Tuesday was a four star day for a Macomb County-based program at the North American International Auto Show. On Wednesday, it will be a four-star general who will make it official.
Maj. Gen. Gwen Bingham of the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command greeted the crowd that came to see the Army’s NAIAS exhibit, including Gov. Rick Snyder and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel.
SEE 63 PHOTOS OF THE TACOM EXHIBIT
Bingham’s mission, besides showing off the Stryker and other military muscle cars, was to talk about the U.S. Army Materiel Command’s (AMC) initiatives for the future, including the hiring of 1,000 interns each year for five years in Warren and multiple TACOM locations.
‘If the funding is there, I think it’s a great opportunity,’ said Hackel. ‘It’s good for the industry and for young people looking to find their way in life.’
The program will be officially announced during Wednesday’s ‘Academia Day’ at the auto show by U.S. Army Material Command’s Commanding General Dennis Via, one of only 16 four-star generals and the sixth African American to be promoted to this rank.
It aims to provide current high school and college students, along with those who recently graduated from an accredited university, with paid opportunities to work for the Army. The 1,000 internships will be open to students in Michigan and across the U.S. in a variety of career fields including science, physics, public relations and human resources and engineering.
‘I started out as an intern,’ said Eric Emerton, director of public affairs for TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren and an example of a civilian who works for the army. ‘I took an oath, much like a soldier, but we are civil servants much like an IRS agent. The job just happens to for the Department of Defense.’
Emerton, who has enjoyed a 30-year career with the Army, worked for the Pentagon for two years. At the end of his internship he was hired by the onsite inspection agency to monitor arms control where, among other things, he worked directly with Russian soldiers doing the same job for their country.
‘It opened a lot of doors for me by giving me exposure to many facets in the Department of Defense,’ Emerton said. ‘You’ve seen the posters join the Army and see the world? It’s true even for the Army’s civilians.’
By establishing earlier bonds with potential employees, AMC hopes to influence life-long career choices and expose America’s youth to service in the federal government and in particular the U.S. Army.
Why is this important?
Warren’s TACOM Life Cycle Management Command is part of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, which is the premiere provider of materiel readiness. As the Army says, ‘If a Soldier drives it, flies it, wears it, shoots it, communicates with it or eats it, AMC provides it.’
AMC’s workforce of 64,000-strong highly skilled professionals is always looking to sustain a diverse mix of employees required for the Army’s future. To achieve that, it is always looking for new blood.
‘Thirteen percent of the Army workforce is retirement eligible, and that percentage is expected to more than double in five years,’ a U.S. Army report stated.
The internship program and the work AMC does for the defense department is also of importance to Macomb County, Hackel added.
TACOM has a global workforce of 19,000 with 7,500 of them employed in southeastern Michigan.
Macomb County also has about 600 companies providing support to the Department of Defense through the manufacturing of parts and other materials used in the production of military vehicles and ammunition.
The U.S. Army’s display of wartime vehicles at a show of new and futuristic cars might seem odd to people from other states and countries. But not to people in Macomb County, where the auto industry and U.S. Department of Defense have had a relationship that is as old as the Arsenal of Democracy.
‘We’re the defense capital of Michigan,’ Hackel said.
