Mike Vincent

Years with MIL: 5.5 years

What are you working on now?

After moving through various short term projects with Customs and Border Protection, I ended up working the Unmanned Carrier Aviation (UCA) Mission Control Station (MCS) project. In this position, I am the Test and Integration Facility (TIF) manager in addition to my role as the logistics manager. This is one of my most challenging positions to date, as I am expected to work on three different locations in a single day, where I have customers to support at NAWCAD St. Inigoes and PAX NAS. I also serve as the liaison between NAWCAD 4.11.3 and our PMA-268 customers for any current logistics flow.

What is important about your work?

In my line of work, the number one priority for me is supporting our men and women warfighters, whether they be shipboard or aircraft. Everything I do in the course of a day affects their outcome; I have to ensure whatever decisions I make will not create a negative effect for our forces. The materials that we are testing and controlling must be in top-shape with a solid maintenance plan in place.

What are the best aspects about your current job?

I would have to say the people I work with and the freedom of choice I have are the best aspects of my job. The team we have assembled has the same focus on creating an excellent product. Unlike other employers, MIL gives me the freedom to make decisions based on my experience without being micro-managed. I am entrusted to make solid and sound decisions for our product support and I know I will be 100% accountable for any issues that arise.

Why do you enjoy working at MIL?

At MIL, I enjoy the family atmosphere. From the day I started, the C4IS Sector has felt more like a family than co-workers. There are many functions that I participate in, but my favorites are the charity efforts that our group takes-on. Every year, we have one or two charity auctions that allows everyone to utilize their personal talents to create handmade items for auction. In general, our atmosphere is very low-drama and it just feels right.

What is the most challenging project you’ve worked on at MIL?

I would have to say it was the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mobile Surveillance System (MSS) Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). In this project we were tasked to restore 11 mobile surveillance vehicles from the ground-up. At conception, there were limited drawings and we had to reverse-engineer a lot of items to have equipment rebuilt. A small team would travel out to Southern border stations and take acceptance of the units after a quick run-up to determine current operations issues. From there, the unit was shipped to the MIL MIF building in Great Mills, Md., where the fun began. All in all, our team did a fantastic job with all 11 units, on budget and on time.