Three acquisition professionals assume war zone project management positions

FORT MONMOUTH, N.J. -- In a change of charter ceremony at Fort Monmouth on July, 7, three acquisition professionals assumed project management positions with responsibility for multiple programs in the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.

COL Gale Harrington received the charter as the Project Manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems, replacing COL Lee Price, who was honored as the Army's Project Manager of the Year for 2004 and will soon be starting her new assignment as Principal Deputy to the Acquisition Executive for the U.S. Special Operations Command. Thomas Lucy received the charter as Product Manager, Defense Wide Transmission Systems, replacing LTC Earl Noble, who is departing for the Army War College. LTC Joseph Schafer received a newly-established charter as Product Manager, Kuwait Iraq C4 Commercialization.

During the ceremony, Price was awarded the Legion of Merit, Noble was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Lucy was awarded the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service and Schafer was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Also, Price, Noble, and Schafer were awarded Combat Action Badges for coming under direct fire while performing their duties in managing projects in Iraq.

"We have heroes in the acquisition corps," said Carroll Kevin Carroll, the U.S. Army Program Executive Officer, Enterprise Information Systems, in his remarks at the ceremony. "You don't usually think of Acquisition Corps people that way, but our acquisition Soldiers, Civilians and contractors go to the combat zone, come under fire and stay to do the job."

Noble said to Price, "You're living proof that a nice person can also be a steely-eyed warrior. I followed you into war, and I'd follow you again."

Responsible for programs valued at more than $2 billion

As PM DCATS, she is responsible for managing programs valued at more than $2 billion that support the Army, Joint Services, National Command Authority, and combatant commanders.

"I'm honored and humbled to be coming to an organization with the reputation of PM DCATS," said Harrington.

Harrington comes to PM DCATS from the Army War College, Carlisle, Pa. Prior to that, she served as Product Manager, Common Hardware Systems for the Program Executive Office, Command, Control, and Communications Tactical since June, 2001. During her tenure as PM CHS, Harrington deployed to Kuwait from February, 2003 to June 2003, where she served as Operations Officer for the PEO C3T forward element in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In February 2004, she assumed the additional duties as Chief of Staff for PEO C3T.

A West Point graduate, Harrington was commissioned in the Signal Corps in 1982 and subsequent assignments included stints in the Republic of Korea in the 122nd Signal Battalion as battalion maintenance officer, division radio officer, and battalion S-4. Harrington and at Fort Lewis, Wash., where she served in the I Corps Signal Office as the telecommunications center officer and in the 29th Signal Battalion as a company commander. Harrington's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with five oak-leaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Army Parachutist Badge and the Canadian Parachutist Badge.

Thomas Lucy, as PM DWTS, will be responsible for managing communications infrastructure and other programs valued at more than $578 million, including the Army G4's number one initiative to "Connect Army Logisticians" with Combat Service Support Satellite Communications systems and providing Improved Tactical Headsets that allow Soldiers to communicate in the high-noise environments of armored combat vehicles, a top priority of the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. PM DWTS was also recently tapped by Army leadership to integrate communications infrastructure in Afghanistan.

Lucy, whose government career started in 1973, served as deputy PM DWTS from 2000 to 2005, also served in the Horizontal Technology Office of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Systems Management Center from 1997 to 2000, and as deputy PM, Army Small Computer Program from 1994 to 1997.

A native of New Jersey and graduate of Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J., Lucy was a platoon leader in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1968 to 1970. His military awards and decorations include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal with V Device, Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Infantryman Badge and the Senior Parachutist Badge.

"When I think of PM DWTS, " said Noble, in his remarks after passing the PM DWTS charter to Lucy, "I think of Tom Lucy. He's a warrior, he proved his mettle in Vietnam, he's an acquisition professional--PM DWTS is in very good hands."

As PM KICC, Schafer is managing programs valued at over $500 million supporting enterprise battle command of U.S. and Coalition forces in the combat zone. Schafer served as the assistant PM, KICC since April 2003, starting the project from scratch in the aftermath of the ground war in Iraq. Carroll said that Schafer's charter as PM KICC was acknowledgement of what he's already accomplished in his two years on the job as APM KICC.

"It took the Army some time, but they've caught up with the importance of the KICC effort," said Carroll to Schafer.

Prior to assuming the KICC mission in April 2003, Schafer served as the Senior Engineer for the Information Assurance and Security Engineering Directorate of the Information Systems Engineering Command, Fort Huachuca, Ariz. A West Point graduate, Schafer was commissioned in the Signal Corps, and subsequently served in the 2nd Infantry Division as an Artillery Communications Platoon Leader and Communications Electronics Staff Officer at Camp Stanley, Korea, and in the 41st Signal Battalion S3 office until assuming command of the 1st Signal Brigade Headquarters Company in Korea. Schafer deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm where he served as the Command Signal Officer for 3rd Army's 10th Personnel Command. Schafer's awards and decorations include Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Ranger Tab, Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.

War zone casualties

Schafer said of his duties as PM KICC, "our motto is build the GIG and extend the GIG in the combat zone." He told of the challenges of starting the effort to build the infrastructure from scratch in the days following the ground war in Iraq, then paused to remember comrades who had been killed in Iraq, including SSG Miguel Ramos, 807th Signal Battalion, Puerto Rico Army National Guard, who was killed in a rocket attack on Victory Base and an Iraqi woman named Regina, who cleaned the KICC compound in Baghdad and was murdered by insurgents while on a bus, awaiting clearance to enter the U.S. compound.

Price told Harrington that one of her constant concerns as PM DCATS will be for the safety of her people in the war zone.

"As a brigade commander, you have to worry about your people for a year," said Price. "But as PM, you have to worry about your people for three years. You don't forget about them at night as you're trying to go to sleep."

Mr. Larsen is with Program Manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems at Fort Monmouth, N.J.

COPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Army Signal Center
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group