Pax Air Traffic Control Officer Awarded by Office of Naval Research
NAS PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland (Oct. 26, 2023) - Mr. Jason Payne, Office of Naval Research Director of Global Tech Solutions, present the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal to Lt. Cmdr. Samuel Hughes, NAS Patuxent River Air Traffic Control Facility Officer, for superior performance of his duties in supporting the Air Traffic Control training simulation technology development with the Office of Naval Research Global Tech Solutions from 2021 to 2022. Hughes was commended for taking initiative to improve trainee achievement of NATOPS standards and objectives by motivating the science and technology community to develop a dedicated training system to allow air traffic control radar operators to conduct uninterrupted training sessions. The solution reduced the training timeline and increased the quality of instruction to significantly increase mission readiness.