Welcome aboard, Rear Adm. Rothenhaus New CNR takes helm at Office of Naval Research

ByWarrenDuffie

Office of Naval Research

ARLINGTON,Va

TheOfficeofNavalResearch (ONR)usheredinaneweraofleadershiponFriday, June16,asRearAdm.KurtRothenhauswassworn inasthenewChiefofNavalResearch(CNR).

Thechange-of-commandceremonytookplace at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Remarks were given by the Hon. Frederick Stefany, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research,DevelopmentandAcquisition,aswellas Adm.DarylCaudle,commander,U.S.FleetForces Command.

ONRsupportsscienceeffortsaroundtheworld, from basic and conceptual research to applied research and quick-turnaround technologies requested by Sailors and Marines Established in 1946bypubliclaw,ONR’smissionisto“plan,foster andencouragescientificresearchinrecognitionof itsparamountimportanceasrelatedtothemaintenance of future naval power, and the preservation ofnationalsecurity.

“I’mexcitedbytheopportunitytoservetheNavy andnationaschiefofnavalresearch,”saidRothenhaus “ONR is a vital organization ensuring the Sailors and Marines we have the privilege of serving have the weaponry and technology needed to prevail, now and in years to come I feel a sense of urgency as we face increasingly capable potential adversaries.”

ConcurrentwiththedutiesofCNR,Rothenhaus willalsoserveastheNavalSTEM(science,technology,engineering,mathematics)Executive.

HetakesONR’shelmafterservingastheprogram executive officer, Command, Control, Communications,ComputersandIntelligence(PEOC4I).

Rothenhaus succeeds Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, himself a decorated submarine commander naval engineer and acquisition officer who is retiring afteradistinguishednavalcareer “ONR has an inspiring history of groundbreakingscientificachievements,”saidRothenhaus “I’m honored to join the team its sense of mission and passion for innovation are exceptional. I look forwardtocontinuingtheterrificworkandstrategicagilitythatRearAdm.SelbyandtheONRteam haveaccomplishedduringhistimeasCNR.”

Selby had a remarkable tenure as CNR. He assumed his role in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemicandheimplementedavisionforreimagining naval power “the small, the agile and the many,” which involves small, unmanned, autonomousplatformsthatcanbeconstructed,testedand adaptedquickly;canbebuiltinlargenumbers;and arelessexpensivethanlargerplatforms Tospurfaster morecollaborativeandmoreeffective testing and experimentation Selby promoted the ONR-sponsored SCOUT initiative, a multiagencycampaigntoidentifynewwaystobringnovel capabilities to warfighter challenges, experiment with them in realistic operating conditions, and operationalize them in partnership with the fleet andforce.

Selby also helped lead efforts to revitalize the Department of the Navy’s Naval STEM Coordination Office and he emphasized greater virtual and remote-learning activities in order to remove geographic barriers, increase the number of students reached, and bolster its commitment to diversity WarrenDuffieJr isacontractorforONRCorporateStrategicCommunications.

ABOVE: From left: FormerChiefofNaval Research (CNR) RearAdm.Lorin Selbyand current CNRRearAdm.Kurt Rothenhaus salute during a change-of-command ceremonyforthe Office ofNaval Research onJune 16 2023.Held at the Naval Research LaboratoryinWashington, D.C the event sawRothenhaus succeed Selby,who retired aftera distinguished naval career as CNR BELOW: ChiefofNaval Research (CNR) RearAdm.Kurt Rothenhaus addresses the audience during the ceremony. (U.S.NAVYPHOTOSBYMICHAELWALLS)

USS Carl M. Levin commissions in Baltimore

ByJulieAnnRipley

Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet BALTIMORE, Md

The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest Arleigh Burkeclass guided-missile destroyer USS Carl M. Levin(DDG120),June24inBaltimore

The HonorableCarlos Del Toro,the 78th Secretary of the Navy, was the principal speaker “Itisimperativethatwe theUnitedStates of America, stand ready to support our international partners and our allies as we confrontcommonchallenges,:saidDelToro “Inordertodoso,ournationneedstomaintainastrongjointforce.Ournationneedsto maintain a strong Navy and Marine Corps as the foundation upon which the success of that joint force exists This ship before you and our entire naval fleet supports not justthestrikeforce butourentirenationby guaranteeingourunencumberedaccesstoa freeandopenmaritimecommonsandserves asthelifebloodofoureconomy.”

