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By Brandon Pollachek, PEO IEW&S PAO

During a ceremony on Dec. 2, Hon. Heidi Shyu, the Army Acquisition Executive and the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology ASA(ALT), awarded the Product Manager (PdM) of the Year award to Lt. Col. Kevin Chaney, PdM Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) Countermeasures.

Chaney leads a team of more than 75 Soldiers, Civilians and contractors headquartered in Huntsville, AL, who are dedicated to providing critical lifesaving technology for aircrews and their passengers. Their primary focus is defeating man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) threats, thereby increasing aircraft survivability.

“It was an honor to be selected as PdM of the Year and this is a direct reflection of all the difficult work that our ASE team has completed over the past year,” stated Chaney. “‎More important than the award is the fact that our ASE team is developing and fielding world-class survivability systems in order to protect our Soldiers in executing their missions.‎”

Lt. Col. Kevin Chaney was selected as the product manager of the year for his efforts in overseeing the Army’s Aircraft Survivability Equipment Countermeasures office. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)

The two products Chaney manages are the Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM), which is currently installed on CH 47 Chinooks and the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM), a lighter weight system that will be fielded for the rest of the Army’s rotary wing fleet.

CIRCM will provide defensive infrared countermeasures capabilities into existing, current and future-generation aircraft to engage MANPADS as part of a suite of sensors and countermeasures which is responsible for detecting and declaring and defeating IR threats.

Having an understanding of the MANPADS threat to Army Aviation as well as the needs of both the Soldiers in the field and the capabilities of partnering organizations has been paramount to Chaney and his team’s success. “One way that Lt. Col. Chaney strives to maintain overmatch capability is through internal and external engagements,” said Col. Jong Lee, Project Manager ASE. “By having team members engage the user, Army Headquarters, ASA(ALT), Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the other Services, he developed a collaborative product with growth potential to handle current and emerging threats. These multi-front engagements are a success as the result of a great deal of organizational communication and by empowering individuals with an understanding of our goals.”

“The most significant contributing factor for Lt. Col. Chaney’s selection was his ability to serve as the leader of his team. The best team can play well but it needs a great coach to win. Like a great coach, Kevin has the ability to pull the best performance from every member of his team, which was a key factor in the success of the CIRCM program achieving Milestone B and entering the next phase of the program,” said Lee.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]