By Megan Clark | PEO IEW&S

Ten years ago this year, Maj. Gen. Harry Greene gave the ultimate sacrifice defending his country. He served the Nation in the U.S. Army for more than 34 years, with nearly a third of his career contributing both directly and indirectly to the Army C5ISR enterprise in countless impactful ways.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Schenectady, New York, Greene always had a knack for electronics and engineering. After graduating from high school, he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in materials engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Additionally, Greene held a master’s degree in industrial engineering from RPI, a master’s degree in materials engineering from the University of Southern California (USC), and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in materials science from USC.

Greene began his contributions to the Army as an engineer supporting at several different echelons, to include an engineer combat systems officer at the U.S. Army Engineer School, and a resident engineer and a project engineer with the Corps of Engineers.

Career in acquisition
His education and previous assignments aided him in his many roles within the Army Acquisition Corps, including Product Manager Aerial Common Sensor, Project Manager Battle Command, Deputy Commanding General U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (now U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command), and PEO IEW&S, among many other leadership roles.

He served as the Program Executive Officer Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors from May 2011 to April 2012, where he led a multi-functional team of civilians, military and industry partners to deliver state-of-the-art capabilities to the warfighter. Among his many notable accomplishments with PEO IEW&S was the management and overseeing of the Common Infrared Countermeasure, or CIRCM, and the Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System, or EMARSS, programs.

Dedicated to protecting Soldiers and aircraft, CIRCM is a lightweight, laser-based infrared countermeasure system that interfaces with other systems to defeat current and emerging missile threats that target rotary-wing, tilt-rotor and small fixed-wing aircraft. Greene served as an early champion for the system, which is currently being fielded throughout the Army.

Understanding the critical need for an aerial Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance system that offers cross-cueing of multiple on-board sensors to enable timely target confirmation and positive identification or targets was Greene’s focus as he paved the path for EMARSS. During the past decade EMARSS provided tremendous support throughout the counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the lessons learned are being applied to the next generation of aerial ISR programs.

His final assignment was as the deputy commanding general of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, where he leveraged all his previous experience to deliver needed equipment, training, sustainment and facilities to Afghan National Security Forces in theater. On August 5, 2014, Greene was tragically killed in action leading from the front in Kabul. He is the highest-ranking officer to lose their life in combat since the Vietnam War and is the highest-ranking officer to be killed in combat in the global war on terrorism.

Greene’s central philosophy was to “leave it better than you found it.” He valued trust, teamwork and communication as a leader. For Greene, excellence was driven as part of the team. His skills coaching his two kids’ baseball and soccer games easily translated to how he treated his workforce; as a mentor and coach, giving everyone the opportunity to learn and make mistakes and become better professionals for it.

Awards
In June 2022, he was posthumously inducted into the C5ISR Hall of Fame. At the time, his wife, Dr. Susan Myers, said Greene always spoke of doing what you love.
“He loved his work,” Myers said at the ceremony in 2022. “He always said if you don’t love what you’re doing, do something else.”

Along with the C5ISR Hall of Fame, Greene was part of the inaugural Army Acquisition Hall of Fame. The Honorable Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the inductees represented decades of “quiet and noble service, often behind the scenes.” At the conclusion of the ceremony, plaques were unveiled that are now hung in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology in the Pentagon.

In 2023, Greene was further honored with a memorial plaque mounted on a large stone featuring his likeness, a seal from his final unit and words about his service both in Dari and English. The stone was transferred from the Minister of Defense Headquarters in Kabul to the C5ISR Campus at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

His other decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters; the Purple Heart Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal with silver oak leaf cluster; the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters; and the Army Achievement Medal.

Greene’s greatest contribution to the Army were the countless people he worked with and supported, many of whom have remained in the C5ISR and acquisition community to continue carrying his legacy forward.
Greene was not only a selfless Soldier and a leader, but a true hero to the Army whose legacy and impact will continue for years to come.