King George High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer
Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets Madeline Hassler and Kaleb Sabo receive letters
of appreciation and John Dahlgren 200th Birthday coins from Naval Surface
Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Commanding Officer Capt. Brian Durant
at the King George County School Board Meeting, April 11. Durant recognized the
cadets for their efforts in supporting the NSWCDD Missile Support Facility's
groundbreaking ceremony last month. Hassler, Sabo and their fellow NJROTC
cadets (not pictured) - Ashley Mobley, Garrett Robey, Micala Peterson,
Chukwuezugo Aguolu, Zack Cantrell, Ashley Cooper and Lauren Devlin - in
addition to King George High School NJROTC Commander Fred Duckworth supported
the event by greeting visitors, parking, handing out programs, and assistance
with refreshments.
The new facility - considered vital to the
Navy's Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) Program - will feature
state-of-the-art labs, offices and equipment for more than 300 NSWCDD Strategic
and Computing Systems Department scientists, engineers, and technical experts
who develop, test and maintain the SLBM fire control and mission planning
software. NSWCDD has been a key member of the SLBM team since the program's
inception and will continue throughout the next generation of submarines known
as the new Ohio-Replacement Program. The first Ohio Replacement Submarine - a
future nuclear submarine designed to replace the Trident missile-armed
Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines - is scheduled to begin construction in
2021.