EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Florida -- Maj. Paul Rowney of the 84th Test and Evaluation Squadron was recently named Air Combat Command's Outstanding Electronic Warfare Field Grade Officer of 2016. Rowney earned this award by leading ACC's COMBAT SHIELD EW Evaluation Program through an unprecedented expansion effort while simultaneously executing its legacy mission. He also directed the testing of 1,028 EW systems at bases worldwide, and the design of test equipment to evaluate defensive infrared and fifth-generation EW systems while overseeing the use of existing range assets to test defensive systems in the air. Additionally, he led an initiative to expand COMBAT SHIELD to the bomber fleet, conducting first-ever, unit-level evaluations of four B-1 and B-52 wings. Rowney is a reservist integrated into the Regular Air Force's 16th Electronic Warfare Squadron at Eglin AFB as the Director of COMBAT SHIELD. He is responsible for promoting the mission and briefing electronic warfare tactics, results and recommendations to wing commanders, future electronic combat pilots and avionics maintainers, among many other duties.