cquisitio ogistic excellence

Acquisition amp Logistics Excellence

DEFENSEACQUISITION | September-October 2019 | 1

Junior Navy Scientists Engineers Develop Integration Capability for Electric Weapons NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER DAHLGREN DIVISION PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JUNE 13 2019)John Joyce

DAHLGREN Va (NNS)mdashIt has all the trappings of a best-selling Navy technological thrillermdashsix junior scientists and engineers overcame the odds to develop a new capability that enables the integration of electric weapons aboard Navy ships The recent college graduatesmdashNavy civilian employ-ees selected for a special workforce development program known as Sly Foxmdashverified the veracity of their research and demonstrated that their Power and Energy Generation Analy-sis SimUlation System (PEGASUS) is not fiction The Sly Fox Mission 25 team proved the potential of PEGASUS to integrate electric weapons and electric propulsion systems aboard Navy ships in several demonstrations held at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) May 31

ldquoWe developed a durable model-based systems engineering capability for use in the integration of electric weapons on Navy shipsrdquo said Josh Hellerick Sly Fox Mission 25 scientist ldquoThis model has the ability to implement multiple different electric weapon system modules as well as complex mission profiles including firing frequency duration power shiprsquos pro-pulsion shiprsquos hotel and power generation systemsrdquo

At first Hellerick and his five Sly Fox Mission 25 colleagues were strangers to each other put in a room and tasked as a team to do what it takes to ensure the survival and success of their Sly Fox mission They took time to get to know each other including their strengths and weaknesses while responding to the Navyrsquos need for a tool that enables the integration of high-powered electric weapons on naval ships as engineers design new ships The PEGASUS innovation enables this inte-gration via engineering models of combat and power elements coupled with mission profiles to calculate the shiprsquos power needs profile

ldquoI learned how different personalities can come together or clash and that these disagreements contribute to producing a better systemrdquo said Courtney Fredrickson Sly Fox Mission 25 engineer regarding the teamrsquos perseverance through long hours and weekends under high stress while developing the PEGASUS capability that models expected power and energy needs of a specified ship configuration

ldquoThere were high expectations in regards to our mission since it was the first Sly Fox Mission to collaborate with another warfare centerrdquo said Marie Zacarias-Morro Sly Fox Mission 25 scientist ldquoThe collaboration with NSWC Philadelphia Divi-

sion was key to this effort They provided us with critical insight into ship power systems that allowed us to reach our mission objective and deliver our final productrdquo

The team of mentorsmdashsenior NSWCDD scientists and en-gineersmdashensured a strong focus on technical rigor as they taught the Sly Fox team how to perform under pressure with limited funds and a six-month deadline

ldquoSly Fox provides an opportunity for an entry-level team to come together solve real problems operate within a real bud-get and span the systems engineering process from concept to demonstration in six monthsrdquo said Tony Scaramozzi Sly Fox mentor who provided guidance as the team developed the PEGASUS solution ldquoA systems view of requirements analysis analysis of alternatives risk management development test and demonstration are elements of the processrdquo

Sly Fox Mission 25 team members explained the process and the background of their mission at the demonstration Moreover they wrote an overview on PEGASUS published in a brochure provided to attendees

ldquoAs more high-powered electric weapons and sensors are added to the Fleet more ship-board electric power is re-quired at the same time electric propulsion systems with their own electricity demands are being adaptedrdquo according to the brochure ldquoHowever naval ship design criteria and in-tegration practices do not exist for integrating high-powered electric weapon systems and electric propulsion systems into a common hull These efforts highlight the common issues and challenges of integrating electric weapons onto ships Sly Fox Mission 25 was tasked to address this need and developed PEGASUSrdquo

At the demonstration the team discussed the Navyrsquos previ-ous efforts to integrate ship service power with electric pro-pulsion aboard DDG 1000mdashlead ship of the Zumwalt-class destroyers a class of next-generation multi-mission surface combatants Sly Fox team members have been brainstorming a solution since December 2018 Along the way their collabo-ration with subject matter experts from NSWC Philadelphia Divisionmdashwho provided insight into ship power systems and deliverymdashproved critical to mission success

ldquoWe also developed two module librariesmdashthe Weapons Library and the HMampE [Hull Mechanical and Electrical] Li-braryrdquo said Peter Corrao Sly Fox Mission 25 aerospace en-gineer ldquoBy design the PEGASUS model is highly expandable and customizable We proved this when we implemented an unmanned vehicle at the near end of our missionrdquo


2 | September-October 2019 | DEFENSEACQUISITION

The team was able to build a set of models architectures data structures and interfaces that will allow for the devel-opment of combat system power and electric system and electric weapon and sensor requirements that will then enable development and demonstration of better management and allocation of shipboard electric power

ldquoI have a better understanding of the systems engineering process from design concepts testing and demonstration as well as the programmatic aspects of a project such as bud-get schedule and riskrdquo said Daniel Apolinar Sly Fox Mission 25 mathematician ldquoI will apply the lessons learned both in my professional work and outside of work The best of all is working with an amazing team and mentors that made this a truly unforgettable experiencerdquo

Moreover the Mission 25 team followed a rapid prototype development process to assess requirements analyze and evaluate alternatives design develop and test the system and produce the product In all six formal systems engineering technical reviews were conducted on PEGASUS requirements review concept review design review system test readiness review demo readiness review and the final review

ldquoThroughout my career in industry and government and as a systems engineer program manager and supervisor I had never seen a workforce development initiative for young engi-neers and scientists that is as robust in its design and execution as Sly Foxrdquo said Bill Walsh Sly Fox program director ldquoLooking forward and working with the CTO [Chief Technology Office] and all Dahlgren leadership we hope to strengthen an already solid program by aligning Sly Fox with the innovative initiatives

DAHLGREN (May 31 2019)mdashThe Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Sly Fox Mission 25 team in ac-tion while demonstrating a hardware representation of PEGASUS (Power and Energy Generation Analysis SimUlation System) capabilities The team proved the potential of PEGASUS to integrate electric weapons and electric propulsion systems aboard Navy ships in several demonstrations held at NSWCDD Left to right Peter Corrao Daniel Apolinar Joshua Hellerick Courtney Fredrickson Alexa Thomas US Navy photo



and strategic goals of NSWCDD and to become a cornerstone in the investment that Dahlgren is making in our futurerdquo

ldquoI will remember lessons learned through this program for the rest of my careerrdquo said Alexa Thomas Sly Fox Mission 25 mathematician ldquoSly Fox has helped me understand so much more about the systems engineering process and it allowed me to touch on topics I never would have seen this early in my career otherwise Learning how to work on a team like this was something I have never experienced previously and I will always be grateful for this valuable experiencerdquo

