Rear Adm. Brian Corey, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division commander, presented Ken Chirkis with a Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award during a surprise ceremony, Aug. 29, at China Lake, California.

Chirkis currently serves as the head of the System Safety Engineering Branch, and received the award in honor of his technical leadership contributions to the areas of system safety engineering and major weapon system acquisition.

His work spans from weapon system acquisition and insensitive munitions to holding a position as a Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) principal for safety on programs such as the Joint Standoff Weapon and Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, among others. Additionally, he has served as a NAVAIR technical area expert for Weapon/Store Safety Integration as part of the NAVAIR Flight Clearance/Airworthiness Process since 1989.

"The fruits of his committed service over more than three decades have readied numerous weapons and target systems for fleet use," according to his nomination.

Corey expressed great appreciation for Chirkis' expertise.

"We have come a long, long way," Corey said. "We forget these lessons if we don't have professionals who stick with it for decades. Ken is not only a recognized expert here, but throughout the world."

Other awards that Chirkis earned include the NAWCWD Michelson Laboratory, and NAWCWD Research and Engineering Awards. He's been teaching at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University as an adjunct professor after-hours and has been involved in mentoring throughout his entire career.

"I think the mentoring is absolutely as important as any of the widgets he has worked on because it will live in our workforce long after he chooses to hang it up," Corey added.

While Chirkis didn't deliver the brief he was lured to the "meeting" for, he did take time to let those in attendance know how much he enjoys working at China Lake.

"I feel as blessed as any one person can be, first of all, for working here at China Lake; it's one of the best places to work in the world," he said. "I tell that to everybody that comes in the door. I tell members of the Engineer and Scientist Development Program how lucky they are to be here, how they can make a difference every day, and to look at this not just as a job, but as a career. That's what I did."

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