With its advance toward continuous transformation, the Army is refocusing its force structure to prioritize a modernized weapon portfolio necessary for large-scale combat operations.
The Army’s software needs are precise: scalable, adaptive solutions that mold to Soldiers’ needs immediately in the face of ever-evolving threats.
Because the rapid pace of warfare has never been greater, the Army needs modernization now more than ever.
On April 30, 2025, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a memorandum, Army Transformation and Acquisition Reformdirecting the Army to
implement a comprehensive transformation strategy, streamline its force structure, eliminate wasteful spending, reform the acquisition process, modernize inefficient defense contracts, and overcome parochial interests to rebuild our Army, restore the warrior ethos, and reestablish deterrence.
Hegseth reinforced the message a day later in a Letter to the Forcestating, “Yesterday’s weapons will not win tomorrow’s wars.”
The Communications-Electronics Command Army Software & Innovation Center (formerly Software Engineering Center), headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, aligns with Army goals by staying ahead of adversaries and remaining versatile.
Setting a new standard
Even before the April memo, CECOM ASIC leadership had a firm grip on where the Army was charting a new course. Led by Executive Director Mr. Garrett Shoemaker, the center began its transformation over a year and a half ago by adopting continuous integration and continuous delivery practices across the organization.
The move to deliver agile, secure, and modern software services is in part defined by a shift away from CECOM ASIC’s previous model, which focused heavily on software sustainment for defense business systems, legacy weapons systems, and technical infrastructure.
The transition to a new methodology strengthened an already innovative workforce.
Solutions catalyst
CECOM ASIC conforms uniquely within the Army Continuous Transformation because it offers an expansive array of software specialties that benefit Capability Program Executive Command, Portfolio Acquisition Executives, and Program Managers who require quick, cost-effective solutions. The center’s core areas of focus are artificial intelligence, DevSecOps, rapid electromagnetic warfare, operational readiness support, and modern software development. CECOM ASIC is leaning in, accelerating the delivery of products that CPEs, PAEs, and PMs need.
“When you have PMs trying to get products out of their various original equipment manufacturers, they can run into a wall,” Vance Snell, a computer scientist for CECOM ASIC who is helping lead Army Transformation Initiative efforts around the center, said. “They may contract with someone to try to get the solution—or, if they can’t do that, they can turn to the ASIC. ASIC can find a solution because we have the toolsets to go across any area regarding software products.”
The advancement and maturity of its virtualized Software Engineering Environment have positioned CECOM ASIC to lead the Army’s initiative to consolidate multiple virtualized environments into a unified platform. This effort integrates capabilities and missions of the Enterprise Cloud Management Agency’s Code Resource and Transformation Environment into a single, streamlined solution: the Development Security Operations Platform. Designed to enhance efficiency and collaboration, the DSOP will support a wide range of users, from CPEs, PAEs and PMs to the operational force and Soldiers who require timely, cost-efficient solutions. “The DSOP will consist of a cyber-hardened baseline set of commercial tools, including GitLab Ultimate, SonarQube, and Nexus Repository, paired with a suite of open-source and government-owned security tools,” David Wright, Chief Engineer at ASIC, said. “Hosted in AWS 2.0, this unified design avoids the need and cost to stand up independent silos for DevSecOps, delivering a scalable, cost-effective standard for the force. The DSOP is built to support secure and rapid software building, testing, and delivery. It’s designed to ensure software on the battlefield is as advanced as the weapon systems it controls.”
The key to the Army’s adaptation is having the right infrastructure. CECOM ASIC’s modernized approach, enabled by containerization, allows the Center to drive DevSecOps for agile delivery to Soldiers. Instead of software teams using a write, then test, then deploy method, the Army is relying on automation, cloud functions, and continuous updates to build, secure, and fix applications faster.
“The establishment of the DevSecOps environment by CECOM ASIC saves money, improves cybersecurity, and provides a single standard platform to the Army that can be tailored to most software development environments,” Bill Buttner, ASIC principal transformation advisor said.
Wide-ranging, field-ready solutions
The transition is already materializing through cost-effective solutions such as low-code/no-code, which enable accelerated delivery by leveraging standardized components. By operating in secure pipelines, LCNC allows capabilities to be deployed and updated faster. The method reduces sustainment costs while ensuring solutions are secure and aligned with Army standards.
Personnel from CECOM ASIC’s Data Analytics Readiness Team and the CECOM ASIC Technical Services Directorate leveraged LCNC technology in collaboration with the Army Audit Agency. With a small SCRUM team over eight weeks, the team utilized Vantage to create a fraud detection dashboard and workflow tool that is changing how AAA catches fraudsters.
ASIC has developed an organic containerization capability by packaging Distributed Common Ground System-Army applications into secure, portable units that can be run across platforms—providing quick, reliable functionality for Soldiers.
The Army is spending less on software subscriptions for operating systems via containerization technology by increasing application and services density with fewer physical servers. But it does more than just save dollars; containerization enables systems to be deployed and operated quickly and consistently across environments.
Amid rapid transformation, security remains critical. Keeping up the pace calls for more reform: CECOM ASIC has been leading Zero Trust implementation, enabling the Army’s digitalization by applying consistent cybersecurity principles across all systems.
Zero Trust is a modern cybersecurity approach that operates under the mantra “never trust, always verify.” A significant focus for CECOM ASIC has been aligning current cybersecurity guidelines with modernized Zero Trust security measures. It’s key for the Army Transformation Initiative efforts because Zero Trust principles enforce centralized measures that Soldiers can rely on wherever they operate.
Charting their own AI path
Artificial intelligence, which is at the forefront of industry, is a major focus at CECOM ASIC.
“I view AI as probably one of our biggest modernization efforts,” Buttner said. “Our focus includes developing AI helpdesks, extended remote Soldier maintenance assistance, and more rapid electronic warfare countermeasure solutions. These advancements will enhance our ability to support Soldiers in the field with greater efficiency and effectiveness.”
AI is a bold and comprehensive answer to the Army’s call for mass rescaling because it can automate routine tasks, optimize complex systems, enable machine learning, rapidly interpret datasets, and personalize training for Soldiers.
CECOM ASIC’s biggest AI project is AI Flow, a secure product designed by its data engineers to help people in their day-to-day jobs. The center’s efforts with this application have centered on an agentic AI model that allows the user to complete specific Army tasks including manpower & personnel management, hiring & onboarding, timekeeping, records management, repository management, document generation, travel, training, supplies, mail, and more.
AI Flow functions in a way that allows users to tailor these functions to organization-specific processes and workflows. The app can mold output data into a user’s predefined document template, saving hours that personnel would otherwise spend on proper formatting of federal documents.
Continuous transformation
“The anticipation is that transformation will persist indefinitely,” Buttner said. “This is a fundamental principle, and CECOM ASIC is actively engaged in this evolving landscape.”
As new technologies, requirements, and system threats emerge, CECOM ASIC is strategically postured to foresee and harness these advancements to support evolving warfighter requirements.
Looking ahead, the call to action is so vast and nuanced that it calls for a measured balance.
CECOM ASIC views its dimensionality as an advantage.
“ASIC operates as a unified entity, concurrently addressing both immediate Soldier needs and proactively envisioning the future to identify innovative opportunities and advancements,” Buttner said.
It’s an organization that is enhancing the day-to-day experience for Soldiers around the world.
The Army has embraced transformation on a scale never seen before, and CECOM ASIC is answering the call.
