At a change of charter ceremony held June 17 at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia, outgoing Product Manager Force Protection Systems (PM FPS), Lt. Col. Curtis E. Brooker, passed the office’s torch of leadership to Lt. Col. Matthew T. Einhorn.
Lareina Adams, Project Manager, Terrestrial Sensors (PM TS), praised Brooker for his years of service and leadership.
“I remember attending your change of charter and I was impressed by your energy, your commitment to mission and devotion to family,” Adams said. “In the three years that you have led PM FPS that energy and commitment never wavered.”
PM FPS is a subordinate product office of PM TS. PM TS procures, fields, and supports numerous state-of-the-art ground sensor systems globally, including within the United States at the southwestern border and in the National Capital Region.
“Today we bid farewell to Curt Brooker and celebrate his accomplishments as he transitions to his next assignment,” she said. “We also welcome Matt, as he takes the helm and builds upon the successes of his predecessor.”
Brooker joined PM FPS on June 3, 2021, facing the dual challenge of the COVID environment and rigors of Army acquisition work.
“Our just cause was to protect the force and their families,” Brooker said. “By clearly communicating the mission’s significance and the positive impact that it aims to achieve. My goal was to motivate our team to overcome challenges and to stay committed to the mission.”
PM FPS’ mission encompasses Installation Physical Security and Tactical Force Protection with a focus on safeguarding the integrity of Army installations and the security of personnel through advanced physical security measures, maintaining the highest standards of access control with continuous vetting and state of the art intrusion detection systems.
Adams awarded Brooker the Meritorious Service Medal during the ceremony in recognition of his leadership, management prowess, and team commitment. Under Brooker’s leadership, PM FPS achieved many milestones. Among these was expansion of Automated Installation Entry systems to 98 facilities across the country and planned AIE fielding at installations in Asia and Europe.
“There are so many more things that I can list here today, but the point I want you to take away is all these things likely would have been accomplished without me as the PM,” Brooker said. “This incredible team deserves the credit.”
Brooker also received a plaque from the Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors, in recognition of his personal drive, expert program management, and visionary leadership that led to outstanding performance and mission accomplishment as PM FPS.
Brooker’s next assignment is to serve as the Senior Acquisition Advisor to the Deputy Undersecretary of the Army at the Pentagon where he will share the expertise gleaned while leading PM FPS.
Established in April of 1977, as the project office for physical security equipment under the U.S. Army Defense and Readiness Command, PM FPS has grown significantly. Today, it stands as one of the largest product management offices within the Army, overseeing the lifecycle management of 10 programs supported by more than 200 personnel and managing an FY24-30 $1.2 billion budget.
The change of charter is a traditional event rich with symbolism and heritage. In a traditional military unit, passing the colors from the outgoing commander to the incoming commander indicates the formal transfer of responsibility for the unit’s mission. For a product manager, the management, responsibility, and authority are defined in the charter.
With the PM FPS change of charter complete, the responsibility of leading and managing the mission now rests with Einhorn. Adams said she has high hopes for Einhorn’s leadership of the office.
“The Army has a very good track record of bringing in the right leaders at the right time and I suspect that record will continue with you taking the helm,” she said. “You are joining an exceptional organization and there is a lot of work to be done.”
Appointed to the Army Acquisition Corps in 2013, Einhorn has held assignments to prepare him to manage PM FPS, with his most recent leadership role in support of the Defense Information Systems Agency.
Before stepping into his new assignment, Einhorn toured the PM FPS offices and was impressed by the team’s expertise and unity of purpose.
“I heard team members bragging on each other about how great each and every one of them were,” Einhorn said. “It is absolutely amazing the sense of comradery this team has and I am truly honored to have been selected to lead all of you.”
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