[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 10, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING DR. WILLIAM A. ``BILL'' CRAIG

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MO BROOKS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 2013

  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor and privilege to 
recognize Dr. William A. ``Bill'' Craig and his many accomplishments 
during his career.
   After receiving a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from 
Mississippi State University, Dr. Craig began his civil service career 
in 1960 with Dr. Werhner Von Braun's Astrionics Laboratory before 
moving to the Army Ballistic Missile Defense Agency in 1970, and then 
as a charter member to the Army Missile Command's Missile System 
Software Center when it was established in 1976.
   Since 1988, Bill Craig has served as the Director of the U.S. Army 
Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aviation and Missile 
Research, Development and Engineering Center, Software Engineering 
Directorate (SED). Through his leadership, the SED, as an organization, 
attained a Level 4 rating against the Software Engineering Institute's 
(SEI's) Software Capability Maturity Model in 2000. During Dr. Craig's 
tenure, the SED has experienced significant growth, greatly expanding 
its customer base as well as enlarging its facilities. As one of only 
three Life Cycle Software Engineering Centers in the Army, the SED 
provides software and systems engineering support for most of the 
Army's major weapon and aviation systems. Under the leadership of Dr. 
Craig, the SED organization is the responsible agent for the 
development and fielding of numerous Army Systems, including: Joint 
Battle Command-Platform and the Aviation Mission Planning System. Also, 
the SED, in partnership with the Program.
   Executive Officers and Program Mangers, has established numerous 
Aviation and Missile System Integration Laboratories for the analysis 
and test of tactical systems and software. These laboratories provide 
the capability for Joint Services Interoperability Certification as 
well as Intra Army Certification. The SED also is responsible for 
development and deployment of the America's Army Program. This program 
includes the public game, weapon systems trainers, and Army recruiting 
applications.
   The SED collaborates with a number of other organizations/agencies, 
including: Space and Missile Defense Command for Cyber Security, 
Jackson State University for Homeland Security, and as a Technology 
Transition Partner with the Software Engineering Institute. The SED has 
also made significant progress in workforce development, in partnership 
with the University of Alabama in Huntsville, including a very robust 
Co-op Program, and advanced degrees in Software Engineering and Systems 
Engineering. These opportunities allow the expansion and growth of the 
SED workforce to remain relevant in the complex areas of the digital 
world.
   Dr. Craig is a highly respected leader and visionary in the 
community and a strong proponent of the greater Tennessee Valley area. 
In 2004, he received an honorary doctorate degree from the University 
of Alabama in Huntsville. Additionally he serves on the advisory board 
for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the 
University of Alabama in Huntsville. Other honors include induction 
into the Order of Saint Barbara, an honorary military society of the 
United States Field Artillery Association, recognition as supervisor of 
the year in 1985 by the North Alabama Chapter of Federally Employed 
Women, and the first recipient of the Joseph C. Moquin Award given by 
the Huntsville Association of Technology Societies in 2006. In 2010, 
the Tennessee Valley National Defense Industrial Association presented 
Dr. Craig with the Medaris Award for demonstrating technical excellence 
in promoting the defense preparedness for the nation.

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