Mr. Carl R. Siel, Jr. assumed the duties of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division’s Technical Director in January 2010. Mr. Siel provides senior leadership and stewards Dahlgren’s technical excellence in executing research, development, test and evaluation, analysis, systems engineering, integration, and certification of complex naval combat, sensor, weapon, and strategic systems associated with surface warfare as well as homeland and force protection.
Mr. Siel was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in May 2004 and has 29 years of Federal service.
From May 2004 to January 2010, Mr. Siel served as the Chief Systems Engineer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, where he was the principal civilian for Systems Engineering. Mr. Siel provided senior leadership for matters concerning software development, technology protection, and net-centric integration and interoperability of combat, weapon, command, control, communications, and intelligence systems across Navy and Marine Corps programs. He supported the Assistant Secretary in establishing policy and procedures to manage those activities consistent with Department of Defense directives.
From November 2001 to May 2004, Mr. Siel served as Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command’s Director for Homeland Security, which included an emergency, limited-term appointment to the Senior Executive Service. In this capacity, he led the efforts to effectively deploy SPAWAR products and services to address homeland security requirements for the Department of the Navy (DoN), as well as federal, state and local law enforcement, emergency service and intelligence agencies. During this period, he simultaneously served as the SPAWAR Lead for the Program and Systems Engineering Management Directorate. This Directorate consisted of 240 civilian and military personnel and was structured to provide support and the engineering and management staffing to the Program Management Offices for PEO’s for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence and Space (C4I); Information Technology (IT); Littoral Mine Warfare (LMW); and the Direct Reporting Program Manager for Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI).
Mr. Siel served as the Program Manager (PM) for the Navy Information Security Systems Program Office from May 2000 to Nov 2001 and directed the efforts to develop, evaluate, and field information security systems across Navy ships and shore command sites worldwide. In this capacity, he crafted Navy positions and policies on information security for approval by higher authorities and served as the Department’s Information Security Technical and Certification Authority for all Navy information systems.
Mr. Siel served as the Deputy PM for the Submarine Communications Office, from Oct 1998 to May 2000 leading a multi-faceted communications program focused on enabling the submarine force to fully participate in network-centric warfare operations.
From Dec 1997 to Oct 1998, Mr. Siel served as the Systems Engineer for Technology Development and Transition. In this position, he established a systematic approach for the selection and acquisition of technologies, product development, and lifecycle management of Command, Control, and Communications (C3) systems to achieve the greatest impact on near and long-term fleet requirements.
Mr. Siel served as the Director for Advanced Submarine Concepts from Aug 1994 to Dec 1997, managing advanced submarine research and development programs to enhance military capabilities of existing and future submarine classes. This was accomplished through the development of a responsive technology base involving academic, laboratory, shipyard, and industrial activities to enhance submarine operational capabilities of weapon systems, stealth, survivability, safety, supportability, reliability, and maintainability.
From Mar 1985 to Aug 1994, Mr. Siel held numerous positions with progressively increasing levels of responsibility in the Navy’s $10 billion SEAWOLF submarine acquisition program, culminating in the selection as the Assistant Program Manager for Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical (HM&E) Systems. In this position, he served as a senior engineering and acquisition manager, responsible for developing and deploying the most sophisticated and capable submarine in the world.
Mr. Siel began his civil service career in May 1980 as a structural project engineer employed with the David Taylor Naval Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
He attended the University of Dayton and graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. In 2002, Mr. Siel earned a Graduate Certificate in National Security Policy from Georgetown University. He has also taken graduate courses in accounting, information management, engineering administration, and engineering mechanics from the University of Massachusetts, George Mason University, Virginia Polytechnic University, and George Washington University.
Mr. Siel is a graduate of the Advanced Program Manager’s Course, Defense Systems Management College and the Contemporary Executive Development Program. He is a member of the Department of Defense Acquisition Professional Community and has earned DAWIA Level III certifications in Program Management and in Systems Planning, Research and Development and Engineering.
Mr. Siel is the recipient of the Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.