“Today it is commonly accepted that AFCEA Bonn e.V. is a neutral platform for dialogue,” explains Brigadier General and Chairman of AFCEA Bonn e.V. Armin Fleischmann. It took a lot of commitment on the part of the founding members to achieve this, he says. Because when AFCEA Bonn e.V. was founded in 1983, the association was still a very manageable undertaking with around 100 members – including three companies. With a lot of passion and commitment, this group succeeded in adapting the ideas and experiences of the American chapter to German law. In addition, the first task was to overcome the prevailing mistrust on the part of the ministries. Was there a possibility of taking advantage? Would official matters be mixed with association activities?
These reservations were countered by the organization’s goals in an argumentation paper. The contents of this paper are still valid today, albeit expressed in different terms. “The general objective of AFCEA is to be effective as an association whose members are active in the fields of security and operational readiness of the Free World through the development, manufacture, operation, and services in the fields of telecommunications, electronics, data processing, data collection system, command and control system, and photography.” These goals had not lost their relevance or foundation. On the contrary, the noble goal of contributing to greater security in the “free world” had acquired a current dimension.
Consequently, the core objective of the AFCEA Bonn e.V. is still to promote the exchange of ideas for a better use of technology. In the meantime, the association has been able to win over many comrades-in-arms. “Around 150 chapters around the world provide an exchange platform between public administration – which is also an expansion – industry and science.” An enormous development, as Brigadier General (ret.) Reimar Scherz, former vice chairman of AFCEA Bonn e.V., notes. One is in its forty-year history with its events and its trade exhibitions the link between the Bundeswehr, industry and science in the field of ITK and today especially for cyber and AI.
The AFCEA trade exhibition also has its roots in 1983. Rainer Ramin started a first trade event in November 1983, entitled “Bildschirmtext”. From Ramin’s idea to offer the exchange of information on a larger scale and to show some “hardware” in addition to projects, the trade exhibition was born in 1986. Today, the AFCEA trade exhibition in its 36th edition has become the most important event of AFCEA-Bonn e.V.. Since 2021 the trade exhibition takes place in the World Conference Center Bonn. Despite its history rich in tradition, the association does not give in to stagnation. Every anniversary is also an occasion to highlight the current technical and security challenges, explains Fleischmann. Every year, the association bundles developments and dynamics of the past twelve months into annual themes. This year’s theme is AI and innovation.
At the same time, the association is dealing with the effects of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and, associated with this, the upcoming changes that are associated with the Zeitenwende in time and the special assets that follow it. It is therefore unmistakable: the demands are high and time is pressing. Knowledge must be shared quickly. This is where Fleischmann sees the association’s contribution, when it brings together demand carriers and demand discoverers, knowledge carriers from all sectors, users and solution providers. Vice Admiral Dr. Thomas Daum, Inspector Cyber and Information Space, is aware of the added value that AFCEA e.V. offers. “We as the Bundeswehr’s Cyber and Information Space organizational unit can draw particular added value from your network and services.” After all, he said, digitization brings with it opportunities and threats in equal measure. In order to cope with these successfully, he said, an end-to-end ecosystem of business, research, authorities and civil society is needed. Only through such a network is it possible to protect ourselves against the threat of cyber attacks and develop resilience against disinformation. “And it is precisely this linking of all relevant actors that the dialog platform AFCEA Bonn e.V. provides as a neutral and non-profit forum for information exchange in the relevant subject areas.
Jonas Brandstetter, editorial staff