What I gained with Purdue's Defense Civilian Training Corps

Aubrey DeVries

09-25-2024

Aubrey in the capitol — While in D.C. for the DCTC intern summit, I visited Capitol Hill and the Washington Monument.

Standing inside the Pentagon conversing with Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, the Honorable Cara Abercrombie, made me truly appreciate what my last year with the Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) has taught me. While I don’t know where my future will take me, I have gained so many benefits through DCTC—a network of professional contacts, a deep respect for our service members and in-depth knowledge of the Department of Defense (DoD) through hands-on experiential learning that I’ve had in and out of the classroom.

Beginning my fall semester of junior year, I was one of four business students enrolled in the pilot Defense Civilian Training Corps here at Purdue University. DCTC is a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense and academia to develop students with hands-on learning experiences that will prepare them for an employment position in DoD upon graduation. Purdue is one of four universities in the country to launch DCTC, bringing me to my spot in Cohort '25.

For those who've never heard of DCTC, the DCTC curriculum is split into four elements: core curriculum, immersive learning experiences, summer internships and an innovation capstone project over a span of two years. The four classes include Fundamentals of Civilian Public Service in the DoD and Overview of DoD Missions and Community Functions.

What motivated me to join DCTC was that the program let me travel to different states to put me in environments where I was learning from the source about people who protect national security.

Abrams RVCT — Fellow interns and I visited contractor Cole Engineering to look at their Reconfigurable Virtual Collectible Trainers (RVCT). These immersive trainers help simulate combat and tactical vehicles.

I traveled during the spring semester for my immersive learning experiences in Washington D.C.. Eventually, I was placed in an acquisitions internship at U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) in Orlando, Florida, this past summer.

PEO STRI oversees contract management between the U.S. military and technology companies that produce equipment that soldiers train with and eventually will be utilized in combat. The office creates a timeline, typically more than five years, to manufacture these products and manage obstacles that appear as legislation comes out that might halt or slow progress.

During my internship, I learned how acquisitions in the government affect our national security. Every detail has to be reviewed time and time again because what the office does has a greater impact on our entire military’s safety and the safety of these soldiers testing out this new equipment.

I valued the culture of care within the government and the resiliency displayed by my coworkers, most of whom are veterans. The culture of care is about truly taking care of your employees’ wellbeing and allowing us to have a good balance between life and work. They also promote from within, so it's very common for employees to switch offices as they move up through the ranks in the government. I found this comforting knowing they support and care for their employees.

Food finders — PEO STRI works to give back to the community. As part of our internship, we volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank.

AR Shoothouse — Our training scenario at STTC was the perfect blend between technology and simulation of combat.

One of my favorite experiences was testing out technological products. The other interns and I visited the Simulation and Training Technology Center (STTC) to test an augmented reality training scenario. Equipped with augmented reality goggles and a gamified assault rifle, we entered a shoot house to simulate combat. Within the augmented reality goggles, we could see enemy forces blended within our in person environment. At the end of the simulation, we came together to see a real time map of our locations and statistics in an after-action review.

Aubrey at the Pentagon — While in D.C. for the DCTC intern summit, we visited the Pentagon to meet senior DoD leaders. This picture was taken in the Press Briefing Room where on-camera statements are released to the general public from the Pentagon.

This experience really led to us understand what we were doing in acquisitions was valuable to the soldiers and the safety of our nation while also having the knowledge and physical experience of what this technology really did in training.

I took all I learned and went with my cohort to the Pentagon to share our experiences and why DCTC is so important with Honorable Cara Abercrombie. After clearance through high security, other DCTC participants and I reported to Abercrombie what it is like to be a DCTC student and how we took everything we learned in the classroom and our immersive learning experiences into a deep understanding of the role and importance of acquisitions in the government.

The DoD is very mission-focused, and we can see that trickle into all departments. They care about their employees, and they are diligent with their work behind the scenes that keeps all of America safe. I have more respect for civilians in the government and our military members more than I ever have before, and I am grateful for all I have learned through DCTC and my internship.

Now I’m onto my senior year and second year in the DCTC program and cannot wait to see where my journey takes me.

Aubrey DeVries is a senior in the Mitch Daniels School of Business as a finance major with a concentration in management consulting and plans to graduate from Purdue University in May 2025. DeVries is the president of the Daniels School of Business Ambassadors program and was awarded the Nanci Forney Leadership Award and Outstanding Sophomore Award in May 2023.