Month: February 2023

Source: United States Navy

Gathering with a contingent of other information warfare (IW) commands, the team shared the IW mission and priorities with attendees through speakers, panels, subject matter experts, and technology demonstrations at the three-day conference and exposition.

The lead for the IW community, Vice Adm. Kelly Aeschbach, commander, Naval Information Forces, touched on readiness, capability, and capacity by noting that people are the weapon systems in information warfare.

“Our biggest challenge right now is facing demand,” she said. “We are needed everywhere, and I cannot produce enough information warfare capacity and capability to distribute it everywhere that we would like to have it. That remains a real pressing challenge for me – how we prioritize where we put our talent and ensure that we have it in the most impactful place.”

As a part of the IW speakers’ series, Rear Adm. Doug Small, commander, NAVWAR, answered questions on a variety of subjects including risk management, future opportunities and constraints for continuous connectivity, and how unmanned systems play into Project Overmatch. As a Navy high-priority initiative, Project Overmatch is aimed at connecting platforms, weapons, and sensors together in a robust Naval Operational Architecture that integrates with Joint All-Domain Command and Control for enhanced Distributed Maritime Operations.

“Networking for unmanned systems is a core part of what we are trying to do,” said Small. “We are charged with making sure all the components of the architecture, what the CNO called the ‘connective tissue,’ reaches every single one of those platforms to include unmanned systems.  Everything from networking to the computing plant onboard to how it communicates.”

Small also joined top leaders from across the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard on a panel to discuss what is being done to provide clarity in the requirements and acquisition processes, recruiting and retaining the right talent in a competitive hiring environment, and explaining their toughest challenges and areas of opportunities.

“As we continue to bring digital platforms to ships with modern methods of software delivery, we are using new ways to tap into our amazing talent pool,” said Small. “With events like script-a-thons and coding challenges, we are pushing to get the very best from our Sailors and Marines who are absolutely experts in their fields.”

Back at the IW Pavilion, attendees had the opportunity to meet informally with dozens of program managers, business portfolio managers and subject matter experts through the engagement zone program. Open to all registered attendees with no appointment needed, these one-on-one and small group conversations discussed capabilities, service offerings, and opportunities for partnerships.

“WEST and other similar industry forums are vital to program managers to ensure we’re aware of commercial technologies we can leverage for the Fleet,” said Capt. Kris De Soto, program manager, Communications and GPS Navigation Program. “I was excited to participate in the event and the engagement zone and very pleased that we were able to meet so many of our industry partners in one place.”

In addition to the engagement zone, the IW pavilion also hosted a variety of technology demonstrations as a way to share insights into Navy tools, capabilities, and tactics so attendees could understand opportunities for collaboration or support.

“This year, Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific is showcasing a wide breadth of our capabilities, with many of them showing the power of digitization and automation to the Fleet and for overall joint service readiness,” said Amanda George, business portfolio manager at NIWC Pacific.

One of those demonstrations was CyberKnight, a toolset that provides a method to automate the analysis of security technical implementation guides for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.

“CyberKnight is beneficial because the operating system type it analyzes is prevalent throughout the Department of Defense (DoD),” said Michael Price, cyber assessment and authorization branch head at NIWC Pacific. “It speeds up onerous requirements, allowing the security and engineering teams to address any security risks in a more timely fashion.”

NIWC Pacific also demonstrated their Space and Stratospheric Systems Program, where they have developed a small satellite and payload integration lab that enables rapid prototyping and demonstration of capabilities for Navy and other DoD sponsors in a government-owned and operated environment.

“Working jointly with other services is the best way to move fast,” said Jason Bousquet, NIWC Pacific space systems branch head. “Every organization has something of value to offer with contributions in technical expertise, experience, and valuable lessons learned. Knowledge gaps are filled quickly allowing for accelerated progress and increased success.”

Jara Tripiano, NIWC Pacific’s chief engineer, closed out the IW pavilion speakers’ series by acknowledging that there is increased recognition of the importance of how capabilities are developed and delivered, and how it truly matters at an operational level.

