Number Thirty-Eight Summer 2012 .

ASSOCIATION

Newsletter

http://www.amdo.org

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Featured Articles No Trouble Getting Hired .............................. David Randle “A Sense of Place” Revisited ...........................Fred Braman Mixed Emotions . ......................................... Nate Schneider AMDO Words of Wisdom. ................................. Brett Ingle AMDO Can-Do . ........................................... Dave Mozgala Enterprise Thinking in Action ....................... Mike Beaulieu Afghanistan IA ...................................................... Dan Reid

Preventing a Hollow Force By RDML Tim Matthews, Senior AMDO

Greetings Greenshirts! I hope this edition of the AMDO Newsletter finds you in good health and fully engaged in the challenge of supporting Naval Aviation. To those of you who are deployed, I salute you for your sacrifice and commitment, and hope for your safe return to your friends and families.

The defense strategic guidance released in January

of this year by the President and Secretary of Defense states “We will resist the temptation to sacrifice readiness in order to retain force structure, and will in fact rebuild readiness in areas that, by necessity, were deemphasized over the past decade.” Since that time, the Secretary has been vocal in his commitment to maintaining readiness in the face of budget pressures and the competing interests that emphasize increases in capability and force structure. His statements and those of other senior leaders reflect a determination not to return to the “hollow force” we experienced in other downturns in defense spending, notably after the Viet Nam conflict and during the “peace dividend” of the 1990’s. The term “hollow force” refers to a military that on the surface appears to be mission-ready, but in fact suffers from shortages of personnel, equipment, maintenance and training.

Budget pressures are increasing, with a planned $487B in defense cuts over ten years to help reduce the deficit, and the reduction in Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds expected to accompany our drawdown in Afghanistan in 2014. Our operations and maintenance accounts are heavily reliant on OCO funding, with over $6.8B in OCO funding programmed in FY13 (PB13). These OCO dollars are expected to be curtailed as coalition forces withdraw from Afghanistan, but the requirement for much of the maintenance and operations currently funded by OCO will endure beyond OEF.

(con’t on page 2)

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This new reality will force difficult choices between procurement, manpower, and OMN accounts to ensure we do not erode readiness. We already witnessed some of those choices in PB13, which included the early retirement of 7 cruisers and 2 amphibious ships. The recent realignment of the OPNAV staff, where most of the procurement, manpower, and OMN resources are now under a single resource sponsor (N9), was intended to facilitate these balancing decisions and ensure platform “wholeness”.

Since 9/11, the Navy has been operating our ships and aircraft at levels that are well above our

traditional peacetime operational tempo. The Fleet Response Plan (FRP) was enacted after 9/11 to provide the required level of both presence and surge capacity by keeping units ready for deployed operations for longer periods during the turnaround cycle. Recently the Navy has been consuming much of the surge capacity to satisfy combatant commander requests for forces. This has put additional strain on our combat units, in wear and tear on equipment, dwell time for personnel, and heavy workload for our industrial base. The current level of operations is not sustainable over the long term, and if not addressed will make it difficult to preserve the health of our personnel and equipment. Our leaders recognize this and are taking steps to evaluate the consequences before signing up to increased levels of operations. So, how will we know our readiness is eroding in time to stop the decline? What are the leading indicators that will trip the Master Caution Light and allow us time to take action to mitigate readiness impacts? These questions are being asked by the Secretary of Defense and CNO. The metrics we have been using in the NAE-- aircraft RFT gaps, manpower fit and fill, cannibalization rates, Average Customer Wait Time, engine readiness goal %, etc-- are generally lag metrics but can be used to ascertain negative trends before consequences become severe or irreversible. OPNAV N4 is working to construct a readiness dashboard that will include some of these more traditional metrics and some potential new ones that can be used to inform senior leadership on the status of Navy readiness. Lastly, how does all this impact us as maintainers and logisticians? Whether you are on your first assignment in a squadron or ship, working ashore in an FRC, a TYCOM staff, DCMA, OPNAV or NAVAIR, you are helping to provide readiness and you will influence how well the funding allocated to this purpose is executed. We all need to make judicious choices in how we support and maintain our ever more complex weapons systems. Each of you working in a squadron, AIMD Afloat, or an FRC needs to ensure that your personnel are receiving the right training, that you’re using the right tech data and the right support equipment, and that each and every job is “by the book.” Where you see opportunities, we need you to maximize the use of Airspeed and other process improvement tools to squeeze every possible flight hour out of the dollars we are given. In the end, our commitment to ensuring that our people are safe and that our aircraft are airworthy is what matters--that is the mission of our community—but it must be done affordably. So share your innovative ideas with a shipmate and let’s do our part to keep Naval Aviation the most lethal and resilient fighting force ever—and prevent a return to a hollow force.

Preventing a Hollow Force (con’t) RDML Tim Matthews

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Aviation Maintenance Officer Wholeness RDML (Sel) CJ Jaynes

Summer is upon us once again and we have finished another round of selection boards and slating panels. There are always many questions and “Monday morning quarterbacking” once results are released, which is not unexpected. So let me give everyone something to ponder as we begin to think about the next round of boards. You may even want to get out a piece of paper and write your answers down – and then go talk to your mentor. First and foremost, we are U. S. Naval Officers.

For the ENS, LTJG and LT – Do you have a mentor? Are you working on your PQS? Will you

have your Wings prior to going in-zone for LCDR? Do you have both an O-level and I-level tour? Have you been to sea? Are you learning everything you can about the blocking and tackling of aviation maintenance? How is your performance? Are you breaking out above your peers? Do you know what opportunities are available to you once you have all the above checked? Can you list the next three jobs you would like to have? Can you list the next three jobs you should have? Are they the same?

