Dennis Boyer (from left), deputy commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC), UWDC Commander Rear Adm. Michael R. Van Poots and Capt. Todd Moore, UWDC chief of staff, listen as Tony Paolero, head of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport’s Sensors and Arrays Division, explains the mission of the Naval Array Technical Support Center during a tour at Division Newport on March 31, 2025. Credit: U.S. Navy/Nick Froment)

Strengthening Naval Undersea Warfare Capabilities: A Partnership Between NUWC and UWDC

A constant co-evolution of technology and operational concepts is critical to providing the best warfighting capabilities possible to the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet. In support of that mission, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport and the Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC) continue to have a strong working relationship.

On March 31, the warfare center welcomed UWDC Commander Rear Adm. Michael R. Van Poots and some of the organization’s senior leaders for a full day of tours and discussions. Van Poots was joined by Dennis Boyer, SES, deputy commander; Capt. Todd Moore, chief of staff; Ellen Greenberg, director, Commander’s Action Group Director; and Capt. Matt Boland, director, Tactical Analysis Group (TAG).

Delivering Cutting-Edge Technologies

Division Newport consistently delivers new technologies and capabilities within its technical design and in-service engineering roles. It is strategically important to show the status of the latest and greatest items to develop and modify the tactics, procedures and technology before they are on deployment, Division Newport Technical Director Marie Bussiere said.

Exploring Advanced Facilities

After some early discussions with Division Newport leadership, Van Poots toured several key facilities, including the Classified Rapid Innovation Center, Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) Lab, Weapons Analysis Facility (WAF) Lab, and the USW Electromagnetic Systems Department.

At the Naval Array Technical Support Center, Sensors and Sonar Systems Department employees gave an in-depth explanation of how the facility operates, including a detailed description of the different components and functions of towed arrays.

Advancing Undersea Technologies

The tour concluded with a briefing on the latest updates from the Yellow Moray Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (AUV) Program, a submarine system that enables the launch and recovery of specially configured REMUS 600-based AUVs from Virginia-class torpedo tubes.