[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9655-9656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO MR. RICHARD S. MATLOCK

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MO BROOKS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 21, 2017

  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement 
from the Department of Defense, I raise tribute to Mr. Richard S. 
Matlock for a 40-year career as a civil servant and distinguished 
member of the Senior Executive Service of the United States. Mr. 
Matlock was one of the Department of Defense's top Science and 
Technology Executives. In his most recent position, Mr. Matlock served 
as the Program Executive for Advanced Technology for the Missile 
Defense Agency. In this position, he led the development of the next 
generation cutting-edge missile defense technology and proved the 
benefit to the warfighter through realistic experiments in relevant 
environments. Mr. Matlock developed new missile defense capabilities 
that outpaced threats from potential adversaries and enabled the 
Ballistic Missile Defense System to defend the Nation, its deployed 
forces, and its friends and allies against ballistic missile attack. 
Mr. Matlock's portfolio included high energy lasers, advanced sensors, 
and future anti-ballistic missile interceptors. Mr. Matlock 
simultaneously directed a Department-wide missile defeat special 
program for the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Mr. Matlock's previous 
Senior Executive assignments included the Program Director for 
Ballistic Missile Defense System Kill Vehicles, Program Director for 
Modeling and Simulation, and Technical Director for Kinetic Energy 
Interceptors.
  Mr. Matlock's broad based career in government service included major 
acquisition and scientific positions with the Office of the Under 
Secretary for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Missile 
Defense Agency, the United States Navy, the Strategic Defense 
Initiative Organization, and the United States Air Force.
  While serving at the Missile Defense Agency, Mr. Matlock led the 
world's first destruction of a ballistic missile during boost using an 
airborne high energy laser. His expert management skills enabled the 
program to overcome numerous technical hurdles to accomplish a feat 
many leading scientists declared outside the laws of physics. Mr. 
Matlock also initiated a joint experimental plan with the United States 
Air Force to prove the utility of unmanned aerial vehicle systems in a 
missile defense role. As the Senior Executive responsible for 
developing, integrating, testing, and procuring advanced kill vehicles 
for all exo-atmospheric interceptors, Mr. Matlock defined a modular 
kill vehicle concept that decreased the number of system developments 
which reduced cost and risk. Mr. Matlock also redirected the agency's 
modeling and simulation approach by using state of the art open 
architecture frameworks that allowed plug and play capability of a 
disparate set of models from a diverse contractor base thus eliminating 
intellectual property loss and reducing the time required for model 
code rewrite.
  During his tenure with the Naval Sea Systems Command, Mr. Matlock led 
the development and implementation of a joint missile defense research 
program with the Japan Defense Agency which set in motion the joint 
deployment of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Prior to 
employment with the Navy, Mr. Matlock was the Program Manager for 
Interceptor Technology Integration in the Ballistic Missile Defense 
Organization (formerly the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization). 
Mr. Matlock developed the Lightweight Exo-Atmospheric Projectile, a 
primary building block for the Nation's missile defense programs. As 
Program Manager for this technology demonstration program, he 
established the experimental pathfinder for the Aegis Ballistic Missile

[[Page 9656]]

Defense Program. Mr. Matlock also built, launched, and operated several 
earth observing satellites, proving the value of low cost rapidly 
fieldable microsatellites for complex missile defense and space control 
missions.
  Prior to joining the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, Mr. 
Matlock held several positions in the Department of the Air Force, both 
as an officer and civil servant including Chief of Integration and 
Analysis at the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory and Technology 
Director, Space Based Interceptor System Program Office at Air Force 
Systems Command's Space Division.
  Mr. Matlock's major awards include the Air Force Aerospace Primus 
Award, the Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for Missile Defense, 
the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award, the Missile Defense Agency's 
Star for Program Management, the inaugural Missile Defense Technology 
Pioneer Award, the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, and the 
Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service.
  Mr. Matlock consistently exemplified a true dedication to our Nation 
and its ideals. His vision and drive enabled fielding of a truly 
worldwide ballistic missile defense capability that will be part of 
this Nation's defense for decades to come. The Ballistic Missile 
Defense System is one of mankind's greatest technical achievements. Mr. 
Matlock created programs that matured technology, strengthened the 
Nation's industrial base, leveraged the capabilities of laboratories 
and universities, and grew a science and technology workforce that will 
meet the needs of the next generation of missile defense systems. Our 
Nation owes Mr. Matlock and his family a debt of gratitude for his 
outstanding leadership and service.

                          ____________________