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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                            June 8, 2023

Release #2331                                                   Point of Contact—Jeffrey Prater: (401) 832-2039

NUWC Division Newport director of Technology Transition wins NDIA Martell-Bushnell Award

Stephen J. Plunkett, director of Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s Technology Transition Division recently won the 2023 National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Vice Adm. Charles B. Martell-David Bushnell Award. 

This award honors distinguished individuals who have made exceptional contributions in the field of antisubmarine warfare and/or undersea warfare technology, have sustained undersea warfare involvement and who is widely recognized in the Department of Defense community.  

Throughout his 31-year career at Division Newport, Plunkett, a resident of Lowell, Massachusetts, has distinguished himself for his “superb technical contributions,” the award states. 

In September of 2020, he was selected as director of the Technology Transition Division, where he is responsible for developing science and technology (S&T) roadmaps across Division Newport’s technology portfolio. He works with Division Newport technical staff to align technology development with priorities and objectives established by the Office of Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), the U.S. Navy fleet, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and the Naval Research Enterprise. In 2020, he also began serving as the NAVSEA warfare center knowledge point champion for undersea warfare lethality mission effectiveness by providing independent technical assessments, identifying cross-warfare center alignment among related internal investment projects, and identifying technology transition paths.  

Prior to his selection as the director of the Technology Transition Division, he served as the head of the Advanced Technology, Modeling and Simulation Division in the Undersea Warfare Weapons, Vehicles and Defensive Systems Department from October 2013 to October 2020. Plunkett was responsible for a very broad undersea warfare technical portfolio of S&T projects funded by the Office of Naval Research, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Strategic Capabilities Office, OPNAV and NAVSEA that included technology development, rapid prototyping, and enhanced undersea warfare performance and emphasized rapid transition to the fleet. 

Plunkett will receive his award at the NDIA’s Undersea Warfare Fall Conference to be held Sept. 18-20, in Groton, Connecticut. 

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.

Join our team! NUWC Division Newport, one of the 20 largest employers in Rhode Island, employs a diverse, highly trained, educated, and skilled workforce. We are continuously looking for engineers, scientists, and other STEM professionals, as well as talented business, finance, logistics and other support experts who wish to be at the forefront of undersea research and development. Please connect with NUWC Division Newport Recruiting at this site- https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Opportunities/ and follow us on LinkedIn @NUWC-Newport and on Facebook @NUWCNewport.            

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