ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD – The Program Executive Office for Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S) took an opportunity to bring together a group of former program executive officers along with the organization’s current leadership for a Senior Strategic Meeting, on Dec 4.
Returning to PEO IEW&S for a day long visit were retired Lt. Gen. William Campbell, retired Maj. Gen. David Gust, retired Brig. Gen. Thomas Cole and Edward Bair, who all previously served as PEOs during the organizations more than 25 years of existence.
The meeting served as an opportunity for current PEO leaders to highlight the organization’s current portfolio as well as plans for how they will continue to support Soldier’s in the future. In turn there was a strategy session that allowed for the former leaders to call upon their experiences in the organization to assist PEO IEW&S’ strategies for the future.
“It was an honor to host the past leaders from PEO IEW&S who all had a significant role in developing PEO IEW&S into the team we are now. They put into motion many of the concepts and technologies that our Soldiers are utilizing everyday to ensure they have a complete understanding of their operating environment,” said Stephen Kreider, PEO IEW&S. “Having them come back and share their experiences with our current team was a tremendous opportunity for us to leverage their knowledge as we structure our path forward for years to come.”
Following the briefings and discussions with each of the current Project Managers the former PEOs received a tour of the Joint Test Integration Facility, where they were able to see firsthand how the Army is collaborating with industry to develop highly technological solutions in the most efficient manner possible.
In addition to the strategy session and tour, each of the attending former PEOs was honored for the work PEO IEW&S accomplished during their tenures as the head’s of the organization with the dedication of PEO IEW&S’ conference rooms in their name located throughout the C4ISR campus.
Each room contains a plaque highlighting the accomplishments of the room’s namesake and will also include a pictorial history of systems fielded during the various time periods. The following are excerpts highlighting those accomplishments.
Retired Lt. Gen. William Campbell – During his time at the helm of the recently formed PEO IEW&S (Oct 1987-April 1992), Campbell finalized the organization’s structure and led the PEO through Operation Desert Storm by supporting the ISR requirements during the war. He played a significant role in advancing the Army’s ability to ‘own the night’ through the fielding of night vision goggles.
Retired Maj. Gen. David Gust – Seizing the ability to provide aerial surveillance through an unmanned platform was amongst the major accomplishments of PEO IEW&S during Gust’s tenure (July 1995 – November 1999), with the initiation of the Shadow UAV program. Due to his vision, ground forces are currently utilizing numerous capabilities initiated and fielded under his watch, including the Prophet system and Ground Moving Target Indicator/Synthetic Aperture Radar on the Airborne Reconnaissance Low.
Edward Bair- As the longest tenured PEO for IEW&S (November 1999-November 2007), Mr. Bair led the organization through the early phases of OEF and OIF to include fielding of Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) systems that curbed the effect of enemy IEDs. Additionally, under his leadership, the organization established the Army’s premier intelligence enterprise with the Distributed Common System-Army as well as fielding aerostats to provide greater situational awareness for ground forces.
Retired Brig. Gen. Thomas Cole – As soldiers faced intense threats from mortars on the ground and man portable air defense systems in the air, BG Cole led the PEO IEW&S team (November 2007-September 2010) in developing and fielding the Advanced Threat Infrared Counter-Measure, EQ 36 Radar and Light Weight Counter Mortar Radar to provide warning and protection against the prevalent threats of OEF and OIF.