CISSP) certification. Hall discussed the Risk Management Framework (RMF) and its impending impact on the Department of Defense (DoD). In particular, how Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Platform IT (PIT) will be affected. Industrial Control Systems are computer systems that control something in the physical world. A wastewater management plant is one example of an ICS. ICSs in the plant control the physical opening and closing of valves based upon sensor input and system programming. It isn't hard to imagine what could happen if one were compromised by a hacker. An example of Platform IT would be a missile system bolted to an assault vehicle. Hall explained that purveyors of these systems have not been as exposed to the administrative overhead and compliance tasks many IT professionals are familiar with in other areas of information technology, often due to the inability of previous accreditation methods to address them. RMF does not possess that shortcoming. Hall also expressed that the DoD recommends a professional partner with experience, an integrator, to assist PIT/ICS owners with the transition to Risk Management Framework. Hall pointed out that DoD 8500.01 (DoD Cybersecurity Instruction) references 132 policy documents as evidence that the DoD still has steps to take before a cohesive cybersecurity standard is reached within the DoD. However, the reciprocal nature of RMF is a good start. In this era of DoD coalition force expectations and ever limited funding, reciprocation between branches is of paramount importance if not a requirement for maintaining global operations.

The chapter was happy to present Roy Priest, vice president, sales and customer support at GATR Technologies, as the guest speaker for its fall luncheon in November. The GATR product is an inflatable portable satellite communication (SATCOM) solution. Priest explained the advantages of GATR over traditional SATCOM solutions by saying, “Having the right equipment is one thing, but having the right equipment that is mobile is even better.” The GATR solution addresses a military need for portable SATCOM equipment. The GATR 4-meter solution is about 40 times lighter than the traditional SATCOM solution. GATR started with 5 percent of the deployable market a few years ago and has more than 40 percent of the market today. The dish can withstand 70 mph winds, while traditional dishes can only withstand 40 mph. Because of its portability, GATR has been used at multiple disaster sites following Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the spring 2011 tornado disaster in Huntsville, Alabama. GATR also supports submarine ice emergence and can even survive being shot up to eight times with a .40-caliber pistol before the pump fails to keep up with the loss of air pressure. All branches of the U.S. military use GATR technology in addition to their Australian, British and Swedish counterparts.

The chapter presented Madison, Alabama, Mayor Troy Trulock at its August luncheon. Trulock was elected in 2012 and is a retired Army colonel. He presented the chapter with an update on the future of Madison—a city adjacent to Huntsville with a reputation for strong schools and persistent academic success. Trulock also discussed a Madison startup with an exciting new technology. RadioBro, a company started by 26-year-old twin brothers Mark and Eric Becnel, produces a standard payload interface for small unmanned spacecraft. The RadioBro MiniSatCom is half the price of competing offerings and takes an average of six months to two years off the normal satellite development cycle. Trulock also discussed the terabit network backbone that will travel through Madison in the near future, delivering 100-gigabit network connectivity to area businesses. Ben McGee, North Alabama Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) president, discussed science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities in the Madison school system. ISSA and the chapter partnered to donate several Raspberry Pi computers to the eighth grade cyber program at Discovery Middle School. As a result, the students were able to install an operating system, configure network connectivity and finally secure the device. McGee stressed the importance of hands-on learning for today's children. The Raspberry Pi is a single printed circuit board computer the size of a credit card. At the conclusion of the luncheon, Jeremy A. Pohly and Breanna M. Crane were presented with scholarship checks of $2,500 each.

As part of the chapter's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) efforts, it participated in the North Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair (NARSEF) held in March at the University Fitness Center on the University of Alabama Huntsville Campus. AFCEA member Kat Devirgilio of Adtran participated as a judge for the event. The following students were given $125 cash prizes for their submissions: Hunter Phillips of Covenant Christian Academy (Development of novel unmanned aerial vehicle [UAV]: Nanoscale traverse tilt-rotor helicopter); Erin Wallace of Muscle Shoals Middle School ("Be Strong" I whispered to my Wi-Fi signal); Garret Lawrence of Covenant Christian Academy (Newer, Better, Faster?); and Alexis Hereford of Rainbow Elementary (Why no Wi-Fi?). The chapter congratulates the winners and hopes to see more great work from them in future STEM events!

The chapter presented Sol Cates, chief security officer at Vormetric Inc., as its guest speaker for its fall luncheon. Joining Vormetric as a security engineer in 2003, Cates quickly became the senior director of field engineering and solutions architecture before assuming his current post. Cates consults with many Fortune 500 companies and government agencies on cybersecurity; Vormetric has more than 1,100 customers, including 17 of the Fortune 25. Cates discussed how cyber attacks have changed from a destructive nature to a monetary focus, where capturing data is the goal. He stated that "data can't defend itself." Controls need to be put in place to protect data while still allowing businesses to operate without obstruction. Cates continued by saying that attacks are now centered around the acquisition of intellectual property, classified information, infrastructure control, and command and control information. When asked how to protect the data, Cates stated that "policy and segmentation should be used to protect [it]." Cates then discussed the Ring 0 problem of operating system security. A protection ring is one of two or more hierarchical levels or layers of privilege within the architecture of a computer system. On most operating systems, Ring 0 is the level with the most privileges that interacts most directly with the physical hardware, such as the CPU and memory. This is the area where all malware desires to operate. Malware will often enter a host through lesser-privileged levels and then seek to elevate privilege to an administrative level at Ring 0—a key element of the hacker cycle. Vormetric products operate at the kernel level of the operating system and separate the operating system from access to the protected data.

