CAPT (ret.) Dennis W. Prather NAVSEA Systems Engineering Naval Sea Systems Command

CAPT Prather began his Naval career in 1982 less than one month after graduating High School, as a seaman recruit (E-1). During the following three years of active duty he was promoted to E-5. Initially he completed Gunners Mate A-school and then two C-Schools to become a MK-16 Anti-Submarine Rocket Launcher Technician (GMT). His first duty assignment was on board the USS HAYLER, DD-997, where he completed tours in the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf. In 1985 he transferred to the Navy Reserves as an E-5, where he performed tours on board the USS McCLOY FF-1038, as Work Center Supervisor (WCS) and later the USS CLARK FFG-11, as Lead Petty Officer (LPO). After serving 5 years in the reserves and upon graduating from the University of Maryland with a BSEE (’89), he was commissioned as an Engineering Duty Officer (EDO) in 1990. His first assignment as an EDO was to the Naval Surface Warfare Center where he completed his engineering qualification program, served as Command Duty Officer and performed research on Diffractive Optical Elements. In 1995 and upon completing his MSEE (’93) he transferred to the Naval Research Laboratory and was assigned to the Tactical Electronic Warfare Division, where he performed research on electromagnetic sensing. For this work he was awarded the William J. Kastner Award for Naval Engineering Excellence, in 2000. Upon completion of his PhD (’97), he was assigned to the Office of Naval Research where he was appointed at the US Naval Representative to NATO and served as Chairman on two International Technology Study Groups and reported directly to the NATO Executive Committee. In 2010 he was assigned to the Program Executive Office of Integrated Warfare Systems where he designed, analyzed, and certified Naval Radar and Ladar systems. In this capacity, he served as the Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of an Interoperability Exercise between legacy and modern Radar systems during the Trident Warier Battle Group Exercise, while on board the USS Nimitz CVN-68. CAPT Prather’s last assignment was to the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Systems Engineering Unit as the IWS Pillar Lead and in his previous assignment he was Deputy Supervisor of Shipbuilding for the Gulf Coast where he supported NAVSEA and PEO Ships at 4 major industrial shipyards with $53B in contracts and 7 ACAT1 programs. His Reserve experience compliments his civilian career as an Endowed, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Delaware, where he is a Fellow of the IEEE, Fellow of the Society of Photo-Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), and Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). He has authored or co-authored over 650 scientific papers, holds over 40 patents, and has written 14 books/book-chapters. His expertise is in Radar, Communication and EW Systems with particular emphasis on optical, photonic, RF and analog devices, components, and systems. CAPT Prather wears the EDO Reserve pin, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon, GW-Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Expert Marksman Pistol Ribbon, Sharp Shooter Rifle Ribbon.