Category: Defence

Source: United States Navy

More than 1,000 visitors had the chance to explore cutting-edge technology during a recent industry showcase event geared toward solving challenges faced in the military aviation maintenance community.

Hosted by the Eastern North Carolina (ENC) Tech Bridge in partnership with the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) and Craven County, the NCMS Technology Showcase held July 16-17 at the Riverfront Convention Center of in New Bern featured almost 50 organizations presenting their newest innovations.

According to ENC Tech Bridge Director Jamaine Clemmons, the event was designed to allow stakeholders at all levels of the aviation maintenance enterprise to explore new industry products and have face-to-face conversations with the developers. This type of intentional connection can help drive the innovation that finds new uses for existing products or improves the development of technology in ways that make it beneficial to national defense efforts, he said.

“We have problems that need to be solved, and we work with industry and academia on how to solve these issues,” Clemmons explained. “Events like this technology showcase allow us to work on getting next-generation solutions into the hands of our warfighters, as well as our maintainers at our military aviation depots and shipyards.

“The type of collaboration that takes place during these events allows the ENC Tech Bridge to support the rapid development, testing and fielding of solutions that will enhance the mission readiness throughout the Naval Aviation Enterprise,” he continued. “Building these partnerships helps facilitate an environment that encourages innovation and the development of advanced technology, and that’s a win-win for these exhibitors and the Navy.”

Fleet Readiness Center East Commanding Officer Capt. James M. Belmont said he was impressed by the variety of technologies on display during the event, and was optimistic that the interaction between attendees and exhibitors would lead to positive developments.

“Finding innovative solutions to support our maintenance operations and our forward-deployed service members is a high priority for FRC East,” Belmont said. “It’s such an important part of what we do that we brought in hundreds of our depot’s workforce to interact with these exhibitors and see how these solutions can help improve our operations, from the highest levels of our leadership to our artisans who turn wrenches on the hangar deck, engineers, logisticians and even high school interns.”

The event came about as the result of growth that has been under way since the ENC Tech Bridge launched in early 2022, and was the Tech Bridge’s largest event to date.

“It has been gratifying to watch the Tech Bridge grow from an idea into a reality, and this tech showcase is just the next step in building an ecosystem of innovation that can speed solutions to our nation’s warfighters,” said Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers Engineering Group Head Mark Meno, who attended the showcase. “Events like this allow our enterprise artisans, engineers and support staff to see firsthand the emerging technology these small businesses bring to the table allows them to investigate potential uses for new equipment from a broad perspective.

“An aircraft maintainer, for instance, might have different ideas than an engineer of how a tool could be used to improve maintenance and repair operations, or consider modifications to an existing technology that could make it useful in a manner the manufacturer hadn’t yet considered,” he continued. “Having the opportunity to get all of these groups together is a really effective way to create the collaboration that drives innovation adoption of new technology, while helping our Sailors and Marines maintain the technological superiority they need to fight and win. That’s very exciting.”

Providing a venue in which those types of collaborations can begin is one of the reasons NCMS hosts technology showcase events at U.S. military facilities around the globe, said Debbie Lilu, NCMS vice president of maintenance and sustainment business development.

“NCMS was thrilled to facilitate connections between members of our trusted network of technology solution providers and the Fleet Readiness Center East and ENC Tech Bridge stakeholders,” she said. “NCMS has established our technology showcases because we recognize that effective solutions grow out of such opportunities for dynamic idea sharing. We stand ready to assist as new collaborations formed through this event work toward demonstrating, validating, and implementing critically needed sustainment innovations.” 

The ENC Tech Bridge works to bridge the gap between the Navy and nontraditional partners like small businesses, academia and nonprofits by building an ecosystem of innovation that supports the Navy and Marine Corps. Local Tech Bridge efforts focus on several areas of consideration, including manufacturing and repair technologies; advanced manufacturing; big data, data analytics and visualization; technical insertion; augmented and mixed reality; automation and robotics; soft and wicked problem solving; and workforce development. The ENC Tech Bridge operates in conjunction with a partnership between FRCE and Craven County.

The NCMS Technology Showcase was the first collaborative business development event between Craven County and the ENC Tech Bridge, and gives the county the opportunity to support research, education and industry growth in the county along with Tech Bridge initiatives, said Craven County Economic Development Director Jeff Wood.

