News Release: Kirtland AFB to honor 'Order of the Nucleus' recipients

  • Published
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AFB, N.M. --  Brig. Gen. Garrett Harencak, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center commander, will induct a new class of "Order of the Nucleus" recipients Thursday at 4 p.m. in the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History at 601 Eubank Boulevard SE.

The "Order of the Nucleus" is an AFNWC award presented to those who are supporting and have supported the nuclear enterprise with great distinction.

A brief profile of each honoree appears below.

Gen. Donald J. Hoffman is the commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. In his first year as the AFMC commander, Hoffman stood up the Directorate for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, secured permission to establish an Air Force Program Executive Office for Strategic Systems, and AFMC became the single nuclear weapons authority for all continental U.S. based weapons storage areas.

Maj. Gen. John F. Thompson served as the Air Force Program Executive Officer for Strategic Systems from March 2010 to September 2011. During that time, Thompson was instrumental in transforming the ICBM Systems Division by instilling leadership, identity and unity. His team modernized a critical leg of the nuclear triad by establishing the new Joint Fuze Program and Charting the Course for the Future ICBM Sustainment and Acquisition Construct.

Dr. John C. Hogan, who received his Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry in 1974, retired from Sandia National Laboratories as a senior scientist in 2011. In 1998, he created the SNL Weapon Training Programs and as its lead instructor taught more than 6,000 Department of Defense and Department of Energy students.

Chief Master Sgt. Vernon L. Thompson is the command chief for the AFNWC and the 377th ABW. During his time as the command chief here, he has helped identify the top 10 nuclear issues in AFMC and provided corrected actions plans to the AFMC commander to help solve the issues.

Virginia A. Brown works for the AFNWC as the Logistics Program Manager for Nuclear Enterprise Demilitarization and Disposal. Since her arrival here, Brown has helped set up a five-year plan to identify and eliminate more than 130,000 excess nuclear-related assets. Brown has instilled a mindset that demilitarization needs to be planned, programmed and executed according to schedule.

The Weapons Systems Supply Chain Management Team from the ICBM Directorate has provided immeasurable contributions to the support to the Minuteman III weapons system. The WSSCM has exhibited oversight and logistics control for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and the Nuclear Posture Review between the U.S. and Russian Federation. The WSSCM has ensured logistics accountability of all assets associated with the deployment of ICBM reentry vehicles and the ability to redeploy multiple independent reentry vehicle systems.