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Home : Media : Biographies

Mr. James T. Brawley

Navy Experimental Diving Unit, Executive Director

Mr. James (Jim) Brawley assumed the duties as Executive Director of the Navy Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) in April 2021.

As NEDU’s senior civilian, he serves as a member of the leadership “Quad” (CO/XO/CMC/ED) in executing the NEDU mission to improve the warfighting capability of our U.S. and Allied fleet sponsors through research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of diving, hyperbaric, life support, and submersible systems and procedures.  In addition to the RDT&E mission, NEDU is also tasked with maintaining the U.S. Navy’s Saturation Diving capability and is home to the Ocean Simulation Facility (OSF) the largest, manned hyperbaric system in the world.

From 2015 – 2021 Mr. Brawley served as the command’s Deputy Operations Officer. He was responsible for effectively developing, maintaining and communicating the NEDU schedule, facility, equipment, manning and cost issues related to the execution of multiple high-risk manned and unmanned diving and biomedical RDT&E projects. 

From 2010 – 2017, Mr. Brawley served as a Project Officer and Primary/Associate Investigator in the NEDU Biomedical Research Department. He worked with multiple sponsors, collaborators and researchers to develop and execute high-risk manned and unmanned diving and biomedical RDT&E projects. He was the author or co-author of 14 technical products produced to meet sponsor requirements. He also served as a voting member of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects. 

Mr. Brawley served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for nearly 25 years retiring as a Master Chief Hospital Corpsman. He served as a Deck Seaman, Fleet Marine Force Corpsman, High Risk Diver Training Instructor and Saturation Diving Independent Duty Corpsman while assigned to USS Camden (AOE-2), Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (USMC School of Infantry), USMC 1st Air, Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO), Navy Experimental Diving Unit (two tours), SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One (Advanced SEAL Delivery System Platoon), Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, and SUBMARINE NR-1.

He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in 2004, and a dual Master’s Degree in Health Science and Business Administration (MS/MBA) in 2006 from Touro University International.

Mr. Brawley has received a number of military and civilian personal awards, but is most proud of the unit awards earned with the teams and crews he was honored to serve with. These unit awards include the combat campaign awards earned by 1st ANGLICO, NEDU’s two Navy Unit Commendations, NDSTC’s Navy Safety Award and SUBMARINE NR-1’s four Battle “E’s”.