AFCEA 2024: Record attendance for the digital turning point

06/28/2024By Redaktion

AFCEA Deutschland Veranstaltung

The 37th AFCEA trade show from June 26-27 at the World Conference Center in Bonn (WCCB) once again set a record for exhibitors and visitors. Over 250 companies and organizations exhibited at one of Germany's most important IT trade shows for defense and security. Approximately 5,000 participants attended the WCCB, marking a 20% increase from the previous year's 4,100 participants.

"This shows the great interest in digitalization in Germany," says Brigadier General Armin Fleischmann, Chairman of AFCEA Bonn e.V. and Subdivision Leader CIT 1 at the German Ministry of Defense. There is still a need for catch-up in public administration. Accordingly, the exhibition was themed "Turning Point in National Security - Resilience through disruptive digital solutions."

This was the third time the trade show took place at the World Conference Center in Bonn. This year, many soldiers also visited the exhibition. For the first time, the accompanying symposium's lectures took place in the former plenary hall of the German Bundestag. Numerous additional formats complemented the traditional exhibition on five exhibition areas, including a special exhibition area for young startups and a recruitment element organized by the Emerging Leaders AFCEA Bonn e.V. (ELA) in cooperation with the Career Development Service in Cologne.

Digitalization in a Changed Security Policy Situation

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former Commander of USAREUR, provided an overview of the changed security policy situation in the keynote. A victory in Ukraine must be in the strategic interests of the USA and European countries. He called on Western states to effectively aid states like Ukraine under attack for effective deterrence and defense, to ramp up industrial production capacities, and mobilize their own society for this purpose.

Lieutenant General Andreas Marlow, Deputy Inspector of the Army and Commander of the Military Basic Organization, reported on experiences from training Ukrainian soldiers and the insights that flow into the further development of the German Bundeswehr's combat capabilities. In a glassy battlefield, where only a few minutes pass from reconnaissance to combat, forces must be much more mobile than they are today, distributed or camouflaged. Drone operations, countermeasures, and electronic warfare are becoming increasingly important. Marlow advocated for the use of drones, which have become commodities today. No soldier needs to be endangered if an unmanned system can be deployed instead.

At the beginning of the second day, the discussion round #DigitalDefenseDebate of the Emerging Leaders focused on data use in public administration. Under the title "From Data Flood to Data Power," the round, moderated by Teresa Ritter and Antonia Leonie Schmidt, dealt with the opportunities and challenges of structural data use in politics and administration.

Multiple AFCEA Members Honored

Several members of the association received awards from the umbrella organization AFCEA International for their dedication. Franz Bernd Möllers receives the Meritorious Service Award, and Dr. Ansgar Rieks receives the Leadership Award. Both board members are honored for their long-standing commitment to the board.

The Emerging Leaders Marianna Schwarz and Ron Simon both receive the 40under40 Award, which annually recognizes 40 young professionals for their professional and volunteer activities. Marianna Schwarz has been on the AFCEA board since 2021 and has established the Innovation sector and the mentoring program at the Bonn association. Ron Simon is recognized for expanding the Young AFCEAs - now Emerging Leaders. The young organization of AFCEA Bonn e.V. now consists of several hundred members in Germany.

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