The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command hosted a quarterly town hall on May 28, focusing on the overarching theme of continuous transformation, technological modernization, and the deep integration of artificial intelligence across the enterprise.
CECOM Commanding General Maj. Gen. James D. Turinetti IV highlighted how CECOM is actively shifting from traditional support models to agile, high-tech systems designed to sustain the joint force forward on the modern battlefield.
Turinetti shared insights from recent trips to the Philippines, Japan, and Hawaii, illustrating how modernization and advanced manufacturing are being deployed to keep the force in the fight.
Turinetti emphasized that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s advanced manufacturing goals align perfectly with Tobyhanna Army Depot’s current trajectory, which includes launching a production line for brushless motors and advanced circuit card capabilities.
‘Making history daily’
In honor of CECOM’s 45th birthday, CECOM Historian Susan Thompson challenged the audience to reflect on their legacy. The generational changes taking place today through continuous transformation are deeply reflective of CECOM’s earlier decades.
“We currently find ourselves in a moment of historic generational change,” she said. “This gives us a chance to reflect on who we are and what we want to be as we look towards our 50th anniversary. Every one of us who is working at CECOM is making history daily.”
Thompson said that to see improvement, we must embrace challenges and take on things that make us uncomfortable or seem difficult.
Freedom’s Forge
CECOM G3/4 Lt. Col. Damian Dixon gave an overview of the book “Freedom’s Forge” by Arthur Herman, which was recently read by the CECOM leadership team. The book explores how President Franklin D. Roosevelt rallied American industry leaders to build the “arsenal of democracy,” transforming the U.S. Army into a global force and helping secure victory in World War II.
History always repeats itself, Dixon said. One of the Secretary of War’s biggest efforts right now is modernizing the organic industrial base.
“What I ask of each of us online and in the room is for us to be at the forefront of innovation, transformation, and technology,” he said.
Transformation
CECOM G5 Transformation Director Andrew Rehkop said CECOM is transforming today by modernizing materiel and the methods we use to sustain the Army. Materiel refers to initiating acquisition reform, prioritizing industry-first solutions, and accelerating the adoption of commercial tech at the speed of industry; methods refer to implementing the Continuous Transformation and Readiness Model, or C-TRIM, Next-Generation Command and Control, and aligning through Army Service Component Commands.
Calling back to Freedom’s Forge, Rehkop said that during World War II, the Army simultaneously tested equipment during the Tennessee and Louisiana maneuvers. These exercises led to the development of the M1 Bazooka, the M4 Sherman Tank, and the M7 Priest self-propelled artillery, and to the identification of the Jeep as a critical utility vehicle.
“We want to go at the speed of industry, the speed of change, not at the speed of bureaucracy,” Rehkop said. “If it is out there, we want to adopt it, adapt it, and get it into the force.”
MSC updates
After Rehkop’s remarks, leadership from CECOM’s Major Subordinate Commands each gave a presentation on how they are contributing to the transformation efforts.
Commander of Tobyhanna Army Depot Col. Benjamin L. Kilgore discussed TYAD’s transformation efforts. This includes:
- Converting from legacy maintenance, repair, and overhaul to an innovation and manufacturing center
- Business ideas and industry days for public‑private partnerships
- $220M in investments to modernize advanced manufacturing and satellite communications
- Large engineering talent pool and workforce development capability
- Diverse workload – multi-purpose infrastructure and machining
Col. Matthew Miller, commander of the CECOM U.S. Army Information Systems Engineering Command, said that just as the “Arsenal of Democracy” relied on resilient factories and logistics, modern dominance in Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance requires hardened, modernized infrastructure.
Miller said the mission of CECOM ISEC is to serve as the Army’s Organic Information Technology/Operational Technology Engineering Agent to deliver engineering, integration, and cyber resilience services across the Army's critical infrastructure landscape — spanning transport networks, interconnected infrastructure, data command and control, and next-generation communications security.
“Just as industrialists of the 1940s outproduced the enemy through organizational will power, ISEC is focused too on out engineering the modern threat. We are building the secure, resilient foundation that supports the enterprise and the entire Army to project power anywhere in the world,” he said.
