HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Two U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command team members received National Defense Industrial Association, or NDIA, Technology Awards.

Gloria Harris Flowers, program project manager in the USASMDC/ARSTRAT Future Warfare Center, and Cain Crouch, general engineer, SMDC Test Execution Support Division, or TESD, were recognized for their contributions to the national defense of the nation at the NDIA Tennessee Valley Chapter 2018 awards dinner in Huntsville April 24.

Flowers was recognized for a special project she served on as the project officer for the Army Physical Security Escort Training Video Team while on a developmental assignment at Army Material Command.

"I was very surprised and very excited to receive the award," Flowers said. "The team represented a diverse group of active duty military and Army civilian professionals. This effort reflects greatly on how entities within the entire Army are open to delivery of training tools from a different perspective or viewpoint.

"Such innovative development and delivery of training tools provides for enhanced protection of our nation's defense technologies, associated investments, and preserves overmatch on the battlefield," she added. "The team's development of this Physical Security Escort Training Video represents an opportunity to fill a Special Education Training Awareness gap within the Army."

Crouch also said he is honored to have received the award. He served as the SMDC test director for the Sabre Ballistic Missile flight tests in June and November. He also led the Pathfinder Zombie and Sabre Quicklook analysis, including the complex hit detection system and the Pathfinder Zombie final report development.

"Both missions supported Patriot missile operational testing," Crouch said. "As target test director, I am in charge of running the target launch countdown and am the primary interface between White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and the different elements of our missile launch team.

"This was definitely 100 percent a team effort," he added. "My Boss, Kevin Creekmore, and teammates Stephanie Chrisley, Rick Judy, Jeff Compton and Meeda Bosse are all extremely high-character individuals who are willing sacrifice to accomplish our mission. Our government and contractor team has the best team dynamic I've seen throughout my career."

Crouch successfully led a team to develop the Zombie Advanced Payload proposal and a new Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program technical project plan. He was instrumental in obtaining the required Zombie safety documentation, including the standard operating procedure and the interim hazard classification in a compressed timeline required to meet the mission schedule.

"Our targets provide a cost-effective solution to our Department of Defense customers, and we feel our mission is absolutely necessary for testing systems that keep our warfighters safe," Crouch said. "As such, our team works extremely hard and continually sacrifices by travelling for weeks and months at a time. There's literally a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into working month-long missions in the desert."

When talking about Crouch's accomplishments, Creekmore said TESD has developed a suite of threat representative, low-cost short range ballistic missile targets for use in missile defense testing. The value that these targets bring in cost savings and performance to support Army developmental and operational missile defense testing is monumental, saving up to more than $30 million per test.

"Cain is considered one of the best engineers, analysts, and test directors in our command," Creekmore said. "The launch of the Sabre Ballistic Missile target allowed our customer to complete an Operational Ballistic Missile Defense Test that serves as a milestone production decision point for their continued development.

"In receiving this technical award, the determination and commitment of three years of effort by Cain and the entire TESD team was validated by the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association," he added.