AFCEA International Grows With New Chapter in Virginia

AFCEA has welcomed its newest chapter, which is strategically located in Dahlgren, Virginia, home to the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Division. The NSWC is part of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and develops weapon systems for the military.

The chapter’s goal is to connect industry, small businesses and government contractors with the NSWC in Dahlgren.

Dahlgren Chapter Vice President Neal Cohen is the director of business development at Altus Technology Solutions, which supports the Pentagon with information technology, engineering, range operations and maintenance services. He first approached Allison Strong, the deputy for small business at the NSWC Dahlgren Division, about the local contractor community, and she introduced him to Will Swann, who had started talking about forming an AFCEA chapter in 2019.

Swann, the Dalhgren Chapter’s president, is the co-chair of AFCEA’s Small Business Committee and founder of Capture Management Expert LLC. The COVID-19 pandemic halted his plans, but he and Cohen reunited a few years later to finish what they had started.

Now, with a full executive board, including Treasurer Pragnay Choski, Proksi Systems; Secretary Christine O’Conner, Vizz LLC; and Director of Programming Kyle Schmitz, Super Systems Inc., the Dahlgren Chapter is up and running with networking events on the calendar. The first official happy hour is scheduled for October 29.

Strong had a big role in getting the chapter off the ground, Swann said. She connected the NSWC to the chapter, ensuring its commitment to support collaboration efforts, and now the goal is to also bridge the gap between small businesses and the Naval Surface Technology and Innovation Consortium (NSTIC), Potomac Tech Bridge and NavalX Tech Bridge, Swann said.

“There are a lot of forward-facing missions that happen at Dahlgren, whether it's energy weapons, the Aegis missile system, sensors or unmanned vehicles. Those are newer technologies that industry needs to have a better understanding of,” Swann said. “Whether it’s working with Dahlgren itself, the NSTIC OTA [other transaction agreement] program and the Potomac Tech Bridge, we want to be able to foster communication and collaboration between those entities to accelerate innovation and time on mission. We want to provide value to the government staff and industry at Dahlgren to get involved, learn more and bring innovation.” 

Cohen shared that Dahlgren has been testing and proofing U.S. Navy weapons since 1918. According to an NSWC Dahlgren Division small business outreach document, the center was involved in the development of the Aiken Relay Calculator, GPS software, Tomahawk and Aegis Combat System. Today, the center is focused on delivering capabilities in intelligent automation, software engineering revolution, digital engineering, hypersonic weapons advancement and information superiority.

“We have to collaborate,” Swann emphasized. “We, as industry, need to hear what's keeping them up at night and what is causing them to miss mission, and how can we as industry bring solutions to make them more agile, more effective and more expedient on target.”

Cohen said he hopes the chapter can serve as a vibrant space for building community and connecting innovators with the NSWC to further the command’s mission to provide warfighters with cutting-edge weapons systems.

“We can help with introducing maybe some new technologies and some capabilities to help supplement what the government is already thinking about or working with,” Cohen said.

As he leads and grows the Dahlgren Chapter, Swann said he’s looking forward to not only helping small businesses connect with the Navy but giving the military more opportunities to acquire advanced technology.

“It's my chance to give back to the military community through AFCEA, to make their [warfighters’] lives better from a technology and solution standpoint,” Swann said.

Learn more about the Dahlgren Chapter via LinkedIn and its website.