Category: United States Navy

Source: United States Navy

In honor of Women’s History Month, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) collaborated with the Army War College to host “Beyond the Glass Ceiling – Women Leading in the Military,” a panel discussion with over 100 virtual attendees, Mar. 12.

The panelists were invited to discuss their career successes, challenges and triumphs….and educate attendees on career shaping experiences, said Julie Marchese, a member of the NAVSUP WSS Equal Employment Opportunity Advisory Committee in Philadelphia during her introductory remarks.

Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lizette G. Welch, Navy Cmdr. Rebecca L. Young, Army Lt. Col. Robin E. Ernstrom, Air Force Lt. Col. Stacy N. Slate, and Amber D. Tucker, a DoD civilian, represented a broad range of leaders from the Department of Defense. They shared their experiences as women in leadership roles as well as, advice and personal examples of their unique leadership journey. The discussion covered a broad range of topics from mentorship to balancing life while achieving career goals.

The panel began with the topic of mentorship. Panelists advised others to have mentors as well as diversity within your mentorship circles if possible.

“I’m a true believer in having more than one mentor and also that there should be diversity in your mentors even in the people you mentor and in your mentors for yourself,” said Ernstrom.

Slate encouraged women to seek senior female leadership for assistance. “If you’re looking for some mentorship, come seek a senior female leader out,” Slate said. “We don’t know that you are out there and that you’re wanting mentorship.”

Many professionals struggle to balance family obligations with their commitment to a military career. The panelists offered some advice. Young advised to refrain from comparison with others.

“I think that each of our success looks different, particularly when we are married, when we have children, when we’re trying to serve our country, and currently have ailing family,” she said. “I think we need to compare ourselves to us and gauge our success based on what we are capable of doing.”

Slate agreed, “I think running your own race is important.” She continued, “not one leader has the same career path as to how they got to where they are today.”

Several panelists offered thoughts on diversity and what women can bring to teams. Tucker cited a recent Harvard Business Review article that found, “having women on teams improves team processes and collaboration, right? That’s what women do. We collaborate, we bring communities together, we bring our families together, and we bring friends together.” Tucker also highlighted the importance of using a network to help achieve your career goals.

Welch used the analogy of a toolbox with many different tools in it, each capable of solving different problems, to highlight the importance of diversity in teams. “If you limit yourself to one tool, you’re not going to be able to put your project together as best you can, it’s going to be off-kilter,” she said.

All the panelists agreed leadership support and flexibility in an organization was important for many reasons including continuing to support single parents regardless of gender, fostering a positive climate and setting an example of realistic work-life expectations for those in the command.

“Your subordinates are dealing with real life things,” Welch said. “And when they see these examples of your humanity, and how you can still be able to be in leadership position, they’re able to connect with that regardless of gender, regardless of race… I don’t have to sacrifice my humanity in order to be successful in this organization.”

NAVSUP WSS is one of 11 commands under Commander, NAVSUP. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employing a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel, NAVSUP’s mission is to provide supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighter. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsupwss and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.

Source: United States Navy

WASHINGTON (NNS) – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday met with Chief of the Indonesian Navy Adm. Yudo Margono, at the Pentagon, March 30.

This was their first meeting, during which the two leaders discussed the importance of maritime security and exchanged views on regional and global security issues.

“Working alongside our Allies and partners has never been so important. Today’s maritime challenges require interoperability and presence,” said Gilday. “Together we will continue to keep the maritime commons open and free as we promote the security, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.”

The two leaders exchanged views about security issues in the Indo-Pacific, underscoring the importance of the U.S.-Indonesian bilateral relationship.

“The purpose of this visit is to enhance relationships and partnerships between the two navies that have been well established so far,” said Margono. 

Gilday emphasized a commitment to continuing dialogue and building upon our strong bilateral defense relationship.

“For more than 70 years, Indonesia has been a valued partner,” said Gilday. “There is a strong strategic partnership between Indonesia and the U.S. and I am grateful for our long history of collaboration, cooperation, and training,” said Gilday. 

Gilday and Margono also reviewed progress made in recent years in military-to-military cooperation to increase exercises and training, as well as regular defense policy dialogues.

