NIP Partners with USS Midway Museum to Refurbish CVIC Spaces

Naval Intelligence Professionals has agreed to partner with the USS Midway Museum to completely refurbish the carrier intelligence center (CVIC) spaces in the popular San Diego attraction. Retired Rear Admiral Terry Kraft, the USS Midway Museum’s president and CEO, enthusiastically endorsed the project during a meeting with NIP Chairman, retired Vice Admiral Bob Sharp, pointing out the critical value his (Kraft’s) intelligence teams provided to him during his years on active duty.

“This is a win-win,” said Kraft. Sharp agreed, saying “The CVIC experience onboard Midway will spotlight Naval Intelligence to the thousands of visitors who explore the ship each year. By partnering with Midway, NIP will provide our members’ knowledge and experience to make Midway’s CVIC the best part of the museum.”

NIP Board Members voted in August to approve the project, which will require a $20,000 financial contribution by NIP. USS Midway expects to invest more than half a million dollars in museum funds to complete the project. Kraft expects work to begin early next year.

This agreement represents a long-held dream for several key members of the San Diego NIP Chapter. Commander (Ret) Phil Eakin, Captain (Ret) Frank Kelly, and Intelligence Specialist Master Chief (Ret) Stan Kowalsky have been lobbying to refurbish the CVIC spaces for years. Eakin, Kelly, and Commander (Ret) Diana Guglielmo are docents onboard Midway, leading tours and answering questions from curious visitors. Eakin says that CVIC is a popular location for the “behind the scenes” Midway tour, even in its current state. “People love to hear about what intelligence provided afloat on Midway. Now, Admiral Kraft’s enthusiasm about Naval Intelligence is the game changer. After so many years of trying, it will finally get done in a way we never dreamed.”

San Diego's NIP Chapter will spearhead the NIP/Midway collaboration, with Eakin, Kowalsky, Guglielmo, and Captain (Ret) Mo Fox leading the team’s effort.

Stay tuned for updates on this exciting initiative!

These posterboards depicting CVIC activity were used in recent years as part of the “Behind-the-Scenes” tours presented on occasion to the museum membership to depict the types of activity that took place in a CVIC in the Vietnam War era. The image on the right was taken in the Midway CVIC, while the other two were from other carrier cruise books, but in the carrier intel spaces.

CDR (Ret) Phil Eakin leads a group of NAVIFOR Reservists on a tour of the Midway, shown here in the CVIC spaces,
29 June 2023.