Sustaining our warfighting advantage requires a dedicated team of experts committed to Fleet readiness. Among these experts is Doug Waschak, qualification manager for the Depot and Intermediate Maintenance Activity at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, and raised in Lancaster, California, Doug became passionate about mechanics at a young age, encouraged by his father and uncle.
"My dad was a backyard mechanic,” said Doug. “He was an aviation structural mechanic, so he taught me everything he could, and I worked on cars and other engines with him. As far back as I can remember, when my bicycle would break, my father and uncle would bring me the tools and they'd sit there and talk me through on how to fix it."
After finishing high school, Doug enlisted in the Navy as a boatswain's mate and later became an aviation structural mechanic. Over the next 12 years, he worked on aircraft like P-3s, Hueys and Cobras. He went on to serve as a submarine fire control technician aboard USS Louisiana (SSBN 743) and USS Nevada (SSBN 733) before retiring after nearly 23 years of active-duty service.
Doug then worked for two years as a training specialist contractor at Keyport. During his time in this role, he helped implement a new training program that used virtual reality and video game technology to teach new employees how torpedoes work. This effort proved so successful that in 2022, Keyport hired him on permanently to manage the program.
Since then, Doug has helped bring about significant improvements in how the command tracks employees' skills and ensures its workforce is highly trained. In his current role, he has overseen the digitization of thousands of paper training records and the development of data-driven testing tools that help the command better focus its training efforts. This work directly supports the third and fourth Naval Sea Systems Command Enterprise Lines of Effort, "Generate, Capture and Use Data" and "Strengthen the Navy Team."
Doug’s colleagues praised his technical expertise, positive attitude and commitment to continuous process improvement.
"Doug has a very calm, collected demeanor and is a great listener who is always receptive to suggestions on how to make things better,” said one coworker. “He has a workplace mindset that is deeply rooted in continuous process improvement, making him someone who is always incredibly good to interact and collaborate with."
Another coworker added, “He is an amazing person and a true team player who will stop whatever he is doing to make sure his teammates are set up for success.”
Doug’s contributions were recognized earlier this year when his team won the 2025 “Outstanding Demonstration of Continuous Process Improvement and High-Value Leadership” Command Award.
Outside of work, Doug enjoys RVing, overlanding, traveling, and restoring vintage cars with his wife and three adult children. He recently achieved his goal of visiting every ocean in the world, and he’s currently working toward a bachelor's degree in computer engineering.
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Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport is headquartered in the state of Washington on the Puget Sound, about 10 miles west of Seattle. To provide ready support to Fleet operational forces at all major Navy homeports in the Pacific, NUWC Division, Keyport maintains detachments in San Diego, California and Honolulu, Hawaii, and remote operating sites in Guam; Japan; Hawthorne, Nevada; and Portsmouth, Virginia. At NUWC Division, Keyport, our diverse and highly skilled team of engineers, scientists, technicians, administrative professionals and industrial craftsmen work tirelessly to develop, maintain and sustain undersea warfare superiority for the United States.