Standardization Program Presents Annual Achievment Awards

Three individuals and Five Teams have won awards from the Defense Standardization Program Office (DSPO) for outstanding contributions to the Department of Defense last fiscal year. The awards were presented today, March 12, 2009, during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Hall of Heroes.

Since 1987 the DSPO has recognized individuals and organization that have effected significant improvements in quality, reliability, readiness, cost reduction, and interoperability through standardization. The DSP mission is to identify, influence, develop, manage, and provide access to standardization processes, products and services for warfighters and the acquisition and logistics communities. The program also promotes interoperability and assists in reducing total ownership cost and sustaining readiness.

Individual recipients for 2008 include Abdonasser Abdouni of the Defense Logistics Agency for developing a new series of alternative connector finishes for the high reliability electrical circular connection program in lieu of traditional finishes that rely on the hazardous chemical Cadmium. Ralph Liguori, Defense Information Systems Agency, led the DoD effort to define the IPv6 requirements, chairing various committees and working groups to define the initial IPv6 capable requirements resulting in significant savings in costs and promoting competition amongst vendors. Tim Sharpe of the Defense Information Systems Agency is recognized for leading a NATO nation effort to develop a standard interface between national tactical systems that created a federated network Standardization Agreements that resulted in standard wideband interface between multinational tactical networks.

Team winners include the Joint U.S. Army/Defense Logistics Agency Team, which coordinated the reinstatement of the MIL-STD-147 palletized unit loads standard. This standard covers the methods, materials, and techniques employed for palletized unit loads of military supplies. Members of that team include Thomas Kozlowski, Kenneth Hill, Timothy Keller, Ann Podrasky, and Joseph Wolak.

The Army team at the Army Research Laboratory led an international effort to develop a manufacturing process known as "Cold Spray" and the accompanying Manufacturing Process Standard, MIL-STD-3021, entitled Materials Deposition, Cold Spray. Cold Spray will allow the reclamation of existing parts during overhaul and repair. Studies conducted by the Army and its partners show that with a small investment, the Army will recover millions of dollars in cost avoidance savings not having to purchase new parts. Team members are Richard Squillacioti, Dennis Helfritch and Victor Champagne.

Naval Air Systems Command's team developed a virtual tactical bridge integrating live and virtual radio devices using different standards into a seamless communications architecture. This effort bridges the gap between live and virtual communications. This program will result in an estimated $2.6 million annual cost avoidances by facilitating engineering and quality investigations common among aviation equipment and platforms used by multiple services. Members include Robert Reif, John Allen, Lance Legan, Christopher Sprague and Peter McCarthy.

A joint Navy, Army, Air Force Coast Guard, and Defense Contract Management Agency Team at Naval Air Systems Command worked together in standardizing the reporting process for all services in the Joint Deficiency Reporting System. The team integrated each services system into a web-based, workflow driven application, with a shared relational database. This was accomplished while maintaining service specific fields and workflow requirements. JDRS now provides full deficiency report processing. The payoff is improved performance, safety, reliability, quality, sustainability, interoperability, and a substantial cost savings. This joint team includes Steven Hauck, William Queener, David Christy, William Duren and William Folsom.

An Air Force Team led the way to coordinate and publish MIL-STD-3027 on performance requirements and testing of body armor. This standard provides military unique requirements for ballistic threat protection, environmental exposure, durability, and testing for use in the development of new soft and hard body armor. This standard now enables the all services whose forces' mission requirements preclude using the Interceptor Body Armor System to accurately specify and verify standard military unique requirements in future body armor procurements. Members are Capt. Mark Mallory, Todd Turner, Timothy Staley, Madeline Istvan and Christopher Ptachik.

Additional information on the Defense Standardization Program is available on the DSP website at http://www.dsp.dla.mil .