Under the provisions of Department of Defense 1348.33-M, the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America takes pleasure in awarding the Defense Superior Service Medal to Captain George P. Bardsley, United States Navy. Captain Bardsley distinguished himself by exceptionally superior service while serving as Chief, Command Center, Operations Logistics Directorate, Deputy Director, Strategic Planning Study Group; and as Chief, Strategic Planning Modernization Officer Plans and Policy Directorate, United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), from 31 March 1992 to 31 December 1994. Captain Bardsley’s leadership, creativity, enthusiasm, and technical competence were pivotal in the successful stand-up the United States Strategic Command and initiation of unprecedented changes in the development and production process of the nation’s nuclear war plan. He brought executive level leadership, imagination, astute insight, technical competence, and a vision of the future to bear on problems that threatened to outpace solutions available to our strategic planners. Under Captain Bardsley’s stewardship, major organizational, material, and operational improvements were made to the USSTRATCOM command center providing improved command and control of United States strategic forces and exceptional responsiveness to presidential direction. He also led a re-engineering effort of the strategic war planning system, which has been praised as an optimum solution that is both fiscally sound and technically prudent. This extraordinary initiative will result in a far more manageable and responsive planning infrastructure capable of reacting to taskings across the strategic and non-strategic spectrum. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Captain Bardsley culminate a long and distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect the highest credit upon himself, the United States Navy, and the Department of Defense.




