Recently appointed NAVSEA WarfareCenters ExecutiveDirector tours NUWCDivision Newport

By Public Affairs Office

NavalUndersea WarfareCenter Division Newport NEWPORT,R.I.—Dr. Martin Irvine Jr amember of the Senior ExecutiveService whowas appointed in June as the ExecutiveDirectorfortheNavalSurfaceWarfare Center (NSWC) and the NavalUndersea Warfare Center (NUWC),bothEchelon III commands within NavalSea Systems Command(NAVSEA),visitedNUWCDivisionNewportonAug.3todiscussemerging technologiesandconceptsintheundersea domain.

AcivilservantwiththeNavyfor25years Irvine mostrecently wasthe executive director for Submarine Forces,wherehe wastheprincipaladvisortotheSubmarine Forcecommanderonallmattersrelatingto strategicdeterrenceandunderseawarfare programs and requirements

“During Dr.Irvine’stime at Division Newport,hediscussed his thoughts on the undersea domain and stressed to us that our emphasishas got tobelaser-focused on the warfighter,our true customer,” said acting Technical Director Marie Bussiere. “Wemustnotonlybefocusedondelivering outcomes,but outcomes withimpact!We needtobalancesustainingthefleetoftoday and designingthe fleet of tomorrow.”

Irvine opened the dayatDivision Newportwith abriefing from Hector Lopez, who heads the Undersea Warfare Weapons,Vehicles and Defense Systems Department,anddiscussionswithBussiere, Commanding Officer Capt. Chad F. Henningsand Vicki Comeau, head of the Corporate Operations Department ThetourstartedattheUnderseaWarfare PlatformsandPayloadIntegrationDepartment’sUnmannedUnderseaVehicle(UUV) Laboratory,whereRichardBashour,senior scientific technical manager (SSTM) and director of Undersea WarfareUnmanned SystemsandAutonomousBehavior,ledthe presentation.IrvineobservedseveralUUV systems,includingtwo Large Displacement UUVsthatsupportthe Navy’s UUVs, and wasbriefed on UUV softwareand autonomyarchitectures, capabilities and Concepts of Operations

Later,Dr. Andy Greene,the senior technologistfor Tactical Oceanographyand Operational Environmental Effects,Division NewportDeputy Technical Director John Babb and Michael Slater,technical director at NUWCDivision Keyport in Washington, discussed environmental undersea superiority and howitcan be usedtosignificantlyincreaseperformance margins in undersea warfare.

Much likeland-based forces use the terrain to createatactical advantage beyond what technology can affordalone, undersea forces can gain an additional edge through competentuse of the ocean environment, Greene explained. To do so requires acombination of new environmental sensors,operator training and doctrine updates,aswell as the evolution of existing tactical decision aids

Division Newport, Greene said, is in a unique positiontolead these efforts,given itscurrentroleinunderseawarfaresensor researchand development.

“ItwasapleasurehavingDr.Irvineweigh inonourendeavor,andwelookforwardto showing him our progress during his next visittoDivision Newport,”Greene said.

From there, thetourtransitionedto the Undersea WarfareCombat Systems Department, whereIrvine wasbriefed by AimeeRacine,head of the Deployed Systems Division, and AnthonyStradone, Division Newport’s quality director/technical program manager The visit ended with aleadershiplunch beforeIrvine,who also wasatDivision Newport for the two-dayNaval Research and Development Establishment summit, returned to Washington, D.C. AsexecutivedirectorforNSWC/NUWC IrvinesucceedsDr.BrettA.Seidle,nowthe Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Engineering

While Irvine is new to this role,he’sno strangertoNAVSEAwarfarecenters.From 2019-21, he wasthe technical director of NUWCDivision Keyport. Priortothat, IrvineheldthepositionsofaSSTMandthe headoftheReadinessandTrainingSystems Department fortheNSWCDahlgrenDivision DamNeck in Virginia. Irvine started his career in 1997atthe NSWCCarderock Division in Maryland.

Heholdsadoctorateinmechanicalengineering from the University of Iowa and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ocean engineering from Virginia Tech. He is a graduate of the HarvardKennedySchool of Government Senior ExecutiveFellows Program,holdsDefenseAcquisitionWorkforce Improvement Actcertificationsin four career fields and is amemberofthe Defense Acquisition Corps Moreinformationonhiscareerisposted here:https://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/ About/Senior-Executives/Biographies/ Irvine,%20M.pdf

NUWCNewport is the oldestwarfare center in the country,tracing its heritage tothe NavalTorpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869

Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWCNewport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach,Florida,and Andros Island in the Bahamas,aswell as test facilities atSeneca Lakeand Fisher’s Island, NewYork,Leesburg, Florida, and DodgePond, Connecticut.

Joinourteam!NUWCDivisionNewport, one of the 20 largestemployers in Rhode Island, employs adiverse,highlytrained, educated, and skilled workforce.Weare 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 NUWCDivisionNewport Recruiting at this site-https://www.navsea.navy.mil/ Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and followus on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.