Six awards include three Exceptional Achievement honors
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recognized six Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) teams with Defense Programs Awards of Excellence on Thursday, May 6. NNSA Assistant Deputy Administrator for Systems Engineering & Integration Kent T. Jones was on hand to congratulate the teams for their excellent work in support of the Nation’s Stockpile Stewardship Program.
“I am simply amazed,” said Jones. “Our government leadership, American citizens, the warfighters we support, and our allies can rest confident because of your valuable contributions.”
Made up of more than 150 federal, contractor and national laboratory personnel, the teams were recognized for their contributions to various Defense Programs projects, including broadband laser ranging, subcritical experiments and analysis, and laboratory network and data expansion.
Adding further prestige to the honors, NNSA additionally awarded an Exceptional Achievement (EA) merit to three NNSS teams. The EA acknowledges extraordinary accomplishments in the nuclear weapons life cycle process that are “home run” examples of using stockpile stewardship capabilities to promote and further advance important national security objectives. The EA is issued exclusively to recognize only those efforts and accomplishments that result in an extensive, unique, unusual, remarkable, exceptional and/or unexpected contribution to the Defense Programs mission.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Dr. David Bowman, manager of NNSA’s Nevada Field Office, the federal oversight for the NNSS, noted: “The awards presented today are just a small example of the great work done here at the Nevada National Security Site. I want to personally offer my thanks for a job well done and ask you to keep up the great work!”
Mark Martinez, president of Mission Support and Test Services, which manages and operates the NNSS, added, “I’d like to offer my congratulations to each and every one of you. Not just one, but three Exceptional Achievements is an amazing accomplishment.”
Established in 1982, the Defense Programs Awards of Excellence are given annually to recognize significant individual and team achievements in quality, productivity, cost savings, safety or creativity in support of NNSA’s nuclear weapons modernization program. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards ceremony for these 2019 awards, usually held in person, was delayed until it could be held virtually this year.