Of its total operating budget, more than $634 million was spent by NUWC Division Newport in payroll, construction, facility support, and local contracts. The command is the largest federal activity in R.I. in terms of personnel and payroll.
NUWC Division Newport’s employee base includes 2,752 government civilian employees and 34 military members with a total gross payroll of over $280 million. Of the full-time government civilian staff, 74 percent are classified as scientists or engineers and approximately 37 percent have graduate degrees.
In addition to the government workforce, NUWC Division Newport contracted for approximately 2,650 work years during 2011 from companies located in R.I., Mass., and Conn., bringing its combined government and contractor workforce to over 5,400 positions.
Money spent for contracts totaled approximately $517 million, with contracts obligated to Southern New England companies during the year exceeding $323 million. The breakdown included $276 million awarded to Rhode Island-based businesses, $31 million issued to Massachusetts-based companies, and $16 million obligated to Connecticut businesses. Con-struction contracts totaled over $8 million, with an additional $20 million spent on facility
support contracts.
NUWC Division Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station that was established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Captain Todd Cramer, NUWC Division Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, N.Y.; and Dodge Pond, Conn.
NUWC Division Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.