For the LCDR – are you lined up for a LCDR sea tour? Are you breaking out on your FITREPS?

Are you above the CO’s average? Are you an aviation maintenance expert? Can you mark up and brief your own OSR? Have you assisted a junior 1520 in reviewing their record? Are you mentoring someone? Do you have a mentor? Do you have a Masters? Are you an APC member? Do you know what it means to be an APC member? Have you started working on your acquisition qualifications? Have you volunteered to be a recorder on a selection board? Have you done a staff tour? Have you considered an OPNAV or NAVAIR tour? Do you know all your options if you are selected for CDR? Have you established a career path that enables you to continue to progress toward Captain?

For the CDR – did you select for command? How are your FITREPS looking? How are those

acquisition qualifications coming along? By now you should have some Level 3’s – at the very least in Logistics and PQM. Are you taking the initiative to grow professionally? Are you thinking about other educational opportunities in addition to your Masters? The Naval War college non-resident course, perhaps? A Professional certification program? Is that OPNAV or NAVAIR tour under your belt by now? How about both? At this point in your career, you are much more than a Naval Officer and an Aviation Maintenance Officer; you also must be a business professional. The ability to sit at the table and speak the language of the Pentagon and NAVAIR is crucial for future success. Who is mentoring you now?

Promotion boards are hard work for the briefers and voting members – everyone doesn’t get

selected – it’s pure math. Only 50% are selected for Captain. It is difficult to see good performers left on the table – but it happens every year. To give yourself the best chance to continue to promote, you must have sustained superior performance (read LCDR Ingle’s article) - AND - you have to do more than your peers. “Bloom where you are planted.” So, do not sit idle and hope that the past will carry you to the future. You need to be in the game every single day and continue to diversify your personal portfolio. Seek out mentors and take advantage of opportunities to speak with senior 1520s when they are in your area. Your 1520 leaders are here for each and every one of you.

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Congrats to our FY13 active duty Captain selectees: Trent DeMoss Bob Farmer Keith Nixon

Congrats to our FY13 active duty Commander Selectees: Mike Barriere Rex Burkett Ramiro 'Flo' Flores Arsenio Francisco Carl Hink Win Peregrino Marilee Pike Tim Snowden Matt Wilcox

Congrats to our FY13 reserve Commander selectees: USNR: Harold Ausbrooks Regina Brown Melissa Ford David Schubkegel Victoria Stattel FTS: Sharon Germany Jon Voigtlander

From the June 2012 NAVAIRSYSCOM Acquisition Slating Panel announcement, congrats to CAPT(s) Joe Rodriguez for his selection to be FRC Mid-Atlantic XO/CO.

Congrats to the following the following future AIMD Officers and FRC OICs on their assignments from the FY13 ACSB Slate: Mike Barriere – REAGAN Bret Bishop - FRC MA Tom Dall – FORD Grady Duffey – BUSH Ramiro 'Flo' Flores – TRUMAN Cory Rosenberger - FRC SW Scott Carter – BANK

Congrats to the newest members to the AMDO community selected off of the November Lateral Transfer/Redesignation Board:

LT Kenneth Chambers LTJG Grace Lindke LT Jason Bauman

Congrats to the following FY13-1 Acquisition Corps selectees: LCDR Randy Berti CDR Allen Blaxton LCDR Eric Edge LCDR Mitch Garcia

In Other News….

The next AMDO community management team who will assume their new duties this coming summer are: AMDO Detailer: CDR Mike McCurdy AMDO Community Manager: LCDR Chris Haas

Congrats to this year's winners, both AMDOs: Captain Virgil J. "Virg" Lemmon Award for Naval Aviation Maintenance Excellence – CDR Jerry "Buster"

Brown (FRC SE) Captain Charles J. "Chuck" Nechvatal Award as the Aviation Ground Maintenance Officer of the Year – LT

Wilfred Judd (FRC WP)

Retired AMDO Cdr Rolland E. "Bud" Leenerts passed away on 12 November 2011 in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Bud was one of the original 100 AMDOs.

Community News: Congrats to our Selectees

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YG 57 Jerry Palmer reports that he has retired three times now, and has found time to restore a 1947 Jeep CJ2A that he owned as a teenager.

YG 58 Frank Floyd retired to do volunteer work and has never been so busy, he says. He just wrapped up six years as VP of Youth Affairs for the Mayport Navy League and is serving on the staff of the Mayport Sea Cadets CO as Recruiting and PAO Officer. He is still involved in program promotion as there are 2000 brochures out with his name, telephone number and e-mail address on them. Franks says that he has seen good things happen for young people as direct result of this program. He also serves as Property Committee Chairman for his church and the church school, responsible for buildings, grounds, equipment and vehicles. He says that his AMDO experience prepared him well for this job as he conducts weekly inspections to ensure everything is shipshape, and if it isn't, corrective action is taken, frequently by him! He has become particularly good at fixing running commodes and urinals, leaky faucets, loose door hinges, sprinkler systems, changing light ballasts and vehicle maintenance, to name a few.

YG 64 Carolyn and Cal Colvin just returned from a nice trip out west where they went to Devils' Tower, Cody, Yellowstone and the Tetons. They got to attend a VFW/American Legion Memorial Day celebration in a little town in SD. Cal says that he and Carolyn are in very good health, and are active in their St. Paul UMC and are keeping busy in volunteer work, family, and hobbies. Cal is the lay leader for the Washington East District of the UMC Baltimore Washington Conference, teaches DAD to DAD parenting courses at the local CARE NET Pregnancy Care Center; and is an active Gideon. The Colvins take road trips out west; to up-state NY and a few other places each year. They love the western states. Cal still gets out on the Chesapeake Bay to fish and spend time with their children & grandchildren. Carolyn's main hobbies are sewing and embroidery. Her sewing room is Cal’s old garage and she has the latest in computerized embroidery machines.

