Month: March 2023

Source: United States Navy

NSA Naples’ Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Fitness, Military Working Dog (MWD) Team, Veterinary Clinic, Naples Area Security Association (NASA), and USO joined together to recognize service dogs around the world.

“We want to increase awareness and celebrate those K-9s who have been lost in the line of duty. […] Hopefully they gain knowledge of the work the K9 team does,” said event planner and MWR Fitness’s Capodichino Fit Zone Manager Katelyn Paloma.

The event was also a showcase of the prowess and accomplishments by the MWD team and NSA Naples Security Department.

“Our outstanding Military Working Dog teams and Security Department here at NSA Naples work tirelessly to keep our community safe and secure,” Capt. James Stewart, Commanding Officer of NSA Naples. “We hope that through events like these, our community can interact with our Naval Security Forces in a more casual setting and get to know the people behind the uniform.”

Participants were able to watch a live demonstration by the MWD team conducted by two K-9 teams.

A detection demonstration was completed by Los Lunas, New Mexico native, Master-at-Arms Seaman Zion Gonzales and MWD Szana. During the exercise, Szana sniffed through suitcases to show how MWDs are trained to locate improvised explosive device (IEDs).

Szana has been a MWD for 7 years. Gonzales says she enjoys her experience as a detector dog and is very good at what she does.

When asked to describe Szana, Gonzales’ face filled with admiration as he said, “She is very loving. She is hard working—honestly she makes me look good. I just hold her leash and she does everything herself. I love that dog. She is perfect.”

A patrol demonstration was completed by Fairfax, Virginia native, Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Abbie Cabrera and MWD Reno. Reno showcased his ability to assist with a vehicle extraction on a staged non-compliant suspect during a felony stop.

“My favorite part of working with MWDs is being able to teach my dog a new skill and applying it to daily tasks. Reno is intelligent, caring, clumsy, hardworking, and a fast learner. He is always eager to work and his positive attitude makes every day worthwhile,” said Cabrera.

Although only two MWDs participated in the demonstration, the department is made up of three different, specialized types of detection dogs.
Reno, Szana, MWD Gero, and MWD Qqonnor are patrol explosive dogs.

MWD Debi, MWD Toto, and MWD Toni are explosive detector dogs.

MWD Boy is a drug detection dog.

This team of eight makes its mark beyond NSA Naples by participating in security operations that support U.S. government officials, U.S. Navy ships and more.

Most recently, on Feb. 23, 2023, Debi worked alongside Kennel Supervisor Master-at-Arms 1st Class Amber Ortiz and Dog Handler Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Kashira Collins to provide security to First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden.

In November 2022, MWD teams Cabrera and Reno, Gonzales and Szana, and Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Xavier Escalante and Toni conducted port operations at Porto Napoli in support of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77). The team conducted security sweeps of 10 small boats, 4 barges, and more than 175 buses.

From November 2021 to October 2022, Cabrera and Reno deployed to Djibouti, Africa and Baledogle Military Airfield (BMA) Somalia supporting a total of three Individual Augmentees (IA).

The skills used in these operations were showcased during the K9 Veteran’s Day 5K event. The team hopes the NSA Naples community gained a better understanding of their efforts.

National K9 Veterans Day, March 13, is a day set aside to honor commemorate the service and sacrifices of American military and working dogs throughout history.

The K-9 Corps were first established on March 13, 1942 when the Army began training for its new War Dog Program, marking the first time that dogs were officially part of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Officially part of the service or not, MWDs have a long history in the U.S. Armed Forces. This includes canine heroes such as Sgt. Stubby, the original war dog; Chips, the most decorated dog in World War II; Lex, who retired with his fallen owners family; and Cairo, the Navy SEAL working dog on the bin Laden raid.

NSA Naples is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed, when they are needed to ensure security and stability in the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility.

For more news on NSA Naples, please follow us on Instagram @NSANaples and Facebook at facebook.com/NSANaples/.

Source: United States Navy

“With this mobile, autonomous cold spray system, we’ll be bringing repair capabilities closer to the aircraft,” she explained. “We will be able to make repairs in the shadow of the aircraft that were previously not possible using existing, approved cold spray systems. And there’s flexibility in that the system can be programmed to run autonomously, or be used in-hand by qualified artisans.

“The system will save time, because the artisans won’t have to fully disassemble the aircraft in order to complete these specific, approved repairs,” Templeton continued. “We’ll save on time and costs associated with transporting certain parts and components from one location to another. And we’ll further save on costs by returning to use some components that would have been scrapped before, but can now be salvaged through the cold spray process. There are so many benefits to having this system approved for use.”

