Ribbon Cutting: New Beginning for Navy Warfare Development Command

From Navy Warfare Development Command Public Affairs

June 22, 2010 - NORFOLK (NNS) -- Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC), will conduct a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the new command headquarters building at 10 a.m. June 24, at Naval Station Norfolk.

Vice Adm. Peter H. Daly, deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command will join Rear Adm. Wendi Carpenter, commander, NWDC, to cut the ribbon.

Established in 1998 to coordinate the development of concepts, doctrine, experimentation, lessons learned, analysis, modeling and simulation, and experimentation, NWDC was originally assigned to report to the Naval War College.

Carpenter helped to break ground at this location in June, 2008.

"The move to Norfolk taps into a synergy with other key commands in the Hampton Roads area including Fleet Forces Command and Joint Forces Command," said Carpenter.

The ceremony will officially welcome NWDC personnel and affiliate organizations to the new headquarters. The full scale grand opening will be conducted this fall.

As a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) legislation of 2005, NWDC is moving from its current location in Sims Hall, Naval Station Newport, R.I., to the new location in Norfolk.

Norfolk-based personnel have been distributed throughout the Norfolk area for several years waiting until the new building was ready for occupancy.

"The ability of our personnel to work together in the same physical location will provide a stable and rich environment for innovation, and will enhance our ability to meet our mission and respond to ever-growing demands from the fleet," said Carpenter.

The new building meets current Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System standards, a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Achieving LEED certification demonstrates the success of a green building program.

The Navy Center for Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NCAMS) is a 10,000-square-foot state-of-the-art modeling and simulation center, supporting the Navy Continuous Training Environment, Navy Experimentation, and Concepts of Operations development. The Grand Opening will be the first opportunity for visitors and guests to see this remarkable center. "This facility will enhance our ability to collaborate with the warfighter and more rapidly respond to changing demands from the fleet," said Carpenter. "It will also allow for gaining efficiencies, as well as greater effectiveness."

The three-story, 84,849 square foot structure will create new office space for nearly 300 personnel at the Naval Station. NWDC has approximately 340 full and part time personnel, including foreign liaison officers and staff remotely assigned to partner locations such as San Diego, Pearl Harbor and Yokosuka, Japan, for on-site work with the fleet.