SPAWAR changes center names; mission remains

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Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command will change the names of its systems centers in Charleston and San Diego to reflect the importance of information in warfare.

The new name, Naval Information Warfare Center, will be effective Feb. 18. The Charleston site will be called Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, and will go by the acronym NIWC Atlantic.

SPAWAR Commander Rear Adm. Christian Becker made the announcement Wednesday during the WEST 2019 conference co-hosted by the U.S. Naval Institute and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association at the San Diego Convention Center.

“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,” said Becker. “Recognizing our systems centers as Naval Information Warfare Centers reaffirms our commitment to accelerate the development and delivery of advanced warfighting capabilities to the fleet.”

According to a news release, the new name reflects the centers’ focus, core capabilities and importance in warfighting. The name also aligns the centers with the Naval Air Systems Command’s air warfare centers and Naval Sea System Command’s surface and undersea warfare centers.

The command will still be known as SPAWAR, said spokesman Jack O’Neill, and it is not changing its mission.

“Nothing else is changing,” O’Neill said.