Some of the top U.S. Navy decision makers and naval experts will gather on Aug. 15 at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit to discuss what’s on the horizon for the Navy. Among the esteemed speakers participating in the event is the Honorable Nickolas Guertin, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition.
Join the conversation to hear insights from Guertin, Navy officials and other GovCon leaders!
Who Is Nickolas Guertin?
Nickolas Guertin, a previous Wash100 Award winner, serves as the acquisition chief of the U.S. Navy. He was confirmed to the role by the Senate on Dec. 13, 2023, and officially sworn in as assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition on Dec. 20. In this capacity, Guertin leads the Department of the Navy’s research, development, acquisition and sustainment programs, as well as the Navy’s contracting community.
Guertin succeeds James “Hondo” Geurts, a fellow Wash100 Award recipient, who left the position in January 2021.
Nickolas Guertin’s Career Background
Prior to his current role, Guertin was the senior advisor to the secretary of defense on operational and live fire test and evaluation of Department of Defense weapon systems. In this role, Guertin provided independent, objective assessments to ensure that weapons and defense equipment were ready for combat.
Here’s a look at other roles Guertin has held throughout his career:
- Senior software systems engineer at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute
- System engineer for Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc
- Director for rapid prototyping and strategic planning for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, U.S.Navy
- Deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development, test and evaluation (DASN RDT&E) for the U.S. Navy
- Principal assistant program manager for open architecture and systems engineering for Naval Sea Systems Command
- Combat control chief engineer for PEO Submarines
- Mechanical engineer for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center
- Lieutenant commander (retired) for the U.S. Navy Reserve
Nickolas Guertin’s 2023 Wash100 Win
In 2023, Guertin was honored as a recipient of the prestigious Wash100 Award, which recognizes the best and brightest leaders working in the U.S. government and the government contracting industry. He was named to the list in recognition of his vision for mission systems development as a nominee for the Navy acquisition chief role.
Guertin’s Priorities as Navy Acquisition Head
Acquisition Workforce Growth
Guertin has said that the acquisition workforce in the Navy needs to continue to grow in order for the service branch to keep up with the pace of innovation.
“Contract officers are a key component of our future. We need contract officers to grow,” said Guertin. “Honestly, the Navy grows great contract officers because people keep hiring them. That’s something we continually have to refresh.”
Harnessing Emerging Tech
During his March 2023 nomination hearing, Guertin emphasized his commitment to leading a team dedicated to designing and building cutting-edge capabilities that effectively support Navy missions.
“As a part of that, I intend on collecting their intellect and enthusiasm to accelerate and streamline the delivery of innovation needed to provide an unparalleled warfighting advantage – at scale,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“To achieve these ends, we must take advantage of things like model-based engineering and digital threads, rapid hardware design along with modern and proven development practices for evolving software capabilities – in short to use new tools to advance our practice,” Guertin added.
Hear Nickolas Guertin Speak at the 2024 Navy Summit
Nickolas Guertin is slated to kick off the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit with a keynote address. Join this event on Thursday, Aug. 15 in McLean, Virginia, to be a part of the conversation about the future of the U.S. Navy.
