This issue we feature the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Centers which were realigned under SSC Atlantic and SSC Pacific due to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure legislation. SSC Charleston was aligned under SSC Atlantic along with site locations in Pensacola and Tampa, Fla., Washington D.C., Little Creek and Norfolk, Va., Europe, the Middle East and Antarctica. SSC Atlantic also includes the former SSC Norfolk and SSC New Orleans. SSC San Diego was aligned under SSC Pacific.
The stand up of an East and West Coast systems center signifies the alignment of core competencies in the professional skills that the SPAWAR Systems Centers are noted for: C4I engineering; shipboard systems; marine navigation; robotics; technology transfer; environmental science; ocean engineering; software engineering; help desk and customer support center; and much more.
Jennifer Watson, who is now head of the Business Systems/Enterprise Information Services department and the national competency lead for Business Systems/EIS in the newly commissioned SSC Atlantic organization, talked about the realignment.
"The merging of these three commands, along with the implementation of our new Competency Aligned Organization/Integrated Product Teams framework, will promote more organizational clarity and awareness," Watson continued.
"Internally, this will enable in the sharing of common priorities, objectives and processes. Externally, our naval and joint warfighting customers will benefit through a more agile and efficient capability to deliver end-to-end C4ISR and business/enterprise information solutions. This is a great Navy day!"
In July, the CHIPS staff visited two experiments sponsored by U.S. Joint Forces Command — Noble Resolve and Bold Quest — and interviewed Rear Adm. Gregory A. Timberlake for this issue.
In August, the CHIPS assistant editor, Nancy Reasor, attended the Air Force IT Conference in Montgomery, Ala., with our colleagues from the Defense Department acquisition community.
September brought a somber reminder that we must never take our freedom for granted or let our vigilance down. The Pentagon Memorial opened Sept. 11, the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The memorial serves as a tribute to the victims from the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa., attacks.
We remember our colleagues in the Pentagon, the deep grief of the nation on that infamous day — and the coming together of the whole nation in a spirit of renewal and strength — we have not forgotten.
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