“This event underscores the fruitful collaboration between Craven County and the Eastern North Carolina Tech Bridge,” Wood said. “It highlights the pivotal role of our partnership to accelerate technology transfer and foster new opportunities within the aerospace defense sector.”

As part of the NavalX network, 19 Tech Bridges aim to make connections between the Navy and emerging entities like startups, small businesses, academia, nonprofits and private capital that aren’t traditionally part of the Navy’s development and acquisition process. The Tech Bridge framework allows the Navy to collaborate with nontraditional partners and accelerate the innovation timeline in ways that traditional acquisition methods do not. This structure eases the collaboration process and allows the Navy to leverage the speed and efficiency improvements these nontraditional partners have experienced in recent years, ultimately putting assets in the hands of the nation’s warfighters significantly faster, at a more economical rate.

“The future starts here,” Clemmons said. “It starts with industry and innovation, and how we collaborate to solve these problem sets and bridge the gap between the Navy and emerging entities like startups, small businesses, academia, nonprofits and private capital that aren’t traditionally part of the Navy’s development and acquisition process, so they can help us develop solutions for our warfighters.

“This is how we get to a posture where we’re ready to fight tomorrow’s wars, today,” he continued. “When the call comes, it starts with technology, and how our service men and women can use that technology to come home safely.”

Source: United States Navy

The ceremony featured guest speakers; the Hon. Oscar Robert H. Cristobal, Vice Mayor of Legazpi, Capt. Daniel Keeler, PP24-2 mission commander, Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr., Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Mr. Carlos Ante, Legazpi City Administrator.

“Pacific Partnership in Legazpi promotes strong military and civil partnerships that reinforce mutual understanding and interoperability between the Philippines and U.S., and makes us better equipped to handle various challenges,” said Keeler. “This region is prone to natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Our enhanced cooperation today will make us better prepared tomorrow, should we need to collectively respond in crisis.” 

The PP24-2 Philippines mission stop, which runs from Aug. 1 through Aug. 14, will provide tailored medical care focusing on subject-matter exchanges and community education; construction and reconstruction of multiple schoolhouses and knowledge exchanges with exercises covering disaster response and humanitarian assistance. Additionally, the U.S. Pacific Fleet Band will perform in a variety of community engagements around the city.

Initially, Pacific Partnership efforts were heavily focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) but has evolved over the years to use an all-hazards approach with expanded lines of effort in medical and public health, engineering, and host nation outreach. Individual projects and events are synchronized with the host nation and are organized according to their requests and needs.

“The City of Legazpi extends its warmest welcomes and unending gratitude to all the participating nations behind the 2024 Pacific Partnership whose contributions have made significant impacts to the people of Legazpi,” said the Hon. Oscar Robert H. Christobal, vice mayor of Legazpi City. “We look forward to our continued partnership. Dios Mabalos!”

Disaster emergencies, both natural and man-made, remain an ever-present threat to life, security, stability, and prosperity throughout the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility.

“Through various exchanges and hands-on trainings, this year’s HADR activities are focused on increasing the Urban Search and Rescue capacity by 30 percent and testing the city’s Tsunami Response Plan for the first time,” said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Flor Joseph, PP24-2HADR line of effort lead. “We are thankful to the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office for collaborating with us to develop a plan that best serves their community, drawing on their invaluable insights and perspectives about what works best locally.”

Pacific Partnership fosters multilateral cooperation and emphasizes a multinational whole-of-government approach, by planning and executing operations with U.S. and partner nation militaries, interagencies, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. This subsequently provides a strong foundation of trust and enhances our collective ability to respond in times of crisis.

Born out of the devastation brought by the December 2004 tsunami that swept through parts of South and Southeast Asia, Pacific Partnership began as a military-led humanitarian response to one of the world’s most catastrophic natural disasters. Building on the success and goodwill of this operation the U.S. helped spearhead the inaugural Pacific Partnership mission in 2006. This mission leveraged partner nation militaries and non-governmental organizations proficiencies to expand disaster relief capacity in Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste.

