Veterans continue service through work at CECOM ASIC

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — For many Soldiers and service members, leaving active duty raises a practical question: how to continue serving after taking off the uniform.

At the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Army Software & Innovation Center, or CECOM ASIC, many former service members have found the answer in federal civil service or contractor work. Veterans account for over 350 personnel between government and contractors, as well as five active-duty personnel. In total, 29% of the Civilian and 19% of the total workforce are former service members.

CECOM ASIC Civilian and contractor backgrounds range from infantry and logistics to electronic warfare, intelligence, communications, and other military specialties. That operational experience informs the organization’s work developing, testing, integrating, and sustaining software and digital capabilities for Soldiers.

Understanding the Soldier’s Perspective

For Army veteran David Lynch, civilian service at Aberdeen Proving Ground remains closely connected to his time in uniform.

“What gets me excited every morning about coming to work is knowing that I support the warfighter,” Lynch said. “I was a warfighter. When I was in uniform, I saw civilians and interacted with them, but I never fully realized just how important they were until I stepped into their shoes. Today, I understand what goes on behind the scenes to make sure our Soldiers have the right equipment to accomplish the mission.”

Lynch said his field experience shapes how he approaches routine work.

“This is not just a job to me,” he said. “When you have lived out in the field, you know how critical reliable equipment and timely support really are. No matter how small or routine a task might seem, I give it 110%, because I know that person on the receiving end needs it done right.”

That view is shared across the organization, as per Jaime Garcia, Intel Test branch chief in CECOM ASIC's Infrastructure Directorate.

Garcia retired as a senior noncommissioned officer after a 20-year Army career as a logistician. His service included five combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as assignments in South Korea, Southeast Asia, and the United States.

“Becoming a veteran was completely life-changing for me,” Garcia said. “Growing up in New York City, the Army gave me purpose, discipline, and maturity. When I retired, transitioning to the civilian side was intimidating at first. But remembering my leadership experience and technical training gave me the self-confidence to realize my mission hadn’t ended—I was able to continue serving the defense of our nation as a Department of the Army Civilian.”

Garcia recalled a photograph from his first deployment to Iraq during the Christmas season. The image shows a signpost with mileage markers pointing toward hometowns across the United States.

“That picture represents what the Army is all about: diverse people from across the country coming together as one team and one family,” Garcia said. “When you are deployed away from loved ones, especially during the holidays, you lean on each other to stay focused.”

Garcia said that common experience carries into the civilian workforce.

“When we develop, test, and field capabilities for the warfighter, we do so with the personal conviction of someone who knows what it feels like to rely on these systems in combat,” he said.

For Danielle Buitrago, CECOM ASIC’s Digital Solutions Division Product Owner Lead and former Army National Guard member with 15 years of logistics experience, this shared background is crucial to development.

"Veterans bring highly valuable, firsthand experience to the table," Buitrago said. "Because we have walked in the shoes of the service members, we understand their day-to-day struggles. This allows us to strategically plan and develop software applications that directly address their pain points and ease their administrative burdens."

From Cold War Service to Today’s Digital Environment Roberto Martinez served five years as an infantryman from 1985 to 1990. He said the Army he entered was markedly different from the force Soldiers serve in today.

“Being an infantryman in 1985 meant walking countless miles, jumping out of helicopters, conducting 15- to 20-mile road marches, and spending weeks living in the mud,” Martinez said. “Stationed in Germany back then, getting news from family meant waiting days or weeks for physical mail call. Today, whether Soldiers are at APG, on field exercises, or deployed OCONUS [outside the continental United States], modern technology allows them to get on a video call and see their families. That real-time connection has transformed morale.”

Martinez now works for CECOM ASIC, where he supports efforts to evaluate systems against evolving threats. “The enemy today has gotten much smarter, utilizing advanced commercial and asymmetric technology,” Martinez said. “That presents an urgent challenge for us. We must anticipate how adversaries think and stay one step ahead. As threats evolve, our technical roadmaps and testing must keep pace.”

He said the camaraderie among veterans remains a significant source of motivation.

