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j ewPort, Rhode Island, and New Lon- 0n. Connecticut—well known to the sea Juices as the sites of such establishments as the Naval War College and the l ' S. Coast Guard Academy—also Use the main research facilities of (Nil aVa* ^nt'crwater Systems Center ■ In addition to its New England
inCiR0nS’ has maj°r detachments
sit ”erniuc*a’ Florida, and deep-water 'n Bahamas and New York, as sm naS an ^rct'c 'ce camp and several atler detachments across the country.
Ce^SC is the U. S. Navy’s principal ater I°r research, development, testing, suh eva*uat’on of submarine warfare and fornianne weapon systems, and there- ^/c Plays a vital role in preparing the vy s submarines for the duties environed by the Maritime Strategy. Al- ^ OUSh not involved with submarine hull ^Slgn, materials, or propulsion, NUSC’s stiy civilian scientists and engineers
Work
c°ntrol
on systems for submarine combat
. sonar, weapons, electromag- sn CS’ anci tactical missiles; surface ship r„,nar; underwater target simulators; and re,a*ed projects.
^ ne purpose of NUSC is to make the avy a “smart buyer” of underwater > ems. Managers use a business-school PPtoach in developing “product lines’
fo *
buiJr't "cotpotafion.” Except for the doe 'n^ PrototyPeY however, NUSC
jS no manufacturing. n 1970 NUSC was formed by the 0er8er of the Naval Underwater Weap- ns Research and Engineering Station in S()WPort witb the Naval Underwater Un(l Laboratory in New London. Its °°ts stretch back to the Naval Torpedo
thetl0n’ ^ounc*e^ *n NewPort in 1869. By 1920s, Newport had become the thaV/ S torPeci0 headquarters, and during inf °"ow'nS decades that specialty grew 0 a wider responsibility for underwater eapon systems.
Recently NUSC developed the Mark- nadvanced capability (AdCap) torpedo, ^°w in use in the fleet, and will evaluate an improve software for its guidance th contr°l system to keep pace with e rapidly changing submarine threat
throughout the life of the torpedo. The new Sea Lance ASW standoff weapon was developed at NUSC. Experience with fast/deep targets for torpedo testing has led to work on unmanned underwater vehicles with many potential applications. An annex to the New London center houses a laboratory for towed acoustic arrays. NUSC staff members are finding innovative ways to display sonar information so that the vast quantity of data gathered—equivalent to 3,000 simultaneous telephone calls—can be better assimilated by sonar operators. NUSC is supporting the Seawc//'(SSN-21) submarine with a variety of systems, including the AN/BSY-2 combat system, torpedo tubes and launchers, and periscopes.
All systems that eventually take their place in the fleet owe their existence to the technology base—the fundamental exploratory research that lays the groundwork to meet future needs. During the next century, submarines are expected to receive improvements in acoustic stealth, communications, and decision-making. The antisubmarine warfare environment will include global surveillance and communication, long-range precision-guided weapons, and better information management. To meet these aims and counter the enemy threat, NUSC is conducting advanced research in such areas as laser communications, superconductivity, electromagnetics, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
NUSC’s efforts are aided by its Cray X-MP/28 supercomputer, which provides the computational ability to perform highly complex simulations. With the computer, research and development can reach an advanced stage before expensive hardware testing becomes necessary.
The warfare analysis program exists to establish an information link between NUSC and the fleet, and to focus NUSC’s resources on real fleet needs. Mid-level and senior NUSC staff members have had tours at major fleet operation commands worldwide. They serve on long-term strategic planning staffs and work with the Office of Naval Intelligence to analyze the quality and significance of intelligence data. NUSC has
developed elaborate computer simulations to study various scenarios. Several years ago NUSC initiated its own war game, which became so useful that the Navy now sends observers.
A video-conferencing facility established in 1985 provides communications among Newport, New London, and the Naval Sea Systems Command (NavSea) in Arlington, Virginia, which contributes two-thirds of NUSC’s funding. Additional links to the Navy, the Department of Defense (DoD), and private industry are planned for the near future. The facility allows secure transmission of color video, voice, and graphics.
Funding for NUSC is entirely project- related. The planned budget for fiscal year 1989 is $697 million. In addition to NavSea, major sponsors are the Naval Air Systems Command, the Office of the Chief of Naval Research, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, and DoD.
The people at NUSC—about 3,500 civilians and 100 active-duty personnel— are its most important resource. Competition with private industry, where engineers and scientists can earn higher salaries, necessitates recruitment efforts that emphasize the state-of-the-art laboratory and computing facilities, the special research opportunities, and the reputation for being at the forefront in certain technology areas known as “spheres of excellence.” While the average annual attrition rate in industry is 12%, NUSC prides itself on its 5% rate.
Though staffed mostly by civilians, NUSC is an integral part of the Navy headed by a Navy captain, and works hard to maintain its ties with the active- duty community. After rubber coverings for sonar domes proved less durable than the previous steel coverings, NUSC sent some of its scientists and engineers for training as Navy divers. With these divers it maintains a scientific diving team that can travel anywhere in the world to make repairs. As an example of civilian and active-duty cooperation within the Navy, the diving team epitomizes the spirit and mission of NUSC.
—Laurie Stearns