FORT EISENHOWER, Ga. – He didn’t come from a generation of military service, but Brig. Gen. Mark Miles wanted to be part of something bigger than himself, part of a team that made a difference.

Growing up in Lyndonville, NY, a small village in Western New York of less than a 1,000 people, located on Lake Ontario and surrounded by apple orchards and corn fields, he wanted to pursue computer engineering. After graduating high school, he was accepted to West Point.

“I knew they had a great engineering program,” he said. “Also, it was an impressive place to visit and came at a cost my family could afford.”

It was a calling that eventually resonated with his younger brother, Rick, an Iraqi war veteran who followed him 14 years later and honorably served before deciding on a career in Silicon Valley. For Brig. Gen. Miles, his career took him in a different direction. A direction that included meeting his future wife, Melissa, on the first day of his first duty station at the U.S. Army Signal School on then Fort Gordon, Ga. and then serving together for over 26 years before she retired as a Colonel. Both were young second lieutenants attending the Signal Basic Officer Leadership Course when they met.

Focusing on their careers for the next 20 years brought them to many different locales and climates. “We’ve been fortunate to always be stationed together,” said the father of two young boys ages 6 and 3. “We never asked for anything other than to find us a place that needs two officers.”

Through all his changes of station and deployments, he has found something good wherever he goes. Including early on in his career finding a young Satellite Team Chief with a truly inspirational outlook.

SGT Jacob Charlton’s infectious attitude resonated with him so much that he still thinks of a conversation they had one night while sitting on a hillside in Uzbekistan.

“As a young Captain I deployed my company to Operation Enduring Freedom after 9/11 and we set up the initial coms network in Afghanistan. I had a Sergeant in my company that was really good at his job, was an amazing leader and all of the Satellite soldiers wanted to be on his team,” he recalled now as an Army leader of 30 years. “I had the opportunity one night to ask Sgt. Charlton what drove him to be so good at what he did. He simply told me: I don’t know, some Satellite team out there will be the best in the Army, why not ours?”

Brig. Gen. Miles kept that attitude with him as he progressed throughout his career and tried to have the best teams wherever he went – either as the leader or as a key and critical teammate. According to Brig. Gen. Miles, every job is vital and important. Everywhere you go there is always those who you lean on, who everyone wants on their team, whose characteristics are integral to success, like SGT Jacob Charlton.

A career Signal Officer, Brig Gen Miles has had the opportunity to serve in multiple positions critical to cyber and cybersecurity in his last few assignments.

“It is an exciting time to be in cyber,” he said. “When I attended CAPSTONE recently, (a Department of Defense course required of all service Flag Officers) every key leader we met from around the world acknowledged the significance of cyber, electronic warfare and data management as keys to winning any future conflict. Whether it be secure & resilient networks, cyber effects, data engineering or electronic warfare, every senior leader we saw emphasized areas we lead here at Ft Eisenhower; we are at the nexus of change in our Army.”

His role at the Cyber Center of Excellence was created as part of the Army’s restructuring in 2022. The DCG job derived from the Army’s restructuring and is primarily focused on force modernization and training. He assists the Cyber and Signal Schools commandants as well as the CDID director with working the whole of Army process in incorporating Signal and Cyber into the future of warfare and is a conduit for the CCoE to different support agencies and processes throughout the Army.

“It’s a very technical profession and it evolves faster than current Army processes; we need to lead the modernization and integration of cyber and signal into how we fight and accelerate and innovate anywhere we can.”

Since arriving at Fort Eisenhower, he credits the smooth transition to the CCoE staff who are reworking processes and battle rhythms to help leverage and take advantage of the DCG position.

“I want to ensure that my position assists both schools in being a force multiplier to the larger Army process,” he said. “That includes successful integration in a joint environment which requires engaged leadership and sharing lessons learned. Teamwork is especially vital in our discipline due to vast number of Cyber threats that exist; but if we operate together, we will win.”

On his career outlook and advice for others, “The key is to look for the good wherever you go, emphasize the difference your team is making every chance you get, and strive to be the best at what you do. Someone will be the best, why not us?”