SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) said on Wednesday that it is changing the names of its Echelon III systems centers into warfighting centers.
SPAWAR’s system centers are currently SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic in Charlestown, S.C., and SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific in San Diego, Calif. The command is now changing them to Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic and Pacific, respectively.
Rear Adm. Christian Becker, the commander of SPAWAR, revealed the change at the 2019 AFCEA West Conference here.
Becker noted the changes will be effective Feb. 18 and will apply to the names of all Naval Information Warfare Centers falling under NIWC Pacific and Atlantic.
“The missions will stay the same but a name’s important because it tells us the focus that we need to have on information warfare,” Becker said.
“This is not changing the missions or functions and tasks of our centers or rather evolving to show and demonstrate that focus,” he added.
SPAWAR elaborated it does not change the mission off identifying, developing, delivering, and sustaining information warfighting proficiency.
“Use of ‘warfare centers’ in the names reflects the centers’ focus, core
capabilities and importance in the full spectrum of warfighting,” SPAWAR said in a statement.
The command also noted using the name warfare centers aligns SPAWAR with Naval Air Systems Command’s air warfare centers and Naval Sea Systems Command’s surface and undersea warfare centers.
“The advantage information warfare brings to the fight is at the core of our Navy’s ability to compete and win today and in the coming decades,” Becker said in a separate statement.
SPAWAR said this name change demonstrated information is a “fundamental element of warfare” as noted in the Chief of Naval Operations’ recent Navy’s
Design for Maritime Superiority 2.0 report (Defense Daily, Dec. 20, 2018).