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In December, in a downpour, Rittenberg charged onto the field waving the American flag at Arrowhead Stadium as part of the Kansas City Chiefs' “Salute to Service” game against the San Diego Chargers. He played his part in a ceremony involving all branches of service, one that included honors for hometown service members, recognized area units and leaders – a wounded warrior even left with a car.

Rittenberg’s role with the Chiefs went far beyond flag-waving – he was in the middle of a yearlong assignment as the team’s Army liaison, a position made possible by the service’s Training with Industry program. He’s one of four information operations officers now on assignment with leading businesses – others are at divisions of Coca-Cola, German engineering company Siemens and global public relations company Hill+Knowlton.

via www.armytimes.com

Army officers partnering with industry isn't really anything new, though the focus has shifted somewhat over the years.

During the 1920s, and especially the 1930s, many Army officers worked with industry to develop what became known as the Army Industrial Plan.

The Army, remembering the struggles to mobilize industry for war production during World War I, worked to catalog the capability of virtually every manufacturer in the nation, with a particular eye on how those industries might be converted to wartime production.

Today, only a handful of officers are detailed to work with private industry. And they are expected to be able to use what they learn when they return to the Army. Perhaps just as importantly, the officers serve as ambassadors to the private sector, and help the civilian world see just a little bit what soldiers are really like.