CRANE, Ind. –
CRANE, Ind. – Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) launched the Crane Rapid Capabilities Cell (CRC2) to accelerate the delivery of critical technology to the warfighter. This new initiative will serve as a direct pipeline for identifying and delivering solutions to meet the most urgent and emerging needs of the U.S. Navy.
CRC2 is intended to be aligned with the Navy Rapid Capabilities Office as well as the PAE Rapid Capability Cells, which were established over the last year to maintain U.S. maritime supremacy by ensuring swift assessment and transition of urgent solutions. CRC2 bridges operational needs with NSWC Crane’s robust technical capabilities and collaborates across Warfare Centers to bring a broad range of solutions to the warfighter.
"This initiative is about one thing: delivering a decisive advantage to our sailors at the speed of relevance," said Dr. Angela Lewis, SES, Technical Director at NSWC Crane. "The Crane Rapid Capabilities Cell is our commitment to the Fleet. We are streamlining access to our world-class experts, capabilities, and facilities to ensure that when a critical need arises, we will answer the call with innovative and effective solutions."
CRC2 monitors Fleet demand, coordinates response options such as rapid acquisitions, supports problem curation efforts such as with Warfighter Driven Challenges, and facilitates proposal development, partnerships, and outreach.
Adam Parsley, the Rapid Prototyping, Experimentation, & Demonstration (RPED) Lead at NSWC Crane, said the core concept of CRC2 is to act as a “technical force multiplier,” leveraging NSWC Crane’s extensive network of industry, government, and academic partners to develop solutions for the Fleet.
“We are looking forward to working with the Navy RCO and various Rapid Capability Cells as they go through their process of rapid development and deployment, ensuring we focus NSWC Crane’s technical capabilities where appropriate and where we can help bring solutions to Navy problems,” said Parsley. “We want to leave no stone unturned as we strive to bring solutions forward as quickly as possible. CRC2 is about innovating to find immediate, creative solutions for the Fleet.”
CRC2 creates opportunities for NSWC Crane to evolve with the rapidly changing threat environment.
"Modern naval challenges are complex and multi-domain—our solutions must meet those demands,” said Stacey Mervyn, the Rapid Mission Integration and Interoperability Department Director at NSWC Crane. “The Crane Rapid Capabilities Cell provides the perfect framework for my team to integrate our specialized technologies with the broader expertise across NSWC Crane. It’s about creating a unified, rapid response that ensures our warfighters have a comprehensive advantage, no matter what the mission."
CRC2 operates across NSWC Crane’s mission areas—Strategic Missions, Electromagnetic Warfare, and Expeditionary Warfare. Parsley said their team’s strength lies in its ability to integrate diverse technologies to solve complex, multi-faceted problems.
“We work in the seams, so to speak, to bring several technology offerings at NSWC Crane to bear on a given problem, with technologies such as sensors, electro-optics, and software,” said Parsley. “We have a focus on integration and interoperability from the technology standpoint. Using rapid acquisition tools, whether it’s FAR or non-FAR authorities, OTAs, Prize Challenges, the use of our different partnership authorities, whatever we can do to broaden the solution set for the Fleet.”
About NSWC Crane | NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Strategic Missions, Electromagnetic Warfare, and Expeditionary 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.