For more news from NSWC Dahlgren visit httpwwwnavymillocalNSWCDD

19 Civilian Navy Leaders Receive FY18 Presidential Rank AwardsOFFICE OF THE NAVY CHIEF OF INFORMATION (JUNE 27 2019)WASHINGTON (NNS)mdashSecretary of the Navy Richard V Spencer presented 19 Department of the Navy (DoN) civilian leaders with fiscal year 2018 Presidential Rank Awards (PRA) during a ceremony at the Pentagon June 27

Executives and senior professionals earned the awards for demonstrating significant achievements throughout their careers

ldquoYour tireless efforts over the past year have restored the foundation of readiness and lethality to our force I know your contributions to our mission are sometimes unsung but they are always appreciated and never taken for grantedrdquo Spencer said ldquoWithout the executive leaders we honor here today the Sailors and Marines out in the fleet would not be as ready to take on the challenges of a complex world as they are todayrdquo

Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Greg Slavonic administered the awards for the Depart-ment of the Navy

ldquoWe are here to recognize and foster success of our civilian workforce throughout the Navyrdquo Slavonic said ldquoThe contribu-tions and leadership that this group of recipients have made to the national defense are truly transformationalrdquo

Two categories of Presidential Rank Award are available Dis-tinguished Rank Recipients and Meritorious Rank Recipients Distinguished Rank Recipients are recognized for sustained extraordinary accomplishment Each year only 1 of all senior executives receive the Distinguished Executive Award only 5 get the Meritorious Executive Award government-wide

The FY18 recipients were

Distinguished Executivesbull Mark D Andress currently the chief information officer

and director Information Technology Services Directorate National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and formerly the assistant deputy chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare Andress positioned the Navy to combat the in-creasing threat of cyber warfare in its networks weapons systems industrial control systems and shore facilities His efforts have resulted in over $24 billion of growth in offen-sive and defensive cyber above the traditional information technology and networks investments funded through sav-ings from the execution of enterprise information technol-ogy savings initiatives with $12 billion saved over the last six years and over $17 billion projected through 2020

bull Thomas P Dee executive director Office of Special Proj-ects While Performing the duties of the Under Secretary of the Navy Dee served as the chief management officer of the Department of the Navy charged with leading the Departmentrsquos efforts in support of critical change activi-ties surrounding the transition of the Administration orga-nizational realignment under Management Headquarters Agency reductions and business reform initiatives in sup-port of Secretary of Defense priorities

bull Joseph B Marshall Jr principal deputy assistant secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Mar-shall developed and implemented reform to focus on actual expenditures to improve use of resources this saved $3 bil-lion for Navy and was immediately adopted by Office of the Secretary of Defense and extended to Army Air Force and all Defense Agencies for implementation in Fiscal Year 2019

bull Garry R Newton deputy commander Naval Air Systems Command Newton directed a review of Contract Services Spend and Management Headquarters Activities reductions that resulted in an annual savings of over $400 million an-nually In addition he directed the development of an Ad-ditive Manufacturing Technology strategy that has resulted in dramatic reduction of cycle times for producing critical readiness parts for fleet operations

bull Allison F Stiller principal civilian assistant secretary of the Navy (Research Development and Acquisition) Stiller served as the acting assistant secretary of the Navy (Re-search Development and Acquisition) bridging between administrations and also serves as principal civilian assis-tant secretary of the Navy (Research Development and Ac-quisition) employing her shipbuilding acquisition expertise to aircraft ground vehicles weapon systems munitions space systems business systems and support services



Meritorious Executivesbull Dr Thomas J Beutner (transferred to Defense Advanced

Research Projects Agency) former department head of Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department Office of Naval Research Dr Beutner established the National Naval Responsibility for Sea-Based Aviation at the Office of Naval Research identifying the unique and critical technologies requiring development to support Naval Aviation

bull Dennis Biddick (Retired) former deputy assistant secretary of the Navy (Reserve Affairs and Total Force Integration) Biddick was instrumental in obtaining additional authori-ties to access the Reserve forces in non-contingent envi-ronments (recent responses to hurricanesrsquo recovery) and development of the framework to redefine duty statusesmdasha major achievement in Reserve Component management

bull William P Bray deputy assistant secretary of the Navy (Re-search Development Test and Evaluation) Bray directed the acquisition and fleet support of the Surface Navyrsquos 124 combat systems weapons sensors and related interna-tional and foreign military sales programs This included responsibility for direct execution of $6 billion annually and over $4 billion in international sales awarding and manage-ment of over 100 contracts annually and direct leadership of over 500 civilian and military personnel

bull Rebecca K Cressy counsel Naval Sea Systems Command Cressy developed a new legal framework for analyzing costs and coordinated it among stakeholders in the DON Secre-tariat to ensure USS Ford (CVN 78) the first of its class aircraft carrier was delivered within its cost cap which is a statutory limit on the amount that could be incurred for construction of the carrier These and other efforts in this area have been in direct support of the national goal to in-crease substantially the number of ships in our Navy and to improve fleet readiness

bull Mark E Kosnik director Fleet Capabilities and Force De-velopment Kosnik led two of largest Navy organizational realignments in the past 50 years to establish the Servicersquos two newest type commanders first Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and second then Naval Information Forces His efforts ensured Navyrsquos capability to complete critical missions across the globe by being more ready to counter the emerging terrorist and cybersecurity threats

bull William R OrsquoDonnell assistant for administration Depart-ment of the Navy OrsquoDonnell established cross-component working groups that involved the Navy Marine Corps and civilian leadership of the Department of the Navy in devel-oping materials used to inform the incoming administration

across the full range and scope of Navy and Marine Corps is-sues including major acquisition programs force readiness global posture and force employment as well as manning training and resourcing challenges

bull Thomas G Rudowsky assistant commander for Logistics amp Industrial Operations Naval Air Systems Command Ru-dowsky conceived a history-making engineering challenge to fly an additive manufactured flight-critical component and provided the technical authority approval for the design printing qualification and installation culminating in a highly successful flight onboard a Marine Corps MV-22 flight test aircraft years ahead of initial estimates

bull Frederick J Stefany III executive director Program Execu-tive Office Ships Stefany assessed surface shipbuilding in-dustrial base and crafted an innovative acquisition strategy that combined three different procurements in a ldquocombined solicitationrdquo that stabilized the surface ship industrial base while providing a competitive environment to achieve af-fordability targets for each program

bull Samuel G Worth (Retired) former deputy director Naval Criminal Investigative Service Worth leveraged US Pa-cific Command (PACOM) funding and re-directed Naval Criminal Investigative Service resources to increase law en-forcement interoperability training with foreign counterpart agencies in Southeast Asia by more than 200 in direct support of PACOM theater security cooperation and force protection priorities

