Praising the acquisition community for "redefining expeditionary" to support the war fighter, Dean Popps, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, kicked off the evening with some words of wisdom and encouragement at the 2008 Army Acquisition Corps annual awards ceremony Oct. 5.
"This is a celebration of the successes of the more than 42,000 work force whose responsibilities are to equip and sustain a very capable and respected United States Army," he said.
Popps reminded everyone to be vigilant and to remain independent in their support. "With that independence comes purity and accountability," he said.
Twenty-one awards were given including two new awards that evening. Among the honored recipients were the Program Executive Office for Aviation and the PEO for Missiles and Space.
The 2008 ALT Continuous Process Improvement Award was presented to the Hellfire Missile System Reset Project Team from PEO MS in recognition for their Lean Six Sigma processes in the Joint Attack Munition Systems Project Office. Col. Michael Cavalier, project manager for the Joint Attack Munition Systems Project Office, accepted the award.
Lt. Col. Shawn Gresham was recognized as Product Manager of the Year for his work in the Medium-Altitude Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office in PEO Aviation.
"This particular Lean Six Sigma was about reducing the time required for reset which means getting the equipment back to the war fighter," Cavalier said. The award signifies excellence in business process improvements, application of Lean Six Sigma methods and achievement of operational and financial benefits for war fighters.
"Applying Lean Six Sigma processes for this particular program reduced costs and inefficiencies by 25 percent," Cavalier said, adding that the money saved allows the Army to do more for other units.
Gresham said he credits his success to the synergy and dedicated teamwork from different organizations on the Arsenal. "The support our team received from the PM UAS, PEO Aviation, as well as AMCOM, AMRDEC and IMMC leadership, contributed greatly to overall mission success," he said.
A major part of Gresham's duties include managing the cost, schedule and performance of his assigned program, interfacing with the Army and Office of the Secretary of Defense Staff agencies and sister service program offices, and keeping his chain of command informed about the program's health.
The 2008 Secretary of the Army Acquisition Director and Project and Product Manager of the Year Awards recognize the expertise and ability needed to research, manage, develop, test, evaluate, contract, field and sustain war fighting systems.
The event recognized the accomplishments of the acquisition work force's most extraordinary members and the teams they lead. The ceremony's theme, "Celebrating Our Acquisition Stars," was a tribute to the military and civilian professionals who work tirelessly behind the scenes to provide combatant commanders and their Soldiers the weapons and equipment they need to execute decisive, full-spectrum operations in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
"It's all about teamwork," Gresham said.
Social Sharing