Capt. Scott Kraft, NSWC IHEODTD commanding officer, pins the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service on Steve Kim, as his wife Julianne Kim watches on, at a ceremony held at NSWC Indian Head EOD Technology Division June 7, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Matt Poynor)

The Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service was awarded to Steven Kim, a mechanical engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, at an award presentation held on base June 7. It is the second highest award granted to career civilian employees by the secretary of defense.

Kim, recognized nationally and internationally as a U.S. expert in biological agent countermeasures, was awarded the medal for his distinctive accomplishments from October 2006 to August 2016. His work conducting exploitations of improvised explosive devices enhanced the understanding of the threat posed to U.S. warfighters along with fostering collaboration with national, joint and international partners to fully depict the most recent threats to not only U.S. military forces but also those of its allies.

In addition to his IED efforts, Kim managed classified programs for DoD and non-DoD organizations providing oversight on the development, testing and fabrication of emergency destruct units currently deployed to safeguard classified information and equipment. He also provided research and testing of specialized energetic tools for special operations application. —NAVSEA