Military Appreciation Month 2025
How veterans support Elbit America’s mission, how our company supports those who’ve served
May 14, 2025
At Elbit America, our workforce is veteran-strong. A large percentage of our team – across our various sites and position types – include men and women who once served in our nation’s military. As part of Military Appreciation Month 2025, we’re acknowledging the observance by sharing sentiments from our employees about characteristics veterans bring to the Elbit America family and more.
Veterans’ contributions to Team Elbit America
“Veterans bring structure, and they work well on teams. They understand the mission,” said Dana Smathers, Elbit America’s Director of Talent Acquisition.
Dana and her team are often the first people prospective employees connect with from the company. When recruiting new employees, Dana says there’s a lure to our mission, which is to create and deliver innovative solutions that protect and save lives. A career at Elbit America provides veterans an opportunity to serve their nation in a new way – by supporting the warfighters themselves.
“Veterans come into Elbit America with a desire to continue serving” said Scott Clifton, one of the company’s directors of business development in Advanced Programs.
Scott served in the United States Marine Corps for 20 years prior to transitioning into the civilian world. He said, “Most of the veterans I know want to help those coming up behind them in the service. They want to ensure they’re getting the best gear that can be provided – good, quality stuff they need and want for their missions.”
This sentiment was echoed by Jeff Patton, a senior director of marketing who works exclusively with our U.S. Air Force customer. Jeff previously served in the Air Force and brings all of that experience into play when connecting Elbit America technology and solutions to the current and future needs of our nation’s Airmen.
Jeff said, “Veterans provide walk-in-the-door credibility.” He relayed that veterans at Elbit America understand our customers first-hand and can often bridge the gaps for those who haven’t served.
Kendra Edwards, a senior product developer with our Warfighter Systems group said, “It’s a benefit on the technology side, if you’ve got someone who’s been in a situation when or where our product is used.” She notes that veterans’ inputs are crucial to product design and help all employees to better relate with the end-users of our solutions.
So, how does Elbit America support veterans on our work force?
Elbit America just launched Veterans Energized to Serve (VETS), an Employee Resource Group dedicated to veterans, active-duty service members, and allies. This group aims to foster a supportive and inclusive workplace for veterans, recognizing and valuing the unique and diverse experiences they bring to our company.
Elbit America has a number of Employee Resource Groups, but this is the first dedicated to veterans, and will foster networking, mentorship, and advocacy.
“Connection and support are essential for a thriving military-focused community. VETS brings together our military-affiliated employees and allies, creating a network to share experiences, build camaraderie, provide support, and engage in meaningful veteran-focused initiatives,” said VETS President Ryan Talavera.
The ERG officially launched May 12, 2025, with Elbit America President and CEO Luke Savoie, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, as a guest speaker at the event.
In a communication to employees, Luke referred to VETS as Elbit America’s “one-stop-shop,” where the veterans on our workforce can share their stories, their experiences, and their insight in order to help others on the team.
In addition to the VETS ERG, Elbit America is a U.S. Department of Defense SkillBridge industry partner. We offer internships to transitioning military service members, so they can gain valuable civilian experience in fields of work that are currently in demand.
The end goal is to attract and then retain veteran talent through empowerment and support at Elbit America.