WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense recently announced Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) employee Mr. George Moore as a recipient of the Secretary of Defense 2022 Outstanding Civilian with a Disability Award.
Moore, a program analyst for SSP's Missile Re-entry Systems Branch, was awarded this honor for his outstanding contributions to the command's mission during a ceremony with family, colleagues, and friends Monday.
"I deeply appreciate your overall service and personal contributions to the support of the TRIDENT II Fleet Ballistic Missile Program," said Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe, director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs. "You are indeed one of SSP's exceptional leaders."
A U.S. Navy Veteran turned federal civilian, Moore fulfills an important job that presents a crucial underpinning to the part of SSP's mission which ensures no Nuclear Weapons Related Materials (NWRM) are acquired by our nation's adversaries. Specifically, he is the final authority on NWRM material disposition, which involves determining if proposed materials are NWRM related and ensuring proper control of them as charged by the Director of SSP.
"Back in the early 2000s, the NWRM program was established to ensure all nuclear material was identified and safeguarded," Moore said. "I credit the team I work with for their work guarantying nuclear weapons surety within SSP and for the DOD."
Nominating Moore for this honor was an easy decision for his colleague Ms. Martina Sibley, the program manager for the Guided Missile Submarine Strike Program at SSP.
"When the call for award nomination was released, I told myself I wanted to learn more about George professionally and understand his role at SSP," said Sibley who lauded Moore's impeccable work ethic. "I was not disappointed: he is humble, capable, and kind."
Having served 26 years in the Navy and 10 years at SSP, Moore is no stranger to challenges and strives to go above and beyond the call of duty in his daily work. In addition to adjudicating 16 NWRM disposal requests this year alone, he has worked countless hours to find highly innovative ways to develop low-cost training aids while providing outstanding education for the organization's military and civilians alike. He devised plans for and conducted five crucial readiness events-incorporating elements from the course he designed for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams at Kings Bay, Georgia and Bangor, Washington-to practice the critically precise skill of removing materials from nuclear warheads.
Moore's meticulous work has provided new streamlined onboarding processes for fellow employees joining the organization, and he plays a decisive lead role for the team that provides both Facility Technical Proficiency Evaluations and Management Activity Evaluations at five of SSP's field activities. Though he has personally battled Multiple Sclerosis for 16 years, he remains relentless in his efforts to help others.
"Doing this type of work has spanned the entirety of my adult life," Moore said. "Passing my knowledge to the next generation of engineers is critical, and I want to make sure we retain that expertise among peers."
October marks SSP's Diversity and Inclusion Council observance of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Report conveyed alarming statistics about how people with disabilities are being terminated from employment at an alarmingly higher rate than their able-bodied colleagues. Moore says the knowledge and skillset a member brings to an organization's workforce should be the main focus of any employer.
"It's not the physical disabilities that define a person's work," noted Moore, as he spoke of how humbled he is to work at SSP. "I don't know what other commands do, but this command serves as an example for the Department of Defense on how to promote employees' abilities to be better at the job."
Employees like Moore are critical assets to SSP operations, which support Sea Based Strategic Deterrence (SBSD) and are contributive to the Navy's full-spectrum deterrence mission. SSP is responsible for providing cradle-to-grave lifecycle support for the Navy's strategic weapons systems and the command is working to support the next generation of SBSD operations through the year 2084. Moore's background as a former Navy missile technician and Limited Duty Officer distinctively connects him to SSP's culture and aids his important work at the command.
"SSP values an ethos of structure and enforces a high standard of procedural compliance," he said. "It represents everything I was taught as a young enlisted missile technician, and those values resonate for me in the work I do today."
Moore's sentiments are echoed by SSP's director, who celebrates the people as the core enabler of the command's successes.
"Overseeing the Strategic Weapons System is vital to the safety of our Nation's citizens," Wolfe said. "This task requires us to meet the mission with a diverse, strong, and capable workforce-both uniformed and civilian-which is one of our greatest assets here at SSP and within the Navy."
As for the future, Moore plans to continue his work while defining new directions for training and capabilities within his division.
"As we move forward to 2084 and beyond, it is critically important we prepare the younger generation for the future-because they will train the next generation after them. So that's what I intend to keep doing."
