The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with an impactful event hosted by the Hispanic Engagement Action Team (HEAT) Diversity Action Team on Sept. 10. The event, titled “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together,” featured keynote speaker Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, commander of Naval Medical Forces Pacific. 

The HEAT event, supported by Rear Adm. Keith Hash, NAWCWD commander, and Daniel Carreño, NAWCWD executive director and national champion of HEAT, highlighted the significant contributions Hispanic Americans have made to Navy culture, innovation, and leadership. 

“We reflect on the significant contributions Hispanic Americans have made to our Navy, our country, and the strength of our fleet,” Carreño said in his opening remarks. 

The event’s theme emphasized the power of diversity in fostering leadership and innovation. Valdes, a native of Puerto Rico, reflected on his heritage as the son of first-generation Cuban immigrants and how his background shaped his approach to leadership. He stressed the importance of resilience, unity, and creativity in the Hispanic experience. 

“The theme, ‘Pioneers of Change,’ embodies the remarkable spirit of innovation, resiliency, and unity that defines the Hispanic experience in our nation,” Valdes said. “Hispanic identity in our country is represented by a diverse human tapestry resulting from a variety of historical events, migrations, demographic shifts, family histories, and individual choices.” 

Valdes’ distinguished career, including roles such as officer-in-charge of the Shock Trauma Platoon during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Force Surgeon for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, demonstrates the significant leadership Hispanic Americans bring to the Navy. His service earned him numerous personal decorations, including two Legion of Merit awards and four Meritorious Service Medals. 

“It’s inspiring to see how Hispanic Americans, with their unique backgrounds, personalities, and family influences, have helped shape our Navy alongside other diverse groups,” Carreño said. “Diversity and inclusion are evident throughout the Navy, with Hispanics across all areas.” 

Valdes echoed these sentiments, reflecting on the importance of Hispanic contributions to the Navy and the nation. “I hope that today's celebration serves as a powerful reminder of the vital role Hispanic Americans have played and continue to play in shaping our Navy, our nation, and our future.” 

Carreño emphasized that events like these bring together diverse voices and perspectives. “It is about bringing people together and embracing different views,” he said. 

The event highlighted the critical role diversity plays in shaping future leaders. As Carreño closed, he encouraged the audience to continue promoting diversity and inclusion. “These events are really for the benefit of us all,” he said. “It inspires me to be absolutely the best leader I can be each and every day.” 

NAWCWD’s ongoing commitment to fostering diversity remains central to its mission to support the warfighter and promote a more inclusive Navy. Respect is a core principle, and the organization emphasizes inclusion as key to achieving mission success. 

In this decisive decade, marked by global uncertainty, how does the U.S. Navy prepare for the evolving landscape of modern warfare — all while maximizing efficiency and minimizing costs? The answer lies within the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. There, the Threat Target Systems Department (TTSD) showcased its innovation, resourcefulness, and operational effectiveness during the recent Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 exercise, including a live-fire sinking exercise of the decommissioned USS Tarawa (LHA 1).

RIMPAC, the world's largest maritime exercise, is a complex ballet of ships, aircraft, and personnel from across the globe. Behind this impressive display of international cooperation, the diverse teams within the TTSD worked tirelessly to ensure the exercise ran seamlessly. They embraced challenges as opportunities, demonstrated an abundance mindset, found innovative solutions to unexpected problems, and consistently delivered exceptional results. TTSD leveraged multifaceted skills and missions to bolster fleet readiness and global partnerships. Their crucial support enhanced collective capabilities across maritime domains.

Kevin Gross, TTSD's director, brings firsthand experience and a deep appreciation for RIMPAC's mission. From the cockpit to the flight deck, Gross supported several RIMPAC exercises as a Marine Corps Harrier weapons and tactics instructor and landing signal officer.

'Supporting RIMPAC with electronic warfare systems to train joint and coalition forces is a critically important mission,' Gross said. 'Providing aircrew the tools to refine their tactics is the best compliment we can receive from the fleet.'

Bryan Norton, an engineer and part of the Engineer and Scientist Development Program on the Mobile Emitter Team, witnessed innovation and global teamwork firsthand at RIMPAC 2024.

'Participating in RIMPAC 2024 was an incredible opportunity to overcome unique challenges while attempting several first-time events,' Norton said. 'It was astounding to witness the collaboration and unity of many different countries.'