Guestspeakersfortheeventalsoincluded Adm.MichaelM.Gilday,32ndChiefofNaval Operations;theHonorableJustinWilliams, DeputyMayor,CityofBaltimore,Maryland;

Rear Adm. Thomas J. Anderson Program Executive Officer Ships; Mr Charles F. Krugh, President, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works; and the ship’s sponsors, Sen. Levin’sdaughters,KateLevinMarkel,Erica LevinandLauraLevin

“Senator Levin lived a life of service with integrity, and his example inspires us as we commissionthisshipwiththiscrewtoday,” Gilday said. “The men and the women of the USS Carl Levin represent some of the bestandthebrightestinourNavy Theyare ready! They are prepared to go into harm’s way if required and they will carry out the ordersofournation.

Laura, Kate and Erica all participated in thekeellaying,maststepping,andchristeningceremonies Gildaycontinued,“Totheship’ssponsors, Senator Levin’s daughters Kate, Laura, and Erica,thankyouforyourfamily’ssupportto our Navy and to our Sailors It is not lost on usthatthemanthatwecallprofessor,AssistantAttorneyGeneral,andSenator,youcall Dad. Thank you for sharing his legacy with us and we hope that you feel welcome as extendedmembersofourbigNavyfamily.”

Laura Levin recalled their father’s life of service

“Dad noted that for more than 50 years Senate Armed Services Committee members had managed to work through their disagreements to pass the Defense Authorization bill with bipartisan support forasinglereason.AsDadputit,thosewho servedinthemilitary‘haveinspiredus,year after year, to come together across lines of party and ideology to support them,” Laura reflected. “They not only protect us, they unite us.’ So as we gather to send off this greatship thethreeofusrememberourDad by thanking and congratulating the entire crew of the USS Carl M. Levin who protect usandalsouniteus.”

Duringtheceremony,USSCarlM.Levin’s commanding officer Cmdr Kelly Craft, reportedtheshipready.Sen.Levin’sdaughters, Kate Levin Markel, Erica Levin and Laura Levin, gave the traditional order to “Manourshipandbringhertolife!”

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to have served as the Commanding Officer of a Pre-Commissioning Unit It was amazing beingabletosaildowntheKennebecandout toseaforthefirsttime,”Craftsaid.“There’s nothing like being able to bring the crew togetherandaccomplishthemission.We’ve still got thousands of miles to travel before we make it to our home port of Hawaii, but Iknowthiscrewistherightcrewforthejob Theywillremaintenaciousinthefight,and theywillleadthis‘greyhound’tobethemost fearedwarshipintheworld.

Deputy Mayor Justin Williams’ pride in Baltimore’s Navy connection was evident. “From the days of clipper ships traversing thehighseasduringtherevolutionarywar. our city’s legacy has been long intertwined with the Navy’s legacy.” He continued, “as we commissionthe USS CarlLevin we pay homage to the generations of sailors and shipbuilderswhocallBaltimorehome This mighty vessel will carry the torch of Baltimore’snavallegacy.”

The USS Carl M Levin is the first naval ship named in honor of Michigan’s longest serving Senator, the late Carl M. Levin for his years of service as a longtime member andchairmanoftheSenateArmedServices Committee(SASC).

Levin began his career as an attorney professor, and assistant attorney general in Michigan and was elected to the Senate in 1979 HewasMichigan’sfirstJewishsenator andthestate’slongest-servingsenator,servingfor36yearsbeforeretiringin2015 Inthe Senate, his top priority was the economic well-being of Michigan families. He was a consistent voice for support of American manufacturing and was one of the Senate’s strongest advocates for policies that would help American manufacturers compete globally

As chairman of SASC, Levin focused on taking care of the men and women of the military and their families, supporting pay raises and improvements in treatment and otherpoliciesforwoundedwarriors Heled oversight efforts to improve efficiency and reduce cost overruns in expensive weapons programs Levin also supported militaryactiontoeliminatetheal-Qaidathreatin Afghanistan, investigated Pentagon spending practices, and played a key role in overturning the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule that prohibited gay service members from openlyacknowledgingtheirsexualorientationbefore2011.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surfaceandsubsurface

The mission of CNSP is to man, train, andequiptheSurfaceForcetoprovidefleet commanders with credible naval power to controltheseaandprojectpowerashore.

