Under the provisions of Department of Defense 1348.33-M, the Secretary of Defense has awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Franklin Couch, Jr., United States Air Force, for exceptionally superior service as Advanced Nuclear Weapons Effects Manager, Strategic Structures Division, Shock Physics Directorate, Defense Nuclear Agency, from May 1984 to April 1987. Providing innovative program leadership and effective technical resources management in the development and execution of a high-priority, multimillion dollar program, he led the Defense Nuclear Agency effort in the determination of crater formation in the Pacific Proving Ground and predicting the ground shock and cratering from modern nuclear weapons. He obtained previously unachievable results in nuclear crater research and Marine exploration by aggressively leading large technical and logistic teams in complex laboratory and field programs. He deleted costly options and rewrote contract specifications to save $6 million while leading a successful research program which proved that missile silos can survive nuclear bursts at ranges previously considered fatal. This has significantly improved the understanding of US-USSR strategic nuclear postures and has provided ground work for the next generation of nuclear weapons. The distinctive accomplishments of Lieutenant Colonel Couch reflect great credit upon himself, the United States Air Force, and the Department of Defense.