The cold spray process bonds metal to metal in a relatively low-heat environment in order to deposit a coating onto a surface, or substrate. Solid metal powders are accelerated through a heated gas and directed toward a metallic substrate; the moving particles impact the surface and embed on the substrate, forming a strong bond. In aviation applications, cold spray is used to repair aircraft components like shafts, gearboxes and skid tubes by depositing a durable metallic alloy coating to surfaces. This coating can fill abrasions or gouges in some cases, or provide protective coverage in others.

Most cold spray systems currently used by the Navy are located in booths, which creates size limitations, Templeton said. There are finite limits to the size of the components that can be treated in the booths, which means that parts often have to be removed from aircraft before spraying, or the components cannot be sprayed at all due to their size. The mobile nature of this system mitigates those size constraints and also lends itself to the possibility of on-aircraft repairs in locations that don’t have permanent cold spray booths.

Templeton and her team have been working for years with the Naval Aviation Enterprise Cold Spray Integrated Products Team to make the vision of a mobile, autonomous cold spray system a reality for aircraft maintainers at the depot level. In late 2019, FRCE hosted the first U.S. field demonstration of an on-aircraft structural repair using a mobile, autonomous cold spray metallization system funded under the Office of the Secretary of Defense Foreign Comparative Test Program. Over the course of the two-day trials, the team demonstrated an on-aircraft repair to the windowsill of a V-22 Osprey, and also conducted an off-aircraft repair to a surplus H-1 skid tube.

The H-1 program was the first within NAVAIR to adopt the new system, Templeton said, and has approved it to make specific repairs to the helicopter’s combining gearbox and skid tube. It’s gratifying to see the team’s work come to fruition, she added.

“It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of supporters within NAVAIR; however, it is all worth it when we implement a technology that will ultimately benefit our warfighters,” Templeton said. 

Tim McCardle, a support equipment logistics management specialist with NAVAIR’s Marine Corps Light/Attack Helicopters Program Office (PMA-276), said officials anticipate the system will have a positive impact on readiness by helping ensure components reach their full service life, rather than being scrapped early due to wear, as is the case with the H-1 combining gearbox. The system has also been fielded at the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest field site at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.

“Gearboxes have an expected service life based on flight hours, and when they come up with wear or chafing to the outer case, they’re pulled out of service long before they were ever meant to be. There’s a tremendous cost to that, both fiscally and in terms of component availability,” he said. “What this system does is allow artisans to make repairs to many of those outer cases, so those gearboxes can be put back into service and used for their planned life.”

McCardle agreed the unit’s mobile nature will also boost readiness by reducing aircraft movement, thereby reducing downtime during the maintenance process.

“The cold spray system being previously used to make these repairs is not mobile,” he said.  “With this version, you can take the tools to the aircraft rather than having to wait to bring the aircraft to the tools. You save a lot of motion that way by not having to move an entire aircraft.”

Kevin Conner, H-1 Drives and Diagnostics manager for NAVAIR’s H-1 Fleet Support Team at FRCE, said using a mobile system allows for more flexibility in processes that were formerly confined to depot industrial spaces, which will help improve the H-1 program’s responsiveness to needs of the Fleet.

“The new system will help cut the time the assets are out of service for repairs, and greatly improve the range of repairs that can be completed,” Conner said. “This capability affords the opportunity to execute in-service repairs in place of transferring the entire aircraft out of the squadron and into the depot, which reduces the aircraft’s time out of service and increases mission readiness.”

While the H-1 program is an early adopter of this system, there are potential use cases for the technology that exist for other aircraft platforms throughout the naval aviation community, Templeton noted. For example, the system has been tested as a possible solution for repairing a fitting on a V-22 Osprey that currently requires major disassembly of the aircraft to address.

The properties of the cold spray process make it especially adaptable to a wide variety of uses, Conner noted.

“Cold spray technology is shifting the scope of repair to address metal repair and restoration with a solution that surpasses existing adhesive-based repairs, weld repairs and mechanical fastening repairs,” he explained. “Cold sprayed material mechanically and metallurgically bonds to the substrate, effectively becoming part of the damaged material. Cold spray is superior to welding in that it does not dramatically degrade the material process with a large heat-affected zone, and material properties are maintained without requiring a follow-on process like annealing or heat treating. This opens up future capabilities for all types of applications that are yet to be imagined.”