Distinguished Senior Professionalsbull Dr George Akst director Operations Analysis Directorate

Combat Development and Integration Dr Akst organized and led the largest analysis in the history of the directorate to support the transition to a fully integrated Marine force that is inclusive of women in all job specialties while main-taining standards and safeguarding the health and welfare of all Marines

Meritorious Senior Professionalsbull Frank Putzu counsel Naval Reactors Putzu was selected

as senior staff member and counsel to the Secretary of the Navyrsquos Strategic Readiness Review to examine stresses on the force and culture of operational risk management train-ing departmental organization accountability deficiencies and lessons-learned in light of recent ship collisions

bull Earl G Williams senior scientist for Structural Acoustics Naval Research Laboratory Acoustics Division Williams developed the theory for Nearfield Electromagnetic Ho-lography as a major new tool to diagnose electromagnetic



signatures that provides three-dimension reconstruction of the electric and magnetic radiated signatures

Note Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service and Defense Intelligence Senior-Level members are also eligible to receive Presi-dential Rank Awards

Defense Intelligence Meritorious Executivesbull Michael Waschull (Joint Duty Assignmentmdashcurrent position

mdashstrategic advisor for the Deputy Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer [IC CIO] at Office of the Director of National Intelligence) former deputy commander Office of Naval Intelligence As the senior advisor for the Deputy IC CIO Waschull drives the development and implementation of the Unified Intelligence Strategy and programs to enhance intelligence collection analysis improved tradecraft and integration across the IC Waschull oversees and manages the conduct of foreign intelligence relationships and serves as principal interface with external entities

Defense Intelligence Meritorious Senior Professionalsbull Mark Assur (Retired) former senior intelligence advisor for

Human Intelligence Assur created a career path for Navyrsquos most highly trained clandestine collectors optimizing re-turn on investment through multiple tours in the field and in staff positions up to the rank of captain (O6) Assur was the driving force behind the establishment in 2015 of an overt tactical Foreign Military Intelligence Collection Activ-ity training curriculum now certified as a joint course Over 575 new collateral duty collectors are now aboard ships in squadrons and with ground forces capitalizing on Navyrsquos global presence to produce vital intelligence

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 established the Presi-dential Rank Awards Program to recognize a select group of career members of the SES for exceptional performance over an extended period of time Later the Rank Award statute was amended to extend eligibility to senior career employees with a sustained record of exceptional professional technical andor scientific achievement recognized on a national or interna-tional level

The ceremony can be viewed at httpswwwdvidshubnetwebcast20506 For more news visit httpwwwnavymil

NAVWAR Enterprise Launches Artificial Intelligence Prize Challenge $150000 Total Cash Prizes OfferedNAVAL INFORMATION WARFARE SYSTEMS COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JULY 9 2019)

SAN DIEGO Calif (NNS)mdashThe Navy kicked off the Artificial Intelligence Applications to Autonomous Cybersecurity Chal-lenge (AI ATAC) a prize competition seeking innovative ma-

chine learning and artificial intelligence (MLAI) solutions for real-world cybersecurity challenges July 8

Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) and Program Executive Office for Command Control Com-munications Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I) are spon-soring AI ATAC in part to gather insight and participation from nontraditional defense vendors teams or individuals While other government agencies have used prize challenges this is a first for the NAVWAR enterprise

The first-place entry will win $100000 Second place will be awarded $50000

ldquoWe are approaching innovation with disciplined urgencyrdquo said NAVWAR Commander Rear Adm Christian Becker ldquoThis prize challenge presents a unique opportunity to cast a wider net to get the best technology to the fleet fasterrdquo

Managed by PEO C4Irsquos Information Assurance and Cyber Security Program Office (PMW 130) AI ATAC will explore the capability for endpoint security products to incorporate MLAI models to detect and defeat indicators of compromise from various advanced malware strains The program office partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory a Department of Energy laboratory in Tennessee which will provide facilities and expertise for evaluating the technical solutions

The challenge is open to all US citizens and those with per-manent residence status The open period for submissions is through September 30 To be considered for the prizes entrants need to provide an endpoint security solution and a white paper for evaluation Winners are expected to be an-nounced in December

ldquoWe need to get after faster solutions from sectors of indus-try outside our traditional partners and we want to lower any barrier to entry We believe by sponsoring AI ATAC we can quickly get new ideas about how we can incorporate AI and ML into our cybersecurity tool bagrdquo said John T Arman-trout PMW 130rsquos deputy program manager ldquoThis challenge is designed for anyone with AI and ML knowledgemdashwhether theyrsquore from a company a university a research institution or even an individual or group of friends who have a good ideardquo

To learn more about the AI ATAC including rules criteria and eligibility requirements visit httpswwwchallengegovchallengeartificial-intelligence-applications-to-autonomous-cybersecurity-challenge

All questions regarding the challenge should be directed to AIATACPRIZECHALLENGENAVYMIL



PEO C4I provides integrated communication and information technology systems that enable information warfare and com-mand and control of maritime forces The command acquires fields and supports C4I systems that extend across Navy joint and coalition platforms

NAVWAR identifies develops delivers and sustains informa-tion warfighting capabilities and services that enable Naval joint coalition and other national missions operating in war-fighting domains from seabed to space NAVWAR consists of more than 11000 active duty military and civil service pro-fessionals located around the world and close to the fleet to keep NAVWAR at the forefront of research engineering and acquisition to provide and sustain information warfare capa-bilities to the fleet More information can be found at httpwwwnavwarnavymil For more news from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command visit httpwwwnavymillocalspawar

RampD Program Manager Receives Innovation AwardDEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Information Operations (JUNE 17 2019)Sara Moore

A program manager in DLA Information Operations Research and Development was recognized as a top innovation leader in the Department of Defense by the Asian-American Govern-ment Executives Network (AAGEN)

Senthil Arul who leads the Defense Logistics Information Re-search Program in RampD was named one of AAGENrsquos Innova-tive Leaders in Defense at its 2019 Leadership Workshop June 6 in Crystal City Virginia The award recognizes civilian and military leaders from throughout DoD who have embraced and promoted innovation during their careers

Arul was recognized for his work on research projects that help improve the quality and interoperability of logistics data to streamline DLA operations as well as his work on cyber network resiliency and sustainability groups Arul is also an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland where he lectures on quality innovation and sustainability