The ship will transit to her homeport at JointBasePearlHarbor-Hickam,Hawaii

FormorenewsfromNavalSurfaceForces, visit DVIDS - Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and Commander, NavalSurfaceForce,U.S.PacificFleet.

ABOVE: FormerSecretaryofthe NavyRayMavis and Barbara Levin,wife ofthe late Sen.Carl M. Levin,applaud during the USS Carl M.Levin commissioning ceremony.

ABOVE RIGHT:The daughters ofthe late Sen.Carl M.Levin,Kate Levin Markel,Laura Levin and Erica Levin,speakduring the ceremony.

RIGHT:An honorguard arrives forthe USS Carl M.Levin commissioning ceremonyin Baltimore, Md.June 24,2023.

BELOW:The official partystandswhile sailors man the ship during the USS Carl M.Levin commissioning ceremonyin Baltimore,Md.June 24 2023.(DODPHOTOSBYEJHERSOM)

ByPublicAffairsOffice

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport NEWPORT, R.I. Dr Thomas Gieseke has a different way of looking at things His curiosity and unconventional approach to problems has made him the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport’s leading patent holder among current employees, with 40 patents issued duringhis29-yearcareer

“Tomhasaninquisitivemindandpositive attitude,”ChiefTechnologyOfficerDr Jason Gomezsaidabouthisaccomplishment “He seessolutionswhereothersseeproblemsor roadblocks.”

Gieseke, a resident of Dighton, Massachusetts, also takes the lead among current employees, a record held for many years by Dr Anthony Ruffa, who had 79 patents beforeretiringinDecember2022.

Gieseke who manages advanced technologydevelopmentprojectsintheSensors andSonarSystemsDepartment,hasworked as a first- and second-line supervisor and as a lead scientist, covering a wide range of technical subjects, such as hydrodynamics, ballistics,controlsystems,andsonar.

“Areaswheretherearedifficultunsolved problemsaregoodplacestogerminateideas forinvention,”Giesekesaid

GiesekewashiredbyDivisionNewportin 1994tostudytransientflowsanddevelop,or advise in the development of new launcher systems At the time, there was considerable effort to develop a high efficiency inlet for a torpedo system. Essentially, designers wantedtousetheenergyofamovingsubmarine to force water through the torpedo launch system to give the launch pump a helpinghand.

“Welookedatabunchofdesignstoscoop moving water from the ocean and direct it to the back end of a torpedo waiting in the launch tube,” Gieseke said. “Many of the ideaswelookedatwereveryconventional.It occurredtomethatweweresolvingaproblemthatdidn’tneedtobesolved,andmoreover,theentiredesignconceptwasnotideal TheInletFreeTorpedoLaunchSystemwas conceivedtoeliminatetheneedforinletsall together.”

Not only did Gieseke’s idea save a lot of moneybyeliminatingtheneedtobuildgiant hydraulic doorways, it also could launch weaponsmoreefficientlyandquietly

However,noteveryonewasexcitedabout

Gieseke’sunconventionalsolution

“I had been working at NUWC for only a few years so I had no influence and had no credibility,” Gieseke said “There really was noplaceinthecultureforradicalideas,especiallyfromyoung inexperiencedengineers. However,therewasanavenuetodocument my idea, which was the patent process I wrote up the idea and published it, making it easily accessible at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office if a question ever came up or if someone wanted to do research on torpedolaunchsystems.”

The patent Gieseke is most proud of is a high velocity underwater jet weapon, awardedin2005 “Idevelopedaconcepttoproduceatransientimpulsejetthatworksmoreeffectively than a steady jet for underwater water-jet cutting applications,” Gieseke explained. “Itwasbasedonanobservationmadewhile working on a hydro-ballistics project, but enabledanewlineofconceptdevelopment.”

Like Gieseke’s torpedo launch system, the underwater jet weapon concept wasn’t immediatelyembracedbyhispeers.

“Itwasmetwithconsiderableskepticism by scientists in the field and most thought the idea wouldn’t work,” Gieseke said. “In time,itwasdemonstratedinanexperiment and the underlying physics were proven to besound.Thereissatisfactionincomingup with an idea that not only was a new innovation butwasbasedonavisionthatothers could not see without having it shown to them.

Fortunately,Giesekeisnoteasilydeterred ordiscouragedbyothers skepticism.

