Photo By Scott Pittman | U.S. Navy Captain Martin Edmonds, Deputy Commander for Sustainment/Chief Logistician,...... read more read more
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Senior logisticians from across Naval Sea Systems Command gathered at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport, Nov. 5 – 7, for the semi-annual Warfare Centers Logistics Community of Practice meeting.
The event brought together more than 30 senior logisticians from across NAVSEA’s logistics sphere—including from multiple Warfare Centers, Warfare Center Headquarters, Naval Sea Logistics Center and NAVSEA Sustainment Directorate—to share insights, discuss strategic priorities and explore the future of NAVSEA logistics. Attendees listened to presentations, participated in discussions, and toured NUWC Division, Keyport’s labs and facilities.
The meeting featured both structured presentations and open discussions designed to promote candid, in-depth exchanges on pressing topics. The conversations centered on organizational alignment, wartime readiness and competency readiness, three areas critical to the Navy’s operational and logistical resilience.
These themes are also key focus areas of the Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan 2024, which outlines a strategy for building a more ready, lethal, capable force in the face of emerging threats.
“This event provided a constructive environment for logistics leadership across the Warfare Centers to prioritize our collective strategic planning efforts into [these] three focus areas,” said NUWC Division, Keyport Chief Logistician Wendy Kierpiec. “These discussions created a baseline of knowledge and awareness of the WC logistics enterprise for all who attended and highlighted similarities, differences and challenges across the WCs.”
Mary Westlake, command chief logistician at Naval Surface Warfare Center Division, Port Hueneme, provided an overview of the community of practice, outlining its mission, goals, membership, key achievements from fiscal year 2024 and priorities for fiscal year 2025. She called for a shift in logistics strategy, urging the community to move beyond efficiency-focused models toward a more agile, capability-driven approach.
"We've been efficiency driven and now we need to be effective driven, but where can we hone our focus?" she said.
Westlake added that logistics should be viewed as a core capability, not just a supporting function, and that once the warfighter starts to think about it in this way, NAVSEA will see a meaningful shift in its strategic logistics approach.
Also of interest were presentations by Capt. Martin L. Edmonds, NAVSEA 06 Deputy Commander for Sustainment/Chief Logistician, and Jeffrey Koe, NSWC Division, Port Hueneme Technical Director and Logistics CoP Co-Champion. Edmonds discussed NAVSEA’s logistics vision, while Koe focused on the importance of logistics collaboration for fleet support.
Edmonds, who is leading the standup of the NAVSEA Sustainment Directorate—which consolidates NAVSEA's logistics and sustainment support functions to improve efficiency and effectiveness— highlighted the critical importance of collaboration to fleet readiness.
Edmonds added that this meeting provided a valuable opportunity for collaboration and alignment across the NAVSEA enterprise.
"I believe these meetings are invaluable, as they foster mission alignment, capture value streams across the Warfare Centers and NAVSEA enterprise and build stronger cross-functional teams that drive optimal performance," he said.
Cal Bostick and Jean Nelson, branch managers at NSWC Division, Indian Head, discussed the importance of being prepared and adaptable and the need to balance long-term planning with short-term needs.
"You go to war with what you’ve got, not with what you want,” said Bostick, adding, “Sometimes you can't necessarily pick the date or the year that you're going to war—you have to be ready all the time."
The meeting encouraged honest debate on a wide range of challenges facing the community, including data accuracy, logistics metrics, fiscal year 2025 audit readiness and the establishment of wartime logistics frameworks. NSLC Commanding Officer Capt. Dave Jones praised the collaborative atmosphere, face-to-face interactions and candid dialogue.
“[Warfare Centers] as a whole have a lot of great logisticians, all working to ensure our ships are ready and that the sailors have the support they need to accomplish the mission,” said Jones. “I was really encouraged with the LOGCoP, especially the focus toward pivoting to wartime footing and how this team can set conditions now to surge when needed.”
Attendees had the opportunity to explore cutting-edge innovation and logistics infrastructure at NUWC Division, Keyport through guided tours of several key facilities, including the Lightweight and Heavyweight Torpedo Intermediate Maintenance Activity, Automated Material Handling Facility and Depot Maintenance Facilities.
They also observed live technology demonstrations in several of the command’s labs, including the Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality lab, UNMANNED UNDERSEA VEHICLE Research & Design Lab, and Rapid Prototyping and Additive Manufacturing facilities.
Reflecting on the event, Kierpiec described it as “an extremely productive engagement that will drive meaningful progress in NAVSEA logistics and that exemplified the professionalism and teamwork of our community.”
The next semi-annual meeting of the Warfare Centers logistics community of practice will be hosted by NSWC Division, Newport, May 6–8.
-KPT-
Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport is headquartered in the state of Washington on the Puget Sound, about 10 miles west of Seattle. To provide ready support to Fleet operational forces at all major Navy homeports in the Pacific, NUWC Division, Keyport maintains detachments in San Diego, California and Honolulu, Hawaii, and remote operating sites in Guam; Japan; Hawthorne, Nevada; and Portsmouth, Virginia. At NUWC Division, Keyport, our diverse and highly skilled team of engineers, scientists, technicians, administrative professionals and industrial craftsmen work tirelessly to develop, maintain and sustain undersea warfare superiority for the United States.
Are you ready to join one of the largest and most dynamic employers in Kitsap County? We are continually hiring engineers, scientists and other STEM professionals—as well as talented experts in business, finance, logistics and support roles—so if you are eager to be at the forefront of undersea research and development, we want you on our team. Explore our exciting job opportunities at nuwckeyport.usajobs.gov and take the first step toward building your career at NUWC Division, Keyport.
| Date Taken: | 11.27.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.27.2024 17:32 |
| Story ID: | 486325 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 206 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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