WASHINGTON — On June 24, 2018, Michael Walder was selected for appointment to the Senior Executive Service at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and assigned superintendent of NRL’s Radar Division.
The division conducts research on basic physical phenomena of importance to radar and related sensors, investigates new engineering techniques applicable to radar, demonstrates the feasibility of new radar concepts and systems, performs related systems analysis and evaluation of radar, and provides special consultative services to the Navy and the Department of Defense.
"It's an honor to be selected to lead the Radar Division and support the talented staff developing the future of naval radar," said Mr. Walder.
Mr. Walder directs a broadly based, multi-disciplinary program of scientific research, advanced technology development, and applied research in radar and related sensors in support of U.S. Navy and Department of Defense operations. He leads a team of 88 scientists, engineers, and technical and support personnel, and executes a $27 million annual working capital budget.
In this position, he is responsible for directing the finances, personnel, programs, and facilities of the Radar Division, and for securing the funds critical to the successful execution of the division’s research and development efforts.
Mr. Walder first joined NRL in 1985 and worked for the Naval Ocean Systems Center, located in Kaneohe, Hawaii, from 1990 to 1991. In 1992 he returned to Washington, D.C., where he has served as a member of NRL’s technical staff, as well as section head, senior staff member, associate superintendent, and acting superintendent, all in the Radar Division. During this period, he also served as the advanced technology engineer in the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program office and led a Tri-Service Radar technology development team for the Missile Defense Agency. In these roles, he planned and executed technology development programs in excess of $20 million per year that contributed to improved AN/SPY-1 ballistic missile defense capabilities and the development of critical technologies for the AN/SPY-6 radar program.
Dr. G.M. Borsuk, Associate Director of Research for Systems at NRL notes that “Mr. Walder’s broad experience and breadth of knowledge in radar technology of importance to the Navy make him particularly well suited to lead the Radar Division into the future.”
Mr. Walder earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 1984 from the University of Maryland, and a Master of Science, also in electrical engineering, from the George Washington University in 1990.
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