Dr. Ray Vaughn, vice president of research for the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), served as guest speaker for the chapter's July luncheon. Dr. Vaughn is a retired Army colonel and former vice president of Defense Information Systems Agency Integration services. Dr. Vaughn received his Ph.D. in computer science from Kansas State University in 1988. He has since been credited with more than 100 publications, been named Most Outstanding Faculty member at Mississippi State University (MSU), and recently settled in his post at UAH. Dr. Vaughn presented the luncheon crowd with an eye-opening discussion about Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technology, threats and the current state of the infrastructure in the United States. SCADA systems are a type of industrial control system and often are found in industrial (manufacturing) or infrastructure (electrical power transmission and oil and gas pipelines) processes. Dr. Vaughn explained that most SCADA systems are more than 10 years old; contain many vulnerabilities; and do not have many security tools available. A major contributor to the lack of tools is the proprietary protocols they utilize. As an example, Dr. Vaughn offered the story of Ghost Exodus. Ghost Exodus, also known as Jesse McGraw, was a 26-year-old security guard at the Northern Central Medical Plaza in Dallas. McGraw uploaded a YouTube video of himself staging an infiltration at the medical center. He installed remote control software on several workstations as well as the center's HVAC system. Control of the HVAC system could negatively impact surgeries or compromise drugs or medicines that require a constant temperature. A researcher for Dr. Vaughn at MSU, Wesley McGrew, reported McGraw's activities to the FBI after observing screen shots of the infiltration online. McGraw's online resume included his hacker handle Ghost Exodus, so tracking him down proved to be easier than one would initially think. Dr. Vaughn also explained that more than 90 percent of the port scans for SCADA systems originate from China. The good news is that some security providers are beginning to invest more in security tools for SCADA systems. And for his part, Dr. Vaughn has set up a miniaturized fully functional SCADA lab at UAH. A central purpose of the SCADA lab is to enable government and industry leadership to visualize the effect of compromised SCADA systems. Once seen, the belief is that both public and private industry leadership will allocate the necessary resources to pursue a solution to the current SCADA security threat.

The chapter was proud to present Maj. Gen. Heidi V. Brown, USA, of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) as the speaker for its May luncheon. As director of test for the MDA, Gen. Brown is responsible for planning, budgeting, staffing and managing a comprehensive Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) test program that characterizes the BMD capabilities of the United States. Gen. Brown graduated from West Point in 1981, and has since served in a variety of positions, from platoon leader to the first female general officer in the Air Defense Artillery Brigade. She also has the distinction of being the first female officer to command and lead a brigade into combat. Gen. Brown presented luncheon attendees with a sobering example of how Redstone Arsenal and MDA are closely involved with real-world events. She discussed how a new Iranian missile with sufficient range to reach Israel is nearing completion. Gen. Brown then informed the group of advancements in technology at the MDA and countermeasures to thwart the Iranian threat, specifically, the continued development of Aegis ashore, a land-based adaption of the very successful Navy system that uses a highly scalable architecture with distributed sensor systems to detect and destroy enemy missiles. Gen. Brown added, "We have 30 AEGIS BMD ships currently, with 33 planned by 31 December 2015." She also familiarized the attendees with current technological developments at the MDA. The Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is performing well during testing at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF). Touted by Raytheon as the "world's only ballistic missile killer deployable on land or sea," it will be deployed in both original Naval version and new "Ashore' version of AEGIS. Gen. Brown also discussed enhancements to another element of the MDA's layered defense. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, a highly successful anti-ballistic missile system designed to shoot down short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles, is undergoing an upgrade as well. In other chapter news, Chapter President Mike Schexnayder was presented a lifetime membership award. Ted Henrich, chapter treasurer, was honored at the annual Huntsville Association of Technical Societies (HATS) award dinner. He was the chapter's Person of the Year HATS selection.

The chapter was proud to present Lt. Gen. Peter M. Cuviello, USA (Ret.), as its guest speaker in March. Gen. Cuviello has 38 years of experience in Operational Cyber, C4, and Information Technology roles. He was the chief information officer/G-6 of the U.S. Army with a $5.6 billion annual information technology budget. Gen. Cuviello has since worked with Lockheed Martin in numerous senior positions starting after retirement in 2003. He is now the lead client partner of the Deloittte and Touche Consulting LLP and is based in Huntsville, Alabama, as part of the defense segment. Gen. Cuviello started off the luncheon by stating that if it's bit and bytes, it's cyber. He made a comparison between cyber and logistics from a project management (PM) perspective, to say that they are both often an afterthought. He furthered the discussion by stating that cyber is often not part of the processes/requirements development cycle, and it is not built in. The general said he would push for a cyber KPP (key performance parameters) requirement for Defense Department PM. He further detailed that 30 percent of weapon cost is initial PM work and 70 percent is sustainment. If the KPP succeeds, the result will be more money going to cyber. Building cyber into the weapon system can reduce the sustainment costs of the system. He further stated cyber must be built into the process. Gen. Cuviello also addressed the upcoming changes to the Defense Department certification and accreditation process. The NIST Risk Management Framework, which employs continuous monitoring and is a different way of looking at cyber in the information technology world, will soon be a reality in the Defense Department. Gen. Cuviello then discussed the reason enterprise resource planning applications do not work. The problem is that the people are first and the process is second. He presented the example of a division that does not want to adapt to the process and due their influence the process is modified. This has to change, Gen. Cuviello stated. Gen. Cuviello then stated that technology could enable the change.

