History

1978: Headquarters, Army Materiel Command (AMC) recognizes the need to develop a unified software support concept for fielded Mission Critical Defense Systems (MCDS). AMC tasks the U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command (CECOM) to assume a lead role in the development of such a concept in concert with TRADOC, Computer Systems Command (CSC) later known as the Information Systems Command (ISC), and each of AMC’s subordinate commands.

OCT 1983:The Software Development and Support Center (SDSC) is formally established within CECOM at Fort Monmouth, NJ (with satellite location at Fort Sill, OK) to serve as the focal point for developing, maintaining and producing software for Battlefield Automated Systems. The Electronics Research and Development Command (ERADCOM) forms the ERADCOM Tactical Software Support Center (ETSSC) at Fort Monmouth, NJ to support software for Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Systems.

DEC 1983: Based on the Life Cycle Software Support Implementation Plan, the concept for unified software support for MCDS is approved by AMC and the Department of the Army.

1985: SDSC merges with ETSSC, and is renamed Center for Life Cycle Software Engineering (CLCSE), allowing for centralized life cycle software management, engineering and for MCDS.

1987: CLCSE is renamed Center for Software Engineering (CSE) and merges into CECOM’s Research, Development and Engineering Center (RDEC), with satellite locations added at Fort Huachuca, AZ and Fort Leavenworth, KS, and an expanded missions to be AMC’s focal point for software technology, Ada technology, software quality and productivity.

1988: The responsibility for the Army’s Test Unit (ATU) to the Joint Interoperability Tactical Command and Control Systems program transfers to CSE. The ATU is responsible for ensuring that Army systems and their message formats are ready for joint interoperability testing and certificatio

1989: AMC declares CECOM CSE AMC’s center of excellence for Life Cycle Software Support and gives CSE the lead role in improving methodology, standards and tools for software development and maintenance support.

1990: The European Software Support Office (ESSO) is established in Seckenheim, Germany for providing software engineering support for assigned systems on-site. ATCOM LCSEC Avionics Division merges with CSE.

AUG 1990-MAR 1991: CSE awarded Association of Old Crows Desert Shield-Desert Storm Award.

1991: A team of specially trained software engineers conducts the first Software Process Assessment in AMC at CSE’s facility at Fort Sill to determine which processes and operations could be improved. CSE soon had the Army’s first certified Capability Maturity Model Level 3 organization.

1993: CSE is re-designated as the RDEC Software Engineering Directorate (SED).

JUL 1996: The Korean Software Support Office (KSSO) is established in Seoul, South Korea. Fort Leavenworth work transferred to the U.S. Army Simulation and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM) in Orlando, FL.

OCT 1996: As a result of the Signal Organization Mission Assignment (SOMA) study, RDEC SED merges with Information Systems Software Command (ISSC), Industrial Logistics Systems Center (ILSC) and Logistics Systems Software Center (LSSC) from several commands, to become the CECOM Software Engineering Center (SEC), allowing streamlined software support missions Army-wide with improved technology and cost effectiveness.

2008: SEC Headquarters begins moving its mission from Ft. Monmouth to Aberdeen Proving Grounds (APG) due to Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC).

2009: SEC awarded Army Superior Unit Award for the period of January-December 2007.