SPAWAR: Vital to Our Troops and Our Economy
April 10, 2007: Today Rotarians learned more about SPAWAR from its Executive Director, James Ward. SPAWAR, which stands for Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, provides Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions to naval, joint, and federal customers.
According to a recent study of the Charleston economy performed by Angelou Economics, Advanced Security was targeted as a market that the region should pursue for economic development. SPAWAR is a shining example of how advanced security naturally complements our economic efforts since the closure of the Navy Base. The military still has a huge presence in our community, and SPAWAR assists our troops by “meeting the changing needs of the warfighter” with information technology to create combat-ready naval and joint forces.
Ward prides his organization on its signature strengths, which include competency, business acumen, innovation, agility, and speed to capability. He is especially proud of his employees’ ability to provide these strengths with limited resources, which he says stimulates innovation. In fact, SPAWAR receives no money from Congress, but is structured much like a not-for-profit business and runs on a $100 million budget. Most of SPAWAR’s employees have an engineering- or computer-related degree: 250 have Masters-level degrees and 15 have Ph.D.’s. These employees are expected to invest in understanding their clients; this is how SPAWAR adds value because they now have a relevancy to their military clientele that allows the employees to really understand the needs of the warfighter in the field.
Some of the innovative ideas that SPAWAR has provided to the warfighter include an inflatable antenna which is much lighter than its predecessor, thus saving the troops from carrying heavy equipment through the battlefield. The invention has proved so popular that the “kid” who invented it (as Ward affectionately called him) was recently selected as one of the Top 25 Scientists/Engineers in the U.S.
Another SPAWAR product is the up-armored High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) which comes out of Charleston. Ward stated that Charleston has the capability to become the leader in vehicle integration for the nation. Not only does SPAWAR provide these integrated vehicles to the warfighter, but those responsible for the HMMWVs also send a personal note and care package to each driver of the vehicle. This has gone a long way with the troops, and Ward beams as he shares the letters of gratitude from those stationed overseas.
Ward was also excited to share SPAWAR’s new “Purple Heart Professional” program, which will employ someone who has come back from combat injured and use their competency toward a meaningful career at SPAWAR. SPAWAR is fully-equipped to accommodate someone with disabilities, so this will allow someone to continue to serve their country although they are not able to be deployed into combat. The first candidate begins this month!
The economic impact of SPAWAR on the Charleston economy is close to $1 billion, but as we heard from James Ward, the intellectual capital generated is what is of most value to our region. We are proud to have such a tremendous organization call Charleston home, and it sounds like they will be here to stay if James Ward has his way!
Submitted by Amy Riley, Keyway Committee