During the RIMPAC 2024 exercise, the U.S. Navy used the decommissioned Tarawa as a target for a live-fire SINKEX in the waters off Pearl Harbor. The Mobile and Integrated Threat Division's (MITD) MOBE team, which falls under TTSD, provided an electronic emitter to support a long-range, air-to-surface missile engagement with the Tarawa. The expensive emitter system would typically be lost to the ocean's depths along with the vessel.

To prevent this costly loss, the MITD team developed 'Kraken-1,' a repurposed 7-person life raft that they transformed into a guardian of critical equipment, exhibiting their solution-oriented mindset. It detached from the Tarawa upon missile impact, protecting the signal generators and equipment from 'meeting Davy Jones,' said Gross.

Once the Tarawa began to sink, Kraken-1 deployed remotely, skillfully navigating to a designated recovery zone.

The successful deployment of Kraken-1 saved the Navy nearly half a million dollars. It recovered a critical electronic warfare system, ensuring its availability for future missions. This innovative solution shows the MOBE team's resourcefulness and cost-effectiveness in action. Releasing the Kraken demonstrated the team's engineering skill, collaboration, and foresight.

'To have gone through the cycle of design and implementation to execution and have it successfully work is an amazing first-time engineering achievement for this team,' said Salam Ali, RIMPAC exercise lead on the MOBE team. 'The ability to overcome challenges in real-time and leverage the team's varied areas of expertise made Kraken-1 a success!'

MITD staff faced technical issues. They needed to solve them creatively while mindful of the environment and the schedule. Faced with potential range connectivity issues, the team procured a commercial off-the-shelf solar panel and battery backup pack from a local hardware store. This solution provided a constant and reliable power source for the repeater, ensuring the LHA-1 could maintain a strong signal connection throughout the test event.

'Supporting RIMPAC has been very exciting,' said Lilly Becker, an SSEP student on the MOBE team. 'It's rewarding to see both our long-term preparation and the on-site efforts pay off, especially considering how much saving our equipment would affect our future operations. I appreciate our team's hard work and enjoyed working with them, and I am happy to be a part of it all!'

While the MOBE team's innovative solution, Kraken-1, successfully tackled challenges at sea, TTSD's ingenuity and resourcefulness also extended to land-based operations.

At the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Barking Sands, Kauai, Chris Zavatson evaluated a new radome cover for the BQM-177A aerial target. By preventing nose cone damage during post-mission handling, Zavatson's work resulted in a $25,000 cost avoidance. He trained on-site personnel, including PMRF staff and PRMF Detachment Far East sailors, on properly using and maintaining the radome cover. His efforts ensured the safe and efficient recovery of the BQM-177A targets, highlighting effective resource management and operational efficiency.

In addition to equipment protection, TTSD played a crucial role in supporting training exercises.

To simulate real-world threats and enhance training, the Airborne Threat Simulation Organization deployed two teams to Oahu and Kauai. Active-duty sailors from VX-30 provided adversary electronic warfare presentations with electronic warfare pods installed on contracted aircraft, while the second team configured BQM-177 aerial targets with electronic attack payloads. These targets served as realistic adversary threats, enabling allied naval forces to hone their skills in a challenging environment.

'While the event was a success, the test team experienced moments of stress and frustration. Despite these hurdles, the team supported one another, combining their varied areas of expertise to develop solutions,' said Kyle Blades, MITD division head.

During RIMPAC 2024, TTSD exemplified the critical behaviors necessary to fulfill NAWCWD's mission of delivering warfighters the decisive advantage in this decisive decade. TTSD demonstrated the power of innovation, collaboration, and adaptability in the face of adversity by thinking differently, focusing on outcomes, and ensuring everyone could contribute to discovering solutions. As the Navy navigates an uncertain future, TTSD's success is a model for cultivating the skills and mindset needed to maintain a decisive advantage in an evolving global landscape.

To learn more about RIMPAC 2024 click here.

Memories carried on the breeze.

Chemicals bubbling in beakers.

Chalk in the air.

Machine oil soaked into a wooden floor.

The smells of what came before – and would come again.

In July 2019, a pair of major earthquakes shattered the peace in the Indian Wells Valley, causing extensive damage at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and the surrounding communities. Five years later – almost to the day – three facilities re-opened: the Machine Shop, Chemistry Lab, and Environmental Lab.

Standing in Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s cavernous new Machine Shop, third-generation China Laker Ron Pruitt, who MC’d the ceremony marking the facility’s rebirth held aloft a small wooden block – a piece of the old Shop’s floor – covered in signatures and stained with age.

