Secretary of Defense William S.
Cohen recently honored members of the Naval Research Laboratory's
(NRL's) Radar Division, with Vice President Al Gore's Hammer
Award, for their involvement in the NATO Seasparrow Surface Missile
System (NSSMS) Capability Modernization program. Dr. Ben Cantrell,
head of the Radar Division's Target Characteristic Branch, accepted
the award on behalf of the group. He was cited for his "contribution
to building a government that works better and costs
less."
The NSSMS is the first DoD international
cooperative project to receive the award. NRL's contribution
to the program was the development of a very low-cost replacement
signal data processor for the NSSMS. The NSSMS' reengineering
effort resulted in development and production cost savings, a
reduction in annual maintenance costs, a reduction in system
training requirements, and it provided the fleet with new and
enhanced performance capabilities.
The Hammer Award is presented
to teams of federal employees who have made significant contributions
in support of reinventing government principles and reducing
acquisition costs. The award consists of a $6.00 hammer, a ribbon,
and a note from Vice President Gore, all in an aluminum frame.
More than 1,000 Hammer Awards have been presented to teams of
federal employees, state and local employees, and citizens who
are working to build a better government.
Members of the NRL team are:
Mr. Jim Alter, Dr. Ben Cantrell, Ms. Athena Caul, Mr. Hugh Faust,
Mr. John McConnell and Ms. Amy O'Brien.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is the Navy's full-spectrum corporate laboratory, conducting a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research and advanced technological development. The Laboratory, with a total complement of nearly 2,500 personnel, is located in southwest Washington, D.C., with other major sites at the Stennis Space Center, Miss., and Monterey, Calif. NRL has served the Navy and the nation for over 85 years and continues to meet the complex technological challenges of today's world. For more information, visit the NRL homepage or join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Comment policy: We hope to receive submissions from all viewpoints, but we ask that all participants agree to the Department of Defense Social Media User Agreement. All comments are reviewed before being posted.