Program Executive Office, Undersea Warfare Systems (PEO UWS)

Last month, I enjoyed a visit to L3Harris Strategic Missions Division in Palm Bay, FL. L3Harris is the manufacturer of the Fiber Optic Improved Post Launch Communications System (IPLCS) which is a key enabler for improved technologies and capabilities in the MK 48 MOD 8 Heavyweight Torpedo. L3Harris is also making a substantial facilities investment in technology areas such as Microelectronics. Thanks for an informative and productive meeting!

NUWC Division, Keyport was honored to host Rear Adm. Douglas Adams, Program Executive Officer, Undersea Warfare Systems, Aug. 6-7. The visit included a command familiarization brief, tours of several Keyport facilities, and various discussions focused on Keyport's critical undersea warfare mission. Rear Adm. Adam's visit also coincided with Keyport CON 2024, the command's annual knowledge sharing fair, and the Naval Range Enterprise Strategy Forum, designed to facilitate collaboration between test and evaluation stakeholders. Program Executive Office, Undersea Warfare Systems (PEO UWS)

Last month, Rear Admiral Doug Adams toured several Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD) industrial complexes and learned about the capabilities housed there. “The energetics expertise and production capabilities are truly impressive,” remarked Adams, after a robust discussion regarding PEO UWS’ portfolio.  Located in Indian Head, Maryland, NSWC IHD is the Navy’s premier facility for ordnance, energetics, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) solutions, supporting the warfighter of today and tomorrow through discoveries that anticipate the next generation’s future needs. PEO UWS and NSWC IHD will continue to work together to support and bring innovative capabilities to the warfighter.  

Yesterday morning, 11 July, Rear Admiral Doug Adams and PEO UWS Executive Director Mr. McClatchey kicked off the ACT Campaign UWS Roadshow with breakfast for the UWS team. Attendees enjoyed coffee, donuts, home-made oatmeal and more! Through several events happening July through September, the ACT Campaign will Announce our Vision, Champion our Values, and Transform our Future.  

PEO UWS Executive Director Mr. Michael McClatchey and leaders from the Undersea Weapons (PMS 404) and Submarine Combat and Weapons Control (PMS 425) program offices recently attended the Executive Steering Committee and Project Arrangement Steering Committee meetings in Australia. Both committees are part of a decades-long capability-sharing partnership with the Commonwealth of Australia wherein American and Australian counterparts work together to develop advanced torpedo capabilities. The continuing bilateral partnership between the Royal Australian Navy and the U.S. Navy allows both to leverage their own capabilities, experiences, and operational environments to push the envelope of torpedo capability and lethality. The partnership demonstrates both navies’ shared commitment to protecting and maintaining free and open global maritime commons.

On Thursday, May 9th, PEO UWS celebrated a Change of Command ceremony as Rear Adm. Douglas J. Adams relieved Rear Adm. Todd S. Weeks as Program Executive Officer for Undersea Warfare Systems. Adams brings leadership and engineering experience to this position, formerly serving as Deputy Program Executive Officer for Undersea Warfare Systems. Most recently, he served as the Director of Attack Submarines (SSN) AUKUS Support for the AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Program Office. During Weeks’s tenure as PEO UWS, the eight major undersea program offices charged with delivering undersea weapons, sensors, and enhanced combat capability to the fleet focused on each office’s cradle-to-grave responsibility for expediting undersea capability development and delivery. This past year, Weeks steered the Navy’s evolving hardware and software acquisition strategy by engaging industry and government stakeholders. He charted a course that allows for faster submarine modernization and prudent risk management within a rapidly changing security and technology environment. Weeks’ leadership helped ensure submarine combat systems, sensors, and networks can utilize cutting-edge software design tools and practices. The Honorable Frederick J. Stefany, Principal Civilian Deputy (PCD) to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition ASN (RDA), acknowledged Weeks’ accomplishments during his keynote address. “Under Admiral Weeks’ leadership, a lot has been accomplished here at PEO UWS.” said Stefany. “As a new PEO, this team has taken a scattering of programs and turned it into a familied portfolio which is as critical as any portfolio we have in the fight that could be ahead of us.” During the ceremony, Weeks recognized the contributions of the entire PEO UWS team. “I am very proud to have been a part of this great team,” said Weeks. “What I am most proud of is not necessarily what we’ve accomplished, but how we have been able to do it. I have been the beneficiary of working with some of the best leaders at the program level that I have ever seen who empower their teams with insightful commander’s intent…I will very much miss being part of this fantastic team, but I know you are in great hands with Rear Admiral Doug Adams,” said Weeks. “I couldn’t have imagined, and I couldn’t have picked a better officer to build upon all the great work that we have done, and I know that there are great and wonderful things ahead.” “I am honored to be able to continue to serve in the Navy and particularly happy to serve as PEO UWS,” said Adams. “There’s not a job I would rather have today.” Please join us in welcoming Rear Adm. Adams to the PEO UWS team! https://lnkd.in/ehygUkfT

On Wednesday, May 1, Rear Adm. Todd Weeks, PEO UWS Executive Director Mr. Michael McClatchey, and the Undersea Weapons Program Office visited the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport in Keyport, Wa. to review the site’s Torpedo Intermediate Maintenance Activity (IMA). IMA facilities provide essential torpedo maintenance services and ready-for-issue weapons to the submarine fleet. With a proud history spanning over 100 years, NUWC Keyport provides technical leadership, engineering expertise, and sustainment to the submarine fleet. The division employs over 2,500 members of the community and their experts include Engineers, Scientists, Technicians and associated support and infrastructure staff. As one of two divisions of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, NUWC Keyport develops and applies advanced technical capabilities to test, evaluate, field, and maintain complex undersea warfare systems and weapons. Their partnership and collaboration are an essential part of maintaining undersea superiority!

The Submarine Electromagnetic Systems Program Office (PMS 435) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to identify potential sources capable of fulfilling the production, upgrade, and back fit requirements for the Multifunction Modular Mast (MMM) Payload System. The MMM Payload provides Unmanned Aerial Vehicle command and control communication, Line-of-Sight communication, and Electronic Warfare capabilities to the submarine fleet. Interested parties should respond to the RFI with a proposed plan that delineates a viable approach to meeting the performance specification requirements. For more information, visit: https://lnkd.in/grsds2xD.

On Friday, April 26th, Rear Adm. Todd Weeks chaired the Demand Signal Roundtable in Newport Beach, CA to launch the Southern California Talent Pipeline Program (SCTPP). Modeled after other maritime regional Talent Pipeline Programs (TPP), the SCTTP will engage hundreds of shipbuilding and ship sustainment suppliers across the region to create maritime manufacturing talent pipelines that revitalize the defense workforce and address critical skill gaps.   Rear Adm. Weeks emphasized that over the next 10 years, the Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) will need more than 140,000 skilled employees to build and sustain the Navy’s submarine fleet and to support international efforts. "The strength of the talent pipeline is as vital as any capability of a submarine," remarked Weeks. "The skilled tradespeople we need, whether welders, machinists, electricians, and more are the structural foundation that will allow us to build and maintain the world's most advanced submarines.”   TPPs have already proven successful in other parts of the country and support over 300 small and medium maritime suppliers. Since 2021, TPPs have facilitated employing more than 2,700 people.   As global threats expand, the SIB Program’s investment in workforce development remains crucial to ensuring the Submarine and Defense Industrial Bases can meet the U.S. Navy's production goals in the years ahead. To read more about the Demand Signal Roundtable, click here: https://lnkd.in/ezJr9B82