NUWC Newport Holds Change of Command
Capt. Howard Goldman relieved Capt. Todd Cramer as commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport during a change of command ceremony on Friday, Nov. 14.
A naval submariner originally from Baltimore, Md., Goldman is a 1987 graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas, with a bachelor of science degreein mechanical engineering and a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval War College with a master’s degree in International Security and Strategic Studies. He also he served for one year as a National Security Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School for Government and Public Policy. He received his commission from the Naval Reserve Officer Training Unit at Rice.
Goldman has served aboard a variety of submarines and commanded the nuclear powered attack submarine USS Toledo (SSN-769).His shore assignments have included duty on the Submarine Tactical Development Staff of the Royal Navy, the staff of Commander Task Force 69 in Naples, Italy, and command of Naval Submarine Training Center Pacific Pearl Harbor (NSTCP) with additional duties as commanding officer Naval Submarine Training Center Pacific (NSTCP) Detachment Guam.
Cramer reported as commander, NUWC Newport in July 2010. He focused NUWC research, development, test and evaluation efforts on providing the fleet with services and products that enhance ship and system operational availability.
Cramer led a diverse workforce of more than 5,000 military, civilian, and contract employees at NUWC Newport, the Navy's premier lab for design, acquisition, and lifecycle support of undersea warfare systems. He led the deployment of numerous critical advancements in weapons, sensor, and launcher systems to the Fleet on-time and on-budget. He championed new capabilities to secure the Navy's undersea dominance in the future, including the installation of advanced training simulators; autonomous air and undersea vehicles; and safely conducted thousands of hours of tactical development scenarios and hundreds of torpedo firings involving U.S. and allied units.
In addition, Cramer successfully navigated government-ordered shutdowns and the furlough of more than 2,700 civilian employees while minimizing the negative impacts on employees, customers, and the Fleet. He fostered a culture of dedicated stewardship of scarce resources, allowing NUWC Newport to implement a complex over-arching resource management system successfully, while also reducing travel expenditures by more than 27 percent. His effortsalso led to the saving of millions of overhead budget dollarsand exceeding the Secretary of the Navy's energy savings goals years ahead of schedule.
Rear Adm. Richard Breckenridge, director of warfare integration for the Navy and guest speaker at the event, said, “Over the span of four-plus years, Captain Cramer provided a true bright light. Captain Cramer made a profound difference for the Navy and the undersea force. He’s been at the forefront of innovation and change as commander of the first Virginia-class submarine and then as he led Division Newport.”
In his remarks, Cramer said, “It’s impossible to overstate the impact of this command’s ability to dominate the undersea battlespace. This has been one of my greatest experiences, and I look forward to serving with you in the future.”
Cramer now reports to the staff, Submarine Development Squadron TWELVE in Groton, Conn.
NUWC is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems.
As the Navy’s premier research, development, test and evaluation, engineering, and fleet support center for submarine warfare systems and other systems associated with the undersea battle space, NUWC is charged with meeting the undersea warfare requirements of the twenty-first century.
NUWC’s two divisions in Newport and Keyport, Wash., work together to fulfill NUWC’s mission to operate the Navy’s full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering, and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapon systems associated with undersea warfare and related areas of homeland security and national defense.