U.S. and Indonesia operate together around the globe regularly. Indonesia has been part of the CARAT exercise series since it began in 1995. After 27 years of annual training events between the armed forces, CARAT Indonesia remains a model for cooperation that has evolved in complexity and enables both navies to refine operations and tactics in response to both traditional and non-traditional maritime security challenges.

The U.S.-Indonesian relationship is strengthened through training. For the first time, Indonesia has two midshipman attending the U.S. Naval Academy.

Source: United States Navy

The Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) small business community will be attending Sea-Air-Space 2022, April 4-6, 2022 in National Harbor, Maryland and the 2022 Navy Gold Coast Conference, September 6-8, 2022 at the San Diego Convention Center. Small businesses with manufacturing and/or repair capabilities are encouraged to meet with the NAVSUP small business team at these events.

In support of these engagements, NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support (WSS) has compiled a list of items that are candidates for additional source development. Vendors can obtain the source development candidate list and instructions on how to proceed here: https://sam.gov/opp/cf86d7e256424a25838348f19a4fef81/view.

Additionally, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk has posted their FY22/FY23 Long Range Acquisition Forecast.  The forecast listing can be found here: https://sam.gov/opp/060367b11b5e4be89c4e682f0fcb1284/view.

“This release further advances our initiative to improve proactive communication with industry on upcoming requirements,” said NAVSUP Office of Small Business Director Chris Espenshade. “The earlier we can communicate mission requirements, the better we can position small business industry partners to compete. The FLC Norfolk and NAVSUP WSS procurement missions are critical to the Navy’s sustainment success, so it’s imperative we leverage the intangibles small business brings to the fight.”

Industry partners should upload their capabilities or interest to the NAVSUP Interested Vendor/Capabilities Portal (https://www.navsup.navy.mil/public/navsup/business_opps_vendor_form/) prior to onsite discussions.

Companies unable to meet the team at these upcoming engagements but have repair capabilities can reach out to:

NAVSUP is headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor & family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsup and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.

Source: United States Navy

This legacy of service has matured immeasurably over the last 129 years, but the core expectations of our Mess remain the same today as they did in 1893.  This sentiment was best captured in an essay entitled “A Message to Garcia” by Elbert Hubbard; much like 1st LT Rowan, our Chief Petty Officers are not ones to incessantly question or lack conviction, but instead take the commander’s intent and simply get the job done – “to ‘do the thing’ and carry a message to Garcia.”  It is our initiative, our willingness to boldly lead and perpetuate a culture of excellence focused on achieving best-ever performance – that is our true legacy.  It has stood the test of time, and lies at the heart of what our officers expect from us – and what our Sailors demand of us.

Leadership is not an easy endeavor. Among other things, it requires tough decisions that not everyone will agree with, even though Chiefs specialize in building consensus among leaders with disparate points of view.  Honor, integrity, duty and self-discipline infuse our every action, in such a way that those decisions we make and actions we take will survive the scrutiny of hindsight.

In difficult environments and often facing tremendous odds, our Chiefs work together to improvise solutions and win – this is what makes our Mess so strong.  We are far stronger, wiser and more lethal together, and it is that unity of effort that a CO is expecting us to deliver on.

We do not celebrate ourselves, as we are professionals who do this difficult work every day.  That said, this particular day provides us the chance to reflect on how far we’ve come, and to enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie of our herd as we remind each other of our shared history – the events that have shaped our development.  More importantly, it affords us the opportunity to strengthen our internal ties – so critical to leveraging our unique organization and ensuring our Navy prevails in any mission our Nation requires.

Russell L. Smith
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

Source: United States Navy

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will showcase cutting-edge research and technologies during the Navy League’s Global Maritime Exposition Sea-Air-Space in exhibit booth #1847 at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, April 4-6, 2022.

The annual event is the largest maritime exposition in the U.S. and brings together the defense industrial base, private-sector companies and key military decision-makers from the sea services for an opportunity to innovate, educate, and connect.

