Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, Commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, held an all-hands call during his first visit to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport Feb. 4.

Speaking to the assembled personnel in NUWC Division, Keyport’s headquarters building, Pappano said he was proud to have the chance to finally visit Washington state after assuming command of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in December 2018.

“It’s important for me to understand what you’re doing,” Pappano said. “My background is as a ship driver, a submarine officer.”

Pappano believes NUWC Division, Keyport can significantly contribute to the Navy’s efforts in what is termed the “great power competition,” among the U.S., Russia and China to extend the reach of their naval power and spheres of influence. The United States has been involved in several land wars and littoral conflicts, but the focus is now shifting back to deep water operations, much as the U.S. experienced during the Cold War.

“Russia and China continue to expand what they’re doing,” Pappano said. “We have to stay on our guard and keep advancing things quickly.”

To maintain the Navy’s dominance on the high seas, Pappano believes NUWC Division, Keyport can continue to impact the Navy’s future by helping improve fleet capability and fleet readiness.

“The operational cycle is based on an engineering analysis of what those systems need,” Pappano said, referring to the submarine and surface fleets. If those ships need critical maintenance, they have to wait on shipyard availability, which itself might be impacted by repairs or renovations to aging shipyard structures. According to Pappano, if the Navy’s shipyards are both overbooked and limited by repairs to their own facilities, then vessels have to be parked to await their turn, meaning they are unavailable for any missions.

“What can I do to extend the ship’s life, and what can I do to get the ship ready faster?” Pappano asked. He said this is where NUWC Division, Keyport can help since it is leading the development of unmanned undersea systems. “What technology exists that can look at key components in the water instead of having to put the ship in dry dock? What technology exists that can speed these processes up?”

“There are a ton of good things going on here,” Pappano said. “Things like additive engineering and cladding technology.” These innovations will help continue to improve fleet readiness and capability, ensuring the lethality of the Navy’s systems when confronting the emerging challenges of the 21st century.

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