Position and Unit: Chief engineer/technical director, Integrated Air and Missile Defense Project Office, Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space
Years of Service in Workforce: 19
DAWIA Certifications: Level III in systems engineering; Level II in program management
Education: M.S. in engineering and policy and M.S. in management of technology, Washington University in St. Louis; B.S. magna cum laude in engineering physics, University of Tulsa; graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College Officer’s Course
Awards: Superior Civilian Service Award; Commendation for Special Act or Service; Department of Defense Graduate Fellowship
Bitten by the missile defense bug
By Mary Kate Aylward
From the first “explosion in the sky,” Jeff Stevens was hooked.
He caught the missile defense bug in his first full-time Army job, at the Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense (THAAD) Project Office. Over the course of his career—which started with a DOD-funded graduate fellowship under the aegis of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act—he has worked on several missile defense systems. Now a chief engineer and technical director, Stevens is working to integrate the missile defense enterprise so that every air and missile defense capability works together to provide a coordinated shield against an enemy attack.
What do you do in your position, and why is it important to the Army or the warfighter?
I am responsible for the technical efforts associated with the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) system. I oversee the systems engineering, test, and software and hardware development and integration work associated with IAMD Battle Command System, and the adaptation of sensors and weapons onto a common Army IAMD network called the Integrated Fire Control Network. For instance, we’re adapting the system that Soldiers use to log in and use the PATRIOT system, and the same with the Sentinel.
This work is important to the Army because current air and missile defense systems have unique integration processes and capabilities and don’t all work together to form an effective and efficient defense capability. Soldiers have to learn how to operate and maintain a variety of disparate pieces of equipment to intercept air and missile threats. The IAMD system provides critical capability against coordinated enemy air and missile attacks. FY18 is our planned initial operational capability date.
Have you worked in missiles and space your whole career?
Yes, and I’ve been with the Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space (PEO MS) for almost my whole career. The THAAD work took me to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) briefly on two separate occasions, but then I came back to the Army and it’s been PEO MS otherwise.
How did you become part of the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
My dad’s career as an Army officer helped motivate me to look for opportunities to contribute to defense.
I was selected for a graduate fellowship with the Department of Defense that led to an offer to join the acquisition workforce. The fellowship funded my graduate studies. While I was still in grad school, I had a short-term assignment with the PATRIOT project office. My first full-time job was in the THAAD project office, which was then part of the Army but is now part of the MDA. The offer came during a hiring freeze in the mid-1990s—I was the only person hired in 36 months.
What’s something most people don’t know about your job?
That for all the hectic busy-ness, we still have fun. People might not think of it as fun but it is. I caught the air and missile defense bug early on. Shooting interceptors at missiles in space, it’s pretty exciting. Seeing the explosion up in the sky is exciting. And to know that somebody might be protected by that system—it’s a big deal and a lot of fun.
What do you see as the most important points in your career with the Army Acquisition Workforce, and why?
Being a deputy product manager, and later a division chief in the Short-Range Air Defense Project Office, which was later renamed to Cruise Missile Defense Systems Project Office. These were key positions that provided managerial as well as policy and technical challenges. The acquisition process is an intersection of a competitive market industrial base, national security needs and resources and state-of-the-art technology. Any job that combines those elements is going to bring interesting challenges and opportunities.
Can you name a particular mentor or mentors who helped you in your career? How did they help you? Have you been a mentor?
Larry Moore, then the chief engineer for the PATRIOT project office, was my first government supervisor and one of the best civil servants I’ve known. Rick DeFatta, then program manager for Short-Range Air Defense, was a key leader for me in a critical growth phase in my career. Both of them helped demonstrate Army core values. I try and take as many opportunities to identify individuals with unique potential and encourage and guide them in their career path.
What advice would you give to someone who aspires to a career like yours?
Don’t get discouraged and keep looking for opportunities to grow. Challenge yourself to gain technical as well as people and communication skills, and seek out opportunities to interact with people who are doing the things you want to be doing in five to 10 years.
“Faces of the Force” is an online series highlighting members of the Army Acquisition Workforce through the power of individual stories. Profiles are produced by the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center Communication and Support Branch, working closely with public affairs officers to feature Soldiers and civilians serving in a variety of AL&T disciplines. For more information, or to nominate someone, please contact 703-805-1006.
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