Mr. John Kenney, SES, serves as the Technical Director for Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport. He assumed this leadership role and was appointed to the Senior Executive Service (SES) in May 2026
Prior to his SES role, Mr. Kenney was the Test and Evaluation Department Head and the Principal Technical Manager for Undersea Test and Evaluation, a Senior Scientific Technical Manager (SSTM) position. He was Keyport’s first permanent Department Head of the newly formed Unmanned and Theater Undersea Warfare (USW) Systems Department, established in October 2020, responsible for developing, transitioning, fielding, and sustaining unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) and Theater USW systems to the Fleet.
Mr. Kenney served as the T&E Deputy Department Head beginning in May 2018. As part of management rotation in May 2017, Mr. Kenney was assigned as the Test Resources, Planning, and Coordination Division Head in the T&E Department. In March 2015, Mr. Kenney accepted a position as Customer Advocate (CA) for the USW Systems Program portfolio and was CA for several Team Submarine Program Offices.
In October 2012, Mr. Kenney was dual-hatted as the Deputy Division Head and Technical Project Manager (TPM) for the In-Service Engineering Division. Mr. Kenney became the TPM for the Lightweight Torpedo (LWT) In-Service Engineering Division in December 2008. He was responsible for cost, schedule, and performance of a portfolio of technical projects encompassing about 100 work-years of effort. Beginning in June 2007, Mr. Kenney was Branch Head of the Fleet Support Branch. In this capacity he provided oversight to LWT fleet operations. In May 2004, Mr. Kenney joined NUWC Division, Keyport’s LWT In-Service Engineering Division’s Fleet Support Branch as fleet liaison.
After completing his active duty service in June 2003, Mr. Kenney joined General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division. He was employed as a Test Engineer and Assistant Chief Test Engineer assigned to the SSGN conversion project Electric Boat was performing in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on USS OHIO and USS MICHIGAN. Mr. Kenney was responsible for standing up the test department and completing early Non- Propulsion Electronic Systems testing.
Mr. Kenney graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering and was commissioned as a Naval Officer in May 1983. Upon entering the nuclear power training pipeline, he attended nuclear power school in Orlando, FL and prototype training in Ballston Spa, NY. Mr. Kenney served in various assignments at sea on USS DACE (SSN607), USS MICHIGAN (SSBN727), and USS NEVADA (SSBN733). Mr. Kenney’s shore assignments included Navigation and Officer Training Division Director at Trident Training Facility, Bangor and two tours on the staff of Commander, Submarine Group Nine.
Mr. Kenney holds a Master’s in Business Administration with Project Management Emphasis from City University and a Master’s of Science in Systems Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School.