The chapter was proud to welcome Col. Timothy R. Baxter, USA, as its guest speaker at the February luncheon. Col. Baxter is the project manager of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Program Executive Office Aviation (PEO Aviation). Col. Baxter has been the project manager since July 2011. His other accomplishments include serving in a number of infantry and special operations assignments prior to transitioning to the acquisition corps. Col. Baxter has a Ranger tab, Special Forces tab, as well as a master parachutist Badge with Combat Jump Star and the Combat Infantryman Badge. After explaining the background and foundation of unmanned aircraft systems, Col. Baxter expressed the current and future importance of unmanned aircraft systems for the Army and Defense Department as a whole. The luncheon included a scholarship component as well. The chapter was proud to select Julian Sy, a junior at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), as the recipient of its annual UAH endowment scholarship in the amount of $2,500. The chapter was proud to present Antonio Moore, a junior at UAH, with the National AFCEA Scholarship for Veterans of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom Operations in the amount of $5,000.

The chapter was pleased to present Mark Hand as its guest speaker for the first fall luncheon in September. Hand is the project lead for the Joint Battle Command Platform (JBC-P) project. Hand, a former Air Force officer, provides leaders and soldiers with the JBC-P software that has fundamentally changed the landscape of modern warfare. The system allows for real-time collaboration between different commands, branches of the military and even allies in combat situations. He explained how the software matured out of a mostly stove piped environment consisting of disparate systems to a cohesive agile platform. Hand discussed how a common operating environment was essential to allow data to flow freely between multiple disparate programs. The JBC-P utilizes integrated radio and satellite communications in vehicle computer systems as well as modern encryption to provide forces with accurate and timely battlefield information. Hand explained to the audience that the software has evolved with culture. For instance, leadership at the JBP-P acknowledged that today's soldier grew up with computers and video games. The JBC-P has chosen to utilize a similar view or perspective to a first person shooter as well as a chat feature. The platform adapted its software to its users and their base of common knowledge and summarily achieved a milestone in Defense Department software development.

In June, the chapter established a scholarship for the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a $5,000 endowment, as well as an additional $5,000 scholarship given directly to Keon Hawthorne. Hawthorne is a mechanical engineering student at Alabama A&M University and will graduate with his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering in 2014. The chapter was pleased to realize its goal of significantly increasing scholarship dispersions to graduating high school seniors expressing interest and current college students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The chapter previously supported local school science fairs and robotic programs, and presented annual scholarships to graduating high school seniors, but it wanted to significantly increase the level of contributions for 2012. A generous corporate contribution made to the chapter scholarship drive by Platinum sponsor The CENTECH Group; Gold sponsors, including COLSA, Corporate Offices Property Trust, Torch Technologies; Silver sponsors, including nLogic, Booz Allen Hamilton, enGenius, Project XYZ, DSI, US Textiles; and Bronze sponsors, the Wally Kirkpatrick Family Foundation and Huntsville Personal Fitness Center. Bill Bailey, Ted Henrich, Chris Christi, Wendy Kepler, Mark Devirgilio and Cindy Kurt also made generous individual contributions. All of these donations allowed the chapter to reach its goals. The board of directors would also like to thank Vic Budura, a now retired chapter president, for donating many hundreds of hours of service to the chapter and its goals over the past several years. The chapter would not have reached this milestone without his leadership.

The chapter welcomed Col. Rob Jassey, USA (Ret.), as its guest speaker for the February luncheon. Col. Jassey spoke on the U.S. Army's Intergrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System. The colonel served as the deputy G-3 to stand up what is now called the 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Bliss. He also fielded and tested the Army's first Patriot Advanced Capabilities III Battalion. He now serves as the deputy program director for the Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System as an employee of Northrop Grumman. Col. Jassey spoke on the difficulties and subsequent successes of integrating seven different command and control (C2) systems to perform as one enterprise application. Engage on remote, a concept of both launching and engaging an interceptor from the information of a remote based sensor thousands of miles away, was a key capability that was implemented under the supervision of Col. Jassey. The colonel stated that C2 systems have to be able to adapt to different situations and that common command and control is the goal. A lack of continuity with how the warfighter operates made the need for a common system clear. Col. Jassey gave an example of a young person learning to drive as a metaphor to operating one of the formerly disparate C2 systems before the integration. At first, the task is all consuming and requires total focus. As we become trained the act of driving becomes second nature or part of our subconscious, said Col. Jassey. This is what we need to do with weapon systems. The soldier is learning to drive over again with each weapon system they learn. The common interface approach Col. Jassey worked toward allows for a training experience similar to learning how to drive a car once. The interface molds to the user in a similar fashion to desktop icons or apps on a smartphone.

The chapter presented the panel Industry Leaders in Cybersecurity at its November luncheon. Richard Russell, headquarters, U.S. Army Materiel Command G-2, served as the moderator and a pivotal organizer for this event. Panel speakers included John Lambert, senior director for trustworthy computing, Microsoft; John Simon, former global strategist, Microsoft Government, and retired civilian employee; and George Stathakopoulos, director of information security, Amazon.<br><br>The panel first discussed the future of cybersecurity, and the speakers agreed that the United States is not the leader that it should be in cyber and that steps must be taken in the future to ease the integration of corporate partners and government for the common good of the country. When specifically asked how to fight the war of information on the cybersecurity battlefield, Stathakopoulos explained that the current method of firewalls, IDS, IPS, antivirus and other technology solutions are necessary, but they comprise a model of hope. Hope that an intruder does not enter your network, which countless examples of corporate intrusions show is rarely the case, he emphasized. The second part of the model revolved around deception and obscurity—deception in the form of false information designed to draw an intruder to it. The false information could be 100 different databases that appear to have customer information but in fact contain bogus information designed to draw the intruder away from the information they are seeking. In the cybersecurity arena, these are typically called honeypots, but Stathakopoulos' example went a step further. He explained a concept of placing high-value information in disparate databases that could only be linked by a digital key or combination that would be housed in the most secure area of the network. The example he used was to think of a map with separate layers for the roads, locations, and even direction orientation and distance keys. The map would be useless if all the layers were not available to use at the same time.

