COL Eugene E. Shoults, USMC (Ret.)
Award: Gold Medal Award
Year: 1988
Recipient:
COL Eugene E. Shoults, USMC (Ret.)
Reason:
For his significant contribution to naval engineering as set forth in the following:
As a Marine officer and civil servant, Eugene E. Shoults has had a truly distinguished career of 37 years. At no time in this career, however, have his contributions been more consequential than in his current assignment as Program Manager of the Amphibious Warfare and Strategic Sealift Program (PMS 377), Naval Sea Systems Command. In this capacity he has performed superlatively, having “fleeted up” from the position of Deputy Program Manager in April 1985. In addition to exemplary leadership, Mr. Shoults has applied his exceptional engineering expertise, administrative ability, and innovative management style to direct the modernization of the nation’s amphibious warfare and strategic sealift forces.
A striking example of Mr. Shoults’ contributions is found in the LHD 1 Class Program. The impending delivery and commissioning of WASP, the lead ship, will provide the Navy/Marine Corps team with the most capable amphibious ship ever constructed. This modern-day 40,000-ton dreadnought will handle requirements for helicopters, LCACs, and VSTOL aircraft operations, including the Av-8B Harrier aircraft. Mr. Shoults, displaying an enormous capacity for detail, skillfully guided this ship program through the maze of potential pitfalls which are inherent in building a ship of the size and complexity of WASP. In parallel, he directed the successful competition for the follow-on ships of the Class with resultant savings estimated at over $800 million.
Another example of Mr. Shoults’ contributions is the successful acquisition and Fleet phase-in of the revolutionary new LCAC. Fifteen LCACs have been delivered to the Fleet and 33 others are under contract for construction.
A highly skilled and articulate advocate for the Navy/Marine Corps team, Mr. Shoults has been singularly instrumental in rebuilding our nation’s amphibious warfare and strategic sealift capability. His sustained, superior performance as Program Manager of the Amphibious Warfare and Strategic Sealift Program has made unique and lasting contributions to the defense of the United States, thereby making him worthy to receive the American Society of Naval Engineers Gold Medal Award for 1988.