David Richardson
Head, Readiness and Training Systems Department, NSWCDD Dam Neck Activity 

Mr. David Richardson is the Department Head of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Readiness and Training Systems (R) Department. He provides overall technical and managerial leadership to a workforce of 650 scientists and engineers for a portfolio of U.S. Navy combat systems comprising fleet readiness and sustainment, platform and system cybersecurity, signals intelligence, integrated training systems development and sustainment, and system safety engineering and analysis solutions for the naval warfighter and the Fleet.

Richardson has more than 30 years of experience in the research, development, and acquisition of naval and joint warfare systems.

As deputy department head of the NSWCDD Integrated Combat Systems Department from 2017-2019, he was responsible for leading a portfolio of surface ship Navy combat systems, systems engineering and integration, future combat systems science and technology, cost estimation and analysis, human systems engineering and integration, command and control, virtualization and interoperability.

He served as deputy department head of the NSWCDD Strategic and Computing Systems Department from 2015-2017 and as deputy department head of the NSWCDD Strategic and Weapon Control Systems Department from 2012-2015, leading a combined portfolio of strategic systems fire control, targeting, mission planner and reentry systems, cyber warfare engineering, surface Navy weapon control systems, critical infrastructure protection, hardware assurance, naval tactical computing plants, operating environments and architectures, and fiber optic design.

Richardson led the NSWCDD Warfare Systems Engineering and Integration Division from 2006-2012 in large scale and complex systems engineering and integration efforts executing across Aegis, DDG 1000, littoral combat ships, aircraft carriers, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), European phased adaptive approach, ground-based missile defense, space-based sensor integration, Navy surface ship computing systems, Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air, Requirements and Analysis Working Group programs and USMC systems engineering and architecture. He served as head of the NSWCDD Combat Direction Systems Branch from 2004-2006 with major thrusts in common command and control warfare systems engineering across Aegis, DDG 1000, CG(X), LCS, Aegis BMD, and Single Integrated Air Picture/Open Architecture Track Manager.

He provided technical leadership for Naval Sea Systems Command as its combat system engineer technical warrant holder for DDG 1000-class warfare systems from 2006-2007. He was the combat system engineer for Program Manager Ships 500 in the PEO Ships DD(X) Program Office from 2002-2003. He was the first plankholder DDG 1000 combat system engineer from 1997-2004.

Richardson began his career at NSWCDD upon graduation from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He completed a Master of Science degree in engineering administration at Virginia Tech and is a Certified Level III acquisition professional in systems planning, research, development, and engineering.