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| Rear Adm. Mike Moran, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division commander, addresses about 50 members of the Regional Defense Partnership for the 21st Century at its monthly meeting Oct. 7 at the Hall of Justice in Ventura, Calif. Photo: US Navy |
[Avionics Today 10-13-2014] The Navy intends to help drive next generation technology forward, according to Rear Admiral Mike Moran, Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) commander. Addressing the general membership of the Regional Defense Partnership for the 21st Century (RDP-21) during its monthly meeting last week, Moran told the RDP-21 audience that NAWCWD will focus on investing in infrastructure to ensure the workforce has the facilities and skillsets needed to drive next-generation technology forward for the warfighter.
Moran acknowledged the current financial challenges with declining Defense Department budgets, but believes NAWCWD — whose Point Mugu 36,000-square-mile sea range is the largest in the world for naval aviation — is positioned to be a leader for the Navy in supporting the national defense strategy. Beyond warfighters, considering a large portion of the naval aviation inventory has been recapitalized, Moran said he expects to see more investments in sensors and networks in the future.
“We can’t afford to keep buying new things,” Moran said. “We’ve done that. I see investment in integrating the next-generation weapons, networks and sensors on those platforms we already have to make them more robust and capable against the enemy. That’s what NAWCWD does.”