Viola ’77 Nominated Trump’s Army Secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated as his Army secretary Vincent Viola ’77, who became a billionaire after founding an electronic trading firm and went on to buy the Florida Panthers hockey team. Viola funded the creation of highly regarded Combating Terrorism Center at West Point after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A former infantry officer and Ranger School graduate, he has pressed for innovation in cyber warfare, saying at a conference five years ago that the Army of the future will be built on a “gestalt of geekdom.” “We’ve got to find geeks who love their country,” Viola said, according to the military technology website Defense Systems. “At my company, I’ll gladly trade 10 pull-ups and five minutes on a run for 20 IQ points and heart.” In that same speech, Viola encouraged the Army to stay several steps ahead of potential adversaries by using innovation in technology, and encouraged buying off-the-shelf products and equipment rather than designing everything from scratch. Read More