(From right) Nicholaus H. Saacks, the new U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command deputy to the commanding general, introduces himself while the CECOM Command Sgt. Maj. Jay High and CECOM Commanding General Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV look on during a quarterly town hall at the Myer Auditorium May 13, 2025.

(From left) Robert “Mike” Mays, with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center, and Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV, commanding general of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, introduce “Spot,” a four-legged robot designed for autonomous operation in diverse environments developed by Boston Dynamics during the CECOM quarterly town hall at the Myer Auditorium May 13, 2025.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command senior leaders gave updates and highlighted Army transformation during a quarterly town hall at the Myer Auditorium May 13, 2025.

CECOM Commanding General Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV welcomed attendees and opened the town hall by reading a “Letter to the Force: Army Transformation Initiative” by Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Randy A. George, dated May 1, 2025, which outlines some changes to come for the Army.

“To maintain our edge on the battlefield, our Army will transform to a leaner, more lethal force by adapting how we fight, train, organize, and buy equipment,” the letter states.

To illustrate some of the state-of-the-art equipment used on the battlefield, Turinetti introduced a video featuring a condensed version of the Black Mirror episode “Metalhead,” featuring robotic dogs. Following the video clip, Robert “Mike” Mays, with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Chemical Biological Center, presented “Spot,” a four-legged robot developed by Boston Dynamics for autonomous operation in diverse environments.

Turinetti said the Army trains individuals to control multiple objects, such as a robot dog, an unmanned aircraft system, or other vehicles.

“So, I look at our role in this as software, communications, sensors, more and more and more,” Turinetti said. “We’ve got to be thinking about how we are going to support this little robot dog in the future, that is where my head is, and when we talk about the Army Transformation Initiative, I think you see our Army senior leaders are kind of thinking the same way.”

CECOM Command Sgt. Maj. Jay High talked about visiting CECOM major subordinate commands and meeting some of the workforce during his first 100 days here.

“I have absolutely loved my first 100 days in this organization because of the sense of family and the community around here, and the teamwork across APG.”

High also announced the upcoming Army 250th birthday celebration and encouraged attendees to check out the community and APG events, including the park concert on June 8, 2025, at Shamrock Park, Bel Air, Maryland, from 4 to 8 p.m.

“As always, come see me, is really what CSM stands for,” he said.

High introduced Nicholaus H. Saacks, the new CECOM deputy to the commanding general, as of April. Saacks said he is excited to join CECOM during a transformation period. CECOM adds a lot of value to the Army, he said.

“Part of our job is to make sure that you all are getting credit for the things you are doing, and the Army sees the value that you are providing to making sure we have a lethal fighting force,” he said.

Saacks said he is looking forward to meeting more of the workforce.

Army Transformation Initiative

CECOM Transformation Director Drew Rehkop discussed the Army Transformation Initiative, or ATI. The Transformation Directorate’s lines of effort include:

  • Capitalize on Existing Unicorns: Leveraging and scaling existing high-performing technologies, solutions, and operational success within CECOM to drive rapid transformation, improve efficiency, and enhance mission readiness across the organization and the Army.
  • Forge Bold Partnerships: Foster collaboration within CECOM organizations, Army Materiel Command, the Army, other military branches, defense contractors, government agencies, and industry to leverage internal and external expertise and resources, drive shared goals, and maximize impact.
  • Shape the Future: Align CECOM transformation initiatives with broader AMC, Army, and DOD objectives, ensuring that CECOM remains a key player in supporting operational readiness and technological superiority for the military.

Rehkop said a CECOM Transformation Operational Planning Team was established about six weeks ago. It includes representatives from the MSCs, CECOM Headquarters, and special staff to ensure synchronization across all command organizations. The representatives have submitted more than 70 transformation initiatives and created a dashboard to track these efforts and minimize redundancy. Rehkop said that representatives will brief senior leadership monthly on their progress.

Rehkop encouraged the workforce to share their ideas with leadership and members of the OPT. For more information, see the page on the SharePoint website.

“To get after this, it is going to take all of us, it is going to take the best of us, because that is ultimately what our nation and our Soldiers deserve of us,” Rehkop said.

Digital transformation

Dr. Allison Marier, CECOM’s first chief data analytics officer, discussed digital transformation. Marier said a large part of her job involves data governance, which involves people, processes, and technology working together.

Marier said she is creating a data library containing information from major CECOM dashboards. This library will track who oversees what data, who made what product, and who to call when there is a problem with the data.

According to Marier, data governance will improve decision-making because high-quality, trustworthy data leads to better-informed decisions at all levels. It also enhances efficiency because standardizing data definitions and access saves time and energy.

“When we know where to start, it streamlines the whole process, we can save time, we can save energy, and if we know our data is good, we have a solid baseline for trusted data and trusted decision-making,” Marier said.

Marier showed the audience the CECOM data library, which can be accessed on the SharePoint website.

“The tool is made by me, it is populated by you for information,” Allison said.

Marier said members of the CECOM workforce can request help with a math problem, or data problem, through Army Vantage, the Army’s data-driven operations and decision-making platform, or the CECOM SharePoint website by clicking the “Project Request” button.

“If I can’t help you, I know there is someone in the command who can,” she said.

Workforce transformation

Saacks said that moving forward, CECOM will challenge our business models and the way things have been done in the past.

Saacks said automating some of our processes will help with workflow as the workforce is reshaped. Saacks encouraged the audience to share ideas with their leadership team.

“There is no shortage of creativity or ingenuity in the room,” Saacks said.

During times of change, an organization can grow stronger, he added.

“Don’t let a good idea die in your head; we are going to need everyone to make sure we are successful,” he said.

The CECOM town hall also included a question-and-answer session and awards.

To view more photos from the town hall, visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cecom/albums/72177720326136029/

To view the video of the town hall, visit: https://dod.teams.microsoft.us/l/meetup-join/19%3adod%3ameeting_17f5466702d44479b6bea79c40727d6e%40thread.v2/0?context=%7B%22Tid%22%3A%22fae6d70f-954b-4811-92b6-0530d6f84c43%22%2C%22Oid%22%3A%225367987d-e4d5-4dc5-b5b6-6b7ef39f5fbc%22%2C%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3Atrue%2C%22role%22%3A%22a%22%7D&btype=a&role=a