Southern Indiana Business Report
WASHINGTON, DC – In times of conflict, technological superiority is the edge that separates victors and those that suffer defeat.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, United States Fleet Force Command, knows that well.
Sailors may have the courage, skill and commitment to fight. Leaders may have the best tactics, but superior technology likely will determine the outcome. Caudle addressed a gathering of Indiana’s congressional delegation last week in Washington, D.C., about the “hard-earned truths” of modern conflict.
Speaking at the Team Crane Congressional Breakfast, hosted by Sen. Todd Young, Sen. Jim Banks, US Rep. Mark Messmer and US Rep. Erin Houchin, Caudle said Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane consistently lives out its mission to ensure US warfighters have the most advanced weapons.
So crucial is NSWC Crane that Caudle described the federal lab as “a beacon of awesomeness.”
“Crane understands the velocity of modern warfare,” he said. “Innovation today has a short shelf life. Every new capability is born with an expiration date, and if we hesitate we fall behind,” he said. “Crane doesn’t hesitate. Their innovation cycles move at breakneck speed, pushing us ahead of the curve and enabling the Navy to “lee-turn” our competitors – fielding advanced capabilities not just for tomorrow, but for today’s fight.”
Crane excels at its job by putting the right experts in the right place to solve the hardest problems, he said.
Caudle is not the first person to describe NSWC Crane as “a beacon of awesomeness.” Houchin, R-Indiana, first coined the term at the 2024 Team Indiana Congressional Reception and Breakfast.
Houchin attended last week’s event as a member of the Indiana Congressional delegation.
“Crane isn’t just a major employer in Southern Indiana – when trying to convey just how indispensable their work is to our nation’s warfighters, I called it a ‘beacon of awesome’ – and it is. It’s an incredible example of the innovation that can be achieved in our national defense,” said Houchin. “The work happening at Crane is critical to keeping our nation strong, secure, and prepared. I’ll continue advocating in Washington to ensure Crane has the modern infrastructure, energy resilience, and partnerships it needs to lead for generations to come.”
The 2025 Congressional Reception and Breakfast brought together government leaders, defense and technology firms and academia partnerships to learn about critical updates and developments across Indiana’s growing defense ecosystem.
Kent Parisien, president of the Crane Regional Defense Group, served as emcee of the breakfast.
“As CRDG grows, our goal of supporting the mission areas of NSA Crane and advocating for them at the local and federal levels remains paramount. Attending events, such as the Congressional Breakfast, is a great way for our organization, our members, and our partners to continue showing our support in elevating the strategic value of Crane,” Parisien said. “Not only were we able to emcee this year’s Congressional Breakfast, but we also held our annual Congressional Reception in D.C., bringing 170 defense industry peers, academia, and government officials together for an evening of networking— fostering conversations about future collaboration opportunities amidst the current state of defense in southern Indiana and across the nation.”
One area where Crane is leading the way is hypersonic systems. The Department of Defense has made hypersonics a high priority in its modernization strategy. A new hypersonics research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) facility will be completed later this year.
Caudle was among several speakers who spoke about the vital work being performed at Naval Support Activity Crane, Crane Army Ammunition Activity and NSWC Crane
Also speaking:
Mung Chiang, Purdue University President
Brig. Daniel Duncan, Commander of Joint Munitions Command
Van Hendry, Executive Director, Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems
Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe Jr., USN, Director of Strategic Systems Programs.
The breakfast was sponsored by Applied Research Institute, Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Radius Indiana.