Senthil Arul (center) program manager for DLA Information Operations Research and Development receives the Innovative Leaders in Defense Award from Army Maj Gen Garrett S Yee (right) and Arsenio ldquoBongrdquo Gumahad at the Asian-American Government Executives Network 2019 Leadership Workshop June 6 in Crystal City Va Courtesy Photo



ldquoDr Arul is an outstanding program manager for our Research and Development Divisionrdquo said David Koch chief of DLA Research and Development ldquoHe is extremely active in the community so it is exciting to see him recognized for his ser-vice to the AAGEN We are so very proud of himrdquo

Arul who has been a member of AAGEN for seven years said he was honored to be recognized by the organization especially since the awardees were from such a diverse highly qualified background He said he appreciates the award and AAGEN because they recognize the efforts of minorities and promote their involvement in the future of the workforce

ldquoWe in DoD need to be on the leading edge and the AAGEN organization wants to make sure the upcoming people in the leadership positions are uplifted and empowered to make an impact and bring about positive changerdquo he said

Innovation has been an important part of his career Arul said because he believes in the necessity of change when it comes to making a difference and achieving the mission

ldquoIf you do what yoursquove always done yoursquore going to get what yoursquove always gotten You need to look for opportunities to change either in a small way or a big way and this countryrsquos all about thatrdquo he said ldquoThatrsquos why I migrated to this country and thatrsquos why I went and did my PhD You want to be adapt-able and able to changerdquo

AFRL Engineer Earns ASME Fellow HonorAIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS (JUNE 19 2019)Jill Bohn

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE OhiomdashDr Carl Til-mann principal scientist with the Air Force Research Labo-ratory Aerospace Systems Directorate Aerospace Vehicles Division has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Designation as an ASME Fellow recognizes ldquoexceptional en-gineering achievements and contributions to the engineering professionrdquo The title of Fellow has been awarded to only about two percent of over 130000 ASME members according to the organizationrsquos website httpwwwasmeorg

A world leader in aerospace vehicle technologies Tilmann has directly contributed to the development of aerodynamic simulations and experiments advanced air vehicle concepts aerodynamic flow control and aero-structural interactions His early work in flow-control helped to develop and demon-strate many concepts to improve aerodynamic performance of military and commercial aircraft He has managed a number

of technology development programs for the Air Force and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency which have cul-minated in large-scale wind tunnel demonstrations at govern-ment and industry facilities

In his current capacity he serves as the principal scientific advisor for an organization of over 250 government military and onsite-contractor researchers executing the $120 million per year portfolio in aerospace vehicle technology With Til-mann in this role the Aerospace Vehicles Division has made several significant research advances that contribute to the ef-fectiveness of the Air Force including many ground and flight demonstrations

As an activist for the engineering profession Tilmann is a local and regional leader in promoting the future of the engineering profession to future engineers through his activism in K-12 Sci-ence Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and university outreach He has organized and led dozens of STEM activities at regional festivals local schools and science fairs

Dr Carl Tilmann principal scientist with the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate Aerospace Vehicles Division has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Courtesy photo



ldquoI am ecstatic to see Dr Tilmann receive this well-deserved awardrdquo said Col Tim West acting director of the Aerospace Systems Directorate ldquoBoth personally and professionally Carl personifies the outstanding engineering achievements the ASME Fellows program was established to recognize Wersquore fortunate to have him on the AFRL teamrdquo

Tilmann holds a doctorate degree from the Air Force Insti-tute of Technology (AFIT) Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Dayton Ohio He earned a masterrsquos degree in Mechanical En-gineering from The George Washington University Joint In-stitute for the Advancement of Flight Sciences NASA Langley Research Center Hampton Virginia and a bachelorrsquos degree from Trine University (formerly Tri-State University) Angola Indiana

He has published seven journal articles multiple US Air Force technical reports over 40 conference papers and a book chapter

Hanscom Employee Captures BIG Award66TH AIR BASE GROUP PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JUNE 20 2019) Mark Wyatt

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE MassmdashAn Air Force Life Cycle Management Center program manager will receive the Air Force Blacks in Government (BIG) Military Meritorious Service Award at a ceremony during the organizationrsquos annual confer-ence in Dallas later this summer

Jacquelynn Coles is the lead for Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Network Infrastructure Transforma-tion Acquisition Category III

She received the award for attributes that ldquoepitomize the quali-ties and core valuesrdquo of the Air Force

ldquoJacquelynn was instrumental in the upgrades to several Air Force DCGS sitesrdquo said Daniel Hickey chief of the AF DCGS Branch that nominated Coles for the award ldquoHer extraordi-nary leadership enabled the program to coordinate and quickly award contracts that were critical for program successrdquo

In addition to her performance on duty Hickey highlighted Colesrsquo efforts in the local community

ldquoAs president of the Ralph F Browne Jr chapter of Blacks in Government Jacquelynn led an annual networking event for more than 500 minority members of the Hanscom commu-nityrdquo said Hickey ldquoShe also led an effort to donate more than 100 items to local homeless sheltersrdquo

According to the nomination Coles was also a mentor to junior employees at Hanscom Air Force Base

The period of performance for this award is from April 2018 through April 2019 Coles has been involved in the Hanscom BIG chapter since 2014 According to the recognition eligibil-ity nominees must meet one or more of eight items Among them are that ldquonominees must promote the tenets of civilhuman rights equal opportunity human relations andor public servicerdquo

Blacks in Government was established in 1975 by a small group of African-American employees working with the Pub-lic Health Services

According to the organizationrsquos website BIGrsquos goals are to promote equity in all aspects of American life excellence in public service and opportunity for all Americans

Jacquelynn Coles Air Force Distributed Common Ground System Network Infrastructure Transformation lead Hans-com Air Force Base Mass is the 2019 Air Force Blacks in Government (BIG) Military Meritorious Service Award recipi-ent US Air Force photo by Linda LaBonte Britt



Lifesaving Technology Earns Award for Air Force Research Lab TeamDEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (JUNE 26 2019) David Vergun

The Air Force Research Laboratoryrsquos Automatic Ground Col-lision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) team won the 2018 Robert J Collier Trophy an award bestowed annually by the National Aeronautic Association that recognizes ldquothe greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America with respect to improving the performance efficiency and safety of air or space vehiclesrdquo

The NAA selected the Auto-GCAS team for ldquosuccessfully completing a rapid design integration and flight test of critical lifesaving technology for the worldwide F-35 fleetrdquo according to the award citation

AFRLrsquos Aerospace Systems Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio led the development of Auto-GCAS

while members of the F-35 Integrated Task Force at Edwards Air Force Base California led the flight-test program

Kevin Price AFRL program manager and retired Air Force F-16 pilot said the team is honored and especially grateful for the resulting public awareness adding that the greatest reward comes from the knowledge that pilots have come home from missions safely due to the development and transition of Auto-GCAS

ldquoWe are most proud of the precious lives and combat re-sources [that] have been preserved through this revolutionary lifesaving technologyrdquo he said

