Defense medal awarded to research lab director Published July 25, 2007 By J. Rich Garcia 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico -- The Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service was presented here July 10 to Susan J. Thornton, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate. Presented by Maj. Gen. Ted F. Bowlds, Air Force Research Laboratory commander at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, the medal recognizes Ms. Thornton for her work as the director of engineering with the Airborne Laser System Program Office here. Ms. Thornton worked at the Airborne Laser System Program Office before coming to the laboratory earlier this year. A citation accompanying the medal recognized Ms. Thornton for her aggressive leadership, which kept an extremely complicated $3.5 billion development program on an aggressive schedule. Specifically cited was her "dual path" approach that permitted parallel development and test of the high-energy laser system along with the battle management and beam control/fire control subsystems. Praised was her technical oversight, under which the Airborne Laser demonstrated its flight worthiness following the most extensive aircraft modification in the nation's history. The program also successfully demonstrated that the laser has the necessary power and duration to destroy all classes of boosting ballistic missiles. The Airborne Laser program is under the Missile Defense Agency in Washington.