The chapter used the occasion of its September luncheon to announce the beginning of its Scholarship Foundation. Its scholarship funds have grown slowly since the chapter was restarted six years ago. This summer, due to a generous gift by a corporate sponsor, the fund could grow from $5,000 to $40,000 for 2013. Fernando Galavitz, the chief executive officer of Centec Group of Falls Church, Virginia, pledged a generous gift, plus a challenge of matching funds against those contributed by Huntsville area corporate sponsors and individuals. The chapter's scholarship chair, Rick Tuggle of People-Tec, briefed the new Scholarship Foundation to the luncheon attendees. The core will consist of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) scholarships of $5,000 to each of four local colleges and universities in engineering, robotics, computer science and network engineering. Tuggle, who is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Alabama Huntsville, was also the recipient of an AFCEA scholarship in his undergraduate studies. The success of the scholarship program at Huntsville's sister chapter in Montgomery served as the catalyst for this effort. <br><br>In addition, the chapter was pleased to have guest speaker Mark Mitcham of the Harris Corporation discuss the Defense Departments's Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) at the September luncheon. Harris is one of six companies who provide radio equipment to the Army. While the overall development of the system is behind schedule, the Army is considering the option of using commercial technologies already available such as the Android OS created and managed by Google to speed up the transition. The Army has seen the benefit of using developed radios that meet many of their requirements, Mitcham said. There will be very firm standards of interoperability. However, he said that the Defense Department recognized there are multiple ways to meet warfighter requirements. Although the program began with goals the leadership felt were attainable, the Defense Department soon discovered the costs were too high if all the initial capabilities were included. Mitcham also discussed the Army's plan to upgrade its satellite infrastructure to 64 kilobits per second (kbps) links from the much slower 16kbps links that are currently in use.

In July, the chapter welcomed Richard Russell, deputy G-2, U.S. Army Materiel Command (USAMC), as its guest speaker. Russell is a founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a recognized expert in the fields of organizational and program transformation as well as information integration. His current assignment as deputy G-2 of USAMC, one of three major commands in the Army, gives him an educated and in-depth perspective in the area of cybersecurity. Russell spoke about cyberwarfare as a key battleground of the Information Age and the current strategy of the United States regarding it. He drew a comparison between the current U.S. cyberwarfare strategy and the strategy during the Revolutionary War. He explained that the current U.S. cyberstrategy is very similar to the British in their bright red coats and rigid formations yelling disparaging remarks at their enemies hiding behind the rocks and trees. Our enemies hide behind the rocks and trees of cyberspace taking pot shots with little chance of being injured themselves, said Russell. He also informed the audience that the U.S. is currently in fifth place in the war for cyberdominance. The luncheon concluded with the chapter awarding three $1,000 Lonnie Polling Memorial scholarships.

The chapter was honored to welcome Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, USAF (Ret.), as the speaker for 2nd annual Defense Associations Luncheon jointly hosted by the chapter and the Air Force Association in March. Gen. Elder served as the first commander of U.S. Air Force Network Operations and led the development of the Air Force's cyberspace mission. Gen. Elder currently is a research professor for the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University. He conducts research in the areas of cyber enterprise resiliency and the use of modeling to support national security decision-making. <br><br>Gen. Elder began his presentation on cybersecurity and culture by dispelling current myths about cyber security professionals, explaining that all cybersecurity professionals are not nerds. He further explained that the future leaders in cybersecurity would look much like the leaders of today, except they will have deep knowledge and understanding of the cybersecurity domain. Gen. Elder also explored the topic by drawing a parallel between how our culture has and will continue to change as a result of cyberspace. In a networked culture, importance is a function of how many connections someone establishes. Compared to a typical hierarchical structure with a president, chief executive officer or other leader, the networked model presents new opportunities and challenges. Gen. Elder pointed out that in a networked environment, value immediately goes down when production stops. An example would be someone who posts a popular video on YouTube. The individual would be famous in a matter of hours but also forgotten in the same amount of time. <br><br>Gen. Elder also commented on the need for further development of United States contingency plans for cyber. He said, we always assumed we would lose communications with cyber, data loss is not usually assumed this is a problem. While the U.S. cyber currently has an offensive capability, cyberdefenses for our domestic infrastructure are of concern to many experts in the community. However, with experts like Gen. Elder and others leading the charge for understanding and dominating the cyberdomain, we can take some comfort that the country is aware of the problem and deciding its path forward with knowledge of the battlefield.

In January, the chapter was honored to present Austin Boyd, chief executive officer of INERGI Incorporated, as the featured speaker. Boyd is an accomplished author with six novels to his credit as well as a book of poetry. He served as a naval aviator and engineer with more than 3,000 career flight hours to his credit. He has received numerous awards for both contributions. INERGI is a product development firm serving industrial, technology and federal markets across the country. Boyd gave an enlightening presentation concerning the combination of form and function for a product, essentially applying the principles of building architecture to product manufacturing. He outlined discipline as a key principle of his success. Whether referring to the boundary conditions of product development—cost, schedule, and quality—or to the more than 150 hours of outline and design required before writing the first page of one of his novels. Boyd continued with operational considerations such as the need for a 3-D printer, an in-house machine shop and staged development to be successful in the product development industry. In closing, Boyd reminded the group of the importance of discipline as a principal characteristic of initial and sustained success.

