Crane Hosts 4-Star Air Force General to Discuss Additional Support
CRANE, Ind. – Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) hosted Gen. Robin Rand, the Commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, for a visit earlier this month. Gen. Rand’s visit followed that of Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, who visited NSWC Crane and received briefings and tours of capabilities relevant to the Air Force nuclear mission in late July.
These two visits are a strong sign of the Air Force’s interest in leveraging NSWC Crane’s capabilities for even more support going forward.
“I’m here so that I can go out and advocate for you and all the great things you do here at Crane every day,” Gen. Rand told a room of Crane employees during an all-hands presentation. “I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
As the modernization of the Air Force’s Strategic Deterrent Weapons Systems has officially begun, NSWC Crane is being recognized as a leading-edge government engineering lab capable of supporting the Air Force’s needs. The Air Force is looking to Crane for support in a wide range of technical areas as part of a long-term cooperative relationship.
The upcoming recapitalization of the nuclear enterprise will likely present a significant funding challenge throughout the Department of Defense with many programs working to meet strategic requirements on limited budgets.
“The visits from Lt. Gen. Weinstein and Gen. Rand are a clear indicator of the Air Force’s interest in finding efficiencies between services to increase commonality opportunities with NSWC Crane,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong, NSWC Crane’s Deterrence and Defense Systems Customer Advocate. “Assisting the Air Force in these modernization efforts would further solidify Crane’s support of all three legs of the U.S. Nuclear Triad.”
Over the last five years, NSWC Crane’s support for the Air Force has expanded to include microelectronics, polymers and life cycle engineering support. At the core of a concerted effort for commonality between the Air Force and the Navy are radiation hardened microelectronics and model based systems engineering.
During Gen. Rand’s visit, he toured NSWC Crane’s technical labs and held an all-hands meeting where he addressed and thanked a room full of more than a hundred Crane employees for the work they do every day in support of his airmen.
“What you do here matters,” Gen. Rand told the audience. “You don’t always realize the impact you have, but our airmen are counting on you. I’m proud of you, and I applaud you.”
NSWC Crane experts briefed Gen. Rand and his team on ways in which the Air Force could further utilize Crane’s infrastructure and expertise to address threats to national security. Air Force Global Strike Science Advisor, César Pruneda, said, within the national nuclear enterprise, “Crane is not just an important Navy asset, but an important national asset also.”
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). NSWC Crane is responsible for multi-domain, multi-spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability of today’s warfighter.