Happy Tuesday, Team! Check out the spotlight below on another exemplary NUWC Division, Keyport employee! Over the past nine years, Josh Weston has proven himself a vital asset to the command’s Cybersecurity Engineering Branch, known for his technical expertise, innovative mindset and collaborative spirit.
“He’s a great Keyporter,” said his supervisor. “He’s technically sound, does a great job, and is willing to share his ideas and information with anybody. He’s always looking for ways to improve, and he’s pretty creative with the things he comes up with.”
“He has a natural mentor mentality,” added a coworker. “He has an open-door policy and is friendly to work with.”
Another coworker said, “He is an incredible teacher. He takes the time with everyone who has a question. He’s super fun to work with and makes the job fun.”
Josh was born and raised in Yucaipa, California, just outside Los Angeles. After high school, he completed an associate degree in music, then went to work for his father’s car cover business for a few years. He returned to school after the 2008 economic crash and earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from California State University, San Bernardino in 2015.
The following year, he began working at Keyport as an information system security engineer. He went on to work as a cybersecurity engineer and establish himself as a cyber subject matter expert. Last year, he began his current position as a project lead.
Josh’s father worked in the aerospace industry—supporting the Air Force and the Navy—and Josh sees his work at Keyport as a way of continuing his father’s contributions to national defense. "My health problems precluded me from serving as active duty," he said, "so this was the next best thing on being able to serve."
Josh has received numerous awards during his time at Keyport, most recently the 2024 “Outstanding Contribution to Technical Focus Area - Cybersecurity” Command Award. In 2020, his Team received the prestigious Information Security Award, presented by the Department of the Navy's Chief Information Officer. And in 2022, he was part of a team that won the Commanding Officer's Award for Excellence.
Josh’s efforts to streamline processes and improve the security of naval shipboard systems align to the first, second and fourth Naval Sea Systems Command Enterprise Strategy Lines of Effort: "Accelerate Force Generation," "Generate Readiness" and "Strengthen the Navy Team."
Outside of work, Josh is a devoted husband and father of two, a video gamer, a Dungeons & Dragons player, and a fanatic of anything Disney or Star Wars.