In November, the chapter welcomed Dr. Edward M. Siomacco, deputy chief of staff and G-6 chief information officer, U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC), as the guest speaker. Siomacco serves as the command's senior level adviser on the strategic direction, objectives and supervision of all command, control, communication, computers and information management activities. Siomacco discussed the current enterprise email initiative at the Army Command level. “300,000 of the U.S. Army's 1.9 million users have been migrated at this time,” said Siomacco. The new enterprise email system will allow for increased mailbox storage and the ability for a user to move seamlessly throughout the Army's regional commands without the need for account modification. He also discussed the AMC's new role as a video teleconference hub for the entire command due to technological advantages acquired by the Base Realignment and Closure move of the command's headquarters to Huntsville. According to Siomacco, the command “had a global conference call last week with over 125 separate locations,” to attest to the flexibility and robustness of the new system. Siomacco discussed the new Automated Identification Technology (AIT) at the luncheon as well. The AIT system will allow for end-to-end logistics tracking for materiel assets in the field. The AIT uses radio frequency identification tags to automatically capture the identity of cargo as it moves through the logistical chain.

In September, the chapter partnered with Spirit Made Steel karate studio to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Students received pledge donations for the number of kicks they could execute in 20 minutes. Instructors at the event judged each kick for completion. The winner of the event successfully kicked more than 1,300 times within the time limit. The chapter and Spirit Made Steel raised more than $2,600 dollars to benefit the charity. “Martial artists should take time to give back to the community like other civic organizations,” said sensei Kevin Swanner (8th Dan). The chapter was proud to participate with Spirit Made Steel for such a worthy cause.

In September, the chapter hosted a symposium focused on command, control and communications related to the tornadoes that ravaged northern Alabama and other parts of the Southeast on April 27. The tornados were one of three recognized Tier 1 events in the Federal Emergency Management Agency history. (The other two events were Sept. 11, 2001 and hurricane Katrina.) It was the first time Alabama had seen an F5 tornado since 1974. The disaster caused an estimated $4.2 billion in damages—50-percent uninsured. The symposium featured Paul Finley, mayor of Madison City; Rex Reynolds, deputy mayor of Huntsville; Col. John Hamilton, USA, commander of the Redstone Arsenal Garrison; and representatives from all major support agencies from both cities. The symposium focused on preparation and response to the disaster as well as the lessons learned.

In July, the chapter welcomed Dr. Bill Craig, director of the Software Engineering Directorate (SED) for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC). Craig has served as the director of AMRDEC/SED for more than 20 years. The SED Aviation and missile planning software is used on the U.S. presidential helicopter in addition to many other platforms throughout the Army. The SED also is responsible for development of the very popular America's Army video game. Craig's speech focused on the challenges the United States faces and the tools it has to meet them. In addition, he explained that although many items used every day are made in China, the United States provides the machinery to China to make them. “The USA's hope for keeping its standard of living is technology,” said Craig.

In May, Col. Gerald B. Daniels, USA, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Forces Command (SMDC/ARSTRAT), addressed the chapter on the challenges and vision of the organization. Col. Daniels described the role of SMDC/ARSTRAT as a major provider of satellite communication services to the U.S. Strategic Command, and he discussed the many specific details the command performs from the types of radio frequency and their uses to the challenges of space debris impacting the organization's ongoing mission. <br><br>Many in the audience were surprised and impressed by the breadth of services rendered by SMDC/ARSTRAT. Col. Daniels also provided an overview of the current and future satellite communications architecture for the Defense Department.<br><br>Additionally, the chapter awarded Parijeana Alexander, Keyara Fischer and Chiquita Thomas with $1,000 Lonnie Polling Memorial scholarships.

In March, the chapter partnered with the Tennessee Valley Air Force Association, the National Military Intelligence Association and the National Defense Industrial Association for a speaker event with Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.). Gen. Deptula served more than 34 years of distinguished service as a combat pilot with more than 3,000 hours (400 in combat); the principal attack planner for the air campaign in operation Desert Storm (1991); and the director of the Combined Air Operations Center for operation Enduring Freedom. He is currently the chief executive officer of Mav6 LLC—a high technology company providing increased situation awareness capabilities.<br><br>Gen. Deptula gave a thought-provoking lecture on the history of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). He discussed the creation of ISR during the Civil War, when balloons were first used for ISR purposes, and he detailed its evolution from World War I and World War II to the modern era, where ISR was generally a “stove pipe” solution. This continued until recently, when Gen. Deptula and other U.S. military leaders realized that commanders across all branches and coalition forces should share the same information. While the armed forces are moving in this direction, budgetary hurdles and concern over secure information dissemination require careful planning and consideration. The value of accurate and timely information was emphasized, especially in the era of global communications and mass media, where any unintended loss of life is unacceptable and politically damaging. Timely and accurate ISR has become paramount for a country's world image. Gen. Deptula presented a cross-domain approach to ISR, where all branches of service and coalition forces, in certain circumstances, would have access to the same information. “ISR is indivisible; separation destroys the synergy created by combining items,” Gen. Deptula stated. <br><br>Gen. Deptula also discussed the benefits of a new Joint Forces ISR instance at the U.S. Air Force. “Intelligence and operations become a single task,” Gen. Deptula explained. He closed with a statement to enforce the continued importance of ISR, saying, “The only certainty with the future is that it is uncertain.” More than 300 individuals from the Tennessee Valley area attended the presentation. All proceeds from the event will be used to provide scholarships to graduating seniors from several Huntsville area high schools.

