Month: August 2023

Source: United States Navy

Five educators from local schools participated in the externship program that took place at FRCE with two sessions held in late June. The sessions each lasted four days and introduced teachers to FRCE’s workforce and operations

Michelle Smith, who coordinates kindergarten through 12th grade educational outreach for the Fleet Support Team’s Advanced Technology and Innovation (ATI) Team at FRCE, said the externship is aimed at showcasing career opportunities to area students.

“We are the largest aeronautical services, logistics and engineering services provider in North Carolina,” said Smith. “It’s important for us to be involved and provide opportunities for interactions like these. We want to cultivate our future workforce and we want to ensure that area students know about the career opportunities we offer.”

Smith said FRCE became involved in the program in 2015 after being asked to participate by Craven County Schools. She said the four-day externship sessions focus on connecting local teachers with FRCE’s workforce.

To do this, the educators donned personal protective equipment and entered the depot’s production lines, engineering shops, and offices to get a firsthand look at the FRCE’s military aircraft maintenance operations which encompass a wide variety of trades.

“FRCE is an organization with more than 4,000 employees providing labor, logistics support and engineering services at five detachments as well as forward-deployed units throughout the world,” said ATI Team’s Innovation Lead Engineer Randall Lewis. “We have a huge variety of jobs here. It is a lot to digest in four days but they leave with all this knowledge to take back to the classroom and share with their students.”

For many of the educators, the introduction to the variety of specialties found at FRCE was eye opening.

“I am not from here, so I didn’t really even know what FRC East did,” said Catherine Poteet, a teacher at Havelock Middle School. “I didn’t know it was so big and I didn’t realize there were so many different moving parts involved. I think this offers great insight into what careers are possible right here in the area.”

During the externship, teachers met with a wide range of personnel working throughout the depot and observed the types of jobs they perform. Ample time was provided for questions and discussion.

Kayla Anderson, a math teacher at New Bern High School, said the up close and personal look at the depot’s operations highlighted the skill sets needed in an industry workplace.

“One thing I found really interesting was ways that I can incorporate parts of certain jobs I saw or practical applications into my math curriculum,” said Kayla Anderson. “That’s something I plan to take back with me.”

Shana Deans, a STEM teacher at H.J. MacDonald Middle School, said the externship allowed educators to get an inside look at an industry that most are not familiar with.

“Our goal is to prepare these children for their future,” said Deans. “So we all should understand what the different opportunities are outside of our world of math or English or whatever we teach.”

Dean said seeing FRCE’s highly skilled artisan workforce dispelled the notion many people have that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers are solely the domain of engineers, chemists and others possessing advanced degrees.

“STEM careers can include someone who is a radiologist as well as someone who services the radiology machines,” said Deans. “Everyone thinks of the mathematician, the physicist, or the astronaut. There are also a lot of people working in STEM who make it possible for that astronaut to perform their job.”

During their time at FRCE, the educators also learned about the financial impact FRCE has on the local area. The depot has a payroll of about $330 million. The average salary at FRCE is $72,000 a year, nearly 28% more than the median household income in Craven County.

Rita Brown, the Exceptional Children’s Transition Coordinator for Craven County Schools, said the externship illustrated that students can find lucrative jobs at the depot, whether they choose to attend college or not.

“Not everyone goes to college,” said Rita Brown, the Exceptional Children’s Transition Coordinator for Craven County Schools. “We leave here knowing that we can tell our students, there are jobs out there for them even if they decide not to go to college – good paying jobs right here in the area.”

Misty Guthrie, a STEM teacher at Tucker Creek Middle School, agreed.

“I think that there are very valuable jobs in the STEM fields that don’t necessarily require the level of academic attainment that we typically envision,” said Guthrie. “I think it is especially important that students understand all the options that are out there.

“We have students who can do so many things with their hands and they’re great critical thinkers,” continued Guthrie. “This has been really eye opening because there are a lot of positions at FRC East for these students.”

FRCE’s participation in the externship program is one just facet of an intensive education and outreach effort at FRCE. These efforts run the gamut from the deployment of STEM carts at area elementary schools to senior capstone design projects with students at area universities.

