NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy’s Aerial Targets Program Office (PMA-208) welcomed a new program manager during a change of command ceremony July 24 at Patuxent River.
Capt. Molly Boron relieved Capt. Tom Cecil, who will assume a position in the Rapid Engineering and Integration Division at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division.
Cecil managed more than 200 personnel and was responsible for the development, production and sustainment of subsonic and supersonic aerial target systems, which test and evaluate naval combat systems.
During his remarks, Cecil commended his team and reiterated that the work they do gives Sailors and Marines confidence that the ships they are deployed on can defend themselves.
“Our targets are crucial to the development and testing of other weapon systems, and sometimes they are the last thing a deploying battle group sees before they go over the horizon,” he said.
Boron, who most recently supported Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office (PMA-290) as the P-8A integrated product team lead, also acknowledged the team’s efforts and the role they serve for the Navy.
“We must focus on meeting the support requirements for the systems we field, and seek opportunities to provide relevant threat anti-ship cruise missile, full-scale and mobile land targets presentations to our next generation of weapon systems and warfighters,” Boron said to the PMA-208 team.
PMA-208 provides threat representative aerial targets for fleet training and test and evaluation.