Auto-GCAS relies on Global Positioning System and a digital terrain database The system employs complex algorithms and scans the digital terrain around an aircraftrsquos current and projected area to initiate an automatic recovery at the last instant to avoid a ground collision when needed

Representatives from the Air Force Research Laboratoryrsquos Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System team accept the 2018 Robert J Collier Trophy in Washington DC June 13 2019 Photo by Air Force Research Laboratory



Auto-GCAS saves pilotsrsquo lives by preventing the most com-mon reason for crashes controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) According to Air Force statistics CFIT is responsible for 75 of all F-16 crashes The leading causes of CFIT are spatial dis-orientation target fixation and G-force induced loss of con-sciousness

Since being fielded on F-16 Block 4050 aircraft in 2014 Auto-GCAS has saved seven aircraft and the lives of eight Air Force pilots said Mark Wilkins a senior Defense Department avia-tion safety analyst Today more than 600 F-16 Block 4050 aircraft have the capability Development efforts are in the works to field the system on an additional 330 pre-Block 40 aircraft in 2021

In April the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base rec-ommended that Auto-GCAS be fielded on the F-35 following a series of flight tests Pentagon officials estimate that this technology will save 40 pilots as well as 57 F-16s and F-35s through 2040

Besides the AFRL the winning team included Lockheed-Mar-tin the F-35 Joint Program Office NASA the Defense Safety Oversight Council and other Air Force entities

Pioneering Army Researcher Earns Presidential Early Career AwardUS ARMY COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JULY 9 2019)

ADELPHI MdmdashA researcher from the Armyrsquos corporate re-search laboratory has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

The award known as the PECASE is the highest honor be-stowed by the US government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning independent research careers showing exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology

Dr Nathan Lazarus an electronics engineer with the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Commandrsquos Army Research Laboratory (CCDC ARL) does research in stretch-able power electronics

ldquoWinning the PECASE is a great honor for me and Irsquom still a little bit in shockrdquo Lazarus said ldquoWhile Irsquove always felt that my work on stretchable electronics is exciting Irsquom very pleased that the importance has now been recognized at the highest levelrdquo

The award is open to researchers outside of government cir-cles and therefore familiar to professors and other academics

ldquoI think this will be particularly valuable for me in my inter-actions with academic collaborators who arenrsquot always very familiar with the good research that we do at places like ARLrdquo he said ldquoWhile Irsquom very proud of what Irsquove achieved I also real-ize that my results would not have been possible without help from my colleagues and students and wish that they could have received the award with merdquo

Lazarusrsquo research in liquid metals and stretchable magnetic materials and inductors has provided an important founda-tion for improving the capabilities of the Soldier from the bio-monitors of today to the skin- or clothing-borne computers and radios of the future

He has achieved a series of important firsts through his re-search including the first stretchable magnetic core inductor the first multi-layer liquid metal inductor and the first dem-onstration of a fully stretchable fluidic wireless power system

Dr Nathan Lazarus an electronics engineer with the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Commandrsquos Army Research Laboratory is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his research in stretchable power electronics Courtesy photo



Lazarusrsquo research addresses two crucial Army warfighter chal-lenges improving Soldier performance and enhancing training by limiting injury

As a respected expert in microfabrication and stretchable electronics Lazarus has served on multiple National Science Foundation review panels has been invited to contribute on future directions in reconfigurable electronics by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and has reviewed for numerous journals

In addition Lazarus has taught a graduate course at The George Washington University advised and mentored stu-dents and young researchers and frequently volunteers with a wide variety of local school competitions and science fairs

The PECASE and similar awards are important for not only the recipients but for the science technology engineering and mathematics community as a whole Lazarus said

ldquoResearch is always about trying to drive science and technol-ogy forward pushing the boundaries of knowledgerdquo Lazarus said ldquoAwards like the PECASE can be a critical moti-vator and help push young researchers like myself to attempt to do great things at the edge of our capabili-tiesrdquo

The PECASE provides validation that the work done by Army researchers matters to an organization like the US Government he said

ldquoIt is also far from uncommon for a researcher to ex-perience some degree of self-doubtmdasha feeling that our research doesnrsquot reach far beyond a tiny community of fellow researchersrdquo Lazarus said ldquoMost importantly I believe in pushing more of our children and young people into STEM fields and seeing scientists and engineers recognized is very important for outreach efforts in our countryrdquo

Established in 1996 the PECASE acknowledges the contributions scientists and engineers have made to the advancement of STEM education and to commu-nity service as demonstrated by scientific leadership public education and community outreach

The awards are conferred annually at the White House following recommendations from participat-ing departments and agencies This yearrsquos recipients were honored at a July 25 ceremony in Washington DC

The CCDC Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is an element of the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command As the Armyrsquos corporate research laboratory ARL discovers innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power Through collaboration across the commandrsquos core technical competencies CCDC leads in the discovery development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nationrsquos wars and come home safely CCDC is a major subordinate command of the US Army Futures Command

Section Chief Awarded for Process-Improvement InitiativeUS ARMY COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND AVIATION amp MISSILE CENTER PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JULY 9 2019)Sara Thompson

REDSTONE ARSENAL AlamdashA US Army Combat Capabili-ties Development Command Aviation amp Missile Center (CCDC AvMC) quality assurance specialist was recognized for his role in developing a process improvement initiative with industry partners

Dr Juanita M Christensen US Army Combat Capabilities Develop-ment Command Aviation amp Missile Center executive director pres-ents Greg Clark CCDC AvMC Engineering Directorate section chief the Department of the Army Commanders Award for Civilian Service at Redstone Arsenal Ala June 13 Photo by Joanna Bradley



Dr Juanita M Christensen CCDC AvMC executive director presented the Department of the Army Commanders Award for Civilian Service to Greg Clark CCDC AvMC Engineering Di-rectorate product quality management division section chief during a recent staff meeting

Due to contract timeline deficiencies Clark called for team leads to participate in an internal review of open contracts The goal was for CCDC AvMC and its industry partners to identify reoccurring issues throughout the contract life cycle

A review by Clarkrsquos team uncovered that because tasks were not assigned from the start efforts were being duplicated re-sulting in increased costs and longer production periods for open contracts

This discovery led to the development of a broader forum dis-cussion between federal and industry personnel led by Clark Together participants developed new and improved processes and strengthened collaboration throughout the contract life cycle

ldquoThe biggest advantage of collaborating was the opportunity to share ideas as well as challenges encounteredrdquo said Paul Anderson AvMC ED PQM division branch chief

