Consistent delivery of vital weapons software earns top Secretary of Defense award for Picatinny center

By Ed Lopez, Picatinny Arsenal Public AffairsFebruary 10, 2023

Picatinny center receives top DOD prize for software excellence
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center has received the highest honor for software maintenance activities that is awarded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper Award for Software Maintenance Excellence was presented on Dec. 13, 2022, at a Defense Department symposium in Orlando, Florida. Pictured from left, Christopher J. Lowman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment; Patricia Alameda, director of the Armaments Center’s Software Engineering Center; Eric T. Olsen, a branch chief at the software center; Lt. Col. Kevin P. Shilley, military deputy at the Armaments Center; and Maj. Gen. David Wilson, Commanding General of the United States Army Sustainment Command. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

For its proven record of delivering high-quality, critical software across multiple weapons systems, the largest organization at Picatinny Arsenal is the first U.S. Army organization to win the highly prestigious prize for software maintenance excellence that is awarded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper Award for Software Maintenance Excellence recognizes the top organic software activity that, through its mission accomplishments, provided extraordinary capability for the operational units it supports. The Hopper award is also the highest honor for software maintenance that is presented by the Secretary of Defense.

Based primarily on the activities at its Software Engineering Center, the award was presented to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center.

The DEVCOM Armaments Center is responsible for software sustainment of wide array of armament systems. They include direct fire systems, self-propelled and towed artillery, mortar systems, chemical biological radiological nuclear (CBRN) warning and reporting systems, smart munitions, biometrics, and precision airdrop systems that directly support the warfighter.

Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral. A pioneer of computer programming, Hopper was the first to devise the theory of machine-independent programming languages.

“Our thanks goes out to the Department of Defense for sponsoring this prestigious award,” said Patricia Alameda, director of the Software Engineering Center. “Being recognized as the winner of the Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper award for Software Maintenance Excellence is a significant achievement for the Armaments Center’s SEC team. This award validates our hard work and dedication in sustaining the software developed for our Army weapon systems.”

”This is a great recognition of the software engineering competency residing at the DEVCOM Armaments Center,” said Anthony J. Sebasto, acting director of the DEVCOM Armaments Center. “Our continuous journey to excellence in the life-cycle engineering of armaments is measured by our many accomplishments and validated by the recognitions that our workforce receives.”

The DEVCOM Armaments Center is recognized as a world class software engineering center, as demonstrated by achieving a Capability Maturity Model (CMMI) Maturity Level 5 rating from the CMMI Institute. The Software Engineering Center is the only U.S. government organization to successfully appraise at Maturity Level 5 six times over a 16-year period.

Through progressive advancement in cost savings and efficiency, the DEVCOM Armaments Center has consistently delivered critical functionality to customers quicker, and with significantly reduced defects achieved through advanced process improvement techniques.

Christopher J. Lowman, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, presented the Hopper award to Armaments Center representatives on Dec. 13, 2022, at the DoD Maintenance Symposium in Orlando, Florida.