“Our mission at FRC East is important and our people are crucial to meeting that mission,” said Lewis. “We can’t serve the warfighter unless we have a quality workforce. Our goal is to reach out to students that are interested in living and working in eastern North Carolina. We want them to know there is a potential career for them right here at FRC East.”

Outreach efforts all focus on engaging, inspiring, and educating students from eastern North Carolina while highlighting the wide range of career opportunities available at FRCE.

“I think this is especially helpful for the local kids who plan to stay here,” said Anderson. “Having all of these programs and opportunities available at FRC East is really amazing.”

For one educator, the externship program highlighted the success of FRCE’s outreach efforts.

 “There was a young man that I worked with when he was little,” said Brown. “I didn’t know what direction he was going to take in his future work. While we were here, he saw us walking through and stopped to speak with us. He’s now working here at FRC East. He did an internship a while back and was hired on. I’m so very proud of him. To me, it’s a very successful story.”

Kayla Anderson, a math teacher at New Bern High School; Catherine Poteet, a teacher at Havelock Middle School; Rita Brown, the Exceptional Children’s Transition Coordinator for Craven County Schools; Misty Guthrie, a STEM teacher at Tucker Creek Middle School; and Shana Deans, a STEM teacher at H.J. MacDonald Middle School, participated in the externship program at FRCE.

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.

Learn more at www.navair.navy.mil/frce or https://www.facebook.com/FleetReadinessCenterEast.

Source: United States Navy

Prior to arriving in Klaipėda, Roosevelt patrolled the Baltic Sea, sailing alongside NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1 flagship FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (F218) and HNLMS De Zeven Provincien (F 802), underscoring the strength and interoperability of the NATO Alliance.

Roosevelt joined the enhanced vigilance activity Neptune Strike 2023-2 in mid-July, supporting the integration of U.S. and NATO Allied and partner forces to provide assurance, deterrence, and collective defense operating under control of NATO and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO). In addition, Roosevelt also participated in a Naval Surface Fire Support exercise in partnership with the Latvian military and conducted a scheduled port visit in Helsinki, Finland, July 15-18.

While in Helsinki, the ship onloaded fuel, mail, and stores, and Sailors were able to experience the rich culture of Finland while on liberty in the local area. Roosevelt’s visit to Helsinki came on the heels of President Biden’s visit to Finland to welcome the country as the newest member to the NATO Alliance.

The current port visit to Klaipėda also comes shortly after NATO’s Vilnius Summit, hosted by Lithuania. Roosevelt’s presence in the Baltic Sea and port visits to Baltic Sea Allies demonstrates demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to working with Allies and regional partners to ensure security and stability in the region.

“Over the past nine months, Roosevelt has operated in the Baltic Sea on three separate occasions- we love it up here. The ability to operate, train, and communicate with our NATO allies in the Baltic has been extremely rewarding. We recently conducted a gunnery exercise where we shot our 5″ gun onto the Skede range in Latvia using NATO spotters on the beach,” said Cmdr. J Chewning, Roosevelt’s Commanding Officer. “In addition, we just completed a port visit in Helsinki where USS Roosevelt was honored to be the first U.S. warship to visit Finland since joining NATO.”

While in Klaipėda, Roosevelt will participate in the 63^rd Annual Sea Festival, a festival promoting Lithuania as a maritime state and Klaipėda as a friendly and safe port city. Roosevelt will welcome locals and members of the Lithuanian military onboard for tours and a luncheon and participate in a local parade and other community events.

Roosevelt and her crew are operating in the Baltic Sea on a scheduled deployment in the Baltic region, employed by the U.S, Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

Roosevelt, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, began its fifth Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol June 27 in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

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

United Kingdom Royal Navy Capt. James Byron turned over command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 to French Navy Capt. Yannick Bossu. CTF 150 is one of five operational task forces under Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest international naval partnership that consists of 38 nations.

CTF 150 conducts maritime security operations in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to help ensure freedom of navigation by deterring and disrupting destabilizing maritime activity.

Under Byron’s leadership, forces supporting CTF 150 intercepted $320 million in illegal drugs that included heroin, hashish and methamphetamine. Multinational forces have seized a total estimated value of $1.3 billion in illicit narcotics since 2021.

