Nguyet Anh Duong

In October 2001, she was in charge of a special endeavor and assisted in creating an urgently needed new weapon called the Thermobaric weapon in support of Operation Enduring Freedom to effectively defeat tunnels and caves being used as terrorists hideouts, in order to spare United States Armed Forces from the bloody prospect of tunnel-to-tunnel combat against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

She is noted as the "Scientist who developed the bomb that ended the war with Afghanistan." by the Vietnamese American National Gala.

Biography

Her family were devout anti-communists and left Vietnam, to escape communism by boat and sailed to the Philippines, and assigned to a refugee camp. Her family then contacted the U.S. Embassy and were given political asylum in the United States.

She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Chemical Engineering and Computer Science.

In 1983 she started working as a Chemical Engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division.

From 1991-1999, she managed all Navy basic, exploratory research and advanced development programs in High Explosives. Served as the U.S. Navy focus point for explosives and the transition of Navy explosives into weapon systems, providing consultation to government/military, industries and allied nations.

From 1999-2002, she managed all NSWC Indian Heads technical programs in Explosives and Undersea Weapons, from concept through engineering development to production and demilitarization.

She successfully assembled and led a team of scientists and engineers to develop the payload for a new weapon, now known as the thermobaric bomb, then proceeded to limited production and delivery to the Air Force, all in an unprecedented period of 67 days.

Nguyet Anh successfully led the development and transition of a total of 10 high performing explosives into 18 different U.S. weapons in the past 12 years, which is an unprecedented record of its kind.

She served a an U.S. Delegate at the NATO AC310 Subgroup I for Explosives, and chairman/member of many national and international Panels/Technical Steering Groups.

Nguyet Anh currently since 2002 is Director of Science and Technology of Naval Surface Warfare Center, U.S. Department of Defense, where she is responsible for Indian Heads overall technical investment strategies, guiding and overseeing research and development programs in all areas of science and technology and focusing these efforts toward the creation of future weapon generations for the United States.

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