Rear Adm. (select) Moises DelToro III relieved Rear Adm. Michael E. Jabaley Jr. as commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) during a change of command ceremony on Friday, July 31, in Newport, R.I. NUWC, which has divisions in Newport, R.I., and Keyport, Wash., is headquartered in Newport.
Vice Adm. William H. Hilarides, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), was the guest speaker at the ceremony.
"Rear Adm. Jabaley has left a significant legacy at NUWC for being in the job for less than a year,” said Hilarides. “His ability to support the Navy today, to look forward to the one out in the fleet five years from now, and into the very far future, really has been superb and is the definition of innovation and exactly what the Navy needs.”
Jabaley, who reported as commander, NUWC in September 2014, is scheduled to become the program executive officer for submarines in September 2015.
“Most important [to the success of NUWC’s mission] is NUWC’s relationship with the submarine force,” said Hilarides. He added that NUWC’s most recent research and development (R&D) work has led to an enhanced level of awareness and appreciation for the R&D establishment at NUWC and the core of the submarine force’s operators.
“It bodes well for the future of sub force and the Navy and for the work done here at NUWC,” he said.
“This command is blazing a trail of innovation that is simply extraordinary,” said Jabaley in describing
NUWC’s response to the Secretary of the Navy’s establishment of an innovation task force.
“We love to see this focus on innovation because for NUWC and the Warfare Centers innovation is and has been our bread and butter,” said Jabaley. “Although we’ve been generally successful at developing technology for the Navy after next it’s no longer enough in today’s environment. We know we must continue to foster rapid innovation to help solve technological capability gaps in the short term.”
DelToro is now responsible for operating a full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons systems. The command, which employs over 4,700 government civilians and military members, provides the Navy's core technical capability for the integration of weapons, combat and ship systems into submarines and undersea vehicles.
A native of South Bend, Ind., DelToro comes to NUWC from a position as the program manager for undersea defensive warfare systems in Washington, D.C.
“The Chief of Naval Operations has given us three tenets by which all we do can be framed: warfighting first, operate forward, and be ready,” said DelToro in his first address as commander. “NUWC supports all three of these tenets. Divisions Newport and Keyport are two of the many spokes that make up the larger Navy wheel. By conducting full spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, offensive and defensive systems associated with undersea warfare, NUWC is making a difference every day.”
NUWC is a Navy shore command within NAVSEA, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems.
As the Navy’s premier research, development, test and evaluation, engineering, and fleet support center for submarine warfare systems and other systems associated with the undersea battle space, NUWC is charged with meeting the undersea warfare requirements of the 21st century.
