Adm. John Richardson, who was appointed the chief of naval operations in late 2015, made his first visit to Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division China Lake, Calif., Dec. 4-5, getting an up-close look at ongoing and developing technologies coming out of the command.
Rear Adm. Brian Corey, NAWCWD commander, Joan Johnson, NAWCWD executive director, and Capt. Richard Wiley, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake commanding officer, hosted Richardson’s visit, which began with an all-hands session that gave the civilian and military workforce an opportunity to ask questions and learn CNO’s stance on topics such as risk reduction, acceptance of failure and the acceleration of capabilities.
“While [Rear Adm. Corey and I] were talking, I got a good sense of just what a magical place this,” Richardson said. “I also got a deep sense of your history of science and technology breakthroughs that perfect the formula of defining the problem, putting together the right experts to solve it and getting it out to the fleet.”
During his tour, Richardson was presented with opportunities to learn about the capabilities available within the Digital Precision Strike Suite as well as the Solid Fuel Ramjet project. Additionally, CNO received briefs at the Air Wing Integration Laboratory on F-35 support and integration, the advancement of electronic warfare as well as the expanded and accelerated testing on NAWCWD’s land and sea ranges. His visit concluded with a tour of the Launch Test Complex.
“You’ve got a special suite of talent here,” Richardson said. “Just keep doing what you’re doing and if I can help you do that more effectively, let me know what I can do to enable you.”