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From Innovation Challenge to internship: NSWC Dahlgren Division inspires high school student’s mechatronics journey
August 14, 2026 — When Joseph Shanklin’s team won second place in the 2024 Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division High School Innovation Challenge, he knew he wanted to study mechatronics. As a sophomore at Westmoreland High School at the time, the Innovation Challenge was the turning point for him.“It was my first year, so I was introduced to Python. I had... MORE

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Eighteen-year-old Joseph Shanklin, West Moreland High School graduate, participated in the NSWCDD Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program with a team that created software for an all-terrain autonomous rover with object detection and manual override capability. Shanklin stands with the project at the NSWCDD Poster Session July 30 where they showcased their work at the University of Mary Washington’s Dahlgren Campus. (Jennifer Erickson/NSWCDD Photo)

NSWCDD team gives back to alma mater through project
August 14, 2026 — Grey English, a mechanical engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), cares about his alma mater – Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).He is among 180 VCU alumni at NSWCDD, according to Brooke Bowler, the division’s recruiting lead. VCU ranks fourth highest among college graduates at the division behind Virginia Tech... MORE

Left, Joseph Lee and English Grey of the High Power Microwave (HPM) Weapon Systems Integration Division at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division stand beside an experimental HPM source which functions as a testbed for HPM technologies. Lee and Grey, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) alumni, teamed up to co-mentor four VCU seniors for a project that highlighted HPM. (Jennifer Erickson/NSWCDD Photo)

Navy honors NSWC Dahlgren Division engineer for High Power Microwave laboratory achievement
July 21, 2026 — As threats evolve across the seas, the Navy needs to be confident in directed energy weapon systems deployed to the Fleet. It relies on Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD), the Naval Sea Systems Command warfare center for directed energy research, development, testing and evaluation.NSWCDD is currently focused on High Power... MORE

Dr. Andrew Fairbanks, lead engineer in the High Power Microwave Prototype Weapon Systems & Applications Branch of the Integrated Engagement Systems Department at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division was honored with the 2026 Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Award for Emergent Engineers for the establishment of the High Power Microwave Effects Laboratory at the division. (Jennifer Erickson/NSWCDD Photo)

Virginia Tech students develop communication system for NSWCDD
June 15, 2026 — Naval vessels use radio frequency (RF) signals to maintain communication with allies stationed on shore. However, this link can be frequently disrupted by environmental challenges, including signal reflections off the water’s surface, atmospheric conditions like fog or heavy rain and terrestrial obstructions such as dense foliage. Naval Surface... MORE

Virginia Tech College of Engineering students highlight their project at the college's Department of Engineering Education Interdisciplinary Expo April 29. (Photo courtesy of Robin Ott, Virginia Tech)

NSWCDD graduates first students from in-house Wartime Readiness Short Course
April 24, 2026 — The U.S. Navy, in times of competition, conflict, and contingency or combat operations, leverages Maritime Operations Centers to equip commanders and staff with the resources needed to execute responsibilities as a component, Fleet and/or Maritime Component Commander.Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division is applying the Maritime Operations... MORE

DAHLGREN, Va. – Professor C.A. "K-Jack" Krajacich, director of Maritime Staff Courses at the U.S. Naval War College, teaches the first Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Wartime Readiness Short Course to a room full of Sailors and civilians. The course is designed to provide perspective on how maritime operations centers support the fleet. (Matt Lyman/NSWCDD Photo)

Engineered for combat: RADHAZ team keeps the fleet in the fight
February 26, 2026 — In modern naval warfare, the most powerful sensors on a warship can be just as dangerous to its own crew as they are to an adversary if not engineered correctly. High-energy radars, communications systems and electronic emitters operate simultaneously in dense, unforgiving environments. If radiation hazards are misunderstood or mismanaged, the... MORE

DAHLGREN, Va. – The Radiation Hazards (RADHAZ) team at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division supports fleet readiness by evaluating electromagnetic radiation hazards and developing guidance that ensures combat systems operate safely and effectively.

NEDA Job Fair opens doors for early-career scientists and engineers
February 19, 2026 — As an instrumentation engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Corey Curtis spends most of his days on the range testing the systems Sailors rely on.“On the range, we see the end product and whether it works or doesn’t,” said Curtis, who began his full-time career at NSWCDD in 2024. If it doesn’t, the system is sent back and... MORE

DAHLGREN, Va. – An employee connects with a department representative during an internal New Employee Development Program job fair hosted by Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division at the University of Mary Washington Dahlgren campus. The initiative enables temporary cross-functional rotations to expand mission awareness and support professional development across the command. (Tierney Kunstmann/NSWCDD Photo)

Dahlgren Division innovation challenge anchors long-term investment in the Navy’s future workforce
February 11, 2026 — For more than a decade, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division has invested in regional schools through STEM events, robotics competitions and technology donations — recognizing that the next generation of scientists and engineers essential to the Navy’s mission is already sitting in today’s classrooms.“If we want to be ready to support the... MORE

KING GEORGE, Va. – Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division launched the Innovation Challenge @ Dahlgren five years ago to motivate youth in the local area and throughout the region to become the next generation of Navy scientists and engineers. Since then, the number of schools participating in IC@D nearly tripled. During IC@D, teams compete against one another to solve complex engineering challenges in what has become a flagship event for Dahlgren Division’s STEM outreach efforts. (Dave Ellis/NSWCDD Photo)

NSWCDD delivers next-generation MK 38 defense system
February 6, 2026 — DAHLGREN, Va. – For decades, the MK 38 family – a key Navy shipboard weapon system – has delivered reliable close-in defense against small, fast, agile threats at sea. Since its commissioning in 1977 to protect warships primarily from surface threats, the platform has continually evolved – extending its reach, improving precision and adapting to... MORE

SOUTH CHINA SEA - Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) fires its MK 38 25 mm gun during a live-fire drill in 2015. The weapon has since been upgraded to MK 38 MOD 4, which employes a 30 mm gun and integrates with the Aegis Combat System. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman David Flewellyn/Released)

From typhoons to tech leadership: Karen Wingeart’s journey to NSWC Dahlgren Division
February 3, 2026 — In 2002, U.S. Navy Lt. Karen Wingeart noticed a disturbance in the Pacific Ocean develop into a tropical depression from her post as a Typhoon Warning Duty Officer at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii. Her job was both critical and demanding, requiring her to analyze satellite data, model forecasts and limited sensor inputs to deliver... MORE

DAHLGREN, Va. — Karen Wingeart, division head for the Maritime Warfare Control Systems Division at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, stands in a high bay facility used for combat systems testing. Wingeart leads efforts that support the development, integration and readiness of U.S. Navy warfighting capabilities.(Morgan Tabor/NSWCDD Photo)

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