The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport is changing how it works with private companies, its technical director told defense contractors at Defense Innovation Days, describing an approach she called radical collaboration.
“The only way we succeed is together,” said Marie Bussiere. “We are committed to sharing as much information as possible to strengthen our partnerships, especially with industry.”
The three-day SENEDIA conference ran Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 at the Newport Marriott.
Bussiere defined the approach as prioritizing trust, shared decision-making and open communication over hierarchy. In practical terms, the command has started biweekly industry office hours where its scientists and engineers field questions, released a Long Range Acquisition Forecast showing companies what contracts may be coming, rebuilt its public website, and held a roundtable with industry partners led by Vic Ricci, its principal director for undersea warfare innovation and strategic alliances.
The shift follows a summer visit from Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, director of submarine programs, who told the command that aligning and activating the industrial base is a priority.
Bussiere pointed companies to “Mastery of the Seas at All Depths 2035,” the 10-year strategic vision she unveiled at last year’s conference, which spans 11 technical areas including undersea sensing, weapon lethality, assured communications, seabed warfare, undersea robotics, tactical oceanography and cybersecurity.
“Everyone in the undersea community should be able to see where their expertise, their companies’ products, and their independent research and development efforts fit,” she said. “No single organization can tackle the multitude of challenges in the undersea domain.”
Scott Sideleau, senior scientific technical manager for undersea warfare command and control, announced a new challenge called Narragansett Sentinel, focused on protecting subsea communications infrastructure in waters where military and commercial vessels mix. It calls for command and control components, resilient 5G communications at the surface, and subsea technology that can assess a threat on its own and send data back up.
“We are not asking any single company to build the entire puzzle,” Sideleau said. “Instead, we are looking for the best individual pieces.”
Narragansett Sentinel will anchor the next BlueTIDE event, planned for August 2027, with a series of events leading up to it, said Julie Kallfelz, who directs the Northeast Tech Bridge and Technology Partnership Office. The first is a classified industry day at Division Newport in late October.
NUWC Newport is the country’s oldest warfare center, tracing to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in 1869. It is commanded by Capt. Kevin Behm.