“Years ago, the Shop flooded, and when we replaced the damaged blocks, we signed them. This is the Pruitt block. My name’s on there, my brother Mike, my dad George, my grandpa George, and my great uncle David. All five of us walked the little blocks in the machine shop,” he said. “It still smells like machine oil. Like the old shop.”

The reconstruction effort for all three facilities – a partnership of more than 90 different commands and companies – was a massive effort, but ensures that the expertise and attitude known as “the China Lake way” will continue for decades to come.

“Among the 29 projects that are a part the earthquake recovery program, this one ranks as the most challenging,” said Capt. Ben Wainwright, commanding officer for the Officer in Charge of Construction, China Lake. “The price tag for this project is $260 million, and worth every penny.”

Over in the Chemistry Lab, visitors are greeted with a diagram of CL-20, an explosive compound created at China Lake in 1988. In the old lab, chemists worked on biofuels and explosive compounds and luminescent chemicals. In the new facility, they are working on heat-resistant materials and single-molecule magnets.

The Environmental Lab tested components and weapons in the toughest weather conditions, ensuring they could stand the challenges of Mother Nature and physics. The new lab continues that tradition with state-of-the-art equipment allowing for acoustic and vibration simulation testing for weapons and aerospace components.

Ask anyone who’s been around and you’ll hear that cutting-edge labs and future-looking technology aren’t anything new for a forward-looking group like the men and women at NAWCWD.

“The technology of today, you envisioned and were working on yesterday,” said Rear Adm. Keith Hash, NAWCWD commander. “Unmanned systems? Additive manufacturing? Biofuels? New and better energetic materials? Old news here at WD.”

Hash praised the NAWCWD team, and the generations of families that came before them, for rolling up their sleeves in service to the nation and delivering the impossible – sometimes just because someone said it couldn’t be done.

“Your creations, your expertise, and your ‘no is not an option’ attitude has touched every continent – and even traversed space to touchdown on the Red Planet. Your accomplishments are not just stellar; they are interstellar.”

On April 23, a breezy, overcast Tuesday, military and civilian members of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force gathered on the beach at Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu in Southern California, to jointly commemorate Anzac Day.

Anzac Day, officially recognized on April 25, marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during World War I. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the shores of Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, for what should have been a swift strike and instead became an 8-month battle in which 8,000 Anzacs died. Anzac Day is now a day of national remembrance.

“Anzac Day is one of Australia’s most important national occasions,” said RAAF Squadron Leader Stephen Jones, Australian Operations Foreign Liaison Officer and Officer-in-Charge of RAAF Mission Data Support at Point Mugu. “On Anzac Day, we Australians mark the landings in Gallipoli … and commemorate all Australian personnel who have served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.”

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division’s Airborne Electronic Attack Integrated Product Team joined Jones and his contingent on the sand to honor the fallen. AEA IPT has been collaborating with their RAAF counterparts at Point Mugu since 2009, and for the last 10 years, RAAF uniformed service members have been stationed full-time at Point Mugu.

“Our long history of close collaboration strengthens the bond between our nations, advancing our joint commitment to safeguarding liberty and defending the shared values that define our way of life,” said David Mohler, AEA IPT’s International Programs lead. This year was his first Anzac Day commemoration, and the similarities to Memorial Day drove home just how close the two nations are.

“Experiencing Anzac Day for the first time underscored the profound reverence Australians hold for their service members and the sacrifices they make. For me, it emphasized the deep-rooted sense of duty and remembrance that binds our forces together, fostering a deeper appreciation for the enduring mateship between us,” he explained.

Jones noted that as someone who gets to experience the freedoms and opportunities offered him, it’s important to remember that freedom comes at a cost. Anzac Day is a time to reflect on that price, and to honor the courageous and generous people who paid it. Sharing that moment of reflection, and that sense of indebtedness, with RAAF and U.S. Navy partners is important, he said.

“What a great pleasure it is to commemorate Anzac Day here at Point Mugu. It is important for us to acknowledge and embrace each other’s cultures, and I am very grateful for the support provided by the AEA IPT in joining with us to honor the service and sacrifice of those that have fought for our collective freedom.”

Calling the Australia-United States Alliance “Australia’s single most important defense relationship,” Jones stressed how cultural exchanges like the Anzac Day service can help both nations better understand one another, strengthening partnerships.

“Australia and the U.S. have genuine cultural affinity and a spirit of collaboration. We share values and ideals, and our alliance is underpinned by mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty and national interests,” he said.

“Through our collaborative work at Point Mugu, we are making greater contributions to collective deterrence, as well as to regional and global stability.”