Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic hosted a change of command ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina, Oct. 18.

Capt. Wesley Sanders became the fifth commanding officer of SSC Atlantic, assuming the role from Capt. Scott Heller, who is retiring after more than 30 years of naval service.

As the new commanding officer, Sanders leads SSC Atlantic’s approximately 5,000 federal civil service employees and military personnel located at the center's headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina, and at other sites in Hampton Roads, Virginia; New Orleans, Louisiana; Tampa, Florida; Washington, D.C.; and overseas locations in Europe, the Middle East and Antarctica.

Vice Adm. David Lewis, director of the Defense Contract Management Agency and a former commander of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), was a guest speaker at the ceremony. Lewis noted that while processes are important, the focus today is on results.

“Under Capt. Heller’s leadership, SSC Atlantic has delivered on its commitments and produced the results warfighters need,” Lewis said. “You are way ahead of the power curve. Your stuff works. When there is an install, the equipment is on the pier and the people are there to carry through on the commitment.”

Rear Adm. Christian Becker, SPAWAR commander and presiding officer of the change of command ceremony, praised Heller’s success achieving warfighters’ information warfare needs in the last three years as commanding officer of SSC Atlantic.

“We are in the business of our national defense, and there is no more critical time than today,” Becker said. “The capabilities you have been delivering – and will continue to deliver – are making a difference every day in the lives of our Navy, Marine Corps and joint warfighters.”

Heller thanked SPAWAR for coming together to meet the needs of our naval and joint mission partners.

“The entire nation is more dependent on your efforts for their security than most will ever know,” Heller said. “This is a large responsibility, and you carry it well.” 

Sanders, who comes to SSC Atlantic after serving as chief of staff at Commander, Fleet Readiness Center in Patuxent River, Maryland, said SSC Atlantic’s influence and impact reaches around the world, to the men and women who are standing the watch and protecting liberties.

“I am honored to serve with the men and women of SSC Atlantic, our industry partners and this outstanding community to make a difference,” Sanders said.

SSC Atlantic provides systems engineering and acquisition to deliver information warfare capabilities to the naval, joint and national warfighter through the acquisition, development, integration, production, test, deployment, and sustainment of interoperable command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber and information technology capabilities.

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