General Manager’s keynote on Mobile Computing and Cyber Defence

On 30 August, General Manager Koen Gijsbers gave a keynote speech at the annual Koblenz Information Technology Symposium, organised by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).

In his introduction, Mr Gijsbers thanked the AFCEA Chairman for the invitation and highlighted the potential of the NCI Agency as a catalyst for change since its establishment on 1 July 2012. He briefed the audience on the build-up of the NCI Agency, and emphasized the importance of the support of industry and customers for the reform processes that lie ahead. Effective and undisrupted support to military operations is a “conditio sine qua non,” said the General Manager.

After the introduction, the thrust of the speech was on Mobile Computing and Cyber Defence, and the role of these in the NCI Agency’s future. “The world, our environment, is getting more Instrumented, Interconnected and Intelligent. There will be soon a trillion connected devices in the world; there is an increasing range of sensors, agility and mobility of people and organizations growth continuously. We can’t stop this development, perhaps we can benefit from it and we have to prepare ourselves for this evolution.”

Agility and flexibility

The General Manager referred to studies that currently are conducted within the Agency in order to, “invest in in new technologies that increase competitiveness and lead ideally to savings.” Indirectly linking the theme to the Secretary General’s “Connected Forces” initiative, he emphasized that mobile and cloud computing have the ability to contribute to improved agility and flexibility.
Mr. Gijsbers also mentioned an ‘App store’ approach for NATO capabilities highlighting both the associated opportunities and challenges. “We must realise that technology is only a part of the challenge – the human behaviour is essential to mobile computing,” the General Manager stated.

The General Manager ended his presentation with the following conclusions:
- NATO and nations must collaborate on the development of secure mobile computing;
- NATO must engage with the academic world to take advantage of both front-line technology and an open mind-set;
- NATO must engage with the Nations, academia and industry to develop a cyber-security awareness program (NATO and defence is not special in this context);
- The Human Factor is equal to the technical challenges.

The session was opened for discussion on the trends and challenges ahead.
For the full presentation click here.

The NCI Agency has been a frequent guest to AFCEA International. AFCEA is a non-profit organization established in 1946, which serves its members by providing a forum for the ethical exchange of information, and dedicated to increasing knowledge through the exploration of issues relevant to its members in information technology, communications and electronics for the defense, homeland security and intelligence communities.