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Military Intelligence Officer & Entrepreneur: Emily Núñez Cavness Is Not Your Typical 24-Year-Old

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In celebration of Veterans Day and the MTV special, “Got Your 6,” MTV News spoke to a number of young veterans about their time in, and out, of the service. One of the inspiring young men and women we spoke to, 24-year-old Emily Núñez Cavness, told us about her company, Sword & Plough, as well as her job as a military intelligence officer.

MTV: How did you get interested in the military?

Emily: I grew up in a military family and was inspired to serve after hearing about the meaningful stories that my father, uncle, and cousin shared with me from their military service. I was particularly inspired by the humanitarian missions that my dad was deployed on, and the counter-insurgency research he conducted that was put into action, and watching my uncle’s space shuttle launches at Cape Canaveral. I knew that I wanted to serve in the military someday and make a positive impact in the world like they did. I decided to attend Middlebury College to focus on foreign language study, as well as enroll in Army ROTC at the University of Vermont.

MTV: Where did the leap from ROTC to starting Sword & Plough happen?

Emily: At Middlebury College, I was the only Army ROTC cadet for quite a while and sometimes found it difficult to communicate my experiences from Army ROTC and my desire to serve. Many of my classmates did not know anyone who had served in the military. As a result of Army ROTC, and growing up in a military family, I was keenly aware of the massive amount of military surplus waste as well as the state of veteran unemployment. I was inspired to use something that is commonly wasted and turn it into a beautiful product with a powerful mission. The result was Sword & Plough.

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(A Sword & Plough bag)

MTV: How does it work?

Emily: It re-purposes military surplus materials into stylish bags that are made by American manufacturers that are veteran owned or operated. We then donate 10 percent of profits to veteran organizations that align with our mission to strengthen civil-military understanding, empower veteran employment, and reduce waste. To date, Sword & Plough has up-cycled over 15,000 pounds of military surplus, supported 38 veteran jobs, and sold over 5,000 products.

MTV: Is part of the goal to help civilians understand the military better?

Emily: Yes. The Sword & Plough bags are conversation starters about the reasons the owner carries it and supports what we do, and they highlight various veterans and social entrepreneurs on social media who motivate our team and align with our mission.

With veterans’ proven leadership and technical skills, the American work force and civilian community both have a huge opportunity to learn and flourish from their experiences.

MTV: What is your current role in the military and do you see any similarities with what you do with Sword & Plough?

Emily: I’m currently the Executive Officer of 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Military Intelligence Company. My main responsibility is to ensure that all of our soldiers are properly trained and resourced to accomplish their intelligence missions. It’s amazing to see how much this position has in common with my role as the CEO of Sword & Plough. In both leadership roles, the foundation is to motivate a group of people and keep them focused to accomplish a certain goal.

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(Emily after she jumped out of a helicopter, NBD)

MTV: Is this an especially good time to be a woman in the armed forces?

Emily: It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a woman in the U.S. Army right now.  I think my experience differs from my female predecessors due to the potential opportunities for specific training that were never open to women before.  I also believe that military leaders are changing their opinions about female service members’ equality and what they can bring to the fight.

I often think about my awesome grandmother, Ginny, who used to design and sew her own dresses as well as play football with the guys. She had also wanted to join the Waves during WWII. I like to think that she is living vicariously through what my sister, Betsy, and I are doing at Sword & Plough. She is certainly a huge source of inspiration!

MTV: What do you hope your non-military peers think about on this Veterans Day?

Emily: As a young service member as well as an entrepreneur, I hope the civilian population will increasingly recognize just how skilled and driven this generation of returning veterans is.


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