“Working alongside other veterans is my biggest motivator,” Martinez said. “It reminds me of preparing for Ranger School or gutting out a grueling march. You support each other, keep morale high, and push through to the finish line.”

From Analog Tools to Software Integration

Charles Mathers, CECOM ASIC’s Operations and Public Affairs Branch Chief, enlisted in 1983 from New Mexico as a 98C electronic warfare/signals intelligence analyst and Spanish linguist. He deployed in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and saw the Army’s growing reliance on digital systems.

“I saw the genesis from an analog Army—where we literally tracked intelligence by hand using grease pens, paper, and colored acetate overlays on physical paper maps—to the introduction of early computers, and finally to modern, integrated software baselines,” Mathers said.

During his career, the speed of sharing and acting on information increased dramatically. Now, digital systems automatically track the tactical situation in real time, which has greatly improved battlefield accuracy, situational awareness, and speed.

Force protection has also changed a lot. When Mathers joined the Army, Soldiers rode in unarmored Jeeps and early Humvees. He saw the Army introduce better protective equipment and vehicles, and CECOM ASIC’s software work added another layer of protection for soldiers.

Mathers supported the organization under its previous name, the Software Engineering Center and noted that the transition to CECOM ASIC reflected a greater emphasis on delivering capabilities more quickly.

“In earlier eras, bureaucratic red tape across government could mean a critical capability took two or three years to reach the field,” Mathers said. “Today, our engineers can prototype, test, and field vital software updates to the Soldier in a matter of months.”

Supporting Operations Across the Enterprise Dr. Calvin Simpson, CECOM ASIC’s Chief Operations Officer, oversees enterprise operations, infrastructure, security, information technology, logistics, public affairs, and safety.

A retired Army military intelligence officer, Simpson served more than 23 years on active duty and supported tactical, operational, and strategic operations across U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command before retiring in 2007.

“Being a veteran means having the honor and privilege to serve something larger than yourself,” Simpson said. “It means accepting difficult challenges, placing the mission and team above personal comfort, and understanding that success hinges entirely on trust, discipline, and cohesion. When I transitioned to federal civil service, I retired from the uniform, but I did not retire from service.”

Simpson said software is integral to how military organizations connect systems, share information, and operate across domains.

“In today’s multi-domain environment, no weapon system, command platform, or sensor suite functions without software,” Simpson said. “Interoperability between decentralized forces relies entirely on resilient, secure code.” His operational background informs the questions he applies to the organization’s work.

“A software application might look flawless inside an air-conditioned laboratory,” he said. “But if it fails under austere battlefield conditions—where time, bandwidth, and communications are severely degraded—it fails the Soldier. We constantly ask: Are we solving the right operational problem? Is this software practical, survivable, and secure in combat?”

Advice for Transitioning Service Members CECOM ASIC leaders encourage transitioning service members to consider federal civilian or contractor careers, particularly when their military experience matches technical, operational, logistics, cybersecurity, program-management, or support functions.

Civil service can be one of the closest equivalents to active duty. Veterans’ technical skills, operational background, and understanding of military echelon structures may transfer seamlessly. Simpson offered several recommendations for service members preparing for transition:

• Translate military experience into civilian language. Describe leadership, planning, operations, and technical responsibilities in terms commonly used in the professional world.
• Stay flexible. Civilian workplaces often operate differently than military organizations. Give time to learn new processes, timelines, and ways decisions are made.
• Build professional networks. Seek mentors and connect with veterans who have already made the transition.
• Continue learning. Use available education and credentialing opportunities to strengthen technical and professional qualifications.
• Be patient. The first civilian role may be a starting point for building organizational knowledge and pursuing future opportunities.

For CECOM ASIC’s veteran employees, Civilian service or contractor work provides an opportunity to apply military experience to work that supports Soldiers and Army operations. Their continued service brings firsthand operational perspective to developing, testing, and sustaining the software capabilities Soldiers depend on. To hear directly from these veterans and learn more about their transition and work, watch the CECOM ASIC Veterans Day video tribute: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1029247/asic-we-love-our-vets

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