“Ifyouremainopentosolutionsthatdon’t align with conventional wisdom and you are willing to shed the shackles of practical application,unusualideascanevolveandin unexpectedways,”Giesekesaid OneofGieseke’sinventionscounteredhis ownfather’sconventionalwisdom.

“When I was starting my career in engineering, my father, who was also an engineer,toldmeoneoftheuniversaltruthswas that‘youcan’tpusharope,’”Giesekesaid “I designedtheElastomericSurfaceActuation Systemtodojustthat.Sorrydad.”

Embedded in the design are tubes that when pressurized elongate They become ropesthatpushandwhendistributedproperly can be used to control the shape of a surface

“Iamnotsureiftheideaisusedanywhere else, but I found another use for it when a large Rhode Island-based toy company came to us fishing for ideas,” Gieseke said. “Inresponse,Iappliedtheideastoatoyfish OscillatingAppendageForFinPropulsion.”

WhenGiesekecomesupwithanewidea heneverknowsifitwillendupbeingimplemented in the future, but regardless of the end result, he views the patent process as important and well worth the time and effort.

“I’mnotsureifanyoftheideasIpumped through the patenting process will amount to anything, but maybe the next patent will be ‘the one,’ ” said Gieseke. “The only way to find out is to write it up and see what happens The surest way for an idea to die isfornooneelsetoseeit.”

JimKasischke,supervisorypatentcounsel inDivisionNewport’sOfficeofCounsel,said that it’s wise for employees to try to patent theirideasbecause90percentoftheirideas canbepatented To start the process, inventors should gather enough information to submit an inventiondisclosure

The invention disclosure should include adescriptionoftheinventionbystatingthe problem that needs solving what the Division is currently doing, and how the inventionproposestosolvetheprobleminanew way. The description also highlights the advantages of the invention, has a photo, or preferably a drawing, and states how the inventionisenabledtosolvetheproblem.

“The more the invention disclosure is developed,theeasieritistoprepareapatent application,”Kasischkesaid.

The invention disclosure requires the signature of two people with associated technical knowledge and the signature of thedepartmentsecurityofficial

After receipt, Office of Counsel staff assessesthecompletenessofthedisclosure

Once accepted, the disclosure is forwarded to the NUWC Invention Evaluation Board (IEB)foranevaluationof the noveltyofthe invention and value to the Division and the U.S. Navy If approved by the IEB, a patent application is written internally or with the assistance of a contract patent attorney. Theinventorisencouragedtoprovideinput during the writing process and will have a finalreviewofadraftpatentapplication.

Once an internal public release review is complete, staff will file the official patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). A patent examiner evaluates the draft application for novelty and conformance with U.S. law. Typically, the Division Newport patent attorney will havetoprosecutetheapplicationandnegotiate with the patent examiner to allow a patent to issue on the invention This is not asurethingbutthepatentattorneyshavean almostperfectprosecutionrecord.

The process from submission of an invention disclosure to possible issuance of a patent from the USPTO can take two to threeyears.

Michael Stanley, patent counsel in Division Newport’s Office of Counsel, added that continuing to patent ideas after the first patent can be beneficial to Division Newport, as well as to the inventors Stanley, who has processed many of Gieseke’s patents, said that a family of patents (especially in the same technology) can be solicited to industry to enhance the value of a licensepackage.

PatentlicensingprovidesroyaltiestoDivision Newport, as well as to the inventor of the patented technology Recently retired Division Newport inventors Ruffa and Paul Cavallaro, as well as Gieseke, have patents thatcontinuetobesolicitedforlicensingby the Division Newport Technology PartnershipOffice Gieseke encourages other scientists who have new ideas to an existing problem to pursuethepatentprocess

“Patentingisagreatwaytodocumentthe process and mark the path along the way,” Giesekesaid.“Togetapatent,youdon’thave toconvinceanyonethattheideaistheright solutionfortheparticularproblemathand. It just needs to be novel and sufficiently developedtoshowthatitcouldwork.”

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 AndrosIslandintheBahamas,aswellastest facilitiesatSenecaLakeandFisher’sIsland, New York, Leesburg, Florida and Dodge Pond,Connecticut

Joinourteam!NUWCDivisionNewport, 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,andotherSTEMprofessionals,aswell as talented business finance logistics and othersupportexpertswhowishtobeatthe forefront of undersea research and development Please connect with NUWC DivisionNewportRecruitingatthissite-https:// www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NUWC-Newport/Career-Oppor-