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Photo Information

Rear Adm. Dan Dwyer (right), commander, Carrier Strike Group Nine, presents the 2018 Alva Bryan Lasswell Award for Fleet Support to Maj. Paxton Miller (left) Oct. 23, during an award ceremony at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego. Miller is the naval systems integration officer with Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity aboard Camp Pendleton, California. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sky M. Laron)

Photo by Sky Laron

MCTSSA Marine receives 2018 Lasswell Award for Fleet Support

14 Dec 2018 | Sky M. Laron, Public Affairs Officer, MCTSSA Marine Corps Systems Command

A Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity Marine was recognized by the National Defense Industrial Association, or NDIA, during an award ceremony Oct. 23in San Diego.

Maj. Paxton Miller was honored as the 2018 Alva Bryan Lasswell Award winner for Fleet Support by Rear Adm. Dan Dwyer, commander, Carrier Strike Group Nine.

 

“[Miller’s] innovative achievements have directly contributed to fleet readiness,” said Dwyer.

 

Miller, who has served his country for 11 years, was recognized for his work as the MCTSSA naval systems integration officer.

 

“Maj. Miller has led a highly energized team whose efforts are confronting a long-standing challenge of integrating USMC command, control, communications and computer systems of embarking Marines aboard Navy amphibious ships,” said Shawn Stone, Test and Certification Group director at MCTSSA.

 

The Lasswell award is presented to mid-level active-duty or civil service technical individuals who directly support the fleet forces. Support can be either through technology innovation or in-service engineering accomplishments.

 

“Miller has been a catalyst in the implementation of rigorous and interactive processes designed to enhance the readiness and effectiveness of deploying Marine Expeditionary Units,” said Stone.

 

Marines deployed on MEUs are now able to focus on performing their critical and time sensitive missions, rather than being forced into the role as a C4 systems integrator, said Stone.

 

I am incredibly grateful to be considered for the award, and the recognition is just as much about the professional, capable and motivated team I work with daily,” said Miller. “Without their support and my command's trust, working on this project would not be nearly as rewarding or impactful.”

 

The award Miller received is named in honor of Marine Corps Maj. Alva Bryan Lasswell who was a cryptologist stationed at Pearl Harbor during WWII. He worked day and night to decipher radio traffic of the Japanese Navy, helping to trigger the American victory at Midway Island.

Lasswell was innovative, believed in excellence, and worked tenaciously to get the job done. Innovation, excellence and tenacity are the hallmarks of the award named in his honor.

NDIA promotes awareness and educates the private and public sectors on issues related to national security.

MCTSSA, an elite, full-scale laboratory facility operated by the Marine Corps, is a subordinate command of Marine Corps Systems Command. MCTSSA provides test and evaluation, engineering, and deployed technical support for Marine Corps and joint service command, control, computer, communications and intelligence systems throughout all acquisition life-cycle phases.