Thomas Wright served as the guest speaker for the chapter's November luncheon. Wright is a seasoned information technology professional with nearly 30 years of experience with Defense Department customers and private industry alike. He is currently employed with NetApp as the G-2/Army Southeast account manager. Wright reviewed the progression of computing technology from the mainframe, workstation and desktop, to the current industry trend of cloud computing. He commented on the challenges of transitioning the Defense Department architecture, infrastructure and security policies to the cloud environment as well as the payoff of a cohesive, efficient, robust and cost effective department environment of the future.

In September, the chapter welcomed Dr. Mark Swinson, director, Space and Cyberspace Technology Directorate, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technology Center, as the distinguished speaker. Swinson's speech, “An Emerging Cyber Huntsville,” addressed the push to establish a Command Cyber Technology Team and the strategy to building a cyber technology capability throughout the Defense Department by leveraging the capabilities inherent in the Redstone community and beyond. Other chapter business included a special presentation by Tom Gwaltney, regional vice president, to Nicholas Christensen, AFCEA Educational Foundation Science Fair Award winner. Nicholas' parents Bob and Libby Christensen accompanied him to the event. The chapter also recognized the September corporate table sponsors, including Alutiiq, Noetic Strategies, Raytheon, Booz Allen Hamilton, MEI Technologies, Applied Data Trends, Jacobs Technology and DESE Research.

Kenny Watts received the chapter's Professional of the Year Award presented by the Huntsville Association of Technical Societies at the June awards dinner. The award recognized Watts for his contributions in leading the resurrection of the chapter. As chapter president, Watts increased the membership to more than 200 people in less than three years. In his subsequent role as chapter technical symposium director, Watts planned and executed the chapter's first one-day Technical Symposium on Civil Military Interoperability in June 2008. A second Unmanned Systems Symposium followed in October 2008 and a third technical symposium on Force Protection in February 2009. Proceeds from the symposia were added to the chapter's scholarship fund. These venues provide a forum for developing cooperative relationships between the chapter and state and local governments, the military and industry partners. Watts is a senior business development manager with the Raytheon Company in Huntsville, Alabama.

In May, the chapter awarded its first annual scholarships honoring Lt. Col. Lonnie Poling, USMC (Ret.) to students at Johnson High School. Warren Aliegbe received the chapter's $2,500 Poling Memorial Scholarship. He plans to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at Auburn University. Kendall DeJesus and Omolara Ojewole each were awarded $1,000 scholarships from the chapter. Col. Poling helped resurrect the chapter and organized the Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Summit, which is now an annual event. The chapter selected Johnson High School for the first Poling Memorial Scholarships because it is home to a Marine Junior ROTC unit.

In May, the chapter welcomed Paul A. Gierow, president, GATR Technologies, as the distinguished speaker for the meeting. Gierow spoke on what he called the “world's first Federal Communications Commission licensed inflatable satellite antenna system.” GATR Technologies manufactures a patented, inflatable antenna that provides ground communication with satellite communication systems. The antenna is light and easily deployable in as few as two airline checkable cases, making it ideal for first-in deployments, remote applications and contingency scenarios where transportation and space are limited, including military, public safety and broadcast missions, said Gierow. He explained that GATR Technologies participated in many humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness exercises and demonstrations over the past three years—most recently in Haiti to provide critical information to the government after the earthquake. At the meeting, outgoing chapter officers, Al Whitt, treasurer, and Susan Campbell, secretary, were recognized for their dedication and service. The chapter also recognized the May corporate table sponsors: ADT, Alutiiq, BAE Systems and Raytheon. The door prize winner was Richard Bounds, Aerotek.

At the March meeting, the chapter welcomed Daniel E. Irwin, NASA research scientist, as the guest speaker. Irwin spoke on the Regional Visualization and Monitoring System (SERVIR). The SERVIR initiative integrates satellite observations, ground-based data and forecast models to monitor and predict environmental change and improve response to natural disasters. Principally supported by NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development, the program also is endorsed by government leaders in Central America and Africa. SERVIR relies heavily on those partnerships to increase the availability of Earth observations, measurements, animations and analysis. A SERVIR office and rapid prototyping facility are located at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Other locations include the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama, and the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development in Kenya. The Haitian government used SERVIR extensively after the January earthquake to provide critical data. Also at the meeting, the chapter recognized the March corporate table sponsors including ADT, Alutiiq, DSI, SM&A and Raytheon. In addition, Abjul Rasheed Qureshi, senior military communication system engineer, Raytheon, was named door prize winner. Kenny Watts, symposium chairman, then debriefed the chapter on the Force Protection Symposium and recognized Tom Gwaltney, regional vice president.

The chapter sponsored a one-day symposium on force protection systems in February. Mike Van Rassen, program manager, counter rocket, artillery and mortar (C-RAM) program, gave the overview, while four members of the C-RAM program management technical staff described the Battle Management Command, Control and Communications architecture, sensors, land-based Phalanx weapon system and operational performance in the operation Iraqi Freedom theater. The afternoon sessions included a presentation on the extended area protection system missile program and the 50-millimeter guided bullet system. John Wachs, chief, Directed Energy Division, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, discussed the Army's solid-state laser weapons system development. Don Lovelace of the Army's Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) highlighted the center's active protection system development and testing program. Col. Kennedy Jenkins, USA, program director, Army Aircraft Survivability Equipment, discussed current aircraft protection systems under development. Support from the symposium's sponsors and attendees provided the chapter additional funds for local scholarships.