“On behalf of the U.S. contingency, I thank the Legazpi local government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and people of Legazpi for their heartwarming welcome,” added Keeler. “Their invitation and partnerships are crucial for maintaining peace, security and prosperity in the region. Pacific Partnership harnesses our collective strength to build a resilient future, ensuring that when the earth shakes, we stand firm in our readiness.”

Pacific Partnership, now in its 20th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Each year the mission team works collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability capabilities, increase maritime security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific.

For more information about Pacific Partnership visit, www.clwp.navy.mil/Pacific-Partnership.

Source: United States Navy

 

 
Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti attended the ceremony and provided welcoming remarks by thanking Davids for his innovative leadership in ensuring Naval Special Warfare (NSW) provides access and capabilities to the warfighter.
 
“You provided options to our Nation’s decision makers every single day, keeping our most elite warriors–our naval commandos–at the forefront of the changing character of war, finding, testing, and using new technologies and innovating to ensure that we would be postured and ready to respond to any threat anytime and anywhere,” said Franchetti. “Keith, you will leave behind an incredible legacy through those that you have trained, mentored, and led, but you will also be known for your laser focus on prioritizing and reinvigorating the connection between the Fleet and Naval Special Warfare. This is a game changer for our Nation.”

Gen. Bryan P. Fenton, commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, was the presiding officer and guest speaker. In his remarks, Fenton praised Davids’ leadership. He highlighted his commitment to preparing NSW for increased challenges and risks. Fenton emphasized the importance of Davids’ transformative changes to ensure NSW’s relevance to the Joint Force and Fleet, its survivability, and lethality in defense of the Nation.

“During his watch, Davids ensured that the next generation of our naval commandos is prepared for the volatile, uncertain, and complex world at our doorstep. Our commandos continuously push the bounds of what is possible and achieve what others deem impossible,” said Fenton. “Across the globe, our naval commandos provide new options and opportunities for our joint force, creating a range of dilemmas for our adversaries should they choose the path of crisis or conflict.”

Davids assumed command of Naval Special Warfare Command in August 2022. During his tenure, he strengthened NSW’s integration with Fleet, Joint, and Coalition partners and ensured NSW’s ability to respond to global threats anytime, anywhere.

“As we speak, our teammates are conducting sensitive maritime missions in multiple theaters around the globe,” Davids said. “They are closing gaps in national intelligence, strengthening strategic partnerships, helping friends and allies build their resilience, and fielding new capabilities that make the naval commando force extremely valuable to both the Joint Force and the Navy. This force is invaluable in peacetime, in crisis, and, should deterrence fail, in conflict as well.”

The ceremony marks the end of a two-year command tour for Davids, who graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Assessment, Selection and Training with Class 177. He commanded at all operational and component levels of Special Operations, including service as commander, South Operations Command South. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Director for Joint Interagency Task Force South.
 
His operational tours include platoon commander tours at SEAL Team Two; element leader and squadron operations officer tours at Naval Special Warfare Development Group; executive officer of SEAL Team Seven; commanding officer of SEAL Team One, and commander of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, Iraq.  He has made numerous operational deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Pacific, and Europe.

“Life’s greatest gift is doing hard work that is worth doing with people you love,” Davids said to his friends, family, and staff. “The Navy and the Special Operations communities have allowed me to enjoy that for over three decades. To cap it off, serving with all of you has been the biggest honor of my life.”

Davids welcomed Sands and his family and spoke to the journey that lies ahead under his leadership. 

“Today marks the dawn of a new chapter,” said Davids. “NSW’s future is extremely bright with Rear. Adm. Milton “Jamie” Sands at the helm. I have no doubt you will continue to thrive under his strategic vision and leadership.”

Sands, a native of Farmington, Connecticut and 1992 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, most recently served as chief of staff, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.

With an eye to the future and his priorities, Sands expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Naval Special Warfare Command staff for ensuring a seamless transition. He also extended thanks to his family for their unwavering support and commended Davids for his visionary leadership and for leaving behind a strong, professional force.
“We will remain focused on producing and deploying the world’s finest, most creative, and most lethal maritime special operations force. While we don’t get to choose the threats we face, we do get to choose our priorities, our approaches, and our evolution as a force,” Sands said. “Our actions will be enabled by the NSW foundation of character, grit, professionalism, and competence. Throughout it all, our number one priority will remain our most valuable and important asset: our people.”

