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The Naval Support Facility Indian Head Defense Community

Installation management of the Navy base at Indian Head transferred to Commander Navy Installation Command (CNIC) in 2003 with the standup of this new Echelon II command, charged with providing shore installation management services to all Navy activities. All naval installations within the National Capital Region aligned with Naval District Washington (NDW), and on Nov. 3, 2005, the Indian Head base was renamed as Naval Support Facility Indian Head with the commissioning of Naval Support Activity South Potomac (NSASP) as the installation’s host command. 

Current supported commands on board NSF Indian Head include the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division, Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity, Naval Sea Logistics Center Indian Head, Expeditionary Exploitation Unit One (EXU-1), and Chemical Biological Incident Response Force.

      Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD) brings together the largest full-spectrum energetics facility in the Department of Defense (DoD) with the largest concentration of explosive ordnance disposal technology (EOD) and resources in the world. 

NSWC IHD’s mission is to research, develop, test, evaluate; and manufacture and provide in-service support of energetics and energetic systems. The command provides Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen with information and technology to detect, locate, access, identify, render safe, recover, exploit and dispose of explosive threats.

Established in 1890, the command has manufactured energetics at war mobilization scales for over 130 years. In 2014, the Secretary of the Navy designated NSWC IHD as a Center for Industrial and Technical Excellence for Energetics and Ordnance Systems Depot Maintenance and Arsenal activities: the only such public naval arsenal.

NSWC IHD focuses on military products with critical national security importance, significant safety/environmental risks, and low profit potential for the private sector to bolster the industrial base. The command has the largest workforce in the DoD dedicated to EOD and energetics. NSWC IHD also has two official detachments and six off-site locations, including sites in Picatinny, New Jersey; McAlester, Oklahoma; Rock Island, Illinois; and Ogden, Utah; and employees stationed throughout- the world. The command also boasts Expeditionary Exploitation Unit 1 (EXU-1)— an Echelon V command dedicated to collecting, processing, exploiting and analyzing improvised and conventional  weapons, ordnance and components. EXU-1 also provides near real-time technical intelligence to tactical commanders, the EOD community, service components, the DoD, national-level intelligence agencies, and allied and partner nations.

The command’s unique synergy and balanced capabilities address all aspects of the energetic technical discipline to include basic research, applied technology and technology demonstration, prototyping and manufacturing.

      The command executes this world-class energetic system engineering in unique facilities including unmatched chemical scale-up labs, the country's only energetic-certified MEMS development lab, next generation twin-screw extrusion processing systems and the largest set of detonation science "bomb-proofs" in the free-world.

      NSWC IHEODTD is also focused on eliminating the hazards from unexploded ordnance (UXO) that jeopardize U.S. operations in support of the National Security Strategy. The command develops and delivers Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) knowledge, tools, equipment, and their life cycle support through an expeditionary work force that exploits technology and information, contributes to the technical intelligence process and provides expertise which meets the needs of the Department of Defense EOD community, combatant commanders and interagency partners.

      The command provides EOD technology and information to the joint services through development of EOD procedures and technical information, to include reach-back capability to counter explosive threats, development of tools and equipment, in-service engineering and depot level maintenance repair. The command also operates a wide variety of state-of-the-art facilities to include a robot range, foreign ordnance electronics exploitation laboratory, magnetic signature test facility, ordnance disassembly complex, radiography and photography laboratories, explosive test ranges, hypervelocity test facility, and EOD diver complex.

      Expeditionary Exploitation Unit ONE (EXU-1) is an Exhelon V. Type II Commander, Command providing a capability to collect, process, exploit and analyze conventional and improvised weapons systems in support of Fleet and Joint commanders, the Intelligence Community, Interagency and Allies and partner to prevent technical surprise, develop counter-measures and enable attribution.

      Naval Ordnance Safety and Security Activity (NOSSA) manages and administers U.S. Navy explosives safety programs to include ammunition and explosives safety and security; weapons, platforms and combat systems; ordnance environmental support; insensitive munitions; ordnance quality evaluation; and arms, ammunition and explosives (AA&E) physical security.

NOSSA's functions support three of the main NAVSEA lines of business: engineering, industrial operations and business and operations. NOSSA's explosives safety technical and programmatic leadership is not limited to the U.S. Navy and U.S Marine Corps. The command also supports U.S. Joint Programs and our allies, to include NATO. 

NOSSA is an echelon three command reporting directly to the NAVSEA Deputy Commander for Ordnance Safety. NOSSA's Executive Director is delegated by NAVSEA as the Technical Warrant Holder for weapon systems safety and security.  NOSSA's Executive Director is the principal authority on all matters related to naval ordnance transportation, safety, and security worldwide.

      Naval Sea Logistics Center, Indian Head (NAVSEALOGCEN Indian Head) provides information technology (IT) products and services and integrated logistics support (ILS) for Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and its program executive offices, and ultimately in support of the Fleet. The unit combines thorough knowledge of Navy business practices integrated with information technology and project management expertise to support and deliver products that strengthen fleet logistics, maintenance and modernization, as well as products that improve the financial and industrial operations of the Naval shipyards. Additionally, NAVSEALOGCEN Indian Head provides automated information systems security, testing and accreditation.

NAVSEALOGCEN Indian Head also continues to support other NAVSEA initiatives such as the Standard Labor Data Collection and Distribution Application (SLDCADA), the Navy-wide standardized time and attendance application. The unit also provides integrated logistics and IT support to the Navy’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological Defense (CBRD) Program Office (NAVSEA 05P5) responsible for providing the Fleet with technical and logistics support, engineering, life cycle management and training of CBD products. Additionally, NAVSEALOGCEN Indian Head continues to support the Advanced Technical Information Support (ATIS) system, which automates access to technical manuals and engineering drawings on naval ships and numerous shore activities.

      U.S. Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) responds to terrorist incidents involving the use of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear explosive (CBRNE) weapons of mass destruction in order to assist local, state, or federal agencies and designated commanders in the conduct of post-incident mitigation actions by providing capabilities for agent detection and identification; casualty extraction, extrication, and decontamination; and emergency medical care and stabilization of contaminated personnel.

When directed, CBIRF will forward-deploy and respond to a CBRNE terrorist incident in order to assist local, state or federal agencies and designated combatant commanders in the conduct of consequence management operations. CBIRF is capable of conducting agent detection and identification, casualty search and rescue operations, personnel decontamination, and emergency medical care and stabilization of victims in a contaminated environment.

To help support CBIRF’s mission, the unit is equipped with six major sections, including Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Technical Rescue Decontamination, Identification Detection Platoon (IDP), medical, and casualty extraction.

110406-N-FA520-004 STUMP NECK ANNEX, Md. (April 6, 2011) Technical rescue platoon members with the Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, Sgt. Jafri Leahy (center) and Cpl. Michael Harvey (r.) demonstrate a high-to-high rope rescue at the command's Downey Responder Training Facility. While suspended three stories in the air, they secured an "unconscious" LCpl. Keith Saffran onto a rescue stretcher prior to lowering the victim to the ground. The demonstration was part of a day-long visit to CBIRF earlier this month by Lt.Gen. John Paxton Jr., Commanding General II Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Navy photo by Gary Wagner/Released)

 

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