Bill Waite, co-founder, chairman and chief technology officer of the AEgis Technologies Group, was the guest speaker at the chapter's January meeting. His presentation focused on "Modeling and Simulation Challenges Associated with Complex systems—How Much is Enough?" Waite covered the fundamental concept of simulation as representation; the systems engineering world of systems of systems; the consequences of cognitive expectation; and the organizational enterprise. The chapter also recognized January corporate table sponsors ADT, AEgis, Alutiiq, COLSA, DESE, Dynetics, DSI, MEI Tech, Qinetic and Raytheon. Rick Tuggle, chapter director for scholarships, gave a committee report.

The chapter invited Richard Brown, vice president of Jacobs Technology, to speak at the November meeting. His topic was "An Introduction to Information Technology Infrastructure Library [ITIL] and the IT Service Management Forum USA [itSMF USA] Huntsville Forum." He outlined the benefits of ITIL and the formation of the Huntsville itSMF USA forum, a local interest group that provides opportunities for knowledge sharing, education and networking for the advancement of IT service management best practices. Janice Luchner, robotics program sponsor, Columbia High School, was named as the chapter's annual education award winner and received a $1,000 check. Mike Schexnayder, chapter vice president for programs, reviewed proposed events for 2010, and Jeff Edwards, chapter chair for social programs, shared the results of the golf tournament.

The chapter sponsored its second annual golf tournament and fundraiser in October. The event featured 16 teams. The winning team, which included Ron Mainor, Brad Marshall, Scott Clark and Hank Winks, received a top score of 59. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the chapter's educational scholarships.

The chapter welcomed David Weeks from the COLSA Corporation as the distinguished speaker for the June meeting. Weeks is a support provider to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command's technical center and an adviser to NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program. He discussed "Nano-Satellites for the Warfighter." He described the program challenges in developing and demonstrating the feasibility of nano-satellites when providing direct support to the on-the-ground warfighter. The program's goal is to provide low-cost space assets that are responsive to the warfighter for time-critical information. The chapter recognized Isaac Detrinidad for his fourth win of the chapter's War Veterans' Scholarship. He is a student at Purdue University who is working on solid rocket motors at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, through NASA's Propulsion Academy. Candace Stokes was named Regional Young AFCEAN for the Montgomery Chapter, and Bethany Johnson was named as a National Science Fair Winner.

Special Agent Jeff Dowdy with the Federal Bureau of Investigation gave a presentation titled "The Iran Threat: What Makes Iran Tick" in his role as keynote speaker for the chapter's April meeting. He outlined the history, culture, beliefs, geography and future of the Iranian people. Dowdy, who has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, is considered to be an expert on radical Islamic fundamentalism. Tom Gwaltney, regional vice president, installed the new chapter officers: Vic Budura, chapter president; Chad Leathers, chapter vice president for corporate affairs; Al Whitt, chapter treasurer; and Susan Campbell, chapter secretary. Christina Downing was honored as the AFCEA International Meritorious Service award winner and the chapter's Special Appreciation award winner.

Col. Jeffrey K. Souder, USA, project manager, European Component Initiative, Missile Defense Agency, served as the distinguished speaker at the March meeting. The colonel discussed the organizational challenges of the initiative, components of the integrated ballistic missile system and European capabilities. The chapter recognized Jim Marks as the Distinguished Young AFCEAN of the Year. The chapter also made plans for the upcoming officers election.

In January, the chapter held a Member Appreciation Social to kick off 2009. Chapter officers and board members reviewed the chapter's successes from the past year. Participants included Jim Marks, Distinguished Young AFCEAN of the Year award winner; Bob Bell, chapter chairman for membership; Darren Brewer, chapter treasurer; Rick Tuggle, chapter chairman for scholarships; and Larry Hall, chapter chairman for publicity. Connie Wallace, chapter vice president for programs, and Vic Budura, chapter president, addressed the chapter's goals for 2009.

Dr. Kenneth R. Fernandez, manager, Advanced Concepts Branch, Science and Mission Systems Office, NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, was the distinguished speaker at the November meeting. Fernandez highlighted the challenges of future exploration of the moon and how it will differ from the Apollo mission from 40 years ago. Future lunar exploration will be heavily dependent on unmanned systems technology, he explained, noting that both NASA and the U.S. Army are actively developing unmanned technology for this purpose. Fernandez outlined the need to achieve synergy between NASA and the Army's unmanned technology through a joint unmanned technology distributed systems integration testbed. The chapter recognized new members and corporate sponsors and discussed both the upcoming member social and the 2009 Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Summit.

In October, the chapter co-sponsored the Unmanned Systems Symposium with the local chapter of the Association of Unmanned Systems and Vehicles International. Government and academic speakers discussed advancements in unmanned aircraft systems, unmanned system centers and unmanned ground systems throughout the day. Proceeds from the symposium benefit scholarships to local academic institutions. The chapter wishes to thank its sponsors, BFA Systems, EnGenius Consulting and Northrop Grumman.

