WORKFORCE
MIDDLEMAN
BECOMING THE
An Army civilian delivers capabilities to Soldiers while LEAD-ing with experience.
by Cody Swinford I
arrived at the Pentagon at the end of February 2022 just as many of the COVID-19 restrictions were being lifted, but the foot traffic was still sparse as most people were still at maximum telework. I was there as a part of the 24-month
Leadership Excellence and Acquisition Development (LEAD) program to start my temporary assignment as a Department of the Army Systems Coordinator (DASC). As I was getting accli- mated to the building and browsing the Fort America store on the second floor, I noticed a T-shirt that caused me to both think and chuckle. It said, “I Made It Inside the Pentagon.”
Security is a priority and is maintained to the greatest extent possible whether you are coming as a visitor on business or, like me, as part of your job. Te bustling activity at the main entrance is hectic but runs like a well-oiled machine. Once inside, going up the escalators, you land on what looks like a shopping mall area with everything from banking to vision care, a flower shop, a CVS pharmacy and, of course, the smell of coffee and food from the many vendors nearby.
To those outside of DOD, the five-sided building is a symbol of our nation’s military strength and is where each of the mili- tary services’ leadership is located, and where decisions about national defense are made. When I told family and friends from my small, Southern, middle-Tennessee town that I would be working at the Pentagon, they were in awe and wonder about
what I would be doing. Te adage that “If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” came to mind. My family made me feel more impor- tant than I know I really am. In my now 25-year career with the Army, my job has always been to deliver capabilities to the men and women wearing the uniform. Tis is exactly what I would continue to do as a DASC.
WHAT IS A DASC? A DASC works in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (OASA(ALT)) for the Army acquisition executive (AAE). We are the liaisons among OASA(ALT) staff and the numerous program execu- tive offices (PEOs) located around the country, supporting the program management offices that design, develop, procure, deliver and sustain everything a Soldier wears, drives, flies, fires and uses to make them successful. DASCs are primarily Army civilians, majors and lieutenant colonels.
I got to the Pentagon and the OASA(ALT) as a result of the LEAD program, which is open to midcareer professionals like me. I applied and was accepted, and the program began in May 2021.
LEAD uses my current skills in business, but also prepares me for positions of greater responsibility within the Army acquisi- tion community and, in particular, program management. Te
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