Category: United States Navy

Source: United States Navy

Recently NAVSEA Commander Vice Adm. William Galinis and NAVSEA’s Executive Director Giao Phan announced the third cadre of the Inclusion and Engagement Council. Among the list of names is Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Contract Specialist (Code 400) Alesha Ray; Nuclear Engineering and Planning Department (Code 2300) Admin Specialist Gail Joyner, Mid-Atlantic Regional Calibration Center Instrument Mechanic (Code 130) Norman Major and Naval Foundry Propeller Center (Code 1400T) Training Specialist Anthony Lawson.

“I am excited to have been selected to a council that serves not only Norfolk Naval Shipyard, but the entire NAVSEA enterprise,” said Ray. “I submitted a package because I believe that inclusion and engagement goes far beyond the representation of one’s culture, yet it is a call for action for individuals to improve the NAVSEA workforce experience and ensure all employees feel understood, respected and valued.”

Although both the mission and vision statements changed with each cadre, the goals have not. The council will identify and develop programs which further NAVSEA’s efforts to promote:

–Workforce Diversity. Seek, recruit, and hire from a diverse, qualified group of potential applicants to secure a high-performing workforce which is drawn from all segments of society.

–Workplace Inclusion. Foster a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness to enable all individuals to contribute to their fullest potential and capabilities.

–Employee Engagement. Cultivate an environment where employees have a positive emotional commitment to the organization’s mission and goals.

“As a strong advocate for equal and civil rights and equality, I want to present ideas that highlight the outreach from issues that are currently being felt throughout the country for the many different cultures, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and gender identities throughout the NAVSEA enterprise,” said Major.

The NAVSEA Campaign Plan 3.0 talks about fairness, equal opportunity and a level playing field for opportunities to build a team to compete and win. NAVSEA is the Force behind the Fleet and a diverse and inclusive workforce is the foundation of that force; it is a warfighting imperative. Diversity drives innovation by bringing together motivated, patriotic people from all corners of our great country to support our national defense. This team, as with the first two Inclusion and Engagement Councils, will help to guide NAVSEA toward a more inclusive and engaged work environment and help build a world-class team.

“I am optimistic to make NAVSEA more inclusive,” said Lawson. “I look forward to getting started and learning all I can and bring what I have learned in my personal and work life experience to the table.”

Past members of NAVSEA’s Inclusion and Engagement Council from NNSY and its remote locations include Industrial Engineer, Strategic Planning and Procurement Manager Michael Taylor (Cadre 1); Program/Management Analyst Sataunya Jefferies (Cadre 2); Electrical Engineering Technician Steven Watson (Cadre 2); and Naval Foundry and Propeller Center Training Instructor Sam Marvit (Cadre 2).

“NAVSEA leadership is fully invested in making NAVSEA a welcoming, inclusive environment in which people love coming to work,” said Marvit. “This is an amazing program and I am very excited to see what this year’s cadre achieves.”

Source: United States Navy

Peters is the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He also serves on the Armed Services Committee, as well as the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

“This was great — a fabulous, short snapshot of all that you do,” Peters said. “Thank you for all that you do for the Navy.”

Peters was accompanied on the visit by Lt. Sarah Blake, Navy Senate liaison officer for the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs, and Faiq Raza, the professional staff member for Senator Peters for defense.

Tour stops included the Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Laboratory and Submarine Combat Support Center, where cybersecurity was a topic of discussion.

Cybersecurity is a focus for Peters. In February, he introduced a legislative package that would significantly enhance the country’s ability to combat ongoing cybersecurity threats against critical infrastructure and the federal government — particularly in the face of potential cyberattacks sponsored by the Russian government in retaliation for U.S. support in Ukraine.

“Right now, our security agencies only know about 25 to 30% of the cyberattacks hitting our country and that’s simply unacceptable,” Peters said. “That’s why I worked to pass a bipartisan bill to bolster our cyber defenses and prepare our infrastructure for cyberattacks from Russia.”

Rebecca Chhim, head of the Combat Control Systems Department, described some of Division Newport’s efforts in the cybersecurity realm. This includes how it is the core of Division Newport’s people, processes and products, making the warfare center adaptable, valued and innovative in the cyber domain.

“Cybersecurity is just as important as any other engineering process,” Chhim said. “We need to make sure we protect the fleet today with near-term mitigations, as well as build resilience in the cyber-contested environments of the future.”

Chhim also detailed how Division Newport provides full-spectrum, tactical support to the submarine fleet. This includes the cybersecurity element that extends beyond compliance and diagnoses problems from an engineering perspective.

This, coupled with test and evaluation phases, are critical components in ensuring the fleet has the platforms it needs and that they operate every time as they are intended.

While at the Submarine Combat Center, Peters also heard a presentation from Tim Nolan, chief engineer for unmanned aerial systems in the Combat Control Systems Department.

The tour opened with Chris DelMastro, head of the Undersea Warfare Platforms and Payload Integration Department, describing some of the UUV projects underway. Accompanied by Richard Bashour, technical project manager for medium-sized UUVs, and Nicole Harvey, head of the Unmanned Undersea Systems Division, these projects included both medium-sized and long-duration UUV technology efforts, as well the Snakehead Phase 1 Large Displacement UUV.