Lt. Col. Deon D. Maxwell, the commander of CECOM Army Medical Logistics Command, discussed modernizing medical logistics through public-private partnerships, as nearly all medical devices originate in the commercial sector, the standardization of medical equipment sets, and building supply chain resilience to reduce foreign dependence on pharmaceuticals and microelectronics.
“The future fight will demand medical sustainment at the speed of relevance,” Maxwell said.
Mr. Garrett Shoemaker, the director of the CECOM Army Software & Innovation Center, discussed transitioning from software sustainment to an agile, automated software powerhouse.
“We had to identify where could the Army take advantage of our talents and decisively drive ourselves there,” Shoemaker said.
ASIC key deliveries include the development, security, and operations platform, the Low-Code/No-Code Center of Excellence, and top-tier Vantage and Power Platform teams. Additionally, rolling out AI-enabled coding workspaces and an application program interface marketplace.
Shoemaker said ASIC’s drive for efficiency and excellence includes strategic partnerships, innovation, and the cultivation of strong government relationships.
“We have the best teams in the Army,” he said.
Mr. Abel Salgado, director of the CECOM Integrated Logistics Support Center, said CECOM ILSC underpins everything that happens in the Army from a logistics perspective.
“Logistics makes the Army move,” he said.
He highlighted the Publishing Authorization and Review Assistant, or <PARA>, a tool that uses AI to standardize technical manuals for Army equipment. He asked attendees to look at transformation as a way of life.
“I ask you all in CECOM to not look at transformation as a thing you do, but as a mindset,” he said. “It’s a culture of continuous transformation."
Salgado also asked the CECOM MSCs to partner with one another to meet mission needs and eliminate redundancies.
Upskilling and business development
CECOM Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kevin Banks and Rihanna Labuda, Business Development Portfolio lead, G5, discussed professional development, the future of AI, and the command's unified voice.
Banks told the workforce that if they need help with using AI to improve their work processes, to get in touch with him.
Labuda said the Business Development Portfolio provides a command-wide, shared mindset and a single CECOM voice.
“The key takeaway is that everyone is an agent for business development. Your expertise, relationships, and daily contributions are what build our reputation to make all this possible,” she said.
DCG remarks
Deputy to the CECOM Commanding General Mr. Nicholaus H. Saacks provided crucial updates on human resources policies and organizational changes. He encouraged the workforce to think about ways to incorporate automation and AI into their daily tasks.
“If you wait until you feel ready to do something, you are never going to start because ready is not a feeling; ready is a decision,” Saacks said.
Saacks said he appreciates the workforce being flexible through the changes that have occurred over the last year with workforce optimization. Workforce optimization is not over, he said. MSCs are currently reporting on the challenges and accomplishments resulting from workforce optimization, and CECOM leadership is reviewing the findings to determine whether adjustments are needed.
“I feel like we are in a good spot; we met our numbers along the way, you all have been very adaptable to the change, you have embraced it as best you can,” he said.
Saacks said that following a mid-April directive from the Department of War, all collective bargaining agreements, or CBAs, across CECOM have been terminated, with the sole exception of a small security/safety union at Tobyhanna.
To read the memorandum from the Secretary of War, visit: https://media.defense.gov/2026/Apr/22/2003916726/-1/-1/1/TERMINATION-OF-CERTAIN-COLLECTIVE-BARGAINING-AGREEMENTS-IN-ACCORDANCE-WITH-EXECUTIVE-ORDER-14251-EXCLUSIONS-FROM-FEDERAL-LABOR-MANAGEMENT-RELATIONS-PROGRAMS.PDF
Saacks said the careers of 10 C5ISR professionals were celebrated during the C5ISR Hall of Fame joint ceremony of the Classes of 2025 and 2026 on April 30, 2026. He encouraged the workforce to watch the event video at https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1008230/c5isr-hall-fame-class-2025-2026.
The town hall also included a question-and-answer session and awards. The next CECOM town hall will be on August 11.
Social Sharing