VISION

We believe the U.S. Military, National Security Community, Civilian Agencies, and our Allies can maintain a decided advantage over our enemies by having access to the full potential of emerging mobile/wireless technologies.  To that end, we want to see Government able to acquire and utilize new mobile devices, networks, operating environments, communications, and applications, at near-commercial speed, while mitigating security risks - achieving an appropriate balance between policy and agility.

MISSION

The AFCEA Mobile Working Group will be an honest broker, providing a forum through which Military, Government, Industry, Nonprofits & Academia can have an ethical exchange of information and learning around mobile/wireless technologies in the Mil/Gov space. Where mobile solutions are deemed critical to the Mission, we seek a common commitment to investing intellectual, political, and strategic resources toward their successful adoption by working to:

• clarify and amplify requirements;
• identify lessons-learned from the private sector, past/pilot projects, and other government agencies;
• highlight the emergence of new technologies that could prove valuable;
• elevate visionary thought leadership in the mobile arena; and
• identify and eliminate roadblocks to successful government adoption of mobile/wireless capabilities.
  

STRATEGIC GOALS

1. Coalesce, create, educate, and elevate a community of Government, Industry, Academia & Nonprofit players in the Mobile/Wireless space; map and engage the network of government leaders and project managers that are working on programs/commands that have a mobile/wireless component or need for said component; map and engage the ecosystem of industry and academia that are working on mobile/wireless solutions, and foster partnering and learning between the members;
   
   
2. Partner with and provide advice, where needed, to DoD, Military Armed Services, DHS, Intel, and other Federal Civilian Agencies (in that order); help the Government find and focus its voice to Industry; help Industry find and focus its voice to Government; help achieve the paradigm shift required by mobile;
   
   
3. Help the Government clearly articulate (or amplify) its Goals, Needs, Requirements and Challenges (perhaps even to the level of collaborating on CONOPS), especially in the areas of:
• Security & Two-token Authentication
• Apps/Innovation
• Bandwidth – light bandwidth at the edge; get on get off
• COTS Devices/Software
• Standards (Common Operating Environment / Common Development Environment / Accessibility)
• Application Ecosystem/Store/Universe
• Suggested Security Profiles that would reduce attack vectors
• Transmission/Performance parameters and data that is being transmitted (delta or whole files) – architectural constructs that don’t exist in the commercial world
• Tactical needs & wearable innovation; actual uses of the technologies on the edge by the warfighter – use cases that COTS doesn’t solve
• C4ISR in the mobile environment
• Interoperability with back-end systems; thick or thin
  
  
4. Help all parties navigate the debates inherent in the following concepts:
• “Most Secure Possible” vs. “Absolutely Secure”, to achieve an appropriate risk vs. reward balance
• Personnel and ownership of mobile/wireless devices/equipment 
• Speed to deploy; Speed to Acquire
• Emerging/Evolving/Alternative technologies - their uses, the opportunities they create, and making decisions about their security needs
• Better definition of requirements by government, & better compliance by industry
  
  
5. Where challenges, problems and roadblocks can be identified, offer solutions, work-arounds, new ideas, and risk-reward models; work to achieve a collaborative approach to adopting mobile capabilities that focuses on what we CAN do to ensure that we stay ahead of the abilities and capabilities of our enemies, not what we CAN’T do; harness the full power of the private sector to find solutions
   
   
6. Identify other sectors of the economy, and other large organizations, that have similar needs in the Mobile space, and raise awareness around best practices and overcoming common challenges (exs: Financial Sector, Energy Sector, Multinational Corporations; Multilateral Organizations);
   
   
7. Focus on Emerging Technologies and bringing new products and capabilities to the attention of the marketplace, and in helping small companies find markets/partners/voice in the mobile debate;
   
   
8. Help find ways for the entire government market to coalesce around common standards that make it easier for industry suppliers to deliver products and solutions in volume, making the market more viable (Mil/Civilian, Fed, State, Local, Coalition, etc);
   
   
9. Leverage the power of partnering with other industry associations, and coalition partners, to achieve mobile/wireless solutions greater than one government, agency or provider can achieve;
   
   
10. Elevate thought leaders and thought leadership in the Mobile/Wireless space (in Government & Industry)