Mitre celebrating 25 years in Huntsville

Office focuses on technological problem-solving

Mitre Corp.'s Huntsville operation, which was formed in anticipation of President Ronald Reagan's 1983 "Star Wars" speech, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Mitre, which locally assists the Missile Defense Agency, Program Executive Office for Aviation and other military offices, is a not-for-profit company that provides engineering and other technical support for difficult technical problems, said Larry Lamb, the company's Huntsville site leader.

Mitre serves a host of government agencies and is principally based in McLean, Va., and Bedford, Mass.

Mitre has 57 Huntsville employees, including 54 engineers and 6,500 employees worldwide. The company was formed in the late 1950s as a spinoff to Lincoln Labs at the request of the U.S. Air Force. Its first task was to assist with the engineering of the first nationwide air defense system, Lamb said.

Al Grasso, Mitre's president and CEO, said the successes in Huntsville have been made possible by the company's employees, and called the anniversary a "testament to their achievements and dedication to Mitre, its sponsors and the Huntsville community."

Lamb said the company's role locally can include assisting with problems ranging from radar support to software engineering to device prototyping.

"We sell no products, we're solely reliant on the talents of the individuals who comprise our work force," Lamb said. "And I think it is the strength of the people down here, the contributions made here, that have put us in the position where we are now."