Picatinny captures 6 of 10 Army Greatest Inventions

By Edward LopezSeptember 15, 2011

Picatinny wins six of 10 Army Greatest Inventions
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Picatinny wins six of 10 Army Greatest Inventions
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Picatinny wins six of 10 Army Greatest Inventions
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Picatinny wins six of 10 Army Greatest Inventions
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PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J., Sept. 13, 2011 -- Achieving its best performance to date, the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center here placed six out of 10 winners in the Army Greatest Inventions Award competition for the 2010 calendar year.

The achievement is particularly meaningful for Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, because the Army Greatest Inventions, or AGI, Award is considered somewhat of a "Soldier's Choice Award."

A panel of noncommissioned officers with recent combat experience as well as practical, hands-on experience judged the nominations. In addition, a panel of field-grade officers from the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command also judged the nomination packages.

"The 2010 Award winners demonstrated significant impact to Army capabilities, potential benefits outside of the Army, and inventiveness," said Maj. Gen. Nick Justice, commander of the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which is ARDEC's parent command.

"This program's unique selection process reflects the voice of the warfighter and insight into the future of Army equipment," Justice added.

The AGI awards from ARDEC are:

• 40mm Infrared Illuminant Cartridge, M992

• 5.56mm M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round, or EPR

• Green Eyes -- Escalation of Force Kit Integration with the CROWS System

• Jackal Explosive Hazard Pre-Detonation System

• M240L 7.62mm Lightweight Medium Machine Gun

• Mortar Fire Control System -- Dismounted, or MFCS-D

In announcing the AGI awards to the workforce, ARDEC Director Gerardo Melendez thanked all the teams that submitted nominations and noted that 2010 was ARDEC's best year ever in the number of awards received.

"This is a testament to the importance of your work and a validation of the impact of all the hard work you put in day after day," Melendez said. "This speaks volumes of how ARDEC is leading the efforts to take care of our Soldiers through technology and innovation. I am really proud of all you do and humbled to be part of the ARDEC team."

In the 2009 calendar year, three technologies developed at Picatinny Arsenal were named among the 10 greatest Army inventions. Since the Army Greatest Inventions Awards began in 2002, Picatinny teams have won 30 of the 90 greatest inventions awarded through 2010.

Melendez said that effective team Picatinny relationships, especially the collaborative efforts that take place at the project level, are the critical elements that contribute to developing technologies that Soldiers appreciate.

ARDEC, which develops 90 percent of the U.S. Army's armaments and ammunition, was the first government organization to win the prestigious Baldrige National Quality Award in 2007.

Greatest Inventions Award winners from other organizations in 2010 are:

• Husky Mark III 2G 2 Seat Prototype (U. S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center)

• mCare Project (U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command)

• RG-31 Robot Deployment System (U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center)

• Soldier Wearable Integrated Power Equipment System (Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center)

ARDEC's contributions to the Army have been recognized in the past. Last year, the Secretary of the Army awarded the Superior Unit Award to the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, or RDECOM.

ARDEC is one of the subordinate elements of RDECOM that contributed to the achievement cited in the award. In 2007, ARDEC developed four of the 10 Army Greatest Inventions.

The most recent award winners will be recognized at a ceremony in conjunction with the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting Oct. 10-12 in Washington, D.C.

Gen. Ann Dunwoody, commanding general, Army Materiel Command, will present the awards.

Related Documents:

Picatinny wins six of 10 Greatest Inventions [PDF]

Related Links:

Soldiers benefit through the patent process that supports inventions

Army announces greatest inventions

Army.mil: Science and Technology

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