The Backbone Behind the Mission: ADP Keeps TR Connected

Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), nearly every Sailor depends on computers, networks, and digital systems to carry out daily operations. The Automated Data processing (ADP) division is responsible for delivering and maintaining the technology that enables the crew to communicate, coordinate, and execute the mission.
ADP Sailors respond to technical issues across every deck and workspace, tracking down trouble tickets wherever they arise. Their responsibilities range from resolving network connectivity and hardware failures to securing databases, ensuring that every Sailor has reliable access to the systems required for mission success.
“We maintain extremely important aspects of the mission everywhere we go” said Chief Information Systems Technician Timothy Highland. “Not only every system we rely on when using the CANES computers, but we also allow the destroyers to connect to our targeting programs while they launch missiles and track any that are incoming.”
ADP maintains the ship’s networks that support daily operations, from individual computer accounts and email to maintenance tracking and scheduling systems. Both Non-classified Internet Protocol Router (NIPR) and Secret Internet Protocol Router (SIPR) applications rely on these networks. Through ongoing training in software troubleshooting and hardware repair, ADP enables the crew to focus on their duties without interruption from technical problems.
For the ADP Sailors, the work extends beyond technical repairs. Each call brings them into contact with shipmates from every department, allowing them to resolve issues that directly impact daily life and mission readiness.
“You get to go around the ship, talk to people and help a lot of people every day,” said Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Tanner Kattke. “My favorite part of the job is making connections while traveling around the ship and helping people.”
The pace is constant, with requests coming from every corner of the ship. For the ADP team, the reward is seeing Sailors return to their duties. Their work often goes unseen when systems run smoothly, but when a network fails or a critical connection is lost, their expertise becomes essential to restoring operations.