Armed Forces Communications & Electronics Association International (AFCEA), established in 1946, is a nonprofit membership association serving the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, government, industry, and academia as a forum for advancing professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications,

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of Data (computing), data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information te ...

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...

and

global security GlobalSecurity.org is an American nonpartisan, independent, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank, and research and consultancy group. Focus The site is focused on national and international security issues; military analysis, syste ...

. AFCEA provides a forum for military, government, academic and industry communities with altogether more than 30,000 members. AFCEA supports local chapters, sponsors events, publishes a magazine, promotes STEM education and provides member benefits.

History

Following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, the United States Veterans Signal Association was formed from the original Signal Corps established under Maj.

Albert J. Myer Albert James Myer (September 20, 1828 – August 24, 1880) was a surgeon and United States Army general. He is known as the father of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, as its first chief signal officer just prior to the American Civil War, the inventor ...

of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

. This organization was active for many years, ultimately being augmented by veterans from the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The American Signal Corps Association, another World War I group, merged with the U.S. Veterans Signal Association in 1918 and was active until 1944 (

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

). In May 1946
Maj. Gen. Harry C. Ingles
Brig. Gen. David Sarnoff, and a number of industry leaders joined to found the Army Signal Association, absorbing the remaining chapters of its predecessors. In 1947, the name was changed to the Armed Forces Communications Association, and in 1954 the name evolved as the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. In 1979, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association became international with the establishment of chapters in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. On October 1, 2018, the organization's name was shortened to AFCEA International.

''SIGNAL'' Magazine

''SIGNAL,'' not to be confused with the German ''Signal'' magazine, is a monthly international news magazine targeting government, military and industry professionals active in the information technology and intelligence fields. The magazine was started in 1946. Among the topics covered in the magazine are command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

(C4ISR);

information security Information security, sometimes shortened to InfoSec, is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of information risk management. It typically involves preventing or reducing the probability of unauthorize ...

;

cybersecurity Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, t ...

; research and development;

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...

, big data, cloud technologies,

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

; and

homeland security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" t ...

Online publications

A monthly online newsletter, ''SIGNAL Connections'', is emailed mid-month to members. AFCEA's online directories include the corporate member directory, which provides access to detailed information about the companies that support AFCEA. In addition, information in this directory also is available according to corporate focus categories in the Cybersecurity, Intelligence, Health IT, Education and Homeland Security directories. Organizations provide the information in these online publications, including contacts, business focus, products/services, and/or clients. AFCEA is involved in additional communications technologies, including webinars, podcasts, blogs, and RSS Feeds. AFCEA has a presence in social media platforms.

Foundation

The association, in partnership with the AFCEA Educational Foundation, chapters and members, presents $2 million annually in scholarships, grants and awards in six categories: college students with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors; current and future teachers of STEM subjects in U.S. middle and high schools; underserved/minority college students studying STEM fields; students in fields related to security such as intelligence, cyber and homeland security; ROTC cadets/midshipmen and military personnel; and students attending the five service academies and other military educational institutions.

Professional Development Center

AFCEA's Professional Development provides a wide range of programs of continuing education, leadership development and technical training courses. Courses are available for presentation on-site at organizations' facilities. In addition, some sessions at AFCEA conferences and chapter events qualify as continuing education to maintain cybersecurity certifications. The association also has partnerships with several higher education institutions that offer members discounts on tuition both in the classroom and online.

Women in STEM

Through leadership development, education, events, and networking, the association helps women advance in their careers.

Early Career Professionals and Students

The Emerging Professionals in Intelligence Community (EPIC) Committee enables young professionals to learn about the various aspects in this specialty field.

Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

Through the Small Business Committee and several focused events, the association provides strategies and programs about business processes, upcoming contracts and marketing.

Chapters

AFCEA has more than 130 chapters and sub-chapters around the world to provide professional education and networking opportunities. Most hold monthly meetings to exchange ideas about communications, intelligence, cybersecurity and information systems technologies. Nearly one-half of AFCEA's chapters conduct

symposia ''Symposia'' is a genus of South American araneomorph spiders in the family Cybaeidae, and was first described by Eugène Simon in 1898. Species it contains six species in Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic o ...

and seminars in addition to other chapter activities. Individual chapters provide college scholarships, fund classroom equipment and mentor students in science fairs and technology clubs.

Conferences

AFCEA conferences offer problem-solving opportunities to C4ISR, intelligence, cybersecurity, homeland security and information technology professionals through exhibits, technical panels and speakers. Events include: * West Conference and Exposition,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

* TechNet Indo-Pacific Conference and Exposition,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

*AFCEA/George Mason University Symposium, Fairfax, Virginia *Homeland Security Conference, Washington, D.C. * Intelligence and National Security Summit, September,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

*TechNet Augusta, August

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...

*TechNet Cyber,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

*Classified intelligence events and industry days, various locations * TechNet conferences and expositions in various European locations * Chapter meetings, technical panels and symposia, various locations.

References

{{Authority control Military organizations established in 1946 Professional associations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Fairfax, Virginia 1946 establishments in the United States