06.03.2025 –
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) technical personnel received Environmental Excellence and Program Management Awards during the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Excellence Awards Ceremony, held at NAVSEA Headquarters on the Washington Navy Yard in D.C. on April 30, 2025.
The awards were established to recognize superior performance in support of the NAVSEA mission to design, build, deliver and maintain ships, submarines and systems for the U.S. Navy.
NAVSEA Commander Vice Adm. Jim Downey and Executive Director Chris Miller led the ceremony, recognizing the command’s highest achievers from across the global enterprise. A total of 354 nominations were received with 142 individual and 212 team nominations, each making significant contributions to the NAVSEA mission.
“The accomplishments we honor today—and the leaders who drove the innovation that made them possible—represent the excellence that powers Naval Sea Systems Command, and all its subsidiary components and activities. Our work fuels the CNO’s priorities of Warfighting, Warfighters, and Foundation,” Downey said.
Warfare Center leadership also expressed their appreciation for all the award recipients do each day in support of the warfighter and the mission.
“Our teammates excelled again this year, winning an impressive 24 awards (nine individual and 15 teams) in 22 award categories across the NAVSEA Enterprise,” said Naval Surface and Undersea Warfare Centers (NSWC/NUWC) Executive Director Marty Irvine, Ph.D., SES, in a congratulatory message sent to the NAVSEA Enterprise on April 17, 2025.
“These awards highlight the diverse technical and functional capabilities the Warfare Centers provide to support our nation,” Irvine said, adding, “We are very proud of these impressive achievements! Congratulations to all our winners! Bravo Zulu!”
Two awards were bestowed upon NSWCPD, underscoring the command’s significant contributions to the U.S. Navy.
The NAVSEA Environmental Excellence Award was conferred upon the NSWCPD Incinerator Installation Team for their significant contributions to designing a new, safer incinerator system that lowered the operational risk of fire. NSWCPD team members included: Team Lead Nathan J. Galligan, Co-Team Lead Alfredo C. Vitale, Richard B. Gudz, and Paul J. Schwegler.
“Leading this incinerator installation team has been an incredible experience. The team’s dedication to developing and integrating this first-in-fleet system was truly remarkable,” Galligan said.
“Receiving the FY24 NAVSEA Environmental Excellence Award isn't just recognition for a job well done, it's a testament to NSWCPD’s commitment to providing innovative and effective solutions to the fleet. It validates our belief that we can achieve operational excellence while prioritizing safety and regulatory compliance. I'm incredibly proud to be associated with this team and the positive impact we’ve made,” he added.
According to the award citation, the team was recognized for “successful design and leadership in installing the first-in-fleet TeamTec MKIII Incinerator onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. The team provided dedicated support for the system's operation during its first deployment … Their commitment included consistent distance support to the ship, frequent on-site assistance, and regular updates to logistics products to capture lessons learned for future installations. Their hard work has resulted in a system that is safer, requires lower maintenance, and is both smaller and lighter, aligning with the Naval Sea Systems Command Core Principle of Reliability and supporting the fleet's mission.”
The NAVSEA Excellence in Program Management Award was awarded to the Program Executive Office Attack Submarines Unmanned Systems (PEO SSN UxS) Team who executed high-priority subsea missions for the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and developed advanced unmanned systems for forward deployment. NSWCPD’s Zack Seither, a program manager and engineer, was recognized for serving on the team.
According to the nomination package, their work involved developing strong teams versed in complex mission deployments and capability development, necessitating collaboration across NAVSEA, Warfare Centers, the government warfighting and intelligence communities, research laboratories, and industry. Additionally, they coordinated budget submissions, defined capability parameters, prepared decision documentation, and delivered numerous status briefs to Department of Defense (DoD) leadership.
“Their strategic foresight has resulted in a unified system entry point, significantly improving operational effectiveness for classified missions, both CONUS and OCONUS, thus setting new standards in naval warfare through persistent surveillance, precision, and AI-enhanced decision-making. Their work marks a pivotal evolution in military strategy,” read the citation, in part.
NSWCPD employs approximately 2,800 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The NSWCPD team does the research and development, test and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for the non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and material for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD is also the lead organization providing cybersecurity for all ship systems.