Photo By Richard Allen | Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division (NUWC) Newport Technical Director Marie...... read more read more
NEWPORT, R.I. – The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s commitment to providing the fleet with critical warfighting capabilities was on display Nov. 22 as it welcomed Dennis Boyer, a member of the Senior Executive Service and deputy commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC), for a full day of tours and discussions.
“Division Newport consistently delivers new technologies and capabilities within its technical design and in-service engineering roles. It is strategically important to show the deputy commander the status of the latest and greatest items that are being designed and developed in our laboratories,” Division Newport Technical Director Marie Bussiere said during the visit. “These new technologies will be rapidly fielded in the fleet, but this is an opportunity to get an advanced look and work cooperatively to develop and modify the tactics and procedures before they are on deployment.”
UWDC, under the direction of Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, Commander, Submarine Forces (COMSUBFOR), enhances undersea warfighting capabilities and readiness across the theater, operational and tactical levels of war. The center, based in Groton, Connecticut, with detachments in Norfolk, Virginia, and San Diego, California, develops doctrine for how multi-domain undersea warfare platforms integrate with each other, including the incorporation of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
UWDC oversees several groups working together to enhance submarine operations, including the Artic Submarine Lab, Tactical Analysis Group and the Navy’s submarine Aggressor Squadron (AGGRON).
“With UWDC as a supporting command to COMSUBFOR, it has insight into the undersea capabilities that need to be delivered today or within the next few years,” Bussiere said. “Our tours and discussions were tailored with that in mind, along with Vice Admiral Gaucher’s ‘audacious goals’ for executing the submarine force’s strategic vision.”
In his role as deputy commander, Boyer is responsible for rapid delivery of new USW technologies and tactical guidance to fleet operators, as well as consulting with various senior Department of Defense (DoD) leaders and private research organizations on all aspects of USW.
Retiring as a U.S. Navy captain in 2019 after 35 years of active duty, he is no stranger to the warfare center as he served as commanding officer of Naval Station Newport from September 2014 to August 2017. More information about Boyer’s career is available here.
“I am a well-informed fan of NUWC,” he said. “I often tell people to go to NUWC, because I don’t think they have an appreciation for the amount of experimentation that goes on here.”
During her opening remarks, Bussiere provided an overview of Division Newport and detailed her three priorities as technical director: warfighting readiness, leadership and workforce brilliance, and technical and business excellence. She explained that while Division Newport is fully invested in preparing for any conflict that might arise, the future cannot be mortgaged. Boyer agreed.
“There’s this push for 2027, but if it doesn’t happen, it’s not like the calendar ends,” he said.
After some early discussions, Boyer toured several facilities where subject matter experts updated him on the warfare center’s efforts in strike tactical operations, fleet experimentations, capability deliveries and new payloads integrated within the combat system. Boyer also toured an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) laboratory, which is expanding the reach of platforms by providing unmanned systems to perform dangerous or routine missions. The visit also included extensive discussions on torpedoes, communications, countermeasures, and command and control.
The missions and geographic locations of Division Newport and UWDC have contributed to a close working relationship. Leadership of both organizations meet periodically for technical exchanges and deep dives into critical gap areas and capability enhancements. The warfare center’s technical departments and UWDC’s working groups also interact regularly.
“On any given day, there are members from both organizations at each other’s facilities,” Bussiere said. “UWDC operators consistently come to Division Newport to see the latest version of systems, evaluate the requirements and provide feedback to the designers.”
NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.
Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.
| Date Taken: | 11.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.27.2024 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 486287 |
| Location: | NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NUWC Division Newport, UWDC bring critical capabilities to US Navy warfighter, by Public Affairs Office, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