“We leveraged the best of academia and industry, along with the government’s brightest minds to advance the state of the art in UUVs,” DelMastro said. “The Navy has made a lot of investments over the years and we are the stewards of those investments to transition capabilities to the fleet.”

Snakehead Phase 1 is a modular reconfigurable, multi-mission UUV deployed from submarine large ocean interfaces, with a government-owned architecture, mission autonomy and vehicle software.

Snakehead Phase 1 provides guidance and control, navigation, situational awareness, propulsion, maneuvering and sensors in support of the Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPOE) mission.

Also in the UUV Lab, DelMastro and Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings described how Division Newport is a comprehensive research, development, test and evaluation, engineering, and fleet support center for submarine warfare systems and many other systems associated with the undersea battlespace.

“We’re highly science and technology focused,” DelMastro said. “Our workforce is comprised mostly of scientist and engineers with a significant amount of them possessing advanced degrees.”

NUWC Division Newport is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. NUWC Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.

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.

Source: United States Navy

The Navy’s outgoing Chief Information Officer (CHINFO) Rear Adm. Charlie Brown kicked off the symposium by underscoring three main points: alignment, professionalism, and leading the fight.

“We are far past due to get together, share our experiences and strengthen the professional relationships that make our team uniquely effective,” noted Brown in his welcome message.

Rear Adm. (select) Ryan Perry, who will take on the role as the Navy’s next CHINFO, defined public affairs as “telling the truth with a purpose.” He also noted that disinformation is lessened when the truth is out there first.

“The vision is to be the most respected communicators in the world and the mission is to lead effective communication at every echelon of command,” Perry said. “Being able to write opens opportunities.”

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro joined the event virtually and shared how his public affairs officer (PAO) helped him through his best and worst moments. He also asked the audience to communicate the importance of the South China Sea — the commerce flowing through Taiwan, the Navy’s protection of the sea lines of communication, the physical cables on the seabed, freedom of navigation, and how the Navy serves as a first responder for the Department of Defense in that area.

When speaking about the balance needed for discussing capabilities, SECNAV said that public affairs representatives must communicate to compete. In order to get the most from every event, speakers and attendees should be thoughtful and deliberate in their discussions. Selective discussion of future concepts, operations, and capabilities can encourage our partners in industry and help deter potential adversaries. Yet sharing too much detail can allow adversaries to gain a competitive advantage. All communication should demonstrate how the Navy contributes to national defense without revealing information that could adversely affect security.

Also making a virtual appearance was Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday who summarized public affairs as “relationships.” Gilday noted the importance of positive relationships and transparency with the media, adding that both the Navy and the media share a responsibility to the American people; he underscored his point with cautionary tales of mishandling narratives and being held accountable by the media. Gilday also asked for focused messages, powerful visuals, loyalty, honesty, consistency, and credibility.

NUWC Division Newport is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. NUWC Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.

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.

Source: United States Navy

The operations included the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Momsen (DDG 92) and the Indonesian Navy, known as Tentera Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL), corvette KRI Bung Tomo (FF 357), focused on building interoperability and strengthening relationships.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our crew and our country to be able to work at sea alongside our partners and I am proud to be a part of it,” said Cmdr. Erik Roberts, commanding officer of Momsen. “We’re committed to strengthening interoperability with like-minded regional partners to ensure our forces can operate together effectively.”

The U.S.-Indonesia bilateral operations focused on division tactics, a passing exercise, and formation sailing, provided the U.S. and Indonesian navies an opportunity to exercise together, increase interoperability and work together towards common maritime goals.

Momsen is assigned to Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15. CTF 71/DESRON 15 is the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet is the largest forward-deployed fleet and routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect critical regional partnerships.

Source: United States Navy

“It is such an honor to join the Navy and Marine Corps team after spending the last 24 years on Capitol Hill,” said Raven. “Throughout my career I have established some great relationships within the Department of the Navy and I look forward to building more. I am thrilled to join Secretary Del Toro, the Assistant Secretaries of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and everyone else in the Department on our shared priorities of strengthening our maritime dominance, building a culture of warfighting excellence, and strengthening our relationships with strategic partners.”

Born in San Francisco, Raven graduated from College of Marin with a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Connecticut College and a Master of Arts degree in international history from the London School of Economics.

Raven began his career in the offices of Senators Dianne Feinstein, Edward Kennedy, and Robert Byrd, serving in a variety of staff roles. In 2006, Raven became a professional staffer for the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. He has since served as principal advisor to the Democratic Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Committee on Appropriations and Subcommittee on Defense on budget matters relating to the Department of Defense and intelligence community.

On Dec. 13, 2021, President Biden nominated Raven to be the next Under Secretary of the Navy and was officially confirmed by the Senate on Apr. 7, 2022.

“The Department of the Navy welcomes Under Secretary Raven with open arms. I have no doubt he will utilize his extensive Congressional experience to benefit the Sailors, Marines, and civilians in the Department,” said Del Toro. “I also want to thank Assistant Secretary for Energy, Installations, and Environment (EI&E) Meredith Berger for performing the duties of Under Secretary these last eight months. Her professionalism, thoughtfulness, and recommendations have been critical when we announced the AUKUS partnership, collectively responded to the situation impacting Red Hill and the people of Hawaii, rolled out the FY23 Budget, and handled countless other issues both internal and external to the Department.”

For more information about the Secretary of the Navy, visit: https://www.navy.mil/Leadership/Secretary-of-the-Navy/