YPG engineer takes part in immersive Army leadership program

The U.S. Army creates leaders.

One growth opportunity offered to civilians and those in uniform is the Army’s Executive Leadership Development Program which takes participants around the world to learn what it takes to be a leader.

After seven years in his position as a propulsion team leader at the Munitions and Weapons Division, engineer Jorge Amaya was ready for a challenge. He applied and was accepted into the rigorous and highly competitive 10-month leadership program offered by the Army Civilian Career Management.

The program is immersive, with students taking part in military readiness activities that offer the Warfighter’s prospective. The 64 participants engage with senior leaders, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Guardians. There’s a mix of civilians and active-duty members of all sorts of career fields.

“Their careers range from finance, lawyers, engineers, from different areas that support the DOD,” said Amaya.

The informational pamphlets warn participants that they must be, “willing and ready to step into a learning environment that may be uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and challenging—physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially.”

Amaya said the statement was not an exaggeration. After the first orientation in Virginia in September of 2024, the cohort traveled to Oklahoma for a two-week bootcamp like experience the following month.

“That’s where the intensity kicks-up. We woke up at 5 a.m. to do our physical training activities. Then we start our class at 7:30 a.m. We don’t get out of class probably until 6 or 7 p.m.”

While grueling Amaya said it helped the team learn about each other.

“It’s a good core development because we get to know about each individual. It’s not about where you work, what you do, where you are from. It’s about who you are, what you want to share and what you are bringing to this program.”

They were split into groups of eight and assigned a group project. Each month they visited a different military site for about a week. Their next stop took them to South Korea, then to the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. In January of 2025, the group traveled to Colorado to learn about the Space Force. Most recently Amaya’s itinerary kept him closer to home: The students traveled to San Diego to see where and how the Navy and Marines train. The program also made stops in Fort Moore, Georgia and Eglin Force Base.

“We got to see the mission they had going on. We got to go into a couple fighter jets—C1-30, C-17, so that was a new experience for me.”

The next stop is Mississippi to learn about the National Guard, and then the program concludes at Arlington, Va. in June. With graduation nearing, Amaya reflects on the experience.

“The exposure you get — to be at all these different places with different agencies. We get to do things and be at places that not everyone will get to do. It’s a pretty unique experience.”

He also encourages others to go for it.

“If you have the opportunity, it is worth it. I know this takes a lot of sacrifices but if you have a supportive team and a supportive family, definitely, do it.”