YG 69 LCDR Greg Adams, son of Jane and Bill Adams, gave the Adams’ another grandson in April. Jerry Branum hit Italy, Sicily, & Kyoto, Japan for five weeks before returning to his house in Costa Rica in June. Bob Moeller says that he finally saw the light and retired from Booz Allen at the end of March. He’s not planning on looking

for a real job and has lined up several alternatives to get out of the house, like being a docent on the USS Midway Museum, San Diego USO Board of Directors, fishing, etc. Cindi and Bob are planning on staying in San Diego (Escondido) for the 1st 4-6 months to get used to retirement then decide if they want to relocate somewhere else. Bob’s last official day with Booz Allen was 31 March, at which time they left for a 10-day trip to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Albuquerque (daughter and sister live there), and then to Tucson so Bob could tour the Davis Monthan Aircraft Bone Yard. During the trip, Bob got his lifetime “geezer” pass for all of the National Parks, and he & Cindi plan on starting to see a bunch of them. His Naval Academy Company classmates are joining together for a mini-reunion by taking a week long Alaska cruise at the end of June. To occupy the rest of his spare time, Bob joined a local rifle/pistol club and plans on getting his shooting skills back up to speed. Following two months in Florida this winter (which included a cruise to the western Caribbean and another to the Bahamas), Nancy and Marty Reagan had a nice driving vacation through the incredibly beautiful southern Utah national parks in March en route to a few days in Las Vegas, and in May travelled to Peru to visit Machu Picchu and to Ecuador to sail and scuba the Galapagos Islands. Next on the schedule are back-to-back cruises of the eastern and western Mediterranean in September (same ship, same suite). Phil Smiley is volunteering as the Operations Officer in the Paine Field Civil Air Patrol co-located with the Boeing Plant in Seattle. Dr. Phil is actually getting in some flying and instructing. Nestor White is the Regional Vice President of Primerica Financial Services where he has been since retirement in 1989. His primary role is to help people with investments and retirement planning as an Investment Advisor Representative, but he also has five other licenses.

YG 71 In May & June Fred Braman sailed his boat Rhombus on an extended trip to Bimini and the Berry Islands, among other neat Bahamas spots.

YG 74 Iris and Mike Bachmann are headed up to Quebec City in June, and to Ireland in September. Rick Lauderdale is now at the Department of Energy as the Chief Architect. He says that Energy is a great place to work and has lots of retired Naval officers – mainly nukes.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

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Rod Rancik says he is probably going to leave the San Diego County Sheriff Volunteers and switch to the San Marcos Fire Dept. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). Pat Taylor is fully retired and enjoying the country life in Weimar, Texas.

YG 75 In March, Bob Gould retired from Jet Aviation Flight Services in Teterboro, NJ. Pat Patterson passes along that a routine checkup last winter revealed that he had colorectal cancer. He had successful robotic surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and did a course of low dose chemo for six months, just to make sure they got it all. During all this, Pat hasn’t missed a day of work and is still working 9.5 hours per day minimum. Since the chemo was low dosage, he still has MOST of his hair, though he says that it did thin out and become very fine. Pat returns return to Houston on 20 June for a follow-up.

YG 76 Jim Martin is still with CACI supporting the JEIDDO, J-9, as contract program manager, when he’s not playing the bluegrass bass.

YG 77 Judy and Pete Laszcz are taking their show on the road and moving to Greensboro NC where he is now the General Manager for TIMCO Aviation Services’ Greensboro Facility. They have about 1200 people doing heavy checks and modifications on B737, A320, B757 and KC-10s and the occasional B767. Pete says that most of the customers are US commercial airlines and invites AMDOs to stop by and take a look at the commercial side of the aviation maintenance business. Pete still maintains his roots in San Diego and gets back there about once a month or so. The Laszcz’s are planning to take a cruise around South America this fall – from Santiago to Buenos Aires…”Can’t get enough of that sea duty!”, Pete says. Kevin O’Shaughnessy has moved his home base to Sevierville, TN in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. KO is still spending a fair amount of time in Pax River supporting the AAR-59 system acquisition.

YG 78 John Boyce is working as a consultant providing full-time support to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense/ Materiel Logistics in OSD. Tom Vandenberg received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding Achievement in May from Mrs. McFarland (former DAU President, now ASD (Acquisition) for the work he did as the AT&L Better Buying Power initiative (BBPi) Executive Secretariat, October 2010 – May 2011. Basically, TV was the project manager for AT&L (Dr. Carter/Mr. Kendall) in the initial implementation phase of

the BBPi efforts directly supporting the BBPi Executive Directors (Mrs. McFarland and Mr. Thomsen (PCD ASN-RDA)). Theresa and Tom recently returned from 10 days on their sailboat Spiced Rhumb on the Bay. Their 15-year old Sheltie, Megs, still enjoys her dinghy rides with TV although she can’t hear and has severe cataracts.

YG 79 Dennis Baker’s latest escapade and hobby is writing screenplays and he just finished one that he pitched to an HBO Producer. Dennis says that it has gone to several agencies in Hollywood. The story is all about our fallen comrades covering five wars. They get to come back and complete life. Dennis is obviously pretty excited.