The forum further established a platform for better commu-nication between AvMC and the Defense Contract Manage-ment Agency (DCMA) teams Anderson said the combined team developed a synergistic approach on maximizing the capability of each organization and will result in an expected cost avoidance of over $650 million over the next four years

ldquoLeveraging the experience and capability of DCMA will be key to reaching readiness goals for Army aviationrdquo said Clark ldquoWe have sent employees to DCMA Mesa to gain additional auditing skills and perspectives that will allow greater synergy between organizationsrdquo

Clark said his focus is always on the warfighter And in keeping with the Armyrsquos top priority he said he will continue the forum and continue to improve processes that positively impact war-fighter readiness whenever needed

NAVSEA Works to Establish Unified Sustainment VoiceNATHANAEL MILLER NAVAL UNDERSEA WARFARE CENTER DIVISION KEYPORT PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JULY 10 2019)

Washington (NNS)mdashNaval Sea Systems Commandrsquos (NAV-SEA) Advanced Shipyard Technology (AST) Program is at the forefront of an effort to align multiple maintenance centers across the Navy and Marine Corps to more efficiently intro-

duce technologies into depot-level maintenance and repair activities

The effort began to come together during a conference in Tampa last December when senior executive service (SES) leaders from NAVSEArsquos industrial operations Marine Corps Logistics Command (MARCORLOGCOM) and the Com-mander Fleet Readiness Centers (COMFRC) for Naval Air Sys-tems Command (NAVAIR) agreed to begin collaborating on opportunities and programs that until now have been handled independently These multiple independent efforts resulted in redundancy increased costs and a slower workflow across these organizations

ldquoDepot maintenance providers have many common problems that can benefit from technology-based solutionsrdquo said Janice Bryant director of NAVSEArsquos Tactical Innovation Implementa-tion Lab (TIIL) ldquoA tank is a tank whether on a plane a ship or a main artillery tank The elements of inspection prepara-tion restoration and preservation allow the opportunity for comprehensive applicationsrdquo

Located on board the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Divi-sion Keyport the TIIL is NAVSEArsquos ldquothink tankrdquo and seeks new ways to streamline efforts and further a culture of af-fordability One of the many projects the TIIL is working on for the AST Program are ways to move past the older 19th and 20th century industrial models These models evolved during an era when communications and travel time were far more restricted than they are today Every depot and maintenance activity had to operate relatively independently

Revolutionizing shipyard agility for the 21st century is a task headed by the strategic project manager Steve McKee He and his counterparts in COMFRC and MARCORLOGCOM built a team that could collaborate on improving efforts to align the needs of the multiple agencies through the creation of an initial coordinated sustainment integrated priorities list (IPL)

ldquoWith the agreement from December between the senior executives we worked rapidly to converge a group from the various maintenance depots to Naval Base Coronadordquo McKee said ldquoRepresentatives from the repair activities and their headquarters met at the end of April and quickly identified many common challenges and created collaboration connec-tions that had previously not existedrdquo

McKee said a site visit in Coronado provided an illustration of the need for unity and better communication between the vari-ous depot-level maintenance organizations in order to increase efficiency and reduce cost



ldquoIn one instance we toured a Fleet Readiness Center-South-west [FRC-SW] production work space for cold sprayrdquo said McKee ldquoDuring this tour the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard was surprised to discover that the FRC-SW is using a cold spray repair capability a short distance from the shipyardrsquos aircraft carrier maintenance activity There was a follow-on discus-sion on how to leverage each otherrsquos capabilities for mutual benefitrdquo

Leveraging existing capabilities will significantly speed NAV-SEArsquos ability to deliver ships and submarines on time while also facilitating an environment that empowers its people to develop and implement innovative new ideas for improving the warfighting capability of the Navyrsquos ships and systems McKee said another result of this type of depot-level alignment will be the cost savings realized by sharing work tools and practices that have already been developed across multiple organizations

ldquoThe team took the opportunity to identify those areas going forward where we should be collaborating and where we have common gaps Specifically where should the maintenance activities speak with a unified voice to meet the current and future demands of the Navyrdquo said McKee

The team created a draft sustainment IPL to support Navy depot operations This IPL identifies eight initial priority items ranked by the depots This will allow them to approach Navy leadership with a unified voice when discussing capability needs

ldquoThe highest priority gap identified by the team was develop-ing expanded expeditionary maintenance capability We want to be able to fix items as far forward as we can without having to bring them back to our depot sitesrdquo said McKee

The teamrsquos eventual goal is to build containers filled with mobile depot-level maintenance equipment able to deploy around the world These containers with a remotely con-nected team of technicians could then complete repairs of ships and other assets without having to bring the assets back to the US for work McKee pointed to long-standing capa-bilities to remotely operate and maintain deployed unmanned aircraft with depot-level support as an example of the success of such expeditionary efforts

Partnering between the various depots and commands like NAVSEA COMFRC and MARCORLOGCOM creates an op-portunity for all parties involved to significantly reduce costs while speeding up response time and improving support of the warfighters In the world of tight budgets and limited re-sources increasing affordability alone is a major accomplish-

ment while increasing the ability of the warfighter to have the tools they need when they need them is the definition of a depotrsquos mission

ldquoThis group came together eagerly and recognized huge areas of common interest The creation of the drafted sustainment IPL is one of many successes of this budding team In follow-on discussions we are seeing increased sharing and opportunities to improve maintenance for the Navy With digital tools with the motivated personalities and with the geopolitical environ-ment we have the opportunity to re-cast and re-jig so we are more agile in support of the Navy missionrdquo McKee said

For more news from Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport visit httpwwwnavymillocalnuwcd

Digital Modernization to Benefit Warfighters DoD CIO Says DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NEWS (July 12 2019)David Vergun

Information technology is the backbone of todayrsquos modern battlefield and even more important in a constantly evolving security climate

Thatrsquos why digital modernization is more important than ever To usher in digital modernization the DoD chief information officer has launched the first Digital Modernization Strategy underpinned by four modernization pillars cloud artificial in-telligence command control and communications known as C3 and cybersecurity

First DoD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy said an enterprise cloud will be created that will enable information sharing across the entire military and most importantly to the warfighters on the tactical edge Also the enterprise cloud will deliver the next generation of applications that the warfighters will need to succeed

Second for the enterprise cloud to effectively and efficiently enable information sharing on a vast scale it will be powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning

To develop and deliver AI to the enterprise cloud DoD needed to create the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center known as the JAIC Deasy said

The JAIC ldquowill be used by all the Services which will be the way in which we start to create new AI solutions at scale that can be used across the departmentrdquo he added

Third is the ability to communicate to the warfighter with C3 Deasy said which is ldquohow do we ensure that we can get the



end results from our cloud from our AI solutions out to the tactical edge out to the warfighterrdquo

