KIRTLAND AFB, New Mexico -- Everett Smith, lead avionics engineer, Aviation Safety Division of the Air Force Safety Center, here, received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service on April 8 in Washington, D.C.
The medal and citation were presented by Dr. David Chu, Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, for Mr. Smith's participation on the Defense Safety Oversight Council, or DSOC. Less than 200 people throughout the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines are awarded this distinction each year.
Mr. Smith is the first civilian recognized for his efforts since the inception of this panel in 2003. As chairman of the Safety Technology Working Group, Mr. Smith championed aviation mishap prevention strategies such as automatic ground collision avoidance systems, helicopter technologies to improve safety during low visibility operations and to minimize injuries and fatalities for occupants, and regular analysis of flight data.
These initiatives are expected to cut mishap rates in half for many aircraft fleets, saving lives and billions of dollars.
Dr. Chu established the DSOC to address the Secretary of Defense challenge to reduce mishaps by 50 percent and its panel members include the Under Secretaries and Vice Chiefs of each military Service. Areas addressed within the DSOC include aviation safety improvement, deployments and operations, personal vehicle operations and occupational health.
Mr. Smith was an engineer in the F-16 and B-2 program offices at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and has been in his current position of Lead Avionics Engineer at the Safety Center since 1995.