YG 80 Erich Blunt says that retirement got boring so he finished his Florida Teachers License through Alternative Certification (with guidance from Troops to Teachers) and is now teaching High School Algebra to “at risk” students at West Port High School in Ocala, Fl. Troops to Teachers is a great program and Dennis even received $5000 for teaching at a school that qualifies for the stipend. His wife Nancy is still working as a Nurse Practitioner at the V. A. Gainesville Urology Clinic. They still travel quite a bit around their schedules, and plan on taking their RV to Upper Michigan this summer so that Dennis can try his luck at lake fishing. Mark Stone accepted a new position within BAE and is now the ILS Director the T-X Advanced Pilot Training-Family of Systems.

YG 81 Paula Ridenour is back with Lockheed Martin as a Field Sales Support Systems Engineer for Advanced Development Programs.

YG 82 Kent Caldwell is the US Navy Introduction to Service Lead in the Logistics and Sustainment Directorate of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program Office. Dan Mathis has moved to Thompson Falls, MT as the first step toward real retirement. Dan is still working for SAIC supporting Air 6.7 but he and Dianne are enjoying the mountains and outdoor adventures: hunting, fishing and Dianne's beloved horses. Vince Scott recently received a significant award from DHS head Janet Napolitano. Photos are posted in the AMDO.ORG website photo album.

YG 83 Will Branson completed his tour at FRC MA and is now the Deputy Commander, Special Forces Air Mobility in Afghanistan, in addition to his regular IA assignment as the Combined Forces Special Operation Component Command

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(CFSOCC-A) Liaison to the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan. Will says that its great working with our Special Forces teams during very interesting times in Afghanistan. Marty Jones is still enjoying the good life as a Navy JROTC Instructor after eight years. He now serves in the Corona, CA region.

YG 85 The Association welcomes into membership Mike “Crash” McDonald. After resigning this year as the Chief Administrative Officer (City Manager) Meridian, MS, he started a business in the Forest Products industry with bio-fuels and carbon sequestration. As a member of the Board of Directors for the Meridian Area Navy League and Chair of the USS Mississippi commissioning committee, Mike says that they have been very busy preparing the State for this inaugural event. Please visit their website at www.ussmississippi.org. Rick Nielsen has formed his own LLC entitled Rick Nielsen Products and Services, LLC, RLNPS, an aviation logistics consulting source for DoD and other activities. The Association welcomes into membership Brett Trimbath who works for Gryphon Technologies providing technical, engineering and managerial services to Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News, as the Data Manager for USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72) Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) Advanced Planning Team. He manages and controls the multitude of databases used to advanced plan and construct the Availability Work Package for the FY-13 RCOH. Brett’s team was also recently tasked with working on the preliminary AWP for CVN-73. Brett retired out of DCMA Boeing St Louis in 2004 where he was the F-15 Program Integrator. Just prior to retiring, he deployed to Kuwait in 2003/2004 and served as the XO of DCMA Kuwait, under CO Kent Caldwell. After he retired from active duty, Brett had his dream job operating a Marina and Boat Dealership in Williamsburg, VA, from 2004 to 2011. However, boat sales and usage are way down and he missed the Navy so he couldn’t pass up the job offer and opportunity to join the SUPSHIPNN Advanced Planning Team in June 2011. He’s now back with the Navy and enjoying every minute of it.

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Greg Stanley writes that he has been very blessed. He is still working at General Atomic on the EMALS project where he is the RCM lead developing all the preventive maintenance requirements - it is a terrific program, very interesting, Greg says. Greg’s son just finished his third year at the Naval Academy and will graduate and get his commission one year from now, Class of 2013. His daughter graduated from University of San Diego last year, with a Chemistry degree and is working for a pharmaceutical research company in San Diego. Greg and Rachiel celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary this month. They have a beautiful home; adopted a blind dog; have traveled the western US a bit; and are enjoying a settled life, Greg says.

YG 88 Bart Grossman has signed on with General Atomics in San Diego as a Program Manager for Predator/Reaper Sustainment Logistics. Rick Taylor is the Commander of DCMA Boeing St. Louis where he manages the contract administration for the products Boeing St Louis is building for the government, which includes the F/A-18E/F, EA-18G, F-15 (Saudi Arabia FMS), QF-16, A-10 Re-wing, and numerous weapons systems (JDAM, Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP)), among others.

YG 91 George Bernloehr is now the Lead Recruiter for Mid-Atlantic and Southeast for Booz Allen Hamilton

YG 92 Bob Farmer will depart PMA260 in September to serve as AIR-6.0B.

YG 94 Duane Decker completed his AIMDO tour aboard USS Eisenhower and is now at FRC SE as the Production Officer. John Zrembski is heading to Pax River and NAVAIR PMA260 at the end of the month. With Bob Farmer selecting for Captain, John will relieve him as the XO/CASS Officer. The Zrembski’s are looking forward to their first child, a daughter, in October.

YG 95 Angel Bellido is currently assigned to NAVAIR PMA260 as the Assistant Deputy Program Manager for Armament Handling/Weapons Control Common Ground Support Equipment. Angel recently submitted his request for retirement after 34 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Navy. He will be going on transition leave in December 2012, and is looking for new career opportunities in the Defense or Commercial Aerospace Industry in the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area of Virginia. Rick Braunbeck completed his AIMDO tour and is now NAVAIR AIR-5.0D, the ACC for NAVAIR aircraft. Tony Jaramillo will be heading to NATEC in September to serve as Deputy Director.

YG 96 Frank Bennett has taken over from Rick Braunbeck as AIMDO aboard USS Nimitz. Rex Burkett is now the MO at FRC NW.

