Headquartered in San Diego since 1995, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) is comprised of 7,550 government and military professionals plus approximately 4,000 contractors worldwide -- a number that is steadily increasing. And small businesses are part of that contract base ensuring that SPAWAR’s mission -- to provide the best technology for the nation’s military -- is successful.

From nearly 800 Internet cafes in the Middle East that link troops with family and friends to cyber warfare capabilities, SPAWAR designs, develops and deploys advanced communications capabilities, providing the hardware and software to connect warfighters at sea, on land and in the air. SPAWAR’s small business office provides resources, advice and training to help small defense companies learn the ropes to obtain contracts with SPAWAR.

“We continue to see a tremendous amount of growth not just in small business, but also in the subsets of small business,” said Faye Esaias, director of the SPAWAR small business program office. “I am here today at the Department of Defense small business training conference, and one of the talking points is the extra surge in veteran-owned businesses, women-owned businesses -- in almost every subset of the small business community.”