PRIORITIZATION AND PERSPECTIVE
Maj. Stephen Murphy has been a member of the Army Acquisition Workforce for only a short time, but with over a decade of military service, a family with six children and never a dull moment, he already has a well-oiled time management system in place combining two of the most rewarding things he said he’s learned in life—prioritiza- tion and perspective.
MAJ. STEPHEN MURPHY
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Project Manager for U.S. Army Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
TITLE: Assistant product manager for Gray Eagle Weapons and Payloads, Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 1 YEARS OF MILITARY SERVICE: 11
EDUCATION: Master of Information Technol- ogy, Virginia Tech; Graduate certificate in information technology management, Virginia Tech; B.A. in political science, Christopher Newport University
AWARDS: Meritorious Service Medal (2); Army Commendation Medal (2); Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Ser- vice Ribbon; and the Army Staff Identification Badge
“Prioritizing mission essential over non-mission essential, discerning what is truly urgent from what may simply feel urgent, and understanding which failures may actually provide value from those failures we cannot allow, are some of the lessons I learned from career experience, some are from example, and others are derived from my theological beliefs,” he said of how he combines and implements prioritization and perspective meth- ods into a workable construct. “However, people [choose to] learn those two things, they are invaluable in the proper management of people and resources, and for the sanity of those managing them.”
As assistant product manager for Endurance Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Murphy helps other product offices integrate new or improved weapons and payloads onto the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System. “It’s a fascinating role where the team is actively working about a half-dozen integration and testing projects, while simulta- neously helping explore another half-dozen early stage, cutting-edge concepts,” he said. “We have transitioned to a more modular conceptual approach, allowing for quicker integration and a continuous transformation of the vehicle capabilities as demanded by the commanders in the field.” With all the long-range payloads the team is integrat- ing, he said there is a collective confidence that the MQ-1C can provide commanders the survivable, “standoff, look in” capabilities the Army needs for near peer, multido- main operations.
By this he means that during U.S. Central Command counterinsurgency operations, MQ-1C was used in very close range to the target of interest. Now, in near-peer poten- tial uses, it needs to be able to stay out of range of adversary air defense (standoff) but still be able to detect beyond that air defense into the adversary-controlled area of oper- ations (look in). “Tis is where continuously transforming the Gray Eagle is essential,” he said. “By integrating long range payloads, pLEO [Proliferated Low Earth Orbit] satellite capability, and CMOSS [Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance/Electronic Warfare Modular Open Suite of Standards] open architecture chassis, we can create a completely different tool for the multidomain task force and division commanders using the same airframe.”
“You learn quickly the value of proactive networking and good time management.”
50 Army AL&T Magazine Fall 2024
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