The Navy’s information warfare command in Charleston generates about $3.2 billion in economic activity in South Carolina, according to a new study done for the command by the University of South Carolina.

The study by USC’s Darla Moore School of Business puts Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic’s total economic impact across the United States at $9.3 billion, the command announced Monday. It is the first study since 2019 to outline the total impact of the command’s economic activity, NIWC Atlantic said.

The national figure corresponds to 45,377 jobs and nearly $3.9 billion in labor income, according to the command. The estimate reflects the dollar value of all final goods and services that can be directly or indirectly attributed to NIWC Atlantic.

“We are encouraged by the latest study, which illustrates how the demand for IW work has steadily grown over the years and underscores the continued need for top talent in engineering, science, cybersecurity and more,” Capt. Nicole Nigro, the commanding officer, said in the announcement.

Where the money goes

NIWC Atlantic, known to many in the Lowcountry by its former name, SPAWAR, is headquartered in Charleston and also has facilities in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Louisiana and Florida. The study estimated its economic impact at $1.6 billion in Virginia, $159.6 million in Maryland, $124.6 million in Washington, D.C., $124.1 million in Louisiana and $91.3 million in Florida.

Those effects come through direct jobs and income and through purchasing that supports what the command called “a vast supplier network consisting of thousands of businesses across the U.S.”

The Charleston-based team numbers more than 3,000 government civilians and military members, and more than 66% of them work in cybersecurity-related fields, according to the command. The study found that NIWC Atlantic supports more than 25% of the cybersecurity sector in Charleston.

A lock on local engineers

The command’s grip on one profession stands out. NIWC Atlantic employs about 76.5% of all electronics engineers in Charleston and 40.5% of all electronics engineers in South Carolina, the study concluded.

Its jobs also pay well. The average annual wage for NIWC Atlantic employees is $109,535, which is 86% above the national average, according to the study. The average wage across all jobs supported directly and indirectly by the command is $85,806, or 45% above the national average.

The study attributes those wage premiums to the command’s strong concentration of highly skilled jobs, NIWC Atlantic said.

“NIWC Atlantic is working hand-in-hand with our local communities and industry partners to establish the command as a primary technology hub and pier in Charleston’s Silicon Harbor,” said Peter C. Reddy, the command’s executive director. “We are proud of how the NIWC Atlantic team is building and fostering a technology ecosystem both in Charleston and Nation-wide,” he said, calling it an ecosystem “necessary to support America’s warfighter for the challenges of today and tomorrow.”

‘Cyber capital’ ambitions

Nigro told Live 5 News that the numbers reflect jobs and engagement in the community.

“First of all, the pride, the investment that the nation has made in the Charleston area, to be able to really support national defense, and how we’re moving forward with information warfare in this area,” she said.

“We hope that we’re going to continue to grow, and be that cyber capital within the Lowcountry, really to be able to bring in both engineering as well as that cyber expertise and continue to grow and flourish,” Nigro told the station.

NIWC Atlantic describes itself as an information warfare-focused Navy command and laboratory. Its mission is to solve warfighters’ technical challenges through research, development, prototyping, delivery and sustainment of information warfare systems, the command said.

Growing beyond Charleston

The study comes days after the command expanded its footprint in Virginia. On Sept. 7, NIWC Atlantic leaders held a ribbon cutting for a new facility in Stafford, Va., minutes from Marine Corps Base Quantico, according to the command. The site will be an annex of the command’s Expeditionary Warfare Department, which supports the Marine Corps.

In August, Rear Adm. Douglas Small, commander of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, the parent command, toured NIWC Atlantic’s headquarters facilities in Charleston and joined Nigro and Reddy for a quarterly employee awards ceremony, the Navy said.

The command has been led by Nigro since November 2021, when she succeeded Capt. Wesley Sanders.