PEO Perspective June 2022

ARMY BIRTHDAY

June 14, 1775 is the birth date of an Army older than the nation it serves, authorized for formation by the Second Continental Congress a full year before the Declaration of Independence. 

For 247 years, the Army has used innovation, technology and Soldier ingenuity to defend Americans. The Army's global reach and our Soldiers' ability to conduct operations anywhere in the world play a large part in their ability to defend America 24/7. Today, we commemorate all who have answered the call to service since the Army's founding in 1775.

This year, I am particularly pleased to announce that we will be holding an Army birthday cake-cutting ceremony at PEO EIS for the first time since 2019. The small ceremony will take place following the Project Manager Defense Integrated Business Systems (DIBS) change of charter on June 14. You will be able to watch both ceremonies on our PEO EIS YouTube channel, and you can visit army.mil/1775 to learn more about the establishment of our Army. 

D-DAY 

On June 6, 1944, 57,500 American Soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, with another 13,000 air dropped in gliders or parachutes. The events of D-Day — or Operation Overlord — liberated France and very likely turned the course of World War II, allowing for an Allied victory. This year marks the 78th anniversary of this momentous day in history — a day that truly embodied perseverance, bravery and a triumph of good over evil. We remember the brave Americans and Allies who fought and secured peace for future generations.  

JUNETEENTH: COMMEMORATING EMANCIPATION 

While President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect Jan. 1, 1863, declaring "all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State... shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free," it wouldn't be until two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, that General Gordon Granger and his Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War had ended and any enslaved people were freed by executive order.  

Celebrations began soon thereafter as church-centered community gatherings in Texas which spread across the South and grew throughout the 1920s and 30s. During the #CivilRights movement of the 1960s, the celebration of Juneteenth was somewhat eclipsed by the struggle but grew again in popularity in the 1970s with a focus on African American culture and heritage. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated in most major cities across the United States. Our diversity is our strength, and our strength is in our unity. 

PRIDE MONTH 

June is also Pride Month. Throughout June, the Army joins the nation in paying tribute to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. Throughout history, this community of Soldiers and Civilians have bravely served and defended our country, and we honor them during this month for their selfless and dedicated service.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS 

On June 2, Assistant PEO John Howell provided an Army Networks update focused on PEO EIS support to the Army's Unified Network Plan at the 35th annual Federal Networks Conference in Tysons Corner, Virginia. The two-day conference, which brought together senior decision-makers from key agencies across government to share their latest plans for how they will design, purchase and operate their networks, included presentations from colleagues at Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Defense Health Agency (DHA), General Services Administration (GSA), Space Force, the Department of State and more. John’s presentation will be available on our website Events page. 

On June 15, I am pleased to join Gregg Judge, deputy director Enterprise Cloud Management Agency (ECMA); Dovarius Peoples, director and CIO of Corporate Information for the United States Army Corps of Engineers; and Nicholaus Saacks, acting deputy PEO for Command, Control and Communications – Tactical (PEO C3T) on a panel at the Second Annual Army IT and Digital Transformation Forum. The all-virtual event will include discussion about IT strategy, reform and priorities; and digital transformation, modernization and cybersecurity. I hope you will tune in! 

Finally, on June 22, I will join AFCEA Belvoir for their annual scholarship luncheon, where they will award scholarships to deserving STEM students. Col. Mark Taylor, project manager for Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO), will also provide a DCO 101 presentation. 

LEADERSHIP CHANGES 

Summer is always a busy time of transition, and we have a few key leadership changes to announce. 

On June 2, PEO EIS held a relinquishment of charter ceremony for Army Human Resource Systems (AHRS), recognizing product director Michael Payne, who will be assuming the role of project director for our one of our partner PEOs, Sensor-Aerial Intelligence at PEO Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors — or IEW&S. Wayne Sok, product lead for Computer Hardware, Enterprise Software and Solutions (CHESS), will serve as the acting project director for AHRS. The ceremony farewelling Wayne from PL CHESS will take place June 6. 

Also on June 2, Automated Movement and Identification Solutions (AMIS) held a relinquishment of charter ceremony, recognizing the departure of product lead Keith Baylor, who will lead the new Product Lead Army IgnitED office. AMIS has been rolled up into our Logistics Information Systems product office within our Army Data and Analytics Platforms portfolio.

As previously mentioned, Defense Integrated Business Systems (DIBS) will also host a ceremony this month saying farewell to Col. Donald Burton, who has led the organization since July 2018. Kevin Curry, former PD AHRS, will assume lead for the program, accountable for standardizing, streamlining and sharing critical data across the Army and the Department of Defense. 

On June 16, DIBS’ General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS) will say goodbye to Reg Shuford in a relinquishment of charter ceremony. Reg is going to attend Senior Service College at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Rob Porter will assume the role of acting product director of GFEBS in a year-long broadening assignment.

Congratulations to Mike, Wayne, Keith, Don, Kevin, Reg and Rob, and thank you all for your great service to PEO EIS and the Army!

IN CLOSING 

A reminder that June is also safety awareness month.  Many preventable injuries and deaths occur during the summer months, and I encourage you and your loved ones to be mindful and to prepare as you make your travel and outdoor plans for the summer. Some ways that you can mitigate risk: Stay hydrated, wear sunscreen, seek shade in high temperatures, and wear helmets and protective gear when cycling and life vests when participating in water activities, and drive carefully. 

You matter, your family matters — Have a safe and fun-filled June, and Happy Army Birthday! 

Connecting the Army. Working for Soldiers.

Ross Guckert, Program Executive Officer