RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – A member of the U.S. Army’s Senior Executive Service is now an elite member of his high school’s hall of fame.
Dr. Barton H. Halpern, director of the Army Research Office, a directorate of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory, is now a member of the Shore Regional High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
The Distinguished Hall of Fame honors alumni who have made exceptional contributions in various fields and have become positive role models. It also celebrates excellence in community service, arts, education, literature, performing arts, politics, law, business, science, or athletics.
Halpern, who graduated from Shore Regional High School in 1980, joins an esteemed group of individuals who have excelled in their respective domains.
"My high school years played a crucial role in shaping my character and instilling in me the values of integrity, teamwork and service,” Halpern said. “I am grateful to my alma mater for providing me with a solid foundation that has guided me throughout my career. It is an honor to join the ranks of so many other exceptional Shore Regional alumni who have received this recognition."
Halpern’s service to country and community began in his childhood, where he embodied the Boy Scout Oath and Law, earning the rank of Eagle Scout while a student at Shore Regional High School.
Halpern then went on to spend more than thirty-five years in federal government service with the Department of Defense and private industry, ultimately being named to the Army’s SES in 2019.
Congress designed the SES to be an elite corps of managers and administrators charged with running the federal government. In the DOD, senior executives are the civilian counterparts of general officers.
As director of ARO, Halpern leads an organization of more than 100 staff members, scientists and engineers who execute the Army's extramural research program to create new and innovative scientific discoveries that will enable crucial future Army technologies and capabilities for the warfighter.
ARO has a research portfolio that exceeds $750 million, including more than 1,000 single investigator research projects, more than 40 multidisciplinary research centers and three University Affiliated Research Centers. ARO also manages the Small Business Technology Transfer Program and Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minorities Institutions Programs.
For the past 11 years, Halpern has also represented the Army in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and currently chairs the NATO Army Armaments Group.
Additionally, Halpern serves as a member of high-level executive scientific and technology committees and groups at the international, national and federal agency levels, providing technical expertise and influencing executive-level policy and programs.
Before joining DEVCOM ARL, Halpern served in the Joint Service Small Arms Program Office at the DEVCOM Armaments Center located at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. In a dual role as the chief technology officer for Small Arms and the NATO chairman for the Dismounted Soldier, Weapons and Sensors Sub Group, he provided technical and programmatic advice, leading science and technology initiatives across the joint services and international research and development programs.
Throughout his career, Halpern has stayed involved with local Cub and Boy Scout Troops and coached numerous recreation and youth sports.
“The collaborative, resilient and stewardship lessons that I learned in high school and as a Boy Scout continue to guide my leadership style,” Halpern said. “Relationships are the core of my leadership philosophy. I focus on mentoring and empowering my employees. By fostering their growth, promoting open communication and encouraging innovation, we drive collective success.”
Halpern holds a doctorate degree in organization management from Capella University, a master of science degree in technology management from Stevens Institute of Technology and a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Hartford.
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As the Army's foundational research laboratory, ARL is operationalizing science to achieve transformational overmatch. Through collaboration across the command’s core technical competencies, DEVCOM leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more successful at winning the nation’s wars and come home safely. DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the Army Futures Command.
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