The power of the cloud to aid service members in their transition to civilian life

While many great organizations serve our U.S. military veterans, the statistics in veteran suicide, unemployment, underemployment and homelessness show that there is still much work to be done, shared Mike Eastman, a U.S. Army veteran and now executive director of The ETS Sponsorship Program.

Eastman said part of the gap is connecting active-duty service members on their way out of service to community members who can best help them on their journey back into civilian life.

“The core of what we do is connecting a service member to a sponsor from the community they’re moving to. Each of these veterans needs to know that someone out there still cares and someone can answer the questions that any of us would ask if we’re making a major life change,” shared Eastman in a recent Scoop News Group interview for DefenseScoop, and sponsored by Google for Government.

The Onward Ops program assesses each transitioning service member’s individual needs and develops a personalized, holistic transition plan across domains ranging from healthcare and social resources to employment and education that he or she then uses to achieve their goals. Utilizing Google’s on-demand insights via world-class analytics, Onward Ops can analyze localized metrics to determine the veteran’s specific needs and appropriate services and monitor progress and outcomes.

Google Cloud services that operate in a high level of security allow the organization to say, “with great confidence that what you tell us will be safe,” Eastman shared.

“It is no mystery that Americans across this country want to, and love to, support the military. The challenge is, how do you do that?” Eastman said. Becoming a sponsor will cost volunteers simply an hour a week to answer questions, “and you will be changing the life of that veteran and their family for the better, probably making a friend in the process.”

Watch the full interview with Mike Eastman to learn more about the Onward Ops program and hear more from our government leaders on Accelerating the Mission with Artificial Intelligence.

This video interview was produced by Scoop News Group, for FedScoop, and underwritten by Google for Government.