COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Project Manager, Maneuver Ammunition Systems within Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition
TITLE: Business management specialist
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 5
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Contracting Professional
EDUCATION: MBA, Centenary University; B.S. in business management, Ramapo College

by Holly Comanse

Eric German contributes to the U.S. Army’s mission by supporting our allies and joint forces around the globe as a project manager and liaison between Army Contracting Commands, engineers and customers. Even with all of that on his plate, he remains humble.

German primarily supports the Special Ammunition Weapon Systems (SAWS) division as a business management specialist in the business office working within the Project Manager Maneuver Ammunition Systems (PM MAS) for the Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition. With a business background, German felt right at home when he started working with the acquisition team at PM MAS. His role ensures that purchases reflect what the Army and warfighter want and need to support the overall mission.

SAWS’ primary mission is to procure and deliver safe, reliable and lethal non-standard ammunition and armaments to fully equip U.S. allies and joint forces warfighters in support of the U.S. National Security Strategy and U.S. agencies for the purpose of training and familiarization of ammunition. “Since I have been working with SAWS, I have obligated approximately $1 billion dollars on multiple SAWS’ contracts in support of foreign military sales customers and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative Program,” German said. “I take pride in knowing that what I do directly helps our allies in almost real time,” he added. He also enjoys taking requirements and working with his colleagues to successfully award contracts and delivery orders.

After nearly 10 years in a corporate job that was not very fulfilling, German decided to switch gears to a position that was more rewarding and had more of an impact on his life. “I became part of the Army Acquisition Workforce because I knew someone from college that started right after they graduated and they thoroughly enjoyed their job,” German said. His first acquisition position was as a contract specialist at Army Contracting Command, New Jersey (ACC-NJ). He said the work was more interesting, and he wanted to learn more as he inherited and was awarded more contracts. German has great satisfaction when accomplishing the tasks he is assigned to.

German and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of an almost one-year-old daughter, Amara, seen here in her Halloween costume. (Photo provided by Eric German)

While at ACC-NJ, he was a mentor and always encouraged people to ask as many questions as possible. “Most people are willing to teach you if you ask them questions, and they take pride in passing down their knowledge to others,” German said.

While education is important, German believes hands-on experience is vital. “I certainly learned a lot of the basic contracting knowledge through all of my courses, especially CON [contracting] 090, but to truly understand how a program operates and what needs to be done, you have to learn through experience,” German said. The course had a focus on Federal Acquisition Regulation fundamentals. Within his field, German continues to further his knowledge in and out of the classroom.

The latest career development program German completed was the Civilian Education System (CES) Intermediate Course in July 2022. The course was not required for German, but he says his individual leadership knowledge increased as part of it. CES Intermediate exceeded German’s expectations. He found it to be group-oriented with the opportunity to meet a lot of people that worked at Picatinny. “I have always tried to make friends wherever I go and to try and be around good, honest, smart people,” German said. He recommends the course to anyone looking to learn more about themselves on a very personal level and how to incorporate that knowledge into their role at work.

German’s top three takeaways from the course were: 1) learning more about his own leadership and personality style; 2) understanding his organization to try to improve it; and 3) learning more about the Army’s values and its desire to train people. He also recognized areas he could improve, such as taking his time rather than rushing through his work. German has learned a lot throughout his career, but he stated, “The most important lesson I’ve learned is to be honest and humble.”

“Faces of the Force” highlights the success of the Army Acquisition Workforce through the power of individual stories. Profiles are produced by the Army AL&T magazine team, working closely with public affairs officers to feature Soldiers and civilians serving in various Army acquisition disciplines. For more information, or to nominate someone, go to https://asc.army.mil/web/publications/army-alt-submissions/.

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