Strategic test team members earn national honors
Courtesy photo
Kevin Creekmore, acting chief, U.S Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command Test Execution Support Division, receives the National Defense Industrial Associa...
Lt. Col. Andrew Koschnik, range director, Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, was named as the NDIA Army Military Tester of the Year Award at the 32nd annual National Defense Industrial Association Test and Evaluation Conference awards...
SAN DIEGO -- Two U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command team members received the 2016 National Defense Industrial Association, or NDIA, Army Tester of the Year Awards.
Lt. Col. Andrew Koschnik, range director, Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site; and Kevin Creekmore, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Test Execution Support Division acting chief, were recognized for their testing expertise at the 32nd annual NDIA Test and Evaluation Conference awards luncheon in San Diego March 8.
During the ceremony, Creekmore received NDIA's Army Government Civilian Tester of the Year Award for distinguishing himself in test and evaluation planning and project execution throughout the integrated missile defense community.
During 2016, he led a team to successfully plan and execute the maiden launch of a new short range ballistic missile target known as Zombie Pathfinder. The Zombie Pathfinder was a three year, $10 million development funded by multiple organizations.
"Even though it took us three years to get to this point, it is just the beginning of the Zombie targets program," Creekmore said. "Over the next 12 months we have two targets scheduled to support operational testing and also a new two-stage Zombie target that we will launch for the first time. We are looking forward to many years of supporting ballistic missile defense testing with the Zombie targets."
With an 11-person team, he faced obstacles including; personnel allocation, changing requirements, multiple hardware and software developments, process and procedure development, information assurance accreditation and certification requirements, incremental funding realities, and test range safety concerns.
"I was very surprised and honored to learn I had been selected for such a prestigious award," Creekmore said. "It is great validation to be rewarded for all the hard work that goes into ballistic missile target development and test execution.
"It is always a team effort to execute a test of this magnitude and without great personnel in all areas it would be impossible," he added. "This test was extremely challenging due to the schedule and resource limitations. We had people deployed for several weeks to perform all the integration and testing required prior to the launch."
The execution of the Zombie Pathfinder maiden launch event was important to the development of short range ballistic missile targets and provided for more affordable missile defense system operational testing in the future.
The cost saving estimates are more than $100 million during the next 10 years, and the new targets will meet director, Operational Test and Evaluation and Army Test and Evaluation Command requirements to stress the missile defense system and allow it to maintain production schedules to field next generation capabilities.
"I am extremely honored to accept this award on behalf of the entire Test Execution Support Division and Zombie team," Creekmore said. "Over the last three years we have overcome many obstacles and come together as a unified team to make this test successful. I believe it is a great reflection of the command and our commitment to excellence and to supporting the Warfighter.
"The Pathfinder Zombie Risk Reduction Flight is the first in a series of tests involving Zombie targets being develop by SMDC," he added. "This first test was very important to the development strategy and will lead to more affordable threat-representative operational testing in the future. We conduct these test to validate and improve missile defense systems functionality, which can lead to increased performance and saving the lives of soldiers on the battlefield."
Koschnik, who led key efforts to de-conflict test assets and logistical support to enable successful test missions during 2016, was named as the NDIA Army Military Tester of the Year Award.
RTS hosts a suite of unique instrumentation, located on eight islands throughout the Kwajalein Atoll. This instrumentation includes a comprehensive suite of precision metric and signature radars, optical sensors, telemetry receiving stations, and impact scoring assets. The range provides both mobile and fixed ground and flight safety instrumentation.
"Being nominated and winning the NDIA Military Tester of the Year Award was extremely humbling," Koschnik said. "I've always thought of myself as a team player and it has never been my desire to seek the individual spotlight but to support my leadership and organization to the best of my ability. It's a phenomenal accolade that I do not take lightly, but I also know it's because of the collective team supporting the Reagan Test Site here at Kwajalein.
"This award shines the light on so much more than my accomplishments. It reflects the critical work occurring here in the Republic of the Marshall Islands with the assistance of many, many individuals and our partner members of the RMI," he added. "I am extremely proud of the recognition, but prouder of the collective team that works tirelessly to make our mission successes appear effortless."
In addition to oversight of civilian and contractor personnel responsible for everything from mission planning to mission execution, Koschnik also performs oversight of daily range operations on Kwajalein. These operations vary from scheduled and unscheduled equipment maintenance to budgeting in support of RTS mission operations and control facilities.
He said his team provides the nation with a premier range that has world class sensors that stands ready 24/7 in support of space operations and missile testing. Koschnik added that RTS's unique location allows for missile and flight testing, space launch and control, and that RTS has unmatched radar capability, coupled with significant telemetry and optic sensors that significantly contribute to support our range mission customers.
"I have a tremendously supportive team here at the Reagan Test Site Range," Koschnik said. "Receiving this award will leave a lasting impact on the importance of our mission here in the Kwajalein Atoll and always serves as a reminder of my time spent here with SMDC. The entire team is paramount to this mission."
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