ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Gen. Ed Daly, the Commander of U.S. Army Material Command (AMC), had a chance to formally synchronize with Maj. Gen. Robert Edmonson II, Commander of U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), during a routine visit to CECOM headquarters, Feb. 10.
The Army’s top sustainer was given an informative brief during the visit, which was broadcast virtually via Microsoft Teams and attended by a limited number of CECOM personnel.
A subordinate command of AMC, CECOM hosts quarterly informative briefs for the top AMC leader, which highlights past CECOM successes, future initiatives and potential challenges in its continued and critical mission of providing unwavering sustainment for Army command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms and medical logistics worldwide in support of our nation’s warfighters.
“We’ve got great people in our organization!” exclaimed Edmonson as he initiated the brief while representing the collective CECOM presenters. “We’re thankful for this opportunity to harmonize with our AMC team!”
Continuing on the people topic, Daly recognized several CECOM personnel and thanked them for their roles as difference makers for the Army. He identified their individual strengths while recognizing their collective value to the entire organization.
Next, the brief moved on to separate CECOM leaders to highlight specific and detailed successes, future modernization-based initiatives and potential challenges. CECOM’s own Software Engineering Center (SEC) Director, Jennifer Swanson, took advantage of this opportunity to not only brief Daly, but to discuss concerns, areas of improvement and receive solution-based guidance to issues related to cyber vulnerability and overall readiness of the force from AMC’s top leader.
Aside from all of the technical and operational specifics and discussions on readiness, Daly and CECOM leaders focused on the driving force behind the successes of not only AMC, but the overall Army–people.
"Whether you wear a green suit or a suit, this is all about taking care of the entire workforce," said Daly. "The proof is in the results.”
Daly praised CECOM’s collective recruiting efforts, despite the pandemic, over the past year.
“People are our most precious asset!” exclaimed Daly. “It tells me that what you’re doing is getting the ball rolling in bringing even more diversity to our workforce. That much is clear, and I really appreciate that!”
Daly wholeheartedly appreciated CECOM’s inclusivity, not just within his command’s personnel, but the diversity in thought throughout his command as well.
He continued that his appreciation for unconventional thinking is not just from a data, technical or analytic standpoint, but through the approach of nuanced, modern-based priorities that the collective AMC and CECOM workforce are faced with.
“We need to be smarter and more innovative in how our command does business,” Daly admitted. “Business needs to be integral to those other prioritizations within our organization!”
Daly challenged CECOM and AMC to improve their ability to promote and communicate their collective value as an organization, as well as to rationalize their efforts and results in pragmatic language which connects sustainable warfighting function capabilities to both unique stakeholders and customers alike.
The four-star general asked them, specifically and directly, to think about “how CECOM fits into the future of Army sustainment and warfighting?” Daly confirmed CECOM’s preparedness and value of the Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Mode, or ReARMM, as a means to enhance overall readiness of the organization.
“ReARMM is going to be huge!” Daly exclaimed. “And CECOM will play a huge role!” The Army’s ReARMM will provide Army units with a foundation that will align units regionally to meet current Joint Force demands while preparing the force for the battlefield of the future. The modernization model, which features specified time windows for Army units to modernize, was a significant topic of interest during the brief. Daly acknowledged that this could be a worthwhile opportunity for CECOM to retrieve systems needing overhaul.
Daly was also impressed with the comprehensive processes and workflows that CECOM organizations have implemented since his last briefing at the CECOM headquarters in May 2021. “This is a forgotten area of readiness that people don’t, unfortunately, acknowledge and recognize until it’s too late,” he said.
The brief was then provided some relevant context from Daly himself, discussing the recent potential shift of strategic posturing and build up in the European theater after decades of committing so much effort to the Pacific and Middle East. He spoke on how current events around the world can have an effect on the Army’s ability to modernize and utilize existing supply chains.
The event culminated with a quick question and answer period with Daly and other leaders within AMC and CECOM. Both Daly and Edmonson offered their sincere thanks and gratitude for the event’s coordination support team.
“Our job is to provide guidance, and your job is to go out and continue to do great things!” an excited and grateful Daly to the CECOM workforce. “The way that we at AMC and CECOM go over the next year, will drive where the Army goes over the next fifteen years!”
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