The Department of the Navy’s air-to-ground weapons program office held a change of command Jan. 16 at the Rear Adm. William Moffett building here.
Capt. Jamie Engdahl relieved Capt. Carl Chebi as program manager of the Precision Strike Weapons (PMA-201) program office, who is transitioning to the Air Warfare Mission Area/From the Air Program Office (PMA-298) here
“Capt. Chebi is a man of integrity, a strong decision maker, mindful of his people and committed to this organization and the Navy.” said Rear Adm. Mat Winter, who oversees PMA-201 as the program executive officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO(U&W)).
Chebi commanded PMA-201, the program responsible for research, development, acquisition and sustainment of precision guided weapons, general-purpose bombs, aircraft armament-related equipment and all cartridge/propellant actuated devices, in December 2009.
He led a group of government and contractor men and women who are collectively responsible for the total life-cycle management of the Navy’s precision strike weapons capabilities.
“People make an organization successful; not budgets, not rules, not policies, not instruction, not procedures. It’s the people,” Chebi said. “People who challenge the assumption instead of keeping the routine. People who get things done, but ask, are they worth doing them in the first place. People who are more interested in determining how we will, instead of discussing why we cannot.”
Under Chebi’s command, PMA-201 achieved major milestones, including a series of successful test flights of the Joint Stand-off Weapon C-1 and Small Diameter Bomb II, the sales exchange agreement of the Harpoon Block II+ missile, and standing-up the Offensive Anti-Surface Weapon integrated program.
He also oversaw the establishment of the Direct Attack Moving Target Capability program, which was operational 17-months after the U.S. Air Force Central Command issued an urgent-need statement to develop a weapon capable of meeting the warfighters current needs.
Engdahl, who most recently served as the program manager for the Unmanned Combat Air System (PMA-268) program, oversaw the first-ever unmanned aircraft catapult launch and arrested landing on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier in 2013. His team led the way for future unmanned carrier operations.
As the PMA-201 program manager, he takes command of 33 programs with more than $4.5 billion total obligation authority, and more than 700 military, civilian and contractor personnel. He is responsible for NAVAIR’s largest foreign military sales portfolio with 39 coalition partners managing $3.1 billion dollars.
“PMA-201 plays a critical role in the Navy’s strategic vision for the future,” Engdahl said. “We will continue to operate with innovation, technical excellence and focus on affordability.”
Engdahl will lead an award-winning team cited by the Order of the Daedalians and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, for demonstrating exemplary innovation and best acquisition practices.
“For the past five weeks, I’ve had the privilege to closely observe the professionals in PMA-201 and I can say with certainty that they are an exceptional workforce,” Engdahl said. “Experienced, highly motivated, and above all, singularly dedicated to support the warfighter and fielding the best strike weapons capabilities available.”
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