Over 10,000 strong, NSW includes approximately 3,000 Sea, Air, Land operators; 700 Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen; 4,600 combat support and combat service support personnel, 700 reservists and 1,200 civilian teammates.

NSW is the nation’s premiere maritime special operations force and is uniquely positioned to extend the fleet’s reach and deliver all-domain options for naval and joint force commanders.

For more news from Naval Special Warfare, visit www.nsw.navy.mil.

 
 
 

Source: United States Navy

Colorado Springs Navy Week brings Sailors from across the fleet to the area to emphasize the importance of the Navy to Colorado Springs, the state of Colorado, and the nation.

More than 50 Sailors will participate in education and community outreach events throughout the city.

Participating Navy organizations include Navy Band Southwest, USS Constitution, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Rocky Mountain, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Three, Navy History and Heritage Command, nuclear-power Virginia-class guided-missile submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788), and the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19).

The Navy’s senior executive is Vice Adm. John Fuller, Naval Inspector General. Fuller received his commission from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the Naval Academy, a Master of Science in Management from the Naval Post Graduate School and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff at the Naval War College. He is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Seminar XXI Fellow. During Colorado Springs Navy Week, he will be participating in community engagements, meeting with local organizations, higher education, local business, civic, and government leaders.

Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like Colorado Springs.

“Sailors are the reason America’s Navy is the most powerful in the world,” said NAVCO’s director, Cmdr. Julie Holland. “We are thrilled to bring your Navy Warfighters to (Colorado Springs).  At Navy Weeks, Americans will connect with Sailors who have strong character, competence, and dedication to the mission, and who continue a nearly 250-year tradition of decisive power from seabed to cyberspace.”

Throughout the week, Sailors are participating in various community events across the area, including engaging with students across multiple high schools and at the Pikes Peak Boys & Girls Club, volunteering through Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, and publicly visible at the Space Discovery Center, and US Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Residents will also enjoy free live music by Navy Band Southwest at venues throughout the week.

Colorado Springs Navy Week is one of 15 Navy Weeks in 2024, which brings a variety of assets, equipment, and personnel to a single city for a weeklong series of engagements designed to bring America’s Navy closer to the people it protects. Each year, the program reaches more than 130 million people — about half the U.S. population.

Media organizations wishing to cover Colorado Springs Navy Week events should contact Ensign Lamar Badger at (901) 229-5709 or erick.l.badger.mil@us.navy.mil  

Source: United States Navy

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently achieved a significant production milestone by eliminating high-priority backorders for auxiliary power units (APU) used in the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, bolstering the platform’s mission readiness.

Challenges related to the availability of parts and materials used in the APU threatened to keep a number of the Navy’s Super Hornets on the ground and led to a number of high-priority backorders known as Issue Priority Group 1 (IPG-1).

Scott Barry, the co-lead for the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office’s (PMA-265) Propulsion and Power Integrated Project Team, credited FRCE with working quickly to increase production throughput of the APUs, cutting down on backorders.

“By looking at innovative ways on expediting part deliveries, reviewing current inspection methods by engineers and increasing efficiencies in processes, FRCE eliminated IPG-1s within a staggering 12-month time frame,” said Barry. “This ensured that the Super Hornet is ready to fight tonight and enabled the Fleet to perform their mission.”

PMA-265 is responsible for acquiring, delivering and sustaining the F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft, ensuring mission success for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators, as well as international partners. The Super Hornet is designed to meet current Navy fighter mission requirements, maintain Fleet air defense and close air support, and increase mission range.

Working closely with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP), FRCE exceeded PMA-265’s production expectations, building more APUs than requested and providing assets to fill critical requirements.

“The Super Hornets are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s carrier air wing,” said FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. James Belmont. “Ensuring they are mission ready is a top priority. Everyone involved was committed to providing the warfighters with the APUs they needed. Working together with our partners like this, there’s no challenge we can’t overcome.”

An APU is a gas turbine engine that serves as an independent power source for the aircraft. Although separate from the main engines, it is a key component that provides supplementary power while the aircraft is on the ground and during some phases of flight.