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

Source: United States Navy

Q1: Force, can you start by defining what the Operational Level of War (OLW) is?   

A1: Doctrinally, the term Operational Level of War connects military strategy with tactics. Said another way, it’s the middle echelon across the Joint Force that operationalizes strategy into action.  

 

Q2: When did OLW become a priority to the Navy Reserve and to mission readiness? 

A2: While not new to the Navy Reserve, Chief of Navy Reserve Vice Adm. John B. Mustin put an emphasis on OLW in his Navy Reserve Fighting Instructions.   
For twenty years, during the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), Navy Reserve Individual Augmentees (IAs) were a backbone to our nation’s Operational Level of War manning, particularly in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.  As we shift from GWOT to the new global security environment where international players like China and Russia challenge our way of life, Vice Adm. Mustin recognizes that we can employ that capability and capacity to become the OLW expertise for the Navy.   

 

Q3:  We often think of OLW as officer centric.  How do enlisted Sailors impact OLW?  

A3: In the Navy, OLW billet are often concentrated in flag-level Maritime Operations Centers (MOCs).  For clarity, a MOC is a process, not a place.  It is a process that OLW-level commands execute internally to ensure a commander’s operational intent is fulfilled by the supporting force. 

True, MOCs are staffed mostly by officers. However, there is an essential need for functional and technical experts on these staffs. That’s where enlisted Sailors shine. Our enlisted across ratings are needed in the OLW planning process, as watch standers, and to synthesize information and provide recommendations up the chain.   

The perspective of every enlisted Sailor is important to any mission. Working in a fast-paced OLW environment is challenging, but our enlisted Sailor’s experience provides valuable input into the Commander’s decision-making process.   

 

Q4: How do OLW billets differ from other enlisted Navy jobs? 

A4: Mostly the type of work you will be doing is at a different echelon and physical environment.   

Often, instead of supporting a unit or a squadron, you may be at that next echelon up providing your technical insights into planning for current and future operations and/or monitoring these activities on a watch floor.  You might be helping to determine what ships get underway at a specific date…when we need planes ready to fly…or why subs go to a particular depth and speed.   

And you will more likely find yourself in an office setting or on a watch floor in a fleet concentration area rather than on a ship, submarine, air field or elsewhere.   

 

Q5: How will working in an OLW unit affect my career and advancement? 

A5: There are many benefits to being in an OLW unit. OLW units are typically larger and more diverse increased opportunities for mentorship. The diversity of ratings and designators is beneficial to broaden your understanding of the Navy. There may be unique qualifications, AQDs and NECs you can obtain from that unit that will set you apart for advancement. Also, if you’re interested in submitting a package to lateral rate transfer, Warrant Officer or Limited Duty Officer, an OLW unit can provide for growth in these areas. 

There are fewer enlisted than officer billets in OLW units, so plan to apply for the open billets as soon as they are posted. While you are in the application process, also reach out to your command and have them guide you in the right direction by providing recommendations to fill those billets. If you can get into an OLW unit and gain that experience, it will enhance your career.   

But know, joining an OLW unit isn’t difficult and it’s not only about the Fleets. You can apply to a billet the same way you would for any other billets within My Navy Assignment. You can search for Numbered Fleet units, or expand further to other units such as NATO, CNFJ, CNFK, OPNAV, or Joint Staff. I always encourage sailors to reach out to the points of contact listed on the billet description. This way you have a better understanding on what qualifications are specifically preferred for the job, what your role would be, and areas for professional growth, qualifications, and leadership compared those with other billet opportunities you’re considering. 

 

Q6: Do you have any other advice for enlisted Sailors who are thinking of applying for an OLW unit? 

A6: I say go for it! It’s a great opportunity to expand your skill sets in line with current RC and AC priorities. Working these jobs, you will have the ability to impact real-world operations through a unique experience. 

First, research what is required for you to get into an OLW unit, such as what training, security clearances, and schools that are needed so you can become a valuable asset to the team. 

Second, consider what region of the world you’re interested in or if you have any foreign language or travel experience. You can choose a unit to deepen those existing experiences, or you can choose a new region to build new experiences. 

Third, as I’ve already mentioned, the importance of reaching out to your new potential command point of contact so you can better understand what your role could be and what leadership opportunities are available.  

Finally, once you’re in your OLW new unit, do not be intimidated by having senior enlisted and officers in your command. Remember, they are there to help you. Find a mentor to sponsor you. Manage your career and be sure you’re completing the requirements for your rate during your time in the OLW billet.