Rear Adm. John Gumbleton (fourth from left), Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget and director of the Fiscal Management Division, N82, within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, receives a briefing on the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport’s fiscal management, during a visit on Jan. 6, 2022. Attending the briefing are Dawn Vaillancourt (from left at table), head, Strategic Planning Office; Don Aker, deputy technical director; Commanding Officer Capt. Chad Hennings; Technical Director Ron Vien; and Adam Macksoud, the warfare center’s comptroller. (U.S. Navy photo by Dave Stoehr)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 21, 2021
Release #2202 Point of Contact—Jeffrey Prater (401) 832-2039
Visit from Navy’s top financial director highlights NUWC Division Newport’s fiscal health
A visit from the Navy’s top financial director, Rear Adm. John Gumbleton, on Jan. 6 provided an opportunity to spotlight the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s fiscal management process.
“It is a rare occasion to be visited by the Navy’s top financial director and we were able to provide him with a strong appreciation of the amazing financial and business management efforts that Newport has performed for decades,” Division Newport Comptroller Adam Macksoud said. “He expressed his support of the Navy Working Capital Fund (NWCF) model and its benefits to enabling our mission, but warned of complacency over the long term.
“He understands Division Newport has a strong and highly effective financial management team, but challenged us to become more efficient and look for ways to keep supporting the larger Navy goals.”
Through the working capital model, Division Newport accepted over $1.4 billion in funding in fiscal year 2021 and expects to meet or exceed that amount in 2022. The full economic report can be viewed here: https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals/103/Documents/NUWC_Newport/NUWCDivisionNewportEconomicReport2021.pdf
Gumbleton serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget (FMB), as well as the director of the Fiscal Management Division, N82, within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). During Gumbleton’s visit, Macksoud provided the admiral with a number of details exemplifying how the Comptroller Department is a critical cog in Division Newport’s success.
“We discussed how Division Newport manages its hiring around our technical and business gaps, the challenges of sustaining our key infrastructure and how we proactively make constant adjustments to our financial posture as the budget process moves further into the fiscal year,” Macksoud said. “We highlighted our successful financial performance contributions to the Navy’s bottom-line and overall cash position.
“Our business strengths, coupled with the tours of our technical labs and waterfront facilities provided him with a strong appreciation of our organization.”
As Macksoud mentioned, Division Newport operates under an NWCF model. This means that Division Newport functions under business financial management principles in a buyer-and-seller approach. More information on how a NWCF works is available here. [https://sgp.fas.org/crs/natsec/IF11233.pdf]
The Comptroller Department is responsible for a number of critical tasks as a means to ensure the fiscal health of the organization. These include, but are not limited to, managing travel services; administrating all incoming and outgoing funding; coordinating financial planning, analysis and monitoring of all programs; developing and monitoring operating budgets; and providing all accounting services and payroll customer service support.
Macksoud noted, though, all this does not happen solely in the Comptroller Department. The support provided by the Contracts Department, Corporate Operations Department, and financial experts embedded in the technical codes also is critical.
“I have always said that Division Newport could not be the Navy’s premier lab for undersea warfare without the world-class professionals of the support departments,” Macksoud said. “These departments provide the business foundation, which allows our engineering and scientific community to achieve the highest levels of technical excellence to the fleet.
“For the past 13 years, I have had the honor of being the department head of the Comptroller Department and continue to be impressed every day at the depth of their financial knowledge, professionalism and dedication to the Division Newport mission.”
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.
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.
###