ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory recently gave a heartfelt sendoff to its chief scientist and senior research scientist for Terminal Ballistics, Dr. Scott E. Schoenfeld, upon his retirement at the end of September.
Schoenfeld, who has received numerous accolades for his leadership abilities and scientific expertise, was widely recognized by the Army for his contributions to the field of terminal ballistics and his role in advancing innovative solutions that keep Soldiers safe.
His impact on the Army’s understanding of lethal projectiles and its development of new protection technologies is reflected in the success of the numerous Army programs that he helmed over the course of his 30-year career at DEVCOM ARL.
Thinking back on his journey and his many years of service dedicated to supporting the warfighter, the retired ARL Chief Scientist explained that one core memory had largely shaped how he approached his work.
The moment took place after he had completed his doctorate in applied mechanics at the University of California, San Diego, shortly before he started his career at ARL in 1995 as a research engineer.
“During my interview before I was hired, I was asked a question by one of the researchers, Dr. Ingo May,” Schoenfeld said. “He said to me, ‘I think you’re a great scientist. Can you be an Army scientist?’”
Schoenfeld admitted that he nodded but initially had no idea what that question meant. But over time, he began to understand the difference between being a scientist and being an Army scientist.
The turning point, according to Schoenfeld, came during the early 2000s at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom when he served as the chief of ARL’s Armor Mechanics Branch. Soldiers overseas faced lethal threats that became deadlier with every evolving iteration, and the Army desperately needed better armors for its major combat vehicles.
“There was a huge urgency to spin out armors, and I had to not only quickly apply my foundational work to develop armors, but I also had to coordinate very rapidly with folks from the Intel communities and other groups to understand what was happening,” Schoenfeld said. “At that point, my career became less individually intellectual and more focused on trying to help people get a sense of urgency and organize themselves to address these challenges. I mean, people were getting killed over there. It was almost a decade of very high intensity armor developments.”
Schoenfeld explained that one of his favorite experiences at ARL was contributing to the production of mine-resistant ambush protected armored vehicles as part of the MRAP Armor Weight Reduction Spiral program and seeing so many people work together in a synchronized fashion to meet this very important Army need.
“The vehicles all needed to be armored differently and very quickly, but there was not enough material in the world, nor the capacity to develop the material, to keep up the production rate of these vehicles,” Schoenfeld said. “I think the most memorable thing for me was seeing how quickly not just ARL but all the partners at Aberdeen Proving Ground did everything they could to get every facility all working in parallel, in one coordinated effort, to make the materials available on a national level to maintain the rapid production of different vehicle armor variants. We were able to do it because anybody who could contribute would contribute.”
Schoenfeld gradually went on to mobilize larger and larger teams for the purposes of overcoming the Army’s challenges in ballistics and terminal effects, managing programs as a Force Protection Capability Research Manager, then as the Senior Campaign Scientist for Lethality and Protection and finally as the Senior Research Scientist for Terminal Ballistics in 2019.
In 2023, he assumed his position as the Chief Scientist for ARL, which made him responsible for the top-level scientific and technical strategy of the entire laboratory.
Over time, he became a recipient of numerous honorary awards including a Department of Army Research and Development Award for Leadership Excellence, two Army Greatest Invention awards and the FY23 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Senior Professional.
Schoenfeld named many people whom he felt shaped his career at ARL and empowered him to reach such heights: Dr. Tim Wright, the previous senior research scientist for Terminal Effects who recruited him from graduate school; Dr. Rick Morrison, then-chief of the Terminal Effects Division; Dr. Drew Dietrich, his first branch chief; Jill Smith, who encouraged him to take on more leadership roles; Dr. Patrick Baker, ARL director who has always supported him over the years; and many others.
Reflecting once more on the question posed by May three decades ago, Schoenfeld affirmed that he can now clearly say what it means to be an Army scientist.
“It means not just being wonderful in your art but learning how to apply that state-of-the-art to some of the country’s most challenging problems,” Schoenfeld said. “Those problems are weighty and important, and that’s what gives us our sense of mission. People’s lives depend on the work we do.”
Schoenfeld also expressed his hope that the next generation of ARL researchers will similarly develop their own answer to May’s question as they apply their amazing talents toward solving the Army’s current challenges.
“This is a time when we’re going through some downsizing, and there’s a lot of stress on us,” Schoenfeld said. “I want people to know that we’ve lived through those periods before, and what survived every time are the mission and the people who show that we can execute on that mission. Our work is serious and valued, and that’s why ARL is still here.”
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DEVCOM ARL is the Army’s only foundational research lab serving as the nexus between academia, industry, defense and in-house expertise to Operationalize Science. ARL expertise drives cross-cutting advancements in science and technology to ensure the Army wins now and in the future. For information visit https://arl.devcom.army.mil/.
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