Emerging Technology and Military Considerations
The Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) continues to get great feedback from our member CEOs following our Annual Conference and as a result of other credit union conferences. In recent phone calls and personal visits, many have expressed interest in having focused discussions on emerging technology. Although many conferences, CUSOs, and commercial technology providers already feature these discussions, no one has really talked about the impact of technology on the modern military member. Yet, there are real considerations that require special consideration for our military members and their families. For example, take the following discussion points:
Operational Security Concerns. Social media already consumes a large part of our nation’s daily lives and is where most commerce is relocating. As P2P and other forms of payment take place via social media, what are the implications for military members downrange? Emerging technology should consider these restrictions. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Language also needs to be examined both from an ethical and practice point of view.
Personal and Family Safety. As we look at IOT and linkages to financial institutions, several personal and family safety concerns arise. What does it mean or imply for family members of SEAL Team 6 when the refrigerator reduces its automatic order for milk and eggs based on consumption? How easy is it for enemy hackers to intercept this data not just from the refrigerator, but from the delivery company data? What responsibilities do merchants have in protecting data? Legislation and regulatory measure should be enacted to protect our servicemembers.
Wounded Warriors. Biometric identification methods via smart phones show great promise. However, what good does finger print, voice recognition, or retinal scans do for wounded warriors? Has anyone considered Post-Traumatic Stress triggers or Traumatic Brain Injury implications? What is the preferred workaround for your military members? Inefficient workarounds imply lesser standards of service for these heroes and does not reflect well on the credit union. Most of this can be avoided by asking these types of questions.
Spouse Considerations. Military spouses typically manage the family finances. This is especially true during deployments. As such, emerging technology needs to fully consider the role of military spouses. When passwords, biometrics, or other forms of identification need to be reset or re-accomplished, how responsive is your customer service for joint accounts? Furthermore, when a spouse (i.e., not the “primary” member) needs to speak with a credit union official, how friendly are your credit union policies toward the spouse?
These are only a few of the questions surrounding the emergence of new technology platforms to provide financial products and services. The point is to focus discussion amongst Defense Credit Unions along these lines. We owe it to our service members and their families.
Thus, in 2020 DCUC will establish a new Military Technology Committee in order to provide advice on emerging technology and its impact on military members serving in harm’s way. This includes advice on personal privacy matters, regulatory policy and Department of Defense restrictions on use of technology on the battlefield. We will provide details on the committee in subsequent emails and communications. In the meantime, we ask our readers to consider participating on this committee as we continue to refine the credit union of the 21st Century.