REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama -- As outside threats continue to change, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command's G-2 is training security specialists to face growing security challenges.
For more than 40 years, the Department of Army has administered an intern program that takes individuals from entry-level positions to positions of mid-level management. Through on-the-job training and formal classroom instruction, thousands of civilian employees have been trained in a variety of career fields. The intern positions are permanent, full time civil service positions for which recruitment is conducted from accountants to zoologists.
The security specialist interns at USASMDC/ARSTRAT learn to evaluate the suitability and loyalty of employees with access to classified information. Specific job qualifications may also be required based on the specialized duties of these positions. They include: knowledge of a geographic areas and languages, knowledge of a specific technical body of information or skill in a specialized field. In other areas, the specialist may apply knowledge of a professional discipline such as international relations, personnel security, political science, psychology or industrial security administration.
"The G-2 of USASMDC/ARSTRAT recognizes that as portions of the workforce grow closer to retirement, it is important to sustain a highly trained and functionally agile cadre of security professionals," said Joseph S. Dinoto, SMDC chief security officer. "To that end, the G-2 and deputy G-2 established a human capital continuity strategy to ensure that the equities of this command would enduringly have a highly trained and professional security element protecting it.
"In this sense, the work of the new breed of security specialists being developed plays a vital role in our nation's security through interacting with other components of the intelligence community throughout the United States and abroad," he continued. "In today's state of affairs, these security professionals not only have the burden of addressing the asymmetric threats that have sustained themselves through the war on terrorism, but it is also important to consider that many in academia also perceive the U.S. entering into a Cold War 2.0 type environment.
"In this context, as complex security threats have advanced and hostile intelligence collection capabilities have evolved, our enemies are increasingly focused on acquiring advanced capabilities and militarily critical technologies," Dinoto added. "To counter this, a new breed of academically well-educated and highly trained security professionals are needed to protect national security interests."
Dinoto discussed how successful SMDC's intern program is for the command and for the Army. He also mentioned how the interns come to the command and are developed into security professionals.
"The newer breed of security specialist today is academically highly educated," Dinoto said. "Many come into the security profession at the GS-7 or GS-9 level with a bachelor's and/or master's degree in closely related fields such as criminal justice, homeland security, security management or intelligence studies.
"From there, these individuals are very carefully developed as security careerists within the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System under the watchful guidance of Steven Eldridge, deputy G-2 and Career Program-35 (Intelligence and Security) program manager for the command," he added. "He oversees the employee's intelligence and security training management and career program professional development."
SMDC's current G-2 interns are Michael Atkins, Crystal La Grand, Melissa Lively and David Warren.
"The security specialist interns supplement the G-2 mission by enabling a surge capability to meet the changing needs of this command at a moment's notice," Dinoto said. "By selecting the best and the brightest, we receive an academically well-rounded professional who can accomplish a lot on day one.
"But, where we really energize this professional development is when we leverage the support from the G-3 training experts, Harold Deberry and Jason Scarborough," he continued. "With their support and oversight we are able to develop a security professional who can work effectively across all staff elements in operational or research and development environments, in a manner that is lean, efficient, and effective.
"A great example of how this not only benefits SMDC/ARSTRAT, but the Army at large is in a recent instance of the staff developing Individual Development Plans, or IDPs, for our interns," Dinoto added. "We received some very direct and clear guidance from both Col. Christopher Mitchiner (SMDC deputy chief of staff, G-2) and Steven Eldridge in terms of elevating the standards on security specialist training and professional development. The outcome was that we developed such a comprehensive security specialist intern IDP that it is now being considered by Department of the Army Headquarters G-2 to possibly be used as the standard for training new security specialist interns across the Army."
As the command's G-2 began hiring new interns, the four individuals currently in the program each spoke of why they joined and what they hope to learn during their time at SMDC.
One intern spoke of his background in security dating back to his time in the military.
"I have had numerous jobs in the military and as a civilian dealing with the security field," Atkins said. "The field is really big; there is a lot of knowledge to be learned. I have been doing personnel security for the past few years and I would like to venture out into the industrial field as well as the informational side of the house and gain a better knowledge about the security force itself."
Atkins retired as an Army first sergeant with more than 26 years of active duty before becoming an intern in January.
"When I first applied for the position, I felt it was one of those opportunities where I can grow professionally," he added. "Once I arrived here at the organization, it was a healthy environment. As I looked around on a day-to-day basis, I observed that a lot of people had extensive backgrounds in different fields of the security arena. SMDC has treated me well, and they have challenged me a lot."
Another intern talked about how her background in personnel made her look at the personnel security aspect of the career field.
"I have a human resource management background and that ties directly in with personnel security," La Grand said. "Security seems to be one of the most progressive fields as far as getting in and being able to excel in the field. In the personnel security side of security there is more of a chance to grow rather than just being a human resources specialist."
La Grand joined the intern program in July.
"SMDC has been awesome to work for," she added. "There are a lot of really knowledgeable security specialists here and they have taken me under their wings. I think I am learning from one of the best personnel security managers on Redstone Arsenal in Rose Mary Moore. At the moment, I am just trying to learn as much as I can about personnel security so that I can transition from the internship to a permanent position and continue onward."
Lively, who has been previously stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, for the past 10 years, said that after being selected for the position, she and her family relocated to Huntsville in August.
"I was interested in returning to the South upon my separation from the military," said Lively, who was born and raised in Arkansas. "I also wanted to further develop my current skillset with the addition of space and missile defense."
Lively explained why someone should think about entering into the intern program.
"It is an excellent program to develop yourself professionally and allows for a lot of mentorship and guidance along the way," Lively said. "My program, specifically, has enriched my analytical capabilities and has been an excellent transitional piece from active-duty Army to the civilian workforce."
When talking about the program, another intern said he wanted to serve in a career where he can be a part of force protection and be a public servant.
"I have a background in physical security and I just enjoy the thought of protecting the force and seeing the fruits of my labor," Warren said. "My long-term goal is to stay in the security field, and I would like to be in a management position within the next five to 10 years where I can lead and train people."
Warren began the program in July.
"SMDC was looking for interns and I had a background in physical security so it just worked out," he added. "People at the command have treated me well. It is a good working culture. Everyone is very inviting and professional and I enjoy coming to work. SMDC has led us in a direction to where we can all be successful."
Social Sharing