The NDIA San Diego Fall Forum is an annual two-day event that promotes shared dialog between government and the defense industry, with opportunities to network and engage with leaders from Navy organizations.

Kicking off the event, NAVWAR Assistant Chief Engineer for Mission Architecture Nick Freije discussed the current strategic environment and how NAVWAR is working with its partners across the Navy and defense industry to develop and implement a single information warfare enterprise architecture, consolidating all Navy networks under a single enterprise construct.

Also focused on the importance of partnerships, NAVWAR’s Small Business Programs Director Dan Deconzo emphasized the critical role small business plays in NAVWAR’s mission to deliver and sustain information warfare capabilities and services, including the information warfare enterprise architecture, for the U.S. Navy and its partners.

“This forum provides a collaborative space for us to connect with current and future defense industry partners on high priority fleet requirements,” said Deconzo. “It allows us to leverage industry’s specialized experience and capabilities to meet near term operational demands and provide innovative, agile and affordable solutions for long-term threats.”

NAVWAR’s Command Information Security Officer Mark Compton continued the conversation by identifying organizational challenges and areas in need of industry support. During his discussion, he highlighted the importance of acquiring and delivering effective, secure and reliable information technology resources and capabilities now and for the future, focusing on his team’s priorities for 2022 including: driving data informed decision-making and digital transformation, enhancing NAVWAR cybersecurity readiness and resiliency, and improving user experience.  

Following Compton, NAVWAR Director of Contracts Nancy Gunderson joined Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific Director of Contracts Sharon Pritchard and NIWC Atlantic Director of Contracts Steve Harnig in a hybrid in-person/virtual panel providing a year in review of fiscal year (FY) 2021 contracts and a look into FY 2022, displaying the cumulative impact of all the contract actions and dollars awarded by the command’s contracting offices to the defense industrial base. 

“Forums such as these enable us to discuss the many tools we use to shape our contracting strategies around each requirement, and ultimately achieve business solutions for our programs that enable industry to deliver the capabilities and solutions our fleet needs,” said Gunderson.

In addition to leadership briefs, representatives from Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (PEO C4I) provided attendees with updates on Navy programs.

Participating program offices included:

• Battlespace Awareness and Information Operations Program Office (PMW 120)
• Command and Control Systems Program Office (PMW 150)
• Tactical Afloat Networks Program Office (PMW 160)
• Communications Program Office (PMW/A 170)
• International C4I Integration Program Office (PMW 740)
• Carrier and Air Integration Program Office (PMW 750)
• Ship Integration Program Office (PMW 760)
• Shore and Expeditionary Integration Program Office (PMW 790)

This year’s Fall Forum provided program representatives the opportunity to safely engage with industry face-to-face, for the first time in 20 months, allowing for in-person collaboration in the development and delivery of the most advance capabilities available, to compete and win the wars of the future.

About NAVWAR:

NAVWAR identifies, develops, delivers and sustains information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition and other national missions operating in warfighting domains from seabed to space. NAVWAR consists of more than 11,000 active duty military and civil service professionals located around the world.