To ensure the availability of APUs for the Super Hornet, an integrated product team of experts from FRCE, PMA-265, DLA and NAVSUP was formed.

“This was a very tight team,” said FRCE Components Division Director Lenny Domitrovits. “Everything was being expedited. We were facing the challenge of increasing depot repair throughput despite supply constraints, and we needed to do this as quickly as possible. It was a massive effort.”

One major part of this effort involved ensuring an adequate supply of the parts needed to repair and overhaul an APU. According to Sean Doss, a component planner in FRCE’s Centralized Coordination Department, there are more than 540 parts listed on the Super Hornet APU’s bill of materials.

“A bill of material is basically a listing of all the parts necessary to make a component whole after rework,” said Doss. “We have every part listed so we know exactly how many parts it’s going to take to rework a component. You might not need every part, but every part needs to be listed on the bill. This way we know exactly what is needed if we had to replace every single part.”

Domitrovits credited DLA with providing FRCE’s artisans with the parts necessary to rework the APUs despite limited time constraints.

“DLA really came through,” Domitrovits said. “It was a herculean effort on their part.”

Barry also cited the close collaboration between FRCE and DLA as playing a crucial role in putting overhauled APUs in stock and keeping the Super Hornet flying.

“FRCE and DLA teamed together to identify and aggressively attack supply constraints,” said Barry. “They got ahead of this in a high pressure environment, and ultimately, tripled the depot repair throughput.”

In addition to obtaining the necessary parts and materials, the integrated product team also worked to develop and enhance procedures and processes for inducting, reworking and sending out APUs. Engineers, logisticians, and artisans tackled problems ranging from the creation of new tooling and fixtures needed to work on the units to enhancing the efficiency of testing completed components.

“There were a lot of lessons learned and one good one we pulled away from this is empowering each person to come forth with ideas of how to increase efficiency and production in a time of constrained resources,” said Domitrovits.  “Pretty much every area came up with something innovative.”

According to Doss, team members from a variety of disciplines worked together closely and looked beyond their assigned roles to examine the APU repair and overhaul process as a whole.

“There’s that old saying about staying in your swim lane,” said Doss. “We didn’t stay in our swim lanes. We’re all helping one another to get things done faster, to get these APUs out to the Fleet. If the warfighter needs one now, we would like to be able to push one out now while maintaining the highest quality.

“One thing we continue to concentrate on for this particular product is turnaround time reduction,” Doss continued. “It’s a never ending process – always continually improving.”

Artisans working in FRCE’s Engine Driven Compressor and Gas Turbine Shop were tasked with building units for the Super Hornet. To support the needs of the Fleet, the artisans had to drastically increase the number of APUs they built each month.

According to Justin Rimmer, shop supervisor, this involved more than simply building more units. Increasing output meant enhancing work processes as well as utilizing new tools and training new personnel.

“We have some really good artisans who’ve been doing this for a long time and they just hit this out of the park,” said Rimmer. “With so many people building at one time, we had new fixtures and new tooling made to handle the number of units we were producing. We also requested some new employees to build up our staff. Each month we met our numbers and, in many cases, exceeded them.”

Rimmer said his team was able to accomplish this despite the Super Hornet APU workload being just one facet of the shop’s responsibilities.

“We have a schedule we have to meet across the board, not just for that one APU,” said Rimmer. “We also build units for the H-60 Black Hawk helicopter and the legacy Hornet. We just got workload back for the P-3, which has been in sun down for six years. We’re also working to stand up capability on the new F-35 turbomachine.

“The artisans in this shop didn’t skip a beat even while standing up these capabilities at the same time as getting this workload out,” Rimmer continued.  “We know where these APUs are going and we want the warfighter to have not only the units they need, but the best units we can send them.”

Domitrovits said this desire to support the warfighter was a driving factor for the entire integrated product team.

“When all the IPG-1s were resolved so far ahead of schedule, it demonstrated how the product team came together and everything came to fruition,” said Domitrovits. “We were able to do things that nobody thought were possible. We had to – this has a direct result on mission readiness. These APUs are going to the Fleet and enabling the warfighter to do their job. That’s what we are here to do.”

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.