REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (March 18, 2022) – After dozens of nationally recognized awards in his field and decades of innovative work at the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center (RTC), Dr. Kenneth LeSueur is retiring from government service.
LeSueur has been supporting the American Warfighter for 36 years. During that time, he has been recognized numerous times for his critical contributions to RTC’s test and evaluation mission. Since 2009, LeSueur has served as the senior technologist in the Modeling and Simulation Division of RTC’s Environmental and Component Test Directorate. He was charged with creating and fostering the promulgation of ingenious methods to create operationally realistic environments that utilize live, virtual, and constructive simulation and stimulation of systems under test.
“Dr. LeSueur has a long history of providing superior technology for the U.S. Army,” said Modeling and Simulation Division Chief Steve Nine. “He has been a tester for 36 years and an experimental developer for more than 20 years, starting out in the Hardware-in-the-Loop technology area.”
In 2020, LeSueur added another prestigious award to his impressive list of accolades when the National Defense Industrial Association selected him as the winner of its Army Government Civilian Tester of the Year Award. A year later, the International Test and Evaluation Association honored LeSueur with its highest honor, the Allen R. Matthews Award, a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his distinguished career.
“Ken has amazing vision, and that will be his legacy,” said Col. Steven Braddom during a recent ceremony honoring LeSueur, “He has been able to take technology and his technical excellence and use that to show leadership at RTC and in the Army how we can adapt to the future. We have to be prepared for the new challenges, and Ken has led the way in doing that. We are doing more than just developing test capability, we’re also shifting the Army’s thinking.”
LeSueur’s vast technical knowledge enabled the Army to develop a proven process for distributed testing while also advancing the adaptation of modeling and simulation techniques.
Such expertise has been a defining characteristic of LeSueur’s career. He has served the U.S. Army as a member of the test and evaluation community since 1986 when he started as an intern at the Laser & Optical Test Branch of the U.S. Army Missile Command Test and Evaluation Directorate.
“Three things my parents taught me and my siblings: place God first, don’t be afraid of hard work, and never compromise your integrity or character,” said LeSueur. “We had no excuse not to succeed given the parents we were blessed with.”
Having an exceptionally distinguished career of government service that has spanned decades and is defined by technical excellence and trailblazing leadership, LeSueur has left an indelible mark across the full spectrum of Army aviation, missile, and sensor systems. According to Nine, it’s a mark that will be felt for years to come.
“His unchallenged technical acumen and unwavering dedication to duty have consistently earned the respect of subordinates, peers, and superiors alike,” said Nine. “His experience, gained over many years of service on multiple projects, is invaluable in training the next generation.”
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