The Honorable Ashton B. Carter, Deputy Secretary of Defense, is presented with the Ronald Reagan Missile Defense Award for distinguished contributions in advancing missile defense as a critical defense capability for the United States.

His achievements have provided many years of consistent and visionary leadership in positions of great responsibility, including Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Senior Advisor to the North Korea Policy Review at the Department of State, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, senior positions at Harvard University, and as a member on awide range of federal boards and commissions.

Throughout his years in government, Secretary Carter has been a steadfast and articulate supporter of the Department's efforts to strengthen the nation's defenses against emerging threats. There is no better example of his strong support for missile defense than his forward-thinking commitment to MDA's phased adaptive approach which marked a major departure from previous ideas and concepts.

As missile defenses have expanded to play a vital role in the national defense strategy of the United States and become a truly integrated part of the force structure, Dr. Carter has been instrumental in defining the relationship between the Missile Defense Agency, the developer, and the Services, the operators, of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. Dr. Carter's perspective on ballistic missile defense has shaped thinking on a national level to meet a real-world evolving threat.

For his extraordinary dedication and singular service to our nation and the Missile Defense Agency, this award is gratefully presented to Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Ashton Carter.