Ron Schiller’s 35-year career at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division spans from his origins as a high school co-op student to his current role as a mentor and leader.
Schiller, now the integrated product team lead for Visionary Engineering for Combat Technology and Rapid-Response, was honored for his decades of service during a ceremony on July 28 in China Lake, California.
"While technology and the world evolve, one thing that has not changed is this man’s commitment to the warfighter," said Felipe Jauregui, NAWCWD chief technology officer, who presented the length of service award and called Schiller's career "an impressive legacy."
That legacy began in 1990 when Schiller joined the Salt Wells Machine Shop as a high school cooperative education student. Working as a machinist, Schiller saw his career path shift when he assisted with warhead design and watched a live test of the hardware he had built.
"From that moment, I was hooked," Schiller said. "I thought this was the greatest place in the world and the greatest job in the world."
In 1995, Schiller transitioned to the Weapons Survivability Laboratory, where he spent the next 27 years. Under his leadership, the WSL developed national capabilities, including the Missile Engagement Threat Simulator, which dynamically replicated man-portable air-defense systems to eliminate testing gaps.
Recognizing his potential, NAWCWD sponsored Schiller's long-term academic development. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1997 and a master's degree from California State University, Northridge, in 2004. Along the way, Schiller became the command’s first Engineering Specialist Development Program graduate.
"Much of the work that happened there was directly responsible for saving lives," Jauregui said, noting how Schiller's efforts directly shielded helicopter crews from battlefield threats.
Schiller’s leadership style is rooted in mentorship, earning him multiple nominations for NAWCWD Mentor of the Year and the Michelson Laboratory Award. His dedication to building people extends into the community, where he has coached youth sports for more than 25 years. Jauregui said that former athletes praise "Coach Ron" as patient and quiet, and said Schiller constantly works to "better all of us around him."
In 2022, Schiller stepped into broader strategic roles, first as chief engineer for the Digital Precision Strike Suite, and later as its IPT lead. By 2025, he successfully navigated the merger of DPSS and Tactical Mobility to help establish the VECTR IPT, unifying cutting-edge digital engineering, cloud software and artificial intelligence capabilities for the fleet.
For Schiller, advancing these modern technologies is a natural continuation of his lifelong mission to give back to the command that first believed in him.
"Thirty-five years. I don’t know where that time has gone, but I still have more to give," Schiller said. "I still have a few more years to go, and I'm definitely going to repay that early investment and help the people here at the command."
| Date Taken: |
07.28.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
08.10.2026 15:09 |
| Story ID: |
571991 |
| Location: |
CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: |
RIDGECREST, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: |
17 |
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0 |
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This work, Schiller mentors NAWCWD's next generation after three decades testing survivability, by Deidre Patin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
