Bryon K. Manley, right, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command Air and Missile Defense Directorate acting director, draws a diagram of the command's Zombie target launch profile during a recent meeting with Kevin Cr...
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama -- One U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command employee excels in leading his mission and team.
Kevin Creekmore was named as USASMDC/ARSTRAT's Test Execution Support Division's acting chief March 21 to lead his team as they provide low-cost targets for the Army.
"We develop low-cost short-range ballistic missile targets for missile defense systems to test against," Creekmore said. "We are reutilizing excess Army rocket motors, so we save the cost of them having to be de-militarized, and repurpose them to be used as targets. It allows missile defense systems to very cost-effectively test their radars and interceptors.
"The way it helps the Army is that we are able to do additional testing, either developmental or operational testing so they have confidence their systems are working correctly," he added. "It gives the option of doing additional testing that wasn't planned, make improvements to their systems or deploy their systems earlier as we are able to test and verify their capabilities."
With his team, Creekmore is additionally developing solid propellant ballistic missile concepts designed to create assets that span a broader ballistic missile spectrum. These concepts, are part of a suite of ballistic missiles designed to meet Army Integrated Missile Defense needs while focusing on reduced cost and increased threat representation.
"We have a small, lean team but we are all very effective and focused on accomplishing the mission," Creekmore said. "We could always use more people but we are getting things done. We have some great young engineers, but we also have a few, very experienced people who are helping us out. We have a great team effort."
For the past three years, Creekmore has been working as a chief engineer in the division and they have been doing testing and development with their Zombie targets. He said they are to the point where they have eight to 10 Zombie missions during the next few years and it is a very exciting time moving from the development of targets to now being able to use them in a fast-paced manner.
"When you have months or years leading up to a test and you see the culmination of that and not only your target being successful, but also the defense system that you are testing is able to intercept it is a very exciting time for the whole team," Creekmore said. "It is very rewarding to see that all of your hard work is successful."
Bryon K. Manley, Air and Missile Defense Directorate acting director, said in his new position, Creekmore would also serve on the Army Test and Evaluation Managers Committee, or TEMAC. TEMAC serves as a centralized Army departmental committee supporting the Army test and evaluation, acquisition, and requirements generation communities while striving to foster efficient and effective working relationships.
"Their next meeting is this summer," Manley said. "The TEMAC meets once or twice a year and is comprised of Test and Evaluation representatives across the Army. Mr. Creekmore is the SMDC Test and Evaluation representative to this Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Army for Test and Evaluation sponsored committee."
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