From classroom to command: How CECOM ASIC builds the next generation of Army Civilian leaders

At the Communications-Electronics Command Army Software & Innovation Center, located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, a Department of the Army Civilian-driven workforce of scientists, software engineers, and technology specialists works every day to make sure American Soldiers always have the technical advantage in the field. These DA Civilians develop software, analyze data, and strengthen cybersecurity to protect Army networks and support warfighters worldwide.

Civilians do not need to wear a military uniform to serve the nation. At CECOM ASIC, some of the most critical defense projects come from people who only recently graduated from high school or college. Through its Student Intern and Career Development Employee program, CECOM ASIC helps students turn what they learn in class into practical skills for national defense.

Desireé Chapman, a program management analyst at CECOM ASIC who coordinates recruitment and training opportunities, said these programs are the pipeline to the future. She said the command must bridge the gap by bringing in new talent to work on real-world, mission-critical projects from day one.

The CECOM ASIC talent pipeline is organized into a four-stage career lifecycle that shows how a student can rise to senior leadership.

Phase 1: The Seed (Student Internships)

The path into DA Civilian service starts early. CECOM ASIC introduces local high school and college students to civil service careers, proving that elite technology talent can be found and trained right in the local community. For Stacy Kamau, now a student trainee, the opportunity appeared in the eighth grade when she joined the first cohort of the Pathways in Technology Early College High School magnet program, or P-TECH, at Joppatowne High School. Through a partnership with Harford Community College and Aberdeen Proving Ground, the program allowed Kamau to earn an associate degree alongside her high school diploma, guided by professional mentors.

Kamau said that in the eighth grade, she did not initially know much about Aberdeen Proving Ground, but during her senior year of high school, the program placed students in internships on base, allowing Kamau to experience the work environment firsthand. After graduation, she started working as an IT student trainee at CECOM ASIC while earning her bachelor's degree at the University of Maryland, College Park.

For others, a simple conversation at a college career fair changed everything. Ian Duffy was studying computer science at the University of Delaware when he spotted an Army recruitment table.

Duffy walked up to the recruiter, Jenny, and joked about signing up for the draft. She laughed and explained that CECOM ASIC wanted STEM students to work on the civilian side. Duffy signed on as a Pathways intern, working on cybersecurity. He said he learned far more about cybersecurity during his internship than in his college classes, noting that school and hands-on work are completely different.

Phase 2: Branching Out (The CDE Rotational Program)

After college graduation, interns and recent graduates step into the Career Development Employee program. These employees are hired as full-time, fully paid DA Civilians, but spend their first few years rotating through different departments to learn how the whole organization operates.

Instead of getting stuck in one desk job right after college, CDEs complete three nine-month rotations across several technical divisions. This variety helps young professionals see the massive scope of Army technology before choosing a permanent team.

During his rotations, Duffy built visual applications on the Microsoft Power Platform and designed dashboards on the Army's Vantage artificial intelligence platform. His subsequent rotation was with the Army Cyber & Electronic Warfare Division, Duffy said that for those who want variety and a continually changing work environment, civil service with the U.S. Army is an excellent path.

These rotations give young engineers the freedom to deliver fast, real-world results. Ralph Aquino, a computer science graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, worked on the DevSecOps platform engineering team to improve a security bottleneck.

Aquino said he created the first reusable cybersecurity workflow for his division. He automated a slow, two-week manual security scanning process, cutting the time to just 20 minutes with a few lines of code. Aquino also wrote the migration strategy that moved users to the command's new software engineering platform with zero data loss and minimal interruption.

Similarly, KeeAnia Kinkacha joined the command from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University through a Department of War scholarship program. During her CDE rotations, she wrote automated configurations for the Satellite Communications Division, cutting a technical task that used to take teams 60 days down to a single week.

The transition from a rotating CDE to permanent, full-time status is the most important step in the DA Civilian workforce career lifecycle.

Throughout their rotational years, CDEs use what the Army calls an Individual Development Plan, or IDP, to track their career goals, technical training and leadership milestones. Every CDE has a dual-supervisor setup: an administrative supervisor who supports personal development and a mission supervisor who guides day-to-day work.

As CDEs finish their rotations, they work with their supervisors and branch chiefs to find permanent openings within the organization. The CDE goes through an internal interview process to make sure their skills match the team's needs. Once selected, they transition out of the rotational program and into a permanent, full-performance civil service role.

Michel Kooh went through this change himself. After earning his IT degree from Towson University, he joined the CDE program and later used an Army scholarship program to earn his master’s degree in information system security.

Kooh said that after graduating from the CDE program, the transition to permanent status was highly collaborative and without stress. He noted that CDEs meet with branch chiefs who have openings, discuss career goals and interview for the positions they want.

Because of the specialized scripting tools Kooh mastered during his rotations, his team benefited from the transition. Kooh said that when he became permanent, he was assigned to a system that required new security tools. Because he had already mastered them, he trained the existing permanent staff, which he described as a life-changing experience.

Jordan Abuhantash, a University of Maryland Global Campus graduate, had a similar experience. Moving from data analytics rotations directly into a permanent IT Specialist role, he now builds Power BI dashboards for senior leadership and is developing a modern application to replace a legacy passport processing system.

Abuhantash said the transition was smooth because of his mentor. He explained that CDEs are paired with an experienced mentor, and weekly one-on-one sessions gave career advice and guidance that helped him find his footing and prepare to lead.

Phase 4: The Ascent (To Senior Leadership)

Landing a permanent spot is just the beginning. At CECOM ASIC, DA Civilian employees can apply for competitive technical promotions and leadership programs to move up into senior command.

Dakota Stern is a prime example of how fast someone can move up. Stern started as a summer intern, joined the Pathways program, transitioned into a CDE role and quickly secured a permanent position. He repeatedly applied for competitive promotions, climbing the ranks to become a Technical Pipeline Lead.

Stern said the transition through each stage was seamless. He advised newcomers to build relationships and take on difficult opportunities, noting that the Army is a forgiving environment focused on helping people learn and fail fast, which accelerates career development.

This pipeline goes all the way to the top. CECOM ASIC Executive Director Garrett Shoemaker began his career at Fort Monmouth, NJ decades ago as an entry-level intern, asking questions and learning to write code for the Army. Shoemaker said the organization's beauty is that the ceiling is only as high as one's ambition. He noted that CECOM ASIC does not just build software; it also builds tomorrow's leaders. His path from intern to executive director shows that when the command invests deeply in its junior workforce, it plans the next 30 years of Army innovation and national defense.

Christine Neidig-Slotnick, the Chief of Staff at CECOM ASIC, felt the same way. She said that as an intern, she appeared both excited and intimidated by the scale of the mission, but the organized mentorship she received laid a foundation that carried her up to her role today. She added that the programs are designed with the simple truth that today's intern is tomorrow's senior leader.

Driving Onto Campus: A Shared Mission

From high school interns arriving for their first shift to senior directors steering national defense policy, a deep sense of purpose unites the campus at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Abuhantash said that every morning, when he comes onto the base, he is thankful for the opportunity. He noted that walking into the building, seeing the United States flag flying, and knowing the mission he supports is why he does the work, adding that many DA Civilians in the background keep the mission going.

For STEM students looking to serve their country, gain elite technical training and build a lifelong professional network, Chapman’s recruiting advice is simple: keep your resume updated, get your transcripts ready and apply. The command is ready to meet recruits at the front door.

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