USACE G-6 Director Outlines Modernization Strategy

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is advancing its IT modernization efforts through a three-pronged approach aimed at improving efficiency, reducing costs, and strengthening mission support, USACE G-6 Director Allen Strunk said during a Federal News Network webinar on Tuesday.

Strunk described the Corps’ IT enterprise as “massive, complex, and absolutely critical,” supporting tens of thousands of users across hundreds of sites, managing a global network, multiple data centers, and a large portfolio of mission systems.

Modernizing this vast IT enterprise, he explained, requires a structured approach. He highlighted three key pillars guiding the effort: convergence, software rationalization, and data centricity.

The first pillar, convergence, involves modernizing USACE’s network to create a hybrid model that balances standardization with “supporting the unique requirements of our civil works and emergency response missions.” Strunk said the approach enables faster responses, more efficient outage management, and cost reductions while building a resilient, secure, and scalable hybrid cloud environment.

The second pillar, software rationalization, addresses application sprawl. “We’ve identified over 2,800 applications across our enterprise, and that level of sprawl really creates cost,” Strunk said. “We’re really taking a disciplined approach to reduce that footprint, eliminating redundancy, grouping interoperability, and strengthening our cybersecurity posture.”

As part of that effort, he emphasized that cloud adoption is a tool, not a goal, and is pursued only when it improves performance or reduces costs, working closely with system owners to ensure operational and financial value.

The third pillar, data centricity, treats information as a strategic asset rather than a byproduct.

“These pillars reinforce each other,” Strunk said. “It’s a coordinated effort to reduce complexity, strengthen our foundation, and position the enterprise to act faster and make better decisions. Ultimately, it’s all aimed at one thing: making sure technology keeps pace with the mission and never holds you back.”