On behalf of the IEEE Photonics Society and the conference general chair Richard DeSalvo, I would like to welcome you to the Avionics, Fiber-Optics and Photonics (AVFOP) Conference 2013 in San Diego, CA, USA! The first AVFOP was held in 2004, as a result of a U.S. government and industry consensus championing a standalone fiber optics and photonics conference dedicated to the field of avionics. In recent years, the aerospace, land, and sea vehicle industries have made great strides deploying fiber optics and photonics technology on commercial and military platforms. This trend will continue to grow as fiber optic system architectures, networking schemes, and components evolve and mature. 10 years later, the AVFOP conference provides an indispensable international forum for the academic, industry, and government R&D community developing fiber-optic / photonic components and system technologies for avionics. While from the beginning the topics discussed and solicited have been inclusive of all mobile platforms, this year, in addition to avionics, we would like to specifically encourage papers covering fiber optic / photonics technologies across mobile platforms, on surface ships, submarines, and ground vehicles. The conference program will feature select expert invited speakers, but we again rely on a strong contributed paper program, and ask all of you to submit your work and meet us in San Diego in 2013. One new feature this year will be a special panel session dealing with concrete future opportunities for deployment and transition of fiber optics technologies in avionic and vetronics. A group of panelists representing industry and government will be assembled to provide useful insight on this topic. The AVFOP conference has attracted a strong group of exhibitors in past years and we expect this trend to continue, providing the participants with an opportunity for direct interaction with vendors during the conference. Finally, a few words about the venue - we will again be located at the Embarcadero on San Diego Bay in the heart of downtown San Diego. The venue is conveniently located near the airport, within walking distance or a short trolley ride from Little Italy, the Gaslamp Quarter, and Seaport Village. And for those appreciating the history of technology, ships, and avionics, the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum and the Star of India are located at the Embarcadero only short walk from the venue. We welcome your participation in the AVFOP 2013, and look forward to seeing you in San Diego!