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NEWS | Sept. 12, 2023

NSWC Crane employee awarded for her leadership during the Silent Swarm experimentation event

By Emily Gray, NSWC Crane Corporate Communications

CRANE, Ind. – A Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) employee was awarded for her outstanding work at the Silent Swarm experimentation event in Alpena, Michigan.

Sondra Laughlin was awarded the Civilian Service Commendation Medal (CSCM), which is the fourth highest honorary award in the Navy, for her work serving as Deputy Lead during the Silent Swarm experimentation event. Laughlin was the lead facilitator for all of Silent Swarm experimentation planning workshops, team events, and was in charge of daily planning and execution activities for the team. The team that Laughlin oversaw included multiple federal agencies, academic institutions, and industry partners.

Laughlin was honored to have been nominated for this award and credits her team for working collectively to bring together a great experimentation event.

“I am honored to receive this medal while being a part of the Silent Swarm effort. This team has created something special together, and I’m grateful to be recognized for my part in it.”

Through Laughlin’s leadership the team was able to develop and execute various hybrid workshops with up to 100 participants. Laughlin also wanted to focus on maximizing the involvement and development of all the team members participating in the Silent Swarm experimentation event. According to her citation letter “her efforts inspired every team member to contribute, to further develop their own skills, and to truly enjoy the process of building a new event from the ground up.”

Silent Swarm was an experimentation event that was held from July 9-21. This event focused on Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations technologies and how they could better support the Department of Defense and the warfighter.

About NSWC Crane | NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today's Warfighter.

Join Our Team! NAVSEA employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce - from students and entry level employees to experienced professionals and individuals with disabilities. We support today's sophisticated Navy and Marine Corps ships, aircraft, weapon systems and computer systems. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, IT and cyber specialists, as well as trade and other support professionals to ensure the U.S. Navy can protect and defend America. Please contact NSWC Crane Human Resources at crane_recruiting@navy.mil.