“When we arrived in Bahrain at the start of January, my team and I promised to do everything we could to intercept illegal narcotics transiting the maritime routes across the Indian Ocean,” said Byron. “The men and women of [CTF 150] deserve huge credit.”

Byron’s headquarters staff included personnel from Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

CTF 150’s new commander, Bossu, arrives in Bahrain having served in the French Navy for 30 years. He was previously the deputy for current operations at the French Joint Strategic Operations Center.

“It is an honor to assume command of CTF 150 today on behalf of France and pick up the baton from a successful UK team,” said Basso. “My staff – consisting of people from the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Bahrain and France – and I are looking forward to working toward enhancing regional partnerships and countering illegal trafficking in the Indian Ocean.”

Combined Maritime Forces is headquartered in Bahrain with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet.

Source: United States Navy

Illinois deployed from Pearl Harbor in December 2022, during which the submarine and its crew performed a full spectrum of operations, to include anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare missions in the Indo-Pacific region.

“The Illinois crew demonstrated the extreme resiliency and endurance required to operate at sea,” said Illinois Commanding Officer Cmdr. Daniel McNab, from Brewster, Minnesota. “Operating a deployed submarine through the most remote parts of the Pacific is incredibly challenging. The strength of our families and support from home was essential to accomplishing our mission of defending a free and open Indo-Pacific region. It has been the highest honor of my career to serve at sea with this amazing crew. I could not be more proud of my Sailors, their families, our Illinois supporters, and the dedication each of them has to our nation.”

During the deployment, the crew traveled approximately 35,000 nautical miles under the sea. The Sailors aboard Illinois trained to be combat-ready prior to departure and maintained those standards throughout the deployment.

“The grit and positive attitude displayed by the entire Illinois crew has been extraordinary,” said Illinois Chief of the Boat Master Chief Fire Control Technician (Submarines) Mark Walter, from Burke, Virginia. “Every day, Illinois Sailors demonstrated our ability to maintain a sustained presence at sea. Special thanks are owed to all the families for keeping our home front secure. Our nation is stronger and our loved ones are safer because of your sacrifice.”

During the deployment, 41 Illinois Sailors became fully qualified in submarines and earned their Submarine Warfare Specialist designation known as “dolphins”.

“The most unforgettable moment of deployment was when I qualified in submarines, especially because I was pinned on my birthday,” said Torpedoman Fireman Apprentice Jeremiah J. Bruce from Montgomery, Alabama. “Earning my silver dolphins was tough and it took a lot of sleepless nights of studying. It was achievable with help from the entire crew along the way. I’m extremely proud and appreciative to be a part of the Illinois team.”

Illinois was commissioned Oct. 29, 2016, and is the 13th Virginia-class submarine. It is 377 feet long with a beam of 34 feet. USS Illinois is the second ship to be named for the nation’s 21st state, the first being the battleship USS Illinois (BB 7) which was in service from 1901 to 1920, serving as part of President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet”.

Source: United States Navy

The Stryker Mako system is a state of the art robotic arm that uses haptic technology, or commonly referred to as 3D touch, to achieve high precision arthroplasty — or knee replacement.

“Total knee replacement is a very precise and reproducible operation,” said Cmdr. Brian Barlow, Orthopedic Surgeon assigned to NMCSD. “Traditionally, we would use X-Rays to plan our surgeries, take measurements we’re making in the surgery, and place all knee replacements in the same orientation. The Stryker MAKO robot transforms a CT scan of the joint into a digital model, measures soft tissue balance, allowing the surgeon to register a 3D model of the patient’s anatomy.”

Utilizing this procedure gives surgeons the opportunity to provide patients with personalized and optimal functional utility once the procedure is finished.

“We are recognizing that different people have different knee phenotypes,” said Barlow. “Similar to the fact that not every one’s face is the same, not every knee is the same either. We want to use the robotic technologies to start adjusting the way we place the implants according to that patient’s anatomy, the goal is to match patients’ phenotype to improve their outcomes. There may be a benefit in matching the patient’s knee phenotype when performing the knee replacement, but requires an enhancing technology.”

NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Navy story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Raphael McCorey)