[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 48 (Tuesday, April 22, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S3463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DR. ANITA JONES

 Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
professional dedication, vision and public service of Dr. Anita K. 
Jones who is completing her appointment, after 4 years, as the Director 
of Defense Research and Engineering [DDR&E]. A native of Texas, and 
longtime Virginia resident, Dr. Jones is one of this country's 
preeminent information technology experts and a pioneer for women in 
science and engineering career fields everywhere. Prior to coming to 
the Department of Defense, she was the chair of the department of 
computer science at the University of Virginia. As DDR&E, she serves in 
one of the Nation's top technical positions and oversees the largest 
defense research and development organization in the world.
  Her strong support for, and oversight of, the multibillion-dollar 
Defense Science and Technology [S&T] Program dramatically improved the 
warfighting capabilities and readiness of our Nation's military forces 
both today and well into the future. Dr. Jones spearheaded the 
implementation of a new structured planning process which aligns 
technology research and development more directly with critical 
warfighting and national security priorities. Through strong 
leadership, she brought the technology and operational military 
communities together to design detailed plans to sustain U.S. dominance 
on the battlefield into the next century.
  In addition, Dr. Jones focused the Department of Defense S&T Program 
to ensure military and national preeminence in several strategic 
technologies with both military and commercial application such as 
information technology, high-performance computing, advanced 
electronics, materials and modeling and simulation. Her active outreach 
within the Department of Defense expanded greatly the scope of the 
Defense S&T Program and the speed and ease at which technology is 
developed and transitioned into our warfighting arsenal and support 
infrastructure. Furthermore, her direct support of pervasive 
technologies such as high end computing and semiconductors resulted in 
breakthroughs across a wide spectrum of applications, both military and 
civilian, such as modeling of geophysical phenomenon, aerodynamics and 
process flow, which contributed directly to our Nation's ability to 
execute a record number of peacekeeping and military operations without 
the loss of a single life due to combat.
  Dr. Jones' awards include the Department of Defense Award for 
Distinguished Public Service and the Meritorious Civilian Service 
Award. She has served on several Government advisory boards and 
scientific review panels such as the Defense Science Board, Air Force 
Scientific Advisory Board, the National Research Council, and the 
National Science Foundation. She is a member of the National Academy of 
Engineers and is a fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery and 
the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
  I know that Dr. Jones' husband, William A. Wulf, and her daughters, 
Karin and Ellen, are proud of her many accomplishments, and so is the 
Nation. Her distinguished service will be genuinely missed in the 
Department of Defense, and all of us who know her wish her every 
success as she returns to the University of Virginia.

                          ____________________