PEO Perspective: May 2021

“Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.” George Washington’s words to Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler in 1775 still ring true today as we deal with times of uncertainty, particularly on the budget front. What keeps our eyes on the prize is the knowledge that we’ve successfully negotiated these times before and — even more importantly — that true to our PEO EIS mission, every day we are responsible for acquiring and delivering much-needed capability to Soldiers and civilians. Whether it’s a cloud-based recruitment or training system supporting the Army’s People Strategy, an online talent management system with mobile capabilities, or a rapidly fielded defensive cyber solution ensuring the readiness of our nation’s cyber defenders, we at PEO EIS are providing value and innovation for the Army of today and tomorrow.

RECENT NEWS & EVENTS

Impending Farewell to Deputy PEO Brendan Burke

It was with both sadness and pride that I recently informed the workforce about Deputy PEO Brendan Burke’s decision to take a position with industry. Brendan has been a valuable part of the PEO EIS team for more than a decade, having taken on increasing responsibility at the program level, achieved selection to the Senior Executive Service and served since May 2018 in both acting and official capacities as our deputy PEO. Brendan’s vast experience has led him to be a champion for positive change, challenging antiquated thinking with innovative approaches, while possessing a deep understanding of and respect for the traditions and complexities of our environment and mission. Brendan’s last day at PEO EIS will be June 18. I have asked John Howell, our assistant program executive officer for networks, cyber and services, to take the position of acting deputy PEO until another candidate is selected; I have the utmost faith in John and our leadership team’s ability to help guide and lead us through the transition period. Please join me in congratulating Brendan and wishing him all the best in his new endeavor!

AFCEA TechNet Discussion on the Unified Network

As part of AFCEA’s recent Solution Series on “Resilient Communications in a Contested MDO Environment,” PEO EIS leaders held a panel presentation April 21 that highlighted our involvement in the Army’s Integrated Enterprise Network Modernization Strategy. It was an honor and privilege to hold this discussion on the tails of Lt. Gen. John Morrison’s keynote presentation about the Army’s Unified Network plan. As noted by PEO EIS panel moderator John Howell, our mission — in coordination with many stakeholder partners — is to get to a more effective operational network both on the classified and unclassified sides. Besides discussing the Unified Network, panelists mentioned upcoming business opportunities within our Enterprise Information Environment mission area. Read more in our recent blog post. We look forward to seeing everyone in person (hopefully) at AFCEA TechNet in August.

UPCOMING EVENTS OF NOTE

AFCEA Belvoir May Luncheon

I have been invited to keynote AFCEA Belvoir’s monthly luncheon May 26. The engagement is particularly timely since it falls just a few days after my one-year anniversary at PEO EIS. During my presentation, I’ll touch on recent developments at the PEO, what’s coming down the pike and — of course — upcoming procurements. Have any burning topics or questions you’d like me to address? Please send them to our Strategic Communication Directorate at usarmy.belvoir.peo-eis.mbx.strategic-communications-division@mail.mil.

Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month

This important May observance pays tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental to its future success. To celebrate, our PEO EIS social media platforms will highlight Asian American/Pacific Islanders who served in the U.S. Army over the years, as well as some of our teammates of Asian American/Pacific Islander origin.

OTHER NEWS OF NOTE

Congratulations to our teammates at the Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4) product office, part of our Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A) portfolio. The MC4 team successfully upgraded the Joint Task Force-Bravo Medical Element (MEDEL) clinic in Honduras, including its internal network infrastructure. Operational training was provided to more than 40 personnel, enabling them to electronically document medical encounters. MC4 personnel also supported the MEDEL COVID-19 vaccination mission. Approximately 600 U.S. service members and over 90 DOD civilians and key supporting foreign nationals were vaccinated. Hooah!

The Army has recently implemented a DOD-approved alternative Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) solution that augments existing username and password logins by adding a second factor for authentication. The solution is designed to support Soldiers without government-furnished equipment, as well as non-CAC-eligible mission partners. PEO EIS’s Enterprise Content Collaboration & Messaging (EC2M) product office, part of our Enterprise Services portfolio, helped conduct the pilots that evaluated the hardware and mobile application for the MFA solution. The new capability will allow Soldiers to use personally owned mobile devices or a hardware token (Yubikey) as a second form factor for authentication through the Enterprise Access Management Service – Army (EAMS-A) platform at sites with systems configured to support MFA. The MFA solution requires users to “register” their second factor either via their mobile device or via Yubikey with the Army Identity Credential & Access Management (ICAM) solution. Congratulations to EC2M for their important contributions to this new capability!

It’s almost change of charter season at PEO EIS. Summer always brings organizational change and transition. Starting next month, we’ll begin hosting some change of charter ceremonies commemorating these leadership changes, so please keep an eye on our organizational chart on our Leaders page for updates.

Keep persevering everyone!

Ross R. Guckert, Program Executive Officer, PEO EIS

Connecting the Army. Working for Soldiers.