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Joe Byers just started production of a prototype Solar Powered Waterproof LED Walking Stick - "Eagle Scout-C.B" at the Mid-Hudson Workshop for the Disabled factory in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Product sales started in January and the proceeds will be going toward construction of the AWEC Village of Hope "Joe Dome" Project in Nkporo, Nigeria. Joe would appreciate any help in spreading the word. The company webpage is www.pvenergyllc.biz. Joe also finished the physical therapy that followed his lower back surgery last January and is now walking up to two miles with no problems. Joe has a trip to Williamsburg in the plans for the end of June.

YG 97 Jim Belmont relieved Grant Gorton as USS John C. Stennis AIMDO in May. Rich Fairchild finished his tour as Fleet Readiness Center Mid-Atlantic Aircraft Department Officer and is now FRC MA Oceana Maintenance Officer. Bobby Savanh is now the AOIC of CFAF Det AIMD Atsugi. Will Hollis finished his tour aboard USS George Washington and is now at VX-1 in Pax River. Matt Wilcox completed his tour aboard USS Enterprise and is now the SE Officer at CNAL.

YG 98 Ramiro “Flo” Flores finished his tour as CVW-17 CAGMO and is now the Maintenance Officer for VFA-101 Grim Reapers “NAS” Eglin. Marilee Pike finished her tour in VP-40 and is now on the NAVAIR/PMA265/JSF integration team at Pax River. Jay Toribio completed his tour at FRC SW and is now AIMDO aboard USS Peleliu.

YG 99 Lyle Ainsworth is now the CVW-8 CAGMO.

YG 00 Mike Mulhern completed his NAVAIR F/A-18 tour and is now MMCO aboard USS Harry S. Truman. Maria Reyman completed her tour at NAVAIR and is now the AMO aboard USS Enterprise.

YG 01 Steven Holland is the MO of MALS24 at beautiful MCBH Kaneohe Bay.

YG 02 Rich Agullana completed his tour at FRCWP and transferred to VAW-115 in Atsugi Japan to take over as the AMO. Charles Scarcello finished his CV AIMD tour and is now at FRC SW as the Industrial Quality Assurance Officer.

YG 03 Dave Campbell will be leaving VR-58 NAS Jacksonville and checking onboard FRC Det West, Fort Worth in July as MMCO (Production Control). Tammy Farnworth is the AMO in VAW-112. Ed Hood completed his tour at HSL-46, finishing up as the MMCO, as they are about to cross-over to HSM-46. It’s now on to Naval Postgraduate School for Ed to complete his Master's Degree. Jerry Timog left HSC 85 in October 2011 after a highly successful tour, highlighted by HSC-85's successful completion of the squadron's mission and platform transition in support of Naval Special Warfare (NSW) and Special Operations Forces (SOF). Jerry is now the Assistant Wing Maintenance Officer at Commander, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMHSCWINGPAC), San Diego CA.

YG 04 The Association welcomes into membership Chris Shams who is deployed to Afghanistan with the Fire Scout UAV serving as the AOIC/MO for the detachment supporting US Army/ISAF forces on the ground. The Association welcomes into membership Krystyna Shudy who works in NAVAIR PMA251 as the PARM for AAS/FMS and also the AMRE MP Instruction assistant manager.

YG 05 Arnold Cortez completed his tour in VAW-115 and is now at AIMD Misawa as the MMCO.

YG 06 The Association welcomes into membership Jason Bauman who is en route to VAQ-137 via AMO school for his first tour as a 1520. Charles Fisher completed his masters at NPS and is now in VFA-34. Chad Jelsema is the MCO in VP-9 in Hawaii. Chris Schrock is the IM-3 DO aboard USS Enterprise. Jae Smith is now at FRC East Det Ft Dix supporting USMC helos and VR aircraft.

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YG 07 The Association welcomes into membership Chris Baxter, the AMO in HSC-84.

YG 09 The Association welcomes into membership Candy Adamek, a prior enlisted DIRCOM officer currently working for Frontier Airlines in the maintenance and engineering division out of Denver, CO (but on a military leave of absence). At this time Candy is serving on an AD recall as a CANREC officer recruiter and Denver metro division officer with Navy Recruiting District Denver! Candy’s previous reserve unit was Carrier Vessel Northwest PACOM Fleet - CVNPAC The Association welcomes into membership Devon Kibbons, the Det MO/MCO for the HSC-23 Wildcards.

Vic Veguilla completed his tour at VFA-192 and is now the 900 Division Officer at FRC SE Jacksonville, FL

YG 10 The Association welcomes into membership Matthew Dale, assigned to VAQ-133. The Association welcomes into membership, Chase Whitford, MCO in HSC-84.

YG 11 The Association welcomes into membership Ronald O’Connor, the AMO/MCO in VP-62 at NAS Jax.

BY CDR DAVID RANDLE (’85)

