The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division originally established itself as the major testing area for naval guns and ammunition. Today, it continues to provide the military with the development and integration of warfare systems for the warfighter, warfighting and the future fleet.

Our MISSION: We deliver warfare systems to protect our nation and defeat our adversaries.

Our VISION: Design, develop, and integrate technologically superior, 21st century warfare systems.

The division is headquartered at Dahlgren, VA, and provides Fleet support at the NSWC Dahlgren Division Dam Neck Activity, in Virginia Beach, VA, overlooking the Virginia Capes Fleet Operations Area.

NSWCDD conducts advance research in all systems-related areas and pursues scientific disciplines including physics, mathematics, directed energy and digital engineering, modeling and simulation, software, mechanical, electrical and systems engineering, to name a few.

Our STRATEGIC GOALS:

Strategic Goal 1: Technical Thrusts

For over a century, Dahlgren has led the U.S. Navy to worldwide superiority in innovative, integrated warfare systems. Today, our Navy is competing globally with skilled adversaries intent on surpassing us. Everything that we do at NSWCDD is about ensuring that the U.S. Navy remains supreme throughout the coming century. Our efforts will be focused on several specific technical thrusts.

• Thrust 1: Intelligent Automation

Peer and near-peer competitors across the world are aggressively pursuing autonomous warfare and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) across the warfighting spectrum.

• Thrust 2: Software Engineering Revolution

In the future, software will provide more than 80 percent of combat systems’ capabilities, with greater speed and fewer errors humans are capable of.

• Thrust 3: Digital Engineering

Traditional naval engineering processes and methods are not well suited to managing the complexity, interconnectivity, and interoperability of current and future systems of systems.

• Thrust 4: Hypersonic Weapons Advancement

Our nation faces fierce competition from our adversaries in the development of offensive hypersonic weapons and the weapon systems designed to defeat them. 

• Thrust 5: Information Superiority

We must recognize and act on the motto that “Information is Combat Power.”

Strategic Goal 2: Information Technology Modernization

Dahlgren’s current IT infrastructure and service delivery models lack the agility needed to support advanced digital engineering and the dynamic evolution of weapons systems development.

Strategic Goal 3: Workforce Development

The Department of the Navy plans to build a world-class workforce experience to drive organizational and individual performance. Our responsibility at NSWCDD is to identify and access the skills we need and curate and engage the best career journeys for our people.

Strategic Goal 4: Communication

Communication is extremely important as we integrate into the regional ecosystem and face challenges to the value we provide the Navy and the warfighter.

Strategic Goal 5: Business

We must be able to respond to customer requirements with agility and accountability. This means balancing the constraints of compliance with innovative business solutions that drive a culture of affordability.

As a premier naval scientific and engineering institution, we are The Leaders in Warfare Systems Development and Integration.