Fourth to prevent the departmentrsquos technology from being compromised it must be protected by defensive and offensive cyber capability he said noting that the Defense Department must be resilient when dealing with inevitable attacks from adversaries

ldquoThe Digital Modernization Strategy is all about the warfighterrdquo Deasy said ldquoIn everything wersquore building wersquore al-ways challenging ourselves and asking lsquoAre we doing this in the most thoughtful way thatrsquos going to enable the warfighter to be successfulrsquordquo

AFIT Research Project Evolves into Innovative Training88TH AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JULY 23 2019) Stacey Geiger

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE OhiomdashTo have an agile Air Force Airmen readiness is paramount and a new revolutionary education hub that can deliver the most current relevant and interactive training just might be the way of the future for the warfighter

Marine Cpl Andrew Goldthorpe left a chief scout and Marine Cpl Tony Todd a scout section leader both with Light Armored Reconnaissance Company Battalion Landing Team 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit set frequencies on an RT 1949 radio aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS John P Murtha in the Pacific Ocean March 25 2019 Photo by Marine Lance Cpl Israel Chincio

ldquoCreated as a research proj-ect at the Air Force Institute of Technology the gen-esis of the educational hub was born in 2017 at the Air Force CyberWorx located at the United States Air Force Academy when the task was assigned to come up with innovative ideas on how we can better educate our Air-menrdquo said Matthew Dever Air Force Cyberspace Tech-nical Center of Excellence assistant to the director

Retired Lt Col Mark Reith who was the Center for Cyber Research director at the time and now an assis-tant professor of Cyber Sys-tems took that opportunity as a research project for his graduate students at AFIT

Assembling a cadre of re-search engineers and pair-ing them with students the research team started from

mock-up designs user story and three-by-five feature cards

ldquoLt Landon Tomcho and Capt Seth lsquoDatarsquo Martin both gradu-ate students at the time were key leaders shaping the look feel and functionality of the Cyber Education Hubrdquo said Reith ldquoThey worked closely with our program manager Rob Rose-man our senior developer Rick Kroll and our graphics expert Stacy Burns to fashion something that our newest generation of Airmen would find exciting and engagingrdquo

Dever said to his knowledge the education hub is the first ap-plication in the Air Force that is natively built onto the cloud whereas others are moved to the cloud

ldquoIn this case we used Amazon Web Services to build the hub onto the government cloudrdquo said Dever ldquoAnd because the cloud is approved by the Department of Defense and is used for the Air Force the information is safe and secure We are serving as a pathfinder Air Force and DoD say we need to move to the cloud but no one seems to know what kind of effort itrsquos going to take what is the cost and what services can we legitimately userdquo



ldquoMy students then fleshed out a research project to determine what would be the best way to improve user motivation and engagementrdquo said Reith ldquoIn collaboration with Air Force Cyber College we looked at existing cyber education content and found it too steep of a learning curverdquo

Having a layout similar to Netflix or YouTube Reith and Dever said the familiarity of the two makes it easier for a user to navigate and use the hub The hub offers videos on a vast array of topics to view And instead of making the hub organization-specific the hub is developed to be topic-specific

ldquoIn this case because we are cyber we created the prototype to cover cyber-related informationrdquo said Reith ldquoCyber crosses across all the different organizations and career fields every-one needs to know about cyber And the more you think about it acquisitions and leadership are that way too so why are we not doing more to share across those stovepipes

ldquoUnlike the Advanced Distribution Learning Service where the training is curated and information requires vetting before it can go on the site the hub can provide up-to-date job-specific informationrdquo said Reith ldquoIt creates a more flexible and agile workforcerdquo

Another benefit to the hub is that Airmen are empowered to contribute Reith said Airmen have the ability to comment on videos and create their own topic-specific videos

ldquoThe hub gives Airmen a huge sense of discovery and au-tonomyrdquo said Reith ldquoThey are really powerful motivators to learning and when you feel like you are in control you actually learnrdquo

The hub also provides topic maps and a knowledge skills and ability (KSA) tree that helps Airmen navigate through the hub and find their required training For example if an Airman is new to cyber and not sure what to look for the topic map will give a visual representation of the major topics and there is a path between topics Airmen can then work toward topics that make sense to them and what they want to learn and builds them a portfolio

The KSA tree is also customizable where supervisors can de-termine what their Airmen need and are able to go into the hub and create a training plan

Videos are short in length to keep a viewerrsquos attention and are typically 4 to 12 minutes in length For one topic Dever said there may be 30 different videos to get the same information and are just presented in a different way

ldquoAs long as you complete the task you can choose and pick whichever video resonates with you the bestrdquo said Reith ldquoWe all have different learning styles so why enforce a cookie-cutter mentalityrdquo

After the hub prototype was created and tested in select orga-nizations Dever said the hub was so well received that most of those organizations have since asked for one to be built for their respective organizations

Dever said although they were surprised by the requests it was also the evolution of the hub

Currently this team is now working to revise the architecture to promote representation of multiple topics on this technology It would allow users to share and view not just cyber content but those of acquisition leadership recruiting or any number of other topics ldquoWe hope that if Airmen do not like the con-tent they will build new contentrdquo said Reith ldquoEspecially with our junior Airmen who are very engaged and motivated the hub will allow them to show off their skills We want you to participate and that is the beauty of it build something that you want to watchrdquo

ANMC Earns Business Excellence Milestone AwardUS ARMY MATERIEL COMMAND NEWS (JULY 26 2019)Jennifer Bacchus

ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT AlamdashThe Anniston Munitions Center was awarded an Oliver Wight Class A Milestone Award July 11 for successfully creating a new Sales and Operations Planning (SampOP) process

Oliver Wight is a consultation company specializing in busi-ness improvement

This award demonstrates ANMC meets their highest stan-dards of business excellence There are three forms for the Class A award the Milestone award the Business Unit Class A Accreditation and the full Class A award A full Oliver Wight Class A award is achieved when an entire enterprise meets all Oliver Wight standards

The SampOP process is owned and led by the organizationrsquos leadership team

Through this process ANMC leadership evaluates and re-vises time-phased projections for customer demand work-load schedules to ensure on-time delivery capacity needed to execute the schedules and the resulting financial plans

This is done each month through a series of meetings with a planning horizon of two fiscal years



The creation of this new process began a little more than a year ago when the Army Materiel Command ANMCrsquos higher headquarters con-tracted with Oliver Wight to send a consultant and educator to Annis-ton

That consultant was Donald Mc-Naughton a principal and board member at Oliver Wight McNaugh-ton quickly became ldquopart of the fam-ilyrdquo according to Cassandra Caver ANMCrsquos director of Ammunition Operations

