ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Maryland – A retiring information operations officer has used the DoD SkillBridge program to transition to an Army civilian risk management position.
Maj. Grant J. Brayley spent six months in the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command Risk Management Office before being selected for a risk management position at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center.
The Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland-headquartered 20th CBRNE Command is the U.S. military’s premier CBRNE formation.
From 19 bases in 16 states, Soldiers and Army civilians from 20th CBRNE Command take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of military operations and domestic authorities.
The DoD SkillBridge program is designed to give service members the opportunity to participate in apprenticeships, internships and training during the last six months of their military service.
“I wanted to cultivate options for employment after the Army and I found that safety and occupational health was a good option for me,” said Brayley. “The Risk Management Team at 20th CBRNE Command are seasoned, experienced professionals who taught me a great deal about the profession of safety and occupational health. The 20th CBRNE Command was gracious enough to approve my request for the SkillBridge program, which I really appreciated.”
Brayley added that SkillBridge gave him the time to take valuable courses on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, hazardous materials, ammunition and explosives as well as a variety of Army tactical safety courses.
“The 20th CBRNE Command also allowed me to go to the Army Ground Safety Officers course (GSOC), which I never would have had time to do in my military specialty,” said Brayley. “This course really set me up for future employment.”
A native of Toronto, Ohio, Brayley was previously a certified K – 12 music teacher before he decided to join the Army.
Like other band directors, he plays all wind instruments but focused on the saxophone and tuba in college. After 10 years of practice on piano, he can also play a Beethoven Sonata.
In the Army, he has focused on conducting logistics and information operations.
After being commissioned, Brayley served first as a multifunctional logistician before becoming an information operations officer in 2014.
“I wanted ‘more’ of what I was doing when I was teaching, which was very rigorous and fulfilling on its own,” said Brayley, who earned his bachelor’s degree in music education and his master’s degree in instrumental conducting from Ohio University.
“I wanted more responsibility, more opportunities for advancement, more opportunity to advance my skills in other disciplines and more travel,” said Brayley.
In addition to tours in Germany and South Korea, Brayley has deployed to Bahrain and Iraq.
“I enjoyed working in a variety of different disciplines and with a variety of different people,” said Brayley, adding that he previously served as the safety officer for the 210th Fires Brigade at Camp Casey, South Korea. “I realized that I could leverage that experience into a profession.”
As he hangs up his uniform after 21 years in the U.S. Army, Brayley looks forward to continuing to serve his nation as a U.S. Army civilian.
“I see it as a career change, the same as when I left teaching for the military,” he said. “I will leverage every bit of experience and skill I have gained to keep doing jobs that challenge me.”
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