Marty Kress, executive director, National Space Science and Technology Center, was the featured speaker at the chapter's September meeting. Kress highlighted the products, process flow and status of the continuing evolution of unmanned systems. He addressed the challenges of standardization and of meeting the requirement for rapid development, testing and deployment of unmanned robotic systems. The chapter discussed its upcoming events: the tech symposium, the golf tournament and the Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense summit.<br>

Stephan Davis, deputy manager of the Ares I-X Mission Management Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, was the distinguished speaker at the July meeting. Davis provided an overview of the process flow and status of the Ares I-X flight test in his presentation, "Back to the Moon with Ares I-X." According to Davis, the suborbital test flight of the Ares I-X will provide key engineering data to support the development of the Ares project. Davis noted that NASA is less than a year from the first launch of the new Ares I vehicle.

June 11 was the first in the chapter-sponsored series of one-day technical symposiums. The topic, 'Civil-Military Interoperability for Disaster Response,' featured 13 speakers and drew more than 80 attendees. Brig. Gen. Francis G. Mahon, USA, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army North, was the keynote speaker and set the stage for an informative day of information sharing. Other guest speakers included Col. Howard Davis, USAF, Air Force Northern Command, liaison officer, U.S. Northern Command; Linda Eggler, program coordinator, National Incident Management Systems, Alabama Emergency Management Agency (EMA); Charles Williams, preparedness division chief, Alabama EMA; Chris Tucker, deputy director, Huntsville/Madison County E911 Center; Rusty Russell, director, Madison County EMA; Chief Wayne McFarlen, Huntsville Fire Department; Brig. Gen. Les Eisner, commander, South Carolina Army National Guard; Anthony Beresford, commander, Civil Air Patrol Squadron; Lt. Cmdr. Tom Meyer, USCG, branch staff, Special Missions, U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center; Norven Goddard, Space Missile Defense Command, Future Warfare Center; Maj. Cliff Hicks, USAF, director of operations, U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, U.S. Air Force North; and Liz Hurley, news anchor, WAFF. Kenny Watts, symposium director, indicated the next symposium in the series is in September.

The chapter welcomed Marty Kress, executive director of the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC), as distinguished speaker for the April meeting. The NSSTC was created by NASA and the seven Alabama research universities, and it primarily supports the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Earth, space, science and technology activities. Kress addressed the topic of how to turn an idea into reality by using collaborative research and development, such as requirements-driven science applications and engineering solutions for key federal customers. Also at the meeting, Tom Gwaltney, Midsouth Regional Vice President, presided over the election of chapter officers. Elected for 2008-2009 were: Vic Budura, president; Connie Wallace, vice president for programs; Greg Smith, vice president for chapter affairs; Darren Brewer, treasurer; and Jennifer Duckworth, secretary.

The chapter welcomed Tim McElyea, chief executive officer and creative director of Media Fusion Incorporated, Huntsville, Alabama, as distinguished speaker for the February meeting. He addressed the role of communication media in the engineering and government environments. He said that Media Fusion creates a wide variety of media products like 3-D animation, video, internet, graphics and presentations to help their customers tell their stories. "As budgets are tightened and attention spans shorter, engaging communication media is ever increasing in its relevance," McElyea remarked. He is the author of two books on space exploration: "A Vision of Space Transportation" and "Project Constellation."

In November the chapter welcomed Alan Goldstayn, associate director, Air Force-Army Program Integration, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, as distinguished guest speaker. His message he termed as "back to the future for redstone arsenal" focused on the process of weapons system development planning. Goldstayn elaborated on the command's dual responsibilities to be the Army warfighting component of U.S. Strategic Command and also to develop and operate systems that provide space support to tactical theater operations. In both these tasks, the command is closely tied to the development and fielding of systems for the Missile Defense Agency.

In August the chapter welcomed Brig. Gen. Gary S. Connor, USAF, program director, Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Joint Program Office, Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama. During his guest presentation, Gen. Connor submitted that system providers should talk directly to the warfighter to get a true perspective. He said the further away from the battle field, the less likelihood of seeing a true picture. This was part of the message delivered by Gen Connor, who recently served in Baghdad from December 2005 to March 2007 as deputy chief of staff for communications and information systems for Multinational Force-Iraq.

In June the chapter welcomed Maj. Gen. Michael R. Mazzucchi, USA, commander, Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command and Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, as the June meeting speaker. Gen. Mazzucchi provided an overview of new strategies for Army networks, the Joint Network Node and the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T). He addressed issues such as motivation for change in strategy, program status, the restructured WIN-T program and the deployment strategy.

In April the chapter welcomed Kathy Wood, communications director for the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP). Wood's information brief, titled "Center for Domestic Preparedness-Alabama's Crown Jewel," provided an overview of the training opportunities and services offered to the state- and local-level first responders. She said that the CDP is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's only federally chartered weapons of mass destruction (WMD) training center. The CDP is charged with training emergency responders, including law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and others, to deal with a terrorist attack involving WMD or incidents involving hazardous materials. The center is located on the site of the former Fort McClellan. Also during the meeting, the slate of officers and directors for 2007-2008 was approved. Kenny Watts, outgoing chapter president, welcomed Maj. Gen. John Urias (R) as incoming chapter president. Thomas Gwaltney, AFCEA regional vice president, Mid South Region, presided over the election.

Huntsville AFCEA Chapter welcomed Lt. Col. Dan Wiley, USA, product manager for Air and Missile Defense Command and Control Systems (AMDCCS), as speaker for the February luncheon meeting. Wiley's presentation, "A Year in the Life of a PM-The Challenges of Product Management" focused on the critical tasks of fielding, resetting the force, responding to the fight, executing resources, logistics and team building. Serving in the role since 2005 and slated to remain until 2008, Wiley offered an inside glimpse into the demands of his office and a real-life illustration of AMDCCS applications.