Last fall I completed a five-month job search. I cannot tell you how many times I heard the title of this article, words to the effect of ‘with your skills and experience and connections, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting hired.’ After the first couple of months of searching for a job, I was ready to do bodily harm to anyone who told me that. Finding a job is hard, especially in the current economy. Much of what I’m going to say is covered at ETAP and Ruehlin, and I’d strongly recommend you attend those sooner rather than later. I’ll cover several topics, and if you need clarification on any of them, please feel free to contact me. The Emotional Rollercoaster. I didn’t understand why ETAP and Ruehlin both include sections on stress management. Now I know. While searching for a job, you will be on an emotional rollercoaster. Every day, things you thought could turn into real job possibilities vaporize into nothing, while things you thought were nothing turn into real possibilities. No day turns out quite like you thought it would. Being able to manage the stress is important. Try to keep a routine, and stay away from the refrigerator. Take some time off. We’ve all seen people who wore the uniform on Friday, then came back Monday in a shirt and tie doing essentially the same job. I would not recommend that. Don’t be in a huge rush to start your new career. I received some advice from Mark Czarzasty that once I got hired, I would never have the ability to take a month or two off from work. He recommended taking some time off, and that was good advice. Take advantage of the opportunity to spend some quality time with your family. However… A lesson from Brett Favre. During the Brett Favre “will he or won’t he?” coverage of a few years ago, Brett mentioned that he might just go back to Louisiana and do nothing. One sportscaster made a poignant comment about that: “Brett’s going to find out that doing nothing doesn’t take very long.” You will find the same: there are only so many miles you can cycle, only so many theme parks you can visit with your children, only so many times you can walk the Schnauzers. You will get bored, and you will long to be back in the workforce. If you haven’t landed a position yet, don’t panic. Keep plugging away, and don’t lose hope. Do the math. You may have assumed you’d take several months of terminal leave. Before you take that step, I’d ask you to do the math. If you take terminal leave, you receive base pay, housing allowance, and subsistence allowance, plus any special pays. If instead you decide to sell back leave, you only receive base pay, but your retirement check starts sooner. My retirement check is substantially larger than my BAH + BAS, so it made sense for me to sell back as much leave as I could. The downside to this is that your state of legal residence (and likely your tax situation) changes sooner. Again, do the math. Also keep in mind that if you’re a defense contractor, you cannot go back into federal workspaces representing your company while still on terminal leave. Talk to your local JAG who specializes in post-government employment on exactly what your restrictions are.

Featured Articles

You Shouldn’t Have Any Trouble Getting Hired

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Throw out your wardrobe. This is one thing I wish I had done sooner, because until you have an interview suit, you’re not ready to interview. Regardless of what you’re going to wear day-to-day, you’ll likely be interviewing in a suit, and companies know that you’ll look your best at an interview- it’s all downhill from there. If your best is an ill-fitting, poor-quality suit from several years ago, don’t expect a company to take you on board, because the way you dress reflects on them. My ETAP class included a two-hour section on attire where we were asked to dress for an interview. I thought I knew what I was doing- I could not have been more wrong. The only part of my outfit that passed inspection were my shoes- everything else needed to go away. I had never heard of a textured dress shirt, and didn’t own a woven tie. I had not felt that inadequate in a long time. Remember those suits you bought a few years ago in a foreign port? They’re not going to cut it. Styles change a bit every year (width of the jacket lapel, location of the lapel notch, etc). In addition, weaving technology has improved dramatically over the last decade, and a high-quality weave can be picked out in seconds (as can a low-quality weave). Consider a custom tailor. Why? Well, have you ever noticed that whenever you try on jackets, the same sleeve is always a tiny bit longer than the other? That’s not the manufacturer- that’s you. It’s likely that your arms are slightly different lengths, your legs are slightly different lengths, the slope of your shoulders is slightly different, etc. All of that will be very apparent when you put on a suit that’s off-the-rack. A suit’s weave quality is irrelevant if the suit doesn’t fit well. Can’t you make alterations? Sort of: sleeve length and leg length are not too hard to fix. However, if the shoulders of a jacket don’t fit perfectly, put it back on the rack- it will never fit you well. Same thing goes for the crotch of trousers- if it doesn’t fit perfectly, put it back on the rack. Put this all together, and it makes sense to consider a custom tailor. That way you get a suit built exactly for you. You’re also likely to get better advice on what colors and textures work best for you. For example, charcoal grey is a staple for interview suit colors, but it’s a disaster with my skin/hair/eye color. Yes, custom tailors are a bit more expensive, but there’s no substitute for a well-made, good-fitting suit when you walk into the room. Now the good news- attire you purchase in pursuit of a new career field may be tax-deductible. Everything is a networking opportunity. Most jobs are not landed through help-wanted ads or search engines or recruiting firms. Instead, most jobs come through the networks you have already developed through your life. Everything is a networking opportunity. You may not like the idea of shilling for yourself, but guess what- no one is going to do it for you. Cycling group rides, kid’s kickball games, friend’s changes of command, alumni events, LinkedIn, Facebook, Scout campouts, my wife’s friends, wine tastings, kid’s birthday parties, you name it- I used them all to network. I didn’t try funerals because the opportunity didn’t present itself, but given the chance… Take a personal inventory. For the first time since your teen years, you get to make a choice about what you want to do with your life. Take a personal inventory- what do you really want to do? There’s a great statement in the Ruehlin book: “I could do anything, if I only knew what it was.” Just because you’ve been around naval aviation maintenance for 20+ years doesn’t mean you have to stay there. There are opportunities in other career fields, and the management skills you learned as an AMDO translate well in most of them. For myself, I have a passion to impart the knowledge that I have to others. I thought I would end up as an educator, consultant, or facilitator, but the right position never opened up. I looked at the energy industry, and my French-speaking skills made me more attractive to companies that work in French-speaking parts of the globe. Again, the right job didn’t line up. Instead, I landed a great position doing something else I really enjoyed during my career- managing simulator development. Why should a company hire you? Yes, you’ve had a good career and you’ve successfully led young men and women into harm’s way, but you need to ask yourself- why should a company hire you? A company will hire you only when they believe you’ll bring in more money than you will cost. If you’re staying in the defense industry, your ultimate source of funding is the Defense Department. This means your job should either be largely billable to a customer (the higher the % the better), or because of who you know. As a senior AMDO, you have plenty of contacts who will be in places to make decisions for several years. Your ability to connect with your former teammates could be the key to opening a door for your company. Unfortunately, this carries some risk, since those contacts will not be in positions of power forever. You will do business development. For 20+ years, you’ve never had to be concerned with growing your organization. You worked for the Defense Department, and business development was in the hands of politicians. No longer. Part of your job is to help your company grow. This does not mean wearing a sandwich board, but it is imperative that you look for opportunities to make your company more successful. I like the way that Larry Egbert summed it up. He noted that a company’s most valuable resource is its people. Defense contracts end all the time, so unless there are new contracts coming in, the company’s most valuable resource will walk out the door. Part of your job is to prevent that from happening. You’re not looking for a career. During my job search, I received some sage advice from Marty Reagan (no, he didn’t pay me to say this). “You’re not looking for a career- you’ve already had your career. You’re looking for a job.” That is very true. I knew what my priorities were- staying in the location I live in, and doing something I enjoy. I’m not particularly interested in reaching for the corporate brass ring, and my plans for world domination don’t revolve around my job. I will never be able to replace the career and the camaraderie I had as an AMDO. That said, life on the other side is good too, just different. A brand new laptop and smart phone, matching funds in my retirement account, better access to medical and dental care, corporate retreats- life is good.

