Fire Controlman 1st Class Elizabeth Clark from Arleigh-Burke guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) was recognized as "Missile Defender of the Year" during a ceremony at the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) annual ceremony in Alexandria, Jan. 8.

The event also included Defender of the Year winners from the Army, Air Force and Army National Guard who best exhibited leadership, personal effort and demonstrated a commitment to excellence in missile defense and their critical role in defending our country.

The award recognizes and honors the contributions of members of the military who man fully operational missile defense systems.

The defenders are active-duty officers, enlisted personnel, or reservists from each service branch who work within the missile defense system and are nominated by their peers and commanding officers.

Clark, from Deer Park, Washington, enlisted in the Navy in March 2010. She served four years aboard Ross and over the last year, Clark's efforts enabled the ship to support a wide range of missions in various environments.

Clark was the lead AN/SPY-1D 3D Radar, or, SPY technician aboard the ship and ensured scheduling and completion of all preventative and corrective maintenance. Her efforts have corrected casualty reports, avoided multiple others and helped to save the Navy approximately $78,950.

"I am very honored to have been selected for this achievement; it took a lot of long hours, on and off duty, and unwavering support from my fellow technicians and leadership," said Clark. "We did this together and I am fortunate to have a great chain of command that recognizes our hard work and dedication to the mission and our Sailors."

Her experience and system knowledge resulted in 100 percent mission readiness allowing Ross to track and execute its first Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) firing. It was due in part to Clark's ability to operate and maintain the Aegis Combat Suite and SPY radar.

Clark was recently promoted to petty officer first class and has been recognized for excellent work as one of 6th Fleet's 2M technicians for the 3rd quarter fiscal year 2015.

The Missile Defender of the Year award is an annual honor given by the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, a non-profit organization devoted to building a wide range of successful missile defense systems for the U.S.

For more news from the Ross, visit www.navy.mil.