Former NUWC Division Newport AUTEC program manager wins Navy Lifetime Achievement Award

Photo By David Stoehr | Andrew Appleget, former program manager at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center, located in the Bahamas, has won the Department of the Navy Test and Evaluation Lifetime Achievement Award.  

NEWPORT, RI, UNITED STATES

03.02.2021

Story by Public Affairs Office 

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport

NEWPORT, R.I. — Andrew Appleget, former program manager at Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC), located in the Bahamas, who recently retired, has won the prestigious Department of the Navy Test and Evaluation (T&E) Lifetime Achievement Award.

This award recognizes an individual who has committed their career to providing outstanding contributions to their organization and the T&E community at large. The selection process was extremely competitive, as noted by the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, with outstanding nominations submitted from the Naval Sea Systems Commands and Navy and Marine Corps Operational Test Agencies.

Appleget, a resident of Tiverton, Rhode Island, is being recognized for the success of multi-challenge field testing events at AUTEC and skillfully directing operations of in-water testing to rapidly bring capabilities to the fleet. Appleget directed the $10.7 million Offboard Advanced Systems Stimulus Program and the extensive team that developed and fielded advanced stimulations for sensor and combat systems. He and his team transformed testing and training operations from single dimension anti-submarine warfare to the multi-dimensional challenges of warfare in the modern littoral environment, and with four separate contract acquisitions and a complex system integration, it was the third largest AUTEC improvement and modernization program ever executed.

Directly responsible for undersea warfare (USW) platform test environments with an overall budget of $100 million, he oversaw the largest contract at NUWC Division Newport valued at more than $50 million per year for AUTEC maintenance and operation, which required his extensive knowledge of fiscal and contracting law and current Department of Defense contracting practices. As AUTEC investment manager, Appleget developed and implemented undersea range technology and capabilities from planning and resourcing through execution, and directed major improvement and modernization programs encompassing the development, acquisition, test and evaluation of USW range systems totaling $31 million.

Appleget retired on Dec. 31, 2020 after a distinguished 35-year career with the U.S. Navy. Throughout his career, he demonstrated effective leadership and program management across the spectrum of technical and supervisory duties, always balancing the requirements of customer support, leading staff, and applying technical innovation to meet evolving testing requirements. The results of programs that Appleget directed during the course of his tenure have impacted every aspect of USW range systems at AUTEC.

Appleget will be honored in a future ceremony.

NUWC Division Newport is a shore command of the U.S. Navy within the Naval Sea Systems Command, which engineers, builds and supports America’s fleet of ships and combat systems. NUWC Newport provides research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures associated with undersea warfare.

NUWC Newport is the oldest warfare center in the country, tracing its heritage to the Naval Torpedo Station established on Goat Island in Newport Harbor in 1869. Commanded by Capt. Chad Hennings, NUWC Newport maintains major detachments in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Andros Island in the Bahamas, as well as test facilities at Seneca Lake and Fisher's Island, New York, Leesburg, Florida, and Dodge Pond, Connecticut.

• Date Taken: 03.02.2021
• Date Posted: 03.02.2021 13:30
• Story ID: 390341
• Location: NEWPORT, RI, US
• Hometown: TIVERTON, RI, US