Sea Air Space opens with a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Expo on April 3 to educate youth about STEM careers and opportunities in a hands-on environment. NRL researchers will provide a STEM demo using LEctenna, short for Light Emitting Diode (LED) Rectifying Antenna, to beam power through space. Students will also have the opportunity to build their own LEctenna.

More information on panels with NRL speakers:
 

What: Panel discussion – Artificial Intelligence: The Next Level of Defense
The discussion will be moderated by Bryan Clark, senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute, and focuses on civil-military partnerships to advance artificial intelligence development.
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST, April 5
Location: Potomac CD
Panelists:

– David Aha, Ph.D., Director of the Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

– Christopher Lynch, CEO, Rebellion Defense
– Alexander Wang, Founder and CEO, Scale AI
 

What: Panel discussion – International Trade and Port Security
The discussion will be moderated by Sara Fuentes, vice president for government affairs at the Transportation Institute, and examines how we can leverage technology to create smarter ports to support supply chain management and as well to improve port security at the more than 300 U.S. ports.
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST, April 6
Location: Potomac CD
Panelists:

– Christopher Hickey, Senior Systems Engineer, Naval Research Laboratory
– Rear Adm. John Mauger, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, U.S. Coast Guard
– Tony Padilla, Senior Advisor, Maritime Trade and Development, U.S. Department of State
– William Doyle, Executive Director, Maryland Port Administration

NRL Programs

Other NRL programs and technologies scheduled to be highlighted in the exhibit booth include hexapod robot, PROTEUS, Flexible Distributed Array Radar (FlexDAR), and NRL’s Technology Transfer Office.

More information on NRL programs and research represented:

NRL Technology Transfer Office (TTO) – Facilitates and promotes the implementation of the NRL’s innovative technologies in products and services to benefit the public and the warfighter. To carry out this mission, TTO engages with industry and academia to develop strategic partnerships building a collaborative bridge between NRL’s state-of-the-art research capabilities and technologies and industry needs.

The Distributed Autonomous Systems Group (DASG) – The DASG performs state-of-the-art research in multi-agent and multi-robot autonomous systems. This includes the Hexapod Robot. The robot is a multi-legged robotic platform with autonomous on-board tracking capabilities and is used for investigating collaboration in autonomous multi-robot teams operating in challenging terrains such as sandy, wooded, or wet environments where wheeled or tracked platforms may not operate effectively.

PROTEUS – A system used to identify, query, and filter vessels based on user-defined criteria. This system can execute advanced queries resulting in robust, timely, and informative track updates.

Sharkskin Denticles – Shark skin possesses microstructure scales called denticles, which interact with the surrounding flow to increase speed, decrease drag, and provide antifouling properties for sharks. The aim of this project is to create bioinspired surfaces to improve the hydrodynamic performance of unpiloted underwater vehicles (UUVs) and other robots.

Flying Sea Glider – A flying emplacement Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) that rapidly traverses large distances by air then transitions to an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV).

LASR (Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research) –  The Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research, or LASR, opened March 2012 and is a 50,000 square foot facility that supports basic and applied research in autonomous systems. The facility is host to a wide range of interdisciplinary basic and applied research in autonomous systems to include research in autonomous systems, intelligent autonomy, human-autonomous system interaction and collaboration, sensor systems, power and energy systems, networking and communications, and platforms.

Microwave Power beaming – Safe and COntinuous Power bEaming – Microwave (SCOPE-M) has successfully executed rapid demonstration of X band microwave power beaming across irregular, inhomogeneous terrain. Microwave power beaming is the efficient, point-to-point transfer of electrical energy across free space by a directive microwave beam.

Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence (NCARAI) – NCARAI conducts basic and applied research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address problems that are critical to the Navy, Marine Corps, and the broader DOD. Our primary efforts focus on intelligent agents (e.g., integrated cognitive architectures, decision making, natural language understanding), human-machine teaming (e.g., computational cognitive modeling, human-centered computing, human-machine teaming), machine learning (e.g., deep learning), and autonomous systems (e.g., control of distributed unmanned vehicles, sensor-based systems). NCARAI researchers emphasize the linkage of theory and application in demonstration projects and deployable prototypes that employ techniques from AI and related disciplines.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.
 
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.