“In support of Project Overmatch, we recently delivered a software package via the Overmatch Software Armory’s continuous integration/continuous delivery pipeline over-the-air to an operational platform,” she said. “In the future, we want that to be the norm. That WILL be the norm.”

Co-sponsored by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) International and the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), WEST 2023 is the premier naval conference and exposition on the West Coast.

About NAVWAR

NAVWAR identifies, develops, delivers, and sustains information warfighting capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition, and other national missions operating in warfighting domains from seabed to space and through cyberspace. NAVWAR consists of more than 11,000 civilian, active duty and reserve professionals located around the world.

Source: United States Navy

U.S. Naval Forces Europe, in coordination with U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), and U.S. Air Force (USAF) Air Combat Command (ACC) facilitated the delivery of the Department of Defense provided field hospital, with assistance from staffs in Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, and Langley Air Force Base, Va.

“We are responding to the request for support from the Turkish government to provide a critical medical capability while the Turkish government rebuilds,” said Brig. Gen Andrew Priddy, commanding general, TF 61/2. “I am proud of the professionalism with which the team has responded to assist our Turkish Allies and friends who are suffering from the earthquake’s devastation.”

U.S. service members, assigned to U.S. Sixth Fleet’s Task Force 61/2, are working at the request of the Turkish Ministry of Health through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to ensure the hospital is established and operational in the province of Hatay, one of Türkiye’s most severely impacted areas.

The field hospital is equipped with an emergency room, two operating rooms, and an intensive care unit along with critically needed medical supplies, 100 beds, and equipment to ensure the functionality of the hospital.

The Marines of TF 61/2 and Airmen from 39th Air Base Wing will set the hospital up over the course of a week, beginning Feb. 25 and will turn the facility over to the Turkish Ministry of Health once complete. Once turned over, the hospital will provide Turkish medical professionals expanded capability to continue providing critical and urgent health care to the citizens of Türkiye impacted by the devastating earthquakes.

TF 61/2, under operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and U.S. Sixth Fleet, is responding to the deadly 7.8 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes that devastated Türkiye on Feb. 6. Hours after the earthquake, U.S. Marines and Sailors established a forward crisis response operations center at Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye, in close coordination with U.S. interagency partners and Turkish officials.

For more than 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

Source: United States Navy

The essay competition was held to showcase and share the work performed within Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands (NMRTC), Units, Detachments, and supported operational commands and units.

“Many of the issues that clinicians and administrators face in one location are going to be the same, or similar, to the problems and issues healthcare workers everywhere else in the Military Health System are going to encounter,” said Lt. Cmdr. Adam R. Eaton, director, Improvement Sciences, NMFP. “A competition like this is a great way to market these amazing ideas that people have had, implemented, and used to great effect to a large audience at once.”

Essay submissions with a 1,000-word maximum described a completed CPI project with measurable impact and sustainable benefit on any or all of the three pillars (engaged leadership; culture of patient safety; robust process improvement) and five principles (deference to expertise; reluctance to simplify; sensitivity to operations; commitment to resilience; and preoccupation with failure) of high reliability.

“Hopefully, people will read about these initiatives, see how they could be adopted to help with what they’re encountering at their own facility, or even better, add and improve upon those processes and share that with others,” said Eaton. “The more we share good ideas, the more likely we are going to spur further innovation.”

An NMFP N5 committee comprised of reviewers with expertise in CPI, healthcare quality, and patient safety judged essays using the following criteria in descending order of importance: measurable benefits to high reliability, replication potential or success, standardization, multidisciplinary approach, and creativity.

Overall, there were 11 entries; the winning entry came out of NMRTC San Diego for their essay on ‘Multidisciplinary Approach to Improved Barcode Medication Administration at Naval Medical Center San Diego’ and was submitted by Cmdr. Jeremy M. Ray, head, Medical-Surgical Nursing Department, NMCSD; Lt. Cmdr. Jasette M. Fong, pediatric clinical nurse specialist, NMCSD; and Irene G. Grepo, nurse consultant, NMCSD.

