[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 33 (Friday, February 23, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF DAVID R. CASTELLANO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MIKIE SHERRILL

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 23, 2024

  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. David 
Castellano, who retired this month after 42 years of faithful and 
dedicated service as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army and in the 
Senior Executive Service.
  After graduating from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Mr. 
Castellano chose to apply his knowledge and experience to the U.S. 
military's armaments enterprise, including at Picatinny Arsenal located 
in NJ-11. The contributions he has made to our national defense, and to 
our allies' defense, are enormous, and we all owe him a debt of 
gratitude.
  In 2003, Mr. Castellano was appointed to the Senior Executive 
Service. He later became the first Executive Director of the Weapons 
and Software Engineering Center, where he was in charge of over 1,400 
employees between Picatinny Arsenal and other installations in New York 
and Maryland. The Center provides software support for critical combat 
and weapons systems.
  In 2016, Mr. Castellano tackled a new challenge in innovation and 
modernization efforts as the Executive Director of the Munitions 
Engineering and Technology Center at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities 
Development Command Armaments Center. There, he led a top team of 
engineers and researchers in the development and implementation of over 
1,200 munitions and armaments systems for the Army, the Marine Corps, 
and Special Forces combat teams. Thanks to his efforts, the Armaments 
Center has continued to develop and sustain combat systems that both 
our warfighters and our allies depend on and will continue to into the 
future.
  In gratitude for his outstanding service, Mr. Castellano has been 
awarded the Presidential Rank Award, the Secretary of Defense Medal, 
and the NATO Certificate of Recognition. In addition, he also received 
several prestigious awards from the National Defense Industrial 
Association including: the Lt. Gen. Thomas R. Ferguson, Jr. Systems 
Engineering Excellence Award, the Firepower Development Award, and the 
John A. Ulrich Lifetime Achievement Award.
  I want to thank Mr. Castellano for the critical engineering and 
systems work that he and his team have done over his career to support 
our national defense, and I wish him the best for a well-earned and 
restful retirement.

                          ____________________