With his guidance ANMC began to pull together the types of reports needed to project workload with relative accuracy not only for a few months into the future but for 24 months

The organization also learned to ensure their meetings were produc-tivemdashsharing information about the projected workload and how it could impact the entire team

ldquoSince initiating this journey to Class A Certification in SampOP ANMC has been able to see concerns sooner than before and make appropriate decisions based on the metrics monitored by the ANMC resource planning and executing teamsrdquo said Anthony Burdell ANMCrsquos deputy to the commander

The work on ANMCrsquos SampOP process began about a month before Lt Col Roshun Steele took command of the organiza-tion As a new commander Steele said working through the process helped her understand the mission of the organization better and how each division contributes to the overall mission

ldquoThe SampOP process has increased communication and coor-dination throughout the organization to ensure we meet our planned execution goals each month fostering confidence in our workforcerdquo said Steele ldquoThe magnitude of this award shows the excellence of this organizationrdquo

ANMC earned high praise from the consultants and educators who worked with them through Oliver Wight ldquoAchieving Class A is a measure of world-class I donrsquot think you can understate the importance of being world-class in anythingrdquo said Tom Strohl a consultant coach and educator with Oliver Wight

Donald McNaughton consultant and educator for Oliver Wight presents a Class A Milestone Award to Lt Col Roshun Steele commander of the Anniston Munitions Cen-ter Also pictured (left) is Tony Burdell ANMCrsquos deputy to the commander Photo by Jennifer Bacchus

ldquoTo not only have achieved Class A but to achieve it in 12 months is outstandingrdquo

McNaughton said he was impressed with how well the entire ANMC organization worked together to achieve their mission and create the SampOP process ldquoThe thing I take away is the power of true teamworkrdquo said McNaughton ldquoReally what I experienced here was familyrdquo

Army-Funded Researchers Earn Top Scientific HonorsUS ARMY COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY PUBLIC AFFAIRS (AUGUST 1 2019)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK NCmdashUS Army-funded re-searchers working on a project to extract information from data sensing and processing earned top scientific honors

Dr Vahid Tarokh a professor of electrical and computer engi-neering at Duke University was named to the National Acad-emy of Engineering and Dr Alfred O Hero III a professor of engineering at University of Michigan was honored with the 2020 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fourier Award for Signal Processing

Tarokh and Hero are part of a research team funded by the Army Research Office and led out of the University of Illinois



at Urbana-Champaign that aims to speed up and improve the ability to collect and analyze data and subsequently adapt decisions as new information comes in The team is developing approaches to sensing and processing that exploit the infor-mation resulting from an ordered structure of measured data

ldquoThe impact of this research permeates a broad swath of Army-centric applicationsrdquo said Dr Hamid Krim program manager Information Processing and Fusion at Army Research Office ldquoFor example it could help detect a missile as a result of two inferences as an infrared sensor precedes the consensus of an explosion by an optical sensorrdquo

Other applications range from social network analysis to inter-active machine learning that involves humans such as brain computerrobot interfaces

The Army Research Office is an element of the Combat Capa-bilities Development Commandrsquos Army Research Laboratory The research grant part of the Department of Defense Mul-tidisciplinary University Research Initiative known as MURI supports research teams whose efforts intersect more than one traditional scientific and engineering discipline

The awards are typically funded at $125 million per year for three years with an option for two additional years

Tarokh is one of the worldrsquos most cited researchers in com-puter science He is known for his singular contributions to signal processing and his current work to create new methods for modeling and making predictions from small amounts of data

As part of the MURI project Tarokh is in-vestigating theoretical limits on informa-tion gathering from an ordered structure of measured data He also has ongoing collaborations focused on inventing new methods for securing and maximizing the Internet of Things and designing brain-inspired organic networks that can reor-ganize themselves

Election to the National Academy of En-gineering (NAE) is one of the highest pro-fessional distinctions for engineers As a member of the academy Tarokh will help carry out the academyrsquos mission of pro-viding engineering leadership in service to the nation

He joins more than 2500 peer-elected members and foreign members in the NAE which serves as an advisor to the federal government and conducts independent studies to examine important topics in engineering and technology

Hero has been a leader in the development of the theoretical foundations of signal processing for decades These founda-tions have been applied to network data analysis personalized health multi-modality information fusion data-driven physi-cal simulation materials science dynamic social media and database indexing and retrieval among other areas

As part of the MURI project Hero has developed algorithms exploiting asymmetrical data flows in contested environments with applications to multi-agent interaction assessment semi-autonomous robotic search and anomaly detection

Hero was awarded the IEEE Fourier Award for Signal Process-ing for contributions to the foundations of statistical signal processing with applications to distributed sensing and per-formance benchmarking

The Fourier Award is an IEEE Technical Field Award sponsored by the IEEE Signal Processing Society and the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society He is the sixth individual to receive the award

Dr Vahid Tarokh a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Duke Uni-versity was named to the National Academy of Engineering Photo courtesy Duke University



The team was able to build a set of models architectures data structures and interfaces that will allow for the devel-opment of combat system power and electric system and electric weapon and sensor requirements that will then enable development and demonstration of better management and allocation of shipboard electric power

ldquoI have a better understanding of the systems engineering process from design concepts testing and demonstration as well as the programmatic aspects of a project such as bud-get schedule and riskrdquo said Daniel Apolinar Sly Fox Mission 25 mathematician ldquoI will apply the lessons learned both in my professional work and outside of work The best of all is working with an amazing team and mentors that made this a truly unforgettable experiencerdquo

Moreover the Mission 25 team followed a rapid prototype development process to assess requirements analyze and evaluate alternatives design develop and test the system and produce the product In all six formal systems engineering technical reviews were conducted on PEGASUS requirements review concept review design review system test readiness review demo readiness review and the final review

ldquoThroughout my career in industry and government and as a systems engineer program manager and supervisor I had never seen a workforce development initiative for young engi-neers and scientists that is as robust in its design and execution as Sly Foxrdquo said Bill Walsh Sly Fox program director ldquoLooking forward and working with the CTO [Chief Technology Office] and all Dahlgren leadership we hope to strengthen an already solid program by aligning Sly Fox with the innovative initiatives

DAHLGREN (May 31 2019)mdashThe Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Sly Fox Mission 25 team in ac-tion while demonstrating a hardware representation of PEGASUS (Power and Energy Generation Analysis SimUlation System) capabilities The team proved the potential of PEGASUS to integrate electric weapons and electric propulsion systems aboard Navy ships in several demonstrations held at NSWCDD Left to right Peter Corrao Daniel Apolinar Joshua Hellerick Courtney Fredrickson Alexa Thomas US Navy photo


























































































































































































































































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