“CPI is an incredibly important approach in nursing as it helps identify areas of inefficiency and helps implement changes that improve patient outcomes, enhance quality of patient care and reduce costs,” said Ray. “In the healthcare industry, it is essential to maintain high standards of care to ensure patient safety and satisfaction. CPI can help achieve those goals.”

Their essay described a process improvement that addresses medication errors, a major threat to patient safety and can occur at any point during the stages of medication ordering, transcription, dispensing and administration process.

The wining team created a working group to analyze and improve the implementation of barcode medication administration (BCMA) systems at NMCSD. Through their analysis, the team improved BCMA compliance from 71.2 percent to 90.1 percent compliance over the course of four months in 2021.

“Factors such as patient satisfaction and safety, staff satisfaction, and compliance with policy and regulations are important factors to assess when looking at potential benefits of BCMA,” sad Ray. “Multiple studies have demonstrated that BCMA results in improved medication safety while administering medications. Without a doubt, this process improvement effort has improved compliance and adoption of the MHS GENESIS (electronic health record) BCMA workflow.”

The success of the pilot project led the working group to drive adoption of the Leapfrog Hospital Survey Safe Medication Administration Measure BCMA standards, which push facilities to implement BCMA systems in 100 percent of their medical and/or surgical units, intensive care units, and labor delivery units.

Improvement Sciences is a field that can support virtually any area within healthcare with highly dedicated, skilled and qualified teams to mentor and coach people through the CPI process. NMFP maintains a repository of projects that people have done that’s available to anyone with a common access card.

The CPI program compliments the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Jan. 11, 2022, call to action for the Navy to Get Real and Get Better (GRGB) – the initiative to broadly apply the leadership behavior of Navy’s highest performing, strongly self-assessing and self-correcting, units and organizations.

“At its essence, CPI is GRGB,” said Eaton. “GRGB asks us to take a hard, critical look at ourselves, our performance, and environment and see what could be improved. When we are honest and transparent about who we are as a person and a team and how we are functioning, we have a duty to be taking the necessary steps based on that assessment to grow.

“CPI asks the same of people. These (competition) members took a critical look within themselves, their performance, and workspace, and sought out ways to make things better for those they serve, creating innovation,” said Eaton. “The winning project actually built off a project previously implemented within the Command, demonstrating that circular relationship between empowered people, a focus on continuous improvement, and innovation, the principles of GRGB.”

Another tenant of GRGB is to empower people to find and fix problems – and innovate – at their level, from the deckplate to senior leaders.

“When you have empowered leaders and teams, as the CNO describes in GRGB, and they are consciously working on continuously improving, then innovation occurs,” said Eaton. “That innovation will spur these leaders to evolve and improve that new process, resulting in further innovation, and so on. Eventually, you’ve created an environment that has these principles ingrained in its culture.”

In 2018, the Capt. Cheryl C. Ringer Annual Memorial Award for Continuous Process Improvement was created in her honor in order to recognize Navy Medicine military and federal civilian leaders for CPI-related initiatives that accelerate high reliability.

In her previous role as Navy Medicine West (NMW), which is now NMFP, Director for Process Improvement, Ringer spearheaded efforts to permanently staff, fund, and vigorously promote CPI activities and initiatives throughout the NMFP area of responsibility.

“A plaque hangs at the NMFP headquarters honoring the contest’s inspiration and namesake, Capt. Cheryl C. Ringer and the winners’ names will be added to that plaque for perpetuity as a testament to their commitment to embracing positive and meaningful change,” said Eaton.

Naval Medical Forces Pacific provides oversight for 10 NMRTCs on the West Coast and Pacific Rim that train, man, and equip medical forces, primarily in military treatment facilities. Globally, NMFP oversees eight research laboratories that deliver research expertise in support of warfighter health and readiness.