SAN DIEGO (NNS) — The mayor of San Diego visited the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) Old Town Complex Sept. 2 to discuss the importance of the organization to the local economy and the region's burgeoning research and development community.
Kicking off his remarks, Kevin Faulconer said he wanted to get a firsthand brief on what the organization is doing in the area of research, development and cyber and express the importance of the workforce in making the city economically strong and vibrant.
"The work you do is important for our city," said Faulconer. "When you're successful, we're successful. It gives us a competitive edge. Everything you're doing is important to our innovation and economy."
The mayor reiterated throughout much of the Town Hall meeting the importance of making the city more business-friendly. He said "innovation economy" will be a driver to the city's success and that SPAWAR is a big part of the effort to make the region the place to start and grow new business.
"You have a city that's very proud of the work you're doing," said Faulconer.
He outlined several initiatives that will provide incentives to start and expand businesses in the region and answered questions from those in attendance, including plans for redeveloping the convention center and building a new stadium for the Chargers. Faulconer said the Old Town San Diego and Midway/Pacific Highway Corridor Community Plan will address some of the nearby traffic flow issues and reinvests dollars for pedestrian and bicycle-friendly pathways in the area.
Faulconer was elected as mayor of the City of San Diego following a special election on February 11th, 2014 after Bob Filner was asked to resign amidst allegations of sexual misconduct. He will serve the balance of his predecessor's term through the end of 2016.
As the Navy's Information Dominance systems command, SPAWAR designs, develops and deploys advanced communications and information capabilities for the warfighter. With nearly 10,000 acquisition professionals located around the world and close to the fleet, the organization is at the forefront of research, engineering and support services that provide vital decision superiority for the warfighter.
For more information on SPAWAR, visit
www.public.navy.mil/spawar/Pages/default.aspx, www.navy.mil/local/spawar/, www.facebook.com/spaceandnavalwarfaresystemscommand, http://twitter.com/SPAWARHQ, www.flickr.com/photos/teamspawar/.