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The Tax Man cometh. Curt Dodges had an OMG moment when he got his first paycheck at his new job. He realized that when you count Social Security, federal, state, and local taxes, his total tax bill (between his new position and his retirement pay) was larger than his O-6 retirement check. That’s not unusual. You no longer receive tax-free housing and subsistence allowances, and you are no longer sheltered from state taxes. The good news is- in order to pay that much tax, you need to be bringing in a lot of money. It’s a good problem to have. What should you do now? 1) Continue to build the network of contacts you already have; 2) Start observing and researching what a quality business wardrobe looks like; and 3) Do the math on your future finances Summing up. Finding a job is a difficult task in this economy, but you as an AMDO have the skills to succeed. You’ve had a successful career, but that career will come to an end someday, and you’ll have to transition out like everyone else. It’s easy to put it off, and say “I’ll get to it next month”, but the sooner you start, the easier the process will be. Life is satisfying on the other side, but it takes some effort to get there. Start now. David Randle works for Don Selvy Enterprises as a Project Manager. You can reach him at davidrandle@md.metrocast.net. BY CAPT FRED BRAMAN (’71) I read with interest Eric Dean’s piece in the December newsletter. I can relate to his stories. My single Mom was poor, but, I am not. Neither is my sister. My father-in-law, not an immigrant, but, second generation, was able to build a middle class life in spite of an eighth grade education. Smart and hardworking, he profited from the great American factory during the 50s and 60s. Eric is right, we all have these stories. The question is, will generations to follow have them. The fact that we have to use fifty year old examples to prove a point may indicate a change that we don’t really want to confront. Alexis de Tocqueville, nineteenth century French historian and observer, first coined the phrase “American Exceptionalism.” America, at the time, was a place where people flocked to in order to find freedom and prosperity. For the most part, they found it. Each new group experienced some problems, but unlike today, we were glad to have them. In a generation or so, they all became American, and our well deserved reputation as a “nation of immigrants” resulted. Do we still offer the promise that caused us to proclaim, “give me your tired, your poor and your huddled masses?” Do we still rate the exceptionalism title, the liberal press not-withstanding? De Tocqueville made many observations of America, mostly not positive, but, his “exceptionalism” tag stuck and we have believed it ever since. Later writers, recently Godfrey Hodgson, in the “Myth of American Exceptionalism,” focus on our attempts to reconstruct the world in our image. Much has changed. Our clinging to the exceptionalism idea is not only inaccurate, but, harmful. We refuse to look elsewhere for possible solutions to our own problems. After all, we do it all the best. Well, no we don’t!

Here are a few realities that we need to address, but, are reluctant to do so.

* Studies show that, among the western industrialized nations, the USA is near the bottom in the ability of the general population to move up the socioeconomic ladder. * The USA is the only western nation not to provide health care to all it’s citizens. In the USA, we are born less healthy and die sooner. * The USA is, at best, in the bottom half of educational achievement. Arguably, our best students are foreign. * Our great industrial might, that sustained my father-in-law and millions like him, is largely gone. Our huge economy depends not on our industrial capacity, but, on the capacity of our credit cards. * We over consume vast amounts of the Earth’s finite resources; far more per person than in any other nation. * We are a violent country. We kill each other with great frequency, state sponsored and otherwise, and, our world leading arms exports make it possible for others to do so. The above are all measurable. You can do your own research to determine their veracity. One measure that I claim and cannot support is “the happiness” index, an arbitrary measure of my own construction. In testimony to our great nation, a poor kid from Michigan has lived on three continents and traveled the world; forty countries and counting, most in recent years. The struggle to make a living is obvious worldwide and it is certainly not all roses elsewhere. I don’t know where our happiness index ranks, but, I believe that there are lots of normal people in this world who are happier than the average American. American exceptionalism was once a testimonial of our country made by “others.” We now claim it for ourselves, while the “others” consider our glory past. The USA IS the greatest nation, but, let us not rest on our laurels. I hope Clint Eastwood is right, but, great stories of the past are not the future, nor, maybe even, the present.

