News

Matthew A. Zirkle, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Retired), Regional Director, Submarine Industrial Base delivered an engaging presentation to ASNE Tidewater members on March 20th. He highlighted Submarine Industrial Base activities across the nation in support of Virginia and Columbia Class submarine construction, emphasizing maritime workforce development for the future. A lively Q&A session followed. 

We were very pleased to have NAVIFOR Deputy Director, Ms. Elizabeth Nashold, speak at ASNE Tidewater Section’s February 21st dinner/meeting. Ms. Nashold provided an overview of NAVIFOR Type Commander responsibilities managing the manpower, training, modernization, and maintenance needs of the Information Warfare community.

NNSY Commander, CAPT “Jip” Mosman, USN, was ASNE Tidewater Section’s guest speaker in January. CAPT Mosman’s presentation addressed current operations at NNSY and provided an update for the Section members and guests on the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program. That, along with other improvements, will enable NNSY to accommodate the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) carrier class. CAPT Mosman also addressed training the shipyard workforce of the future. 

At the November dinner/meeting, ASNE Tidewater members and guests had the pleasure of hearing from Mr. Matthew Swartz, Executive Director and Chief of Staff, U.S. Fleet Forces Command.  Mr. Swartz provided great insight on the operational challenges the fleet faces and how the maintenance community can help mitigate and support the greatest Navy in the world, even though China is nipping at our heals.

At the October dinner/meeting, ASNE Tidewater Section had the pleasure of having CAPT Stephen Sarar join us to discuss how SURFMEPP excelled during his 3-year tour (which included COVID), giving us some interesting insight into the importance of SURFMEPP in availability planning and funding, and addressing recent work with new organizations. With his three-year tour coming to a close, CAPT Sarar was able to give the attendees a valuable overview of the process which has proven to show success in surface ship maintenance planning. 

On March 15th, the ASNE Tidewater Section was privileged to have Virginia USCG Sector Commander CAPT Jennifer Stockwell join us as our guest speaker for the monthly dinner.  CAPT Stockwell addressed her authorities and responsibilities as the Captain of the Port and as Sector Commander, and highlighted her priorities and biggest challenges. 

Additionally, CDR Jeff Zamarin, USCG, who came with CAPT Stockwell, was able to provide details behind the engineering challenges that the USCG Virginia sector had to overcome and provided an overview of the USCG's newest shipbuilding plan.

The Captain's presentation is available to view HERE. 

For February's monthly dinner, CAPT Jay Young, the Commanding Officer of Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC), discussed specific examples of MARMC work performed on Atlantic Fleet ships, emphasized the importance of TSRAs in assessing ships, and highlighted that USS GETTYSBURG was finally underway the week of the dinner, for the first time in 8 years. 

On a more sobering note, CAPT Young addressed the recent rash of MARMC suicides and the efforts his command and the Navy are making to bolster in-house counseling.  It was a great opportunity for attendees involved in ship repair to hear from our local RMC leadership.

The Captain's presentation is linked here.

At the January 18 dinner, we had the privilege of having RADM Brendan McLane, Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic Fleet, as our guest speaker. 

In what was the largest dinner turnout in the last several years, we received an update on Naval Surface Forces, what missions our ships are executing, and a look into the future of the fleet. Additionally, RADM McLane addressed specific maintenance areas where we are doing well and those where we are falling short as a maintenance team. 

It was a tremendous opportunity for our Section to meet and have discussions with our Navy's Surface leadership. 

ASNE Tidewater's November dinner/meeting guest speaker was Elspeth McMahon, ODU Associate Vice President for Maritime Initiatives.  Ms. McMahon discussed ODU’s future establishment of the School of Supply Chain, Logistics, and Maritime Operations and her role coordinating ODU's programs, outreach, and services that engage with the region's maritime enterprises. These include port logistics and supply chain; shipbuilding and repair; naval sustainment; offshore wind energy; and coastal resilience. Following her presentation there was an excellent Q&A period with the dinner attendees. 

RADM Chris Engdahl, USN, was guest speaker at the October 19, 2022 ASNE Tidewater Section dinner. The Admiral gave an informative and engaging presentation on the history and recent CNO directed restructuring of the Naval Safety Center into the Naval Safety Command -- now serving as the naval enterprise lead for non-nuclear safety standards, expertise and oversight of the Navy and Marine Corps Safety Management System (SMS).

In addition to discussing several high-profile accidents in the fleet, the Admiral’s presentation also included Naval Safety Command’s mission and responsibilities, his perspective on the recent TYCOM assessments, and Q&A with the dinner attendees.