March 29, 2024

Navy Recognizes Adm. Shannon for Harpoon Work

Rear Adm. Shannon award
Rear Adm. Shannon award

Under Secretary of the Navy Robert Work and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Sean J. Stackley present Rear Adm. William Shannon with the 2011 Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer Memorial Award at the Department of the Navy Acquisition Excellence Awards ceremony at the Pentagon June 15. (U.S. Navy photo)

Personnel from the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons were among the 50 individuals and commands recognized for outstanding acquisition practices by the Under Secretary of the Navy during a ceremony at the Pentagon June 15.

Undersecretary Robert O. Work honored Rear Adm. Bill Shannon, who leads PEO (U&W), with the Wayne E. Meyer Memorial Award, and selected the Harpoon Block II+ Program and Cargo UAS Integrated Product Teams (IPT) for innovation and technology transition awards.

“We have a key mission to organize, train and equip a Navy and Marine team that is built and ready for war, and operate[s] forward to protect the peace,” Work told the awardees. “The Secretary [of the Navy] and I are so thankful to have you in this department, doing just that, and making it the greatest Navy and Marine Corps in history. The amount of talent in this department, in this enterprise is just eye-watering and inspiring to me.”

Shannon was one of two individuals to receive the Wayne E. Meyer Memorial Award, which recognizes military or civilian individuals who exemplify the highest examples of acquisition excellence and whose achievements brings significant credit to the Navy and Marine Corps acquisition community. Shannon helped usher in a new era of naval unmanned air systems and technologies.

“Receiving this award came as a complete surprise and is accepted with gratitude and honor,” Shannon said. “This award is also reflective of the great work of our organization, some of whom were also recognized at the ceremony for their outstanding contributions.”

The annual awards also included the Innovation Excellence Acquisition Team of the Year Award, presented to the Precision Strike Weapons office’s (PMA-201) Harpoon Block II+ Program IPT for its work in providing product improvement to the fleet inventory of air-launch Harpoon missiles.

Led by program manager Capt. Carl Chebi, the awarded team comprised 12 civilian and military personnel: Chuck Adams, Iris Brambila, Justin Gallagher, Steve Lucianetti, Dave Rivera, Mike Battaglia, Gabrielle Forte, Mick Haskins, Cliff Pierce, Abigail Stokes, Dave Berche and Cmdr. Brian Genton developed the recapitalization program. The team developed and implemented an innovative acquisition strategy to acquire upgrades to the Harpoon missile, the Navy’s only all-weather, over-the-horizon anti-ship missile.

“Establishment of the Harpoon Block II+ program is the culmination of months of detailed cost estimating and planning by the Harpoon Block II-plus team,” Chebi said. “The team employed extraordinarily innovative and creative thinking to conceive the basic framework for how the program would work, while anticipating and mitigating countless complications, policy implications and potential execution pitfalls.”

One of DoN’s Excellence in Technology Transition Awards went to a second PEO(U&W) team, the Cargo Resupply Unmanned Aerial System (CRUAS) IPT, managed by the Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Tactical Unmanned Air Systems program office (PMA-266). The Secretary of the Navy’s office recognized the team for outstanding achievement as a result of successfully transitioning a technology into operational use. Team members Eric Pratson, Lori Frame, Diana Harritt, Glen Heisler, Andrea VanLanen, Greg Makrakis and James Meade received the Technology Transition award at the ceremony.

The CRUAS IPT developed a fast-track contracting and technical strategy that allowed the first unmanned vertical lift cargo UAS to be deployed within 11 months from contract award. The CRUAS capability augments ground and air logistics operations, supplements rotary-wing assets and reduces warfighters’ exposure to improvised explosive devices in theater.

“The team’s ability to fully engage the art of the possible in all phases of the program and complete a deployment review within 10 months is nothing short of outstanding,” Capt. Patrick Smith, PMA-266 program manager said. “The team’s ability to work effectively across organizations is a testament to their leadership abilities and perseverance to meet an urgent operational need.”

DoN Acquisition Excellence awards are presented annually to teams and individuals who have made outstanding contributions in promoting competition and innovation in the Navy and Marine Corps acquisition process.

Work noted this year’s awardees contributed combined cost savings to the government of more than $2.5 billion.

Source: PEO(U&W) Public Affairs

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