Photo By David Stoehr | Naval Sea Systems Command Executive Director James Smerchansky, SES, held a town hall...... read more read more
NEWPORT, RI — Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Executive Director, Mr. Jim Smerchansky, visited Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport on Feb. 8, as part of a nationwide tour of NAVSEA warfare centers. The day-long visit included tours of various departments and briefings on a wide range of technologies that address undersea warfare and submarine operations.
Smerchansky and NAVSEA’s Commander Vice Adm. Thomas Moore are visiting the 10 warfare center divisions under the theme “Warfare Centers — Campaign Plan in Action.” The Campaign Plan addresses three critical NAVSEA mission areas — on-time delivery of ships and submarines, a culture of affordability, and cybersecurity which are supported and enabled through two foundational lines of effort: design for talented people and high velocity learning.
NUWC Newport, which provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering, analysis, and assessment, and fleet support capabilities for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive undersea weapon systems, focuses on existing and emerging technologies in support of undersea warfare.
“There is no place in the world where NAVSEA can go to get this capability,” Smerchansky said about NUWC Newport. “You are an asset to the Navy and the nation. I saw [technology] that went beyond what I expected.”
Smerchansky was welcomed to NUWC Newport by Mr. Donald F. McCormack, Executive Director, Naval Surface and Undersea Warfare Centers; NUWC Newport Commanding Officer Capt. Michael R. Coughlin; and Acting Technical Director Eric S. Spigel. During his tour of facilities, he learned about innovative projects such as “Hack the Machine” and “Cyber Challenge.”
Smerchansky also visited NUWC’s Virginia Payload Tube Facility, which provides fleet operational training for Virginia-class weapon payloads, and learned about “Virtual Submarine,” a network of submarine electronic systems that can be configured to emulate any submarine platform in the Fleet.
After a lunch with several new professionals, Smerchansky took part in a town hall meeting to talk about the Campaign Plan and his visit. He also presented a Meritorious Civilian Service Award; a Department of Defense Advocate for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Outreach Award; and honored NUWC Newport’s award-winning Educational Outreach Program.
Smerchansky discussed his 33-year federal service career and noted how much things have changed since he began as an engineer in the 1980s.
“The things that you do to advance state-of-the-art technology are well beyond what I ever imagined,” Smerchansky said.
During the town hall, Smerchansky said that he was most impressed with the people at NUWC Newport – their attitudes, their technical capability and the culture of innovation at the command. He said that he saw aspects of NAVSEA’s Expand the Advantage Campaign Plan throughout his visit.
“I saw so many elements of collaboration across the workforce and in the labs,” he said. “That is exactly what high velocity learning is aimed at. Everyone also had an element geared to the culture of affordability.”
He noted that the cost for services and systems that NAVSEA provides to the Navy should always be at the forefront of project development and design. As a warfare center, NUWC Newport’s greatest value is its ability to be forward-thinking in planning and developing the systems of the future, he said. For instance, he noted, that cybersecurity concerns are now built into the development process of technology and systems.
“You are the organization that is looking beyond the horizon; further than what we can see,” Smerchansky said. “You are looking forward beyond what we know today.”
Smerchansky referenced NUWC Newport initiatives such as the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX), held yearly to provide an opportunity for collaboration among technology developers from industry, academia, and warfare centers, and Navy operators and program offices.
“The work you do from analysis to new technology to ANTX helps to define the future instead of letting the future define you,” he said.
After the briefing, Smerchansky visited more labs, viewed poster sessions and received briefs on NUWC Newport’s work on submarine periscopes, underwater missiles and vehicles, and learned about NUWC’s Continuous Process Improvement Program, and other projects.
Smerchansky and Moore have about five more commands to visit as part of their two-month tour. Information about their visits, can be found at: http://www.navsea.navy.mil/
NAVSEA – the largest of the Navy's five systems commands – comprises command staff, headquarters directorates, affiliated Program Executive Offices, and numerous field activities. NAVSEA engineers, builds, buys, and maintains ships, submarines, and combat systems that meet the fleet's current and future operational requirements. The command is also responsible for establishing and enforcing technical authority and standards in combat system design and operation to ensure systems are engineered effectively and operate safely and reliably.
NUWC Division Newport, part of NAVSEA, is one of two divisions of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. NUWC Division Newport’s mission is to provide research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures. NUWC’s other division is located in Keyport, Wash.
| Date Taken: | 02.12.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 02.12.2018 15:08 |
| Story ID: | 265714 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 173 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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