COL Thomas Saltysiak, Ph.D., has called the U.S. Army family for 30 years. And while family is forever, the 47-year old is looking forward to expanding his horizons with his retirement from the Army.

Born in Baltimore, Md., Saltysiak grew up the son of a Soldier, moving from state to state with his father. Following in his father’s footsteps, Saltysiak enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard at age 17 and served the United States Army in many capacities during his career.

As a National Guardsman he served in the 118^th Field Artillery Brigade.

After being commissioned in U.S. Army, he served in the 82^nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and the 1^st Infantry Division in Germany as a Military Intelligence Officer directly supporting the Infantry. He deployed to Kosovo, Albania, and Turkey as an intelligence officer.  He also deployed to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan to support the Department of the Army as an acquisition officer charged with managing hundreds of civilian support personnel.

COL Saltysiak earned both a doctorate in systems engineering and operations research and a Master of Science degree in systems engineering from George Mason University.

For the last two and a half years, Saltysiak served as the military deputy of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Chemical Biological Center. In this role he provided liaison between the Center and the Department of the Army, communicating the practical capabilities offered by the Center’s products and services to Army leadership and to the warfighter.

“The Center plays a vital role in the future of the Army,” Saltysiak said. “It bridges the gap between Army Futures Command (AFC) and the Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP). We need to be there to help the CBDP navigate the path AFC is setting to ensure the Army is considering chemical and biological capabilities as they look to increase situational awareness, lower physical and logistical burdens, and better protect warfighters.

“We’re uniquely suited to advise and guide science and technology program managers to ensure efforts are focused correctly on what the Army and all our sister Services will need for the future battlefield.”

Prior to his time at CCDC Chemical Biological Center, he served as the director for Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) Forward, U.S. Army Central Command, as well as multiple leadership positions. His previous assignment was Product Manager for Battlespace Management Integration under the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Project Office.

Additionally, he served as an assistant professor and research manager in the Department of Systems Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Saltysiak’s military education includes Military Intelligence Officer Basic and the Air Defense Officer Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College and the Defense Systems Management College Program Manager’s Course.

His military awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Ranger Tab and Senior Parachutist Badge.

As Saltysiak reflects on his time at the Center, the quality of the leadership and the camaraderie of the workforce are what stand out the most.

“I’m proud of the leadership at the center,” Saltysiak said. “We’re proactively addressing AFC guidance and figuring out how to inject ourselves in a way that’s beneficial to the Army, the CBDP and ultimately the warfighter.”

Saltysiak plans to take some time off but will undoubtedly re-engage with the Army in some way, possibly as a civilian employee or defense contractor.

“I’m sincerely thankful to the Center’s workforce who really made me feel at home here, like a valued member of the team. It’s been a great place to work and I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Saltysiak concluded.

Saltysiak’s retirement ceremony was held at the Center on August 2, 2019.  He was presented with the Legion of Merit in recognition of his exemplary service to the nation.