AFCEA International carries out one of its missions in a unique way this October as the TechNet Europe 2007 conference, titled “From Weather to Warfare: Integrating All-Source Information for Optimum Defence,” takes to the sea on the Silja Serenade. The ferry will be the venue for speakers, panels and exhibits on October 17 in Stockholm, Sweden, and on October 18 in Helsinki, Finland, with a trip across the Baltic Sea in between that includes a buffet dinner and a presentation by one of NATO’s key leaders.

While dockside in Stockholm, the ship will be home to keynote speakers such as Hans Gustaf Wessberg, state secretary, Sweden’s Ministry of Defence, and Lt. Gen. Mats Nilsson, chief of staff of the armed forces and commander of Sweden’s Armed Forces headquarters. Conference panel sessions begin with “The Need for Networks,” which examines existing network services in national and coalition operations. Dr. Henrik Friman, director, Swedish National Defence College, moderates the panel.

Vice Adm. Dick Borjesson, RSN (Ret.), chairs the second panel of the day, “The Need to Manage and Inform (Not Forgetting the Weather!),” a discussion about how to manage information from various sources so commanders can make decisions based on an understanding of facts and analysis.

Event attendees who wish to stay in Stockholm can disembark at the end of the conference day when the Silja Serenade sets sail for Helsinki at 5 p.m. During the voyage, the winner of the award for European Excellence in a Scientific Project as well as Dag Wilhelmsen, general manager, NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency, will share their views with conference attendees. The presentations are followed by a buffet dinner in the exhibition area where conference participants will be able to network and learn about the technologies. The ferry is scheduled to arrive in Helsinki at 10 p.m.

The second day’s events also take place on the ship and begin with coffee in the exhibit hall at 10:30 a.m. A presentation by Adm. Juhani Kaskeala, chief of defence, Finnish Defence Forces, is followed by the third panel session of the conference titled “The Need for Security.” Led by Col. Ilkka Jäppinen, director, Department of Military Technology, National Defence University, Helsinki, panelists will examine the security implications of fusing and disseminating data gathered from different sources.

The final panel session of the conference begins after lunch and centers on information integration. Tõnu Naestema, chairman of the board, State Infocommunication Foundation, Estonia, moderates the discussion about the need for understanding and managing networks to ensure the ability to merge data seamlessly.
 
Attendees who wish to stay in Helsinki must disembark prior to 5 p.m. when the ferry is scheduled to sail for Stockholm; the ship arrives in Stockholm at 9:30 a.m. on October 19.

Although a ship seems an unlikely site for an AFCEA conference, Cdre. Robert Howell, RN (Ret.), general manager, AFCEA Europe, says theaccommodations are designed for a professional networking and educational experience. The Silja Serenade features a 300-seat auditorium, an exhibit area of more than 10,000 square feet and nearly 1,000 cabins. “This is an unusual, indeed unique, venue for TechNet Europe, but I do not want to lose sight of the fact that there is a thoroughly professional side to the whole event. The focus is to examine the integration of information from a diverse group of commercial, industrial and service sources and present it in the right format for those engaged in the business of defense,” Cdre. Howell says.

For security reasons, anyone who plans to attend the conference must register prior to October 1, 2007; registration is available online. Cabin accommodations are not included in the registration fee. For additional information, visit the TechNet Europe 2007 Web site.