FRCSW Engineer Receives Assistant Secretary of Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists & Engineers of the Year Award

Named after ASN (RDA) Dr. Delores M. Etter, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Award recognizes the best military and civilian engineers and scientists while inspiring the field’s future generations. Only the top engineers and scientists are considered for this accolade to recognize their exceptional achievements and contributions to the department of defense. The highly competitive selection process illustrates the level of excellence and professionalism exhibited by the Navy’s best and brightest in the engineering community. Fleet Readiness Center Southwest’s (FRCSW) very own Aerospace Engineer, Christopher Linko, has been selected to receive this prestigious award.

Linko’s early influence and exposure to engineering came from his father who enjoyed fixing cars, dirt bikes, and remodeling the family home. Additionally, his uncle who worked for NAVFAC was an encouraging factor in his decision to work for the federal government. Beginning his career with FRCSW in 2015, Linko joined the F/A-18 A-D Forward Fuselage Team where he became a subject matter expertise (SME) providing direct production support to artisans performing the necessary aircraft repairs. Since then, Linko has performed several aircraft repair dispositions, conducted numerous stress analyses that identified repairs necessary for full life capability of the aircraft,  worked on high priority test line jets, deployed aircraft, and Blue Angel planes. Linko’s passion for his work continues in his current position as the SME for the Canopy and Windshield shop. In this position, he is attempting to tackle emergent fleet production constraints and barriers.

“The biggest pride that I take in my work is what we have been doing with the canopy and windshields through the degrader action cell team. This team looks at the full life cycle of the windshield and canopies and identifies the root causes of why these components are such a head hurter for the fleet. This not only benefits FRCSW as we establish new capability whether it be increasing repair limits or looking for alternate materials to alleviate long lead time for parts, but also to increase time for the aircraft on wing, allow more reparability at lower levels, and ultimately generate a more reliable part for the warfighter.”

FRCSW engineers deliver affordable and timely engineering solutions in support of the FRCSW mission to provide the warfighter with the tools necessary to keep our skies free from enemies. Their efforts strengthen the readiness and strike capabilities of the service men and women of the Navy and Marine Corps who enable the freedoms we enjoy today. Engineers like Linko pave the way for future generations to continue providing superior products and solutions.

“I work with so many great engineers who do great work for the Navy. Their efforts have huge impacts and to be named a top emergent engineer within the naval enterprise is amazing. Being able to see the impact that my work has done is one of the most fulfilling parts of my job. I have a unique role attached to both the production side at FRCSW and the fleet side,” Linko said.

Along with the other recipients, Linko was honored at the Pentagon on June 15, 2023.