CRANE, Ind. –
The United States Marine Corps Special Projects Team (USPT) at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) received the Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson Jr Systems Engineering Excellence Award for their work in securing the first Authorization to Operate (ATO) for additive manufacturing in the Department of Defense. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an ATO is a decision made “to authorize operation of an information system and to explicitly accept the risk to organizational operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), organizational assets, individuals, other organizations, and the Nation based on the implementation of an agreed-upon set of security controls.”
The Lt Gen Thomas R. Ferguson Jr Systems Engineering Excellence Award is given by the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA). This organization helps to identify key issues and use their combined knowledge— through military, industry, and academic partners, to help address problems within national security. According to the NDIA's website, this award is “given to both an individual and a group who demonstrate outstanding achievement in any of the following ways – practical application of systems engineering principles, promotion of robust systems engineering principles throughout the organization, or effective systems engineering process development during the previous year.”
This ATO for additive manufacturing helps to fill a gap in cybersecurity. In their nomination packet, USPT was “tasked with the formidable challenge of establishing a robust cybersecurity posture for this cutting-edge technology … USPT rose to the occasion, devising ingenious solutions that have not only secured the first-ever ATO for additive manufacturing but also garnered the attention and commendation from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).”
Chase Bailey serves as the USPT Team Lead and is proud of the work his team accomplished. He looks forward to seeing how this will provide the groundwork for other projects throughout the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
“This recognition highlights the significant impact NSWC Crane can achieve,” said Bailey. “The added capability of tactical and forward deployed additive manufacturing will now allow the DOD increased cross platform interoperability and logistical capacity, with NSWC Crane and our partners providing the foundational knowledge to support whatever comes next!”
Additional members of USPT include Ian Burry, Victoria Humphreys, Barry Riester, Josh Chestnut, Chris Clinton, and Grace Bartlett.
About NSWC Crane | NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electromagnetic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.