Martin Cox has been recognized as the Security Assistance Supervisor of the Year, 2021. He serves as the division chief in the INDOPACOM/SOUTHCOM/NORTHCOM Regional Operations Directorate in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.
He is responsible for the direction, coordination and integration of the Department of Army’s efforts to develop and execute the security assistance mission to provide materiel, services, and training support to our partners to further the United States’ national strategic interests.
Antoine Cheatham, deputy director, INDOPACOM/SOUTHCOM/NORTHCOM Regional Operations Directorate, said. “Mr. Cox’s detailed planning and management, his leadership abilities coupled with his personal and professional commitment facilitated the comprehensive management of security assistance portfolios for over 50 of our Pacific, South America and North America partners comprised of 1,647 active Letters of Offer and Acceptance, with a total country program and undelivered values of approximately $36B and $14B respectively.”
He provides technical advice and assistance, and serves as the technical authority for total package fielding related to foreign military sales programs. He carries out complex logistics management and FMS work and directs a staff of 43 personnel (Army civilians and contractors) in support of these functions.
“Marty is truly a team player and leader, during COVID lockdown, his division met or exceeded all metrics for case execution, but more importantly he kept the health and welfare of people at the forefront throughout the event,” Cheatham said. “He does not shy away from difficult tasks and possesses the maturity and soft skills that were critical to successfully manage his team through this event.”
This could not be more evident than when the division lost one of its own to suicide in the remote working environment. His leadership and compassion with both the family and staff were delivered with the utmost respect and dignity while ensuring resources, both face-to-face as well as remote, were available to delicately address questions, concerns and individual feelings and emotions about the event; these resources continue to this day.
He is clearly one of USASAC’s best performers. He spearheaded efforts to realign the Central Case Management teams within INDOPACOM/SOUTHCOM/NORTHCOM division to position his personnel for career development and successfully meet dynamic mission requirements within available resources across the three COCOMs.
Cox’s outstanding performance is evident in a number of ways, most notably is his ability to build strong and lasting relationships across international and cultural lines within his sphere of influence. The INDOPACOM/SOUTHCOM/NORTHCOM Directorate has nine of the 16 security assistance liaison officers assigned to this regional operations area.
When Cox assumed this position five years ago, the relationship with the CCM teams and their corresponding SALO officers was ordinary. His leadership, priority for the program and sustained support have elevated the relationship with our foreign officers to new levels. He and the SALO program manager escorted the SALO officers on a visit to West Point and an Army Football game. These are just a few examples of his robust support for the program.
Cox’s “support for the SALO program continues to set the pace for his peers and his dedication and commitment is second to none,” Cheatham said. “His contribution has strengthened our relationship with key allies in the Pacific, South and North America and the SALOs that will likely be future senior military leaders in their respective countries.”
Raymond Webster, country program manager, INDOPACOM/SOUTHCOM/NORTHCOM Regional Operations Directorate, is USASAC’s employee of the year, 2021.
Webster works in the foreign military sales program and directly manages six countries. Part of his responsibilities include the development and program management for the transfer of defense articles and services to assigned countries. He oversees the lifecycle management of foreign military sales programs and coordination of FMS activities with USASAC-New Cumberland and the Life Cycle Management Commands.
During fiscal 2021, Webster managed six country programs valued at over $2.5 billion.
“He sets the standard for Letters of Offer and Acceptance development with near perfect quality metrics,” Tracy Engler, division chief in INDOPACOM/SOUTHCOM/NORTHCOM directorate, said. “And he consistently exceeds the 85% LOA timeliness metric despite the complexity of the LOAs he processes. He is a top performer within his division and called upon to handle the most difficult tasks. The quality and scrutiny of his case reviews is unmatched by anyone.”
Webster is happy to share his knowledge and advice with teammates. He also has a deep understanding of the FMS process and can look at problems to identify the strategic impact to the overall program.
“He is by far the most knowledgeable CPM on the INDOPACOM team and serves as a resource for his teammates and division chief,” Engler said. “Everyone on the team knows when they encounter a difficult problem they can ‘ask Ray,’ because he has probably done it in the past and can provide them with examples.”
He is more than a CPM, he is a natural leader who has the respect of all his teammates. “His teamwork, strong work ethic, sense of humor and kindness towards all is a morale booster in the team and command,” Engler said.
Webster received four urgent Letters of Request in February and March 2021 from the Government of Australia requesting expedited processing. If not expedited, Australia would lose funding approval valued over $3.4 billion for multiple projects. USASAC initially offered all Letters of Offer and Acceptance in 3rd quarter FY ‘21, however, they required rework and restatement to stay within the Australian budget.
During the fourth quarter FY ‘21, Webster continued to work with Australia on budgetary concerns, processed restatements and offered LOAs for numerous weapon systems, military articles and vehicles, all items in the LOAs required complex coordination within the security assistance enterprise. All LOAs required expedited approvals, specific types of waivers and other release documents. He offered all four LOAs by the customer requested dates and exceeded customer expectations.
These LOAs would typically take six to 12 months to develop, but Webster coordinated the effort to accomplish initial offer in one to two months. Australia is once again beginning to accept cases and when implemented, the value of his program will more than double. This effort had high visibility with leaders throughout the DOD and Army. Webster provided detailed updates for USASAC Deputy Commander Myra Gray, so that she could discuss case status with the Australian Embassy. “His actions demonstrated to Australia that USASAC is a trusted partner, further strengthening the U.S. government and Australian relationship,” Engler said.
Webster is a retired Army veteran, busy husband, father, grandfather and son. Like most during the pandemic, he managed family life, work and homeschooling. His wife is a pediatric oncology nurse and Webster handles many of the day-to-day activities around the house. He also cares for his elderly father on a regular basis.
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