Team Philly Showcase Links People, Capabilities and Mission Across NSWCPD

Official Statements

• Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, November 9: “Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) employees stepped outside their usual workspaces at the 2026 Team Philly Showcase to learn more about the people, capabilities, and expertise that support the command’s mission.

  The annual internal event brought employees together through information tables, demonstrations, open houses, and opportunities to engage directly with colleagues across the command. While employees may work in different departments, disciplines, and locations, the Showcase emphasized how those efforts come together to support Navy readiness.

  NSWCPD Commanding Officer Capt. Ashley Wright opened the event by thanking employees for their commitment to the mission and encouraging them to use the Showcase to better understand how other parts of the command contribute to the larger Navy team.

  Throughout the Showcase, employees had opportunities to meet representatives from organizations across NSWCPD and learn how their responsibilities contribute to that shared mission. Participating groups represented a broad cross-section of the command including engineering and technical organizations, business and corporate operations, logistics, cybersecurity, workforce programs, and employee and professional organizations. The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Program and Volunteers for Involvement, Betterment and Engagement Squad (VIBES)were also among the organizations represented.

  NSWCPD Technical Director Nigel C. Thijs, SES, said the value of the Showcase lies not simply in seeing what another department does, but in recognizing opportunities for future collaboration. He also encouraged employees to approach the day with curiosity and to think about how capabilities elsewhere within NSWCPD might connect to challenges in their own areas.

  That ability to make connections across organizational and technical boundaries becomes even more important as the Navy operates in an increasingly demanding environment. NSWCPD’s mission requires expertise from multiple disciplines working together to deliver reliable capability and support to the fleet.

  For newer employees, the Showcase provided a broader view of an organization whose mission can be difficult to fully appreciate from within a single department. For more experienced employees, it offered an opportunity to reconnect with capabilities elsewhere in the command, meet new colleagues, and identify areas where expertise could be shared.

  To wrap up a successful day of learning and connection, NSWCPD concluded the event with an employee appreciation treat. An ice cream truck arrived on-site, serving up sweet refreshments as a gesture of gratitude to the workforce, allowing employees to build camaraderie outside of a formal office or lab setting.

  NSWCPD employs approximately 2,700 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff. The team focuses on research and development, testing and evaluation, acquisition support, and in-service and logistics engineering for non-nuclear machinery, ship machinery systems, and related equipment and materials for Navy surface ships and submarines. NSWCPD also serves as the primary organization responsible for cybersecurity across all ship systems.”