“A Sense of Place” Revisited

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BY CDR NATE SCHNEIDER (’93) It is with feelings of great pride, satisfaction and some sadness that I wrap up my tour as AMDO Detailer. I had thought myself worthy and qualified when inquiring about the job prior to assumption. As I reflect now on the victories and challenges, I can recall how naïve I was. I was always keenly interested in what was going on in the community as I was gaining experience in my early JO tours. Sometimes, I’d even been a predictor of promotions and screening board’s results with some success using tools available and the rumor network out there. My AMO School OIC days had given me some insight into the inner workings of the Executive Steering Group and the community issues they would tackle and establish policy regarding. I thought I had good insight and information. In retrospect, every tour I have had created a foundation for my work here in Millington, TN. However, that foundation of knowledge and insight had not had really prepared me for the level of intense communications and human interaction that this job has called for. I have had to dig down into the deepest recesses for the energy and focus to keep up. I do not regret any decision I have made, but I would say that I may have approached a few situations differently with the information revealed as scenarios unfolded. Each of you who interacted with me will have your own detailer story to tell. I think it will have been a matter of patience and trust in distinguishing the good from the “others”. I think by slang name, us “forked-tongued devils” here in Millington are to blame regardless. So, while billet cuts, continuing resolutions, NMCI, my learning curve and temperament being factored in, it has been an interesting tour to say the least. My personal code of honor and up-bring guides me to not lie, cheat or steal runs counter to the perceived behavior of a detailer. I caught myself taking offense to the second guessing and distrust stance some would take as they tried to “detail from the street” using alternate sources for billet availability. I had to remind myself that I may have been like them, not so long ago. Matter of fact, I called a few of my past detailers and apologized for what I had done during our orders negotiations. They didn’t recall any real negatives, which should give some of you peace of mind as I move on without regrets or hard feelings. So, I would ask that you to provide me a ‘pardon’ if it were not the smoothest detailing you recall in the history of our community. I am sincere when I say I did my best by everyone within the constraints inherent to the process and our times. CDR Mike McCurdy (new detailer) will be confronted with similar challenges and a few firsts. Keep current contact information and duty preference on file with him and your new OCM, Chris Haas. Trust they have your best interest at heart and will do their best. I want to share a personal and public thanks to Mrs. Shirley Murphy who continues to be a stable, constant, and incredibly hard working assistant and community advocate. I appreciate her persistent, engaged approach to making sense of the rules. Thank you Shirley; don’t retire until after I do, and I owe you a lunch, or two, or three. Equally, I express my gratitude to the OCM, CDR(s) Brett Ingle for all his support and feedback. You have been a loyal and trustworthy partner during these two years. Additionally, believe it or not, there are about 15 placement officers and 10 supporting civilians across education, training, officer separations, and QA who’s efforts I appreciate greatly. I will be recovering in PAX and overcoming my next learning curve, while embarked on the next adventure. Thanks to all who supported. It has been a distinct honor and privilege to be the AMDO Detailer. BY CDR BRETT INGLE (‘97) First, I wanted to express a “thank you” to the AMDO leadership and community members on the help and guidance that I have received during my tenure as the officer community manager. The position is very unique and has provided numerous opportunities that the normal career path does not allow the AMDO officer in regards to the big picture on officer force shaping, billet management, special qualifications, educational opportunities, and promotion planning, to name a few of the more exciting duties. But now it is my time to transfer to FRCSW and pass the role to LCDR Chris Haas who will be taking over this July. I have had a great time as your community manager and I am sure I will miss the interaction that I have had with the community. However, I wanted to share one more piece of information with everyone. One of the biggest areas that we can improve on is AMDO Mentoring – to provide our community officers with the opportunity for personal growth, professional development, and expertise through mentoring relationships. I truly believe that this program can and will make a difference in our support to the Naval Aviation Enterprise. I seek out my mentors continuously on the numerous community issues and the following “words” are in collaboration with Captain Pruett, one of our former OCMs and leading community Captains. During my tenure, I have sent numerous emails on record keeping, preparing for boards and educational opportunities etc, but this time the mentoring will be a little different and directed towards performance. The most important item in the officer’s record is documented sustained superior performance in their current position, this is what makes or breaks the officer for promotion or selection for command.

Mixed Emotions

AMDO Words of Wisdom

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Not to repeat myself, but I have seen what the boards look for and it always comes down to performance – not the specific job that one has had or occupies. Truly, it is performance (or, rather, documented performance) that carries the day. I am asked on a daily basis, “what can I do to ensure that I get promoted or get selected for IM1/CAGMO position”, “What can I do to ensure that I will get selected for command?”, “What are the secrets to success in the community?”, “What jobs are the best?” The following questions are different and unique for each individual officer, but the AMDO community’s valuable achievements provide the overall guidance (these achievements are updated annually and posted on the NPC website):

• Valuable achievements for LIEUTENANT COMMANDER O and I Level Maintenance Junior Officer tours Proven “at sea” performance Professional Aviation Maintenance Officer (PAMO) Qualified Acquisition Level I Certification in PQM, PM, or LOG is highly desired

• Valuable achievements for COMMANDER O4 Sea Tour (CVN IM1, CAGMO, L-Class AIMDO, AIMU OIC, Squadron AMO) Professional Aviation Maintenance Officer (PAMO) Qualified Acquisition Level II Certification in PQM; additional Acquisition Certifications are desired Acquisition Corps Member Management/Technical Graduate Degree

• Valuable achievements for CAPTAIN Commander Command Equivalent Tour Post-Commander Command or O5 Acquisition Shore Command Corporate Tours (SYSCOMs, OPNAV, DCMAs, PEOs and CNATT) Management/Technical Graduate Degree Acquisition Level III Certification in PQM Additional Acquisition Certifications in PM or LOG are highly desired

Now, I would like to pass on the “words of wisdom” to ensure that the AMDO is successful at their current and future billets. The following guidance was originally written in 2003 and taken from various briefs, passdowns, and personal experiences and represents a cross-section of lessons learned and advice from senior maintainers who have “been there, done that” and have been very successful in our community: ♦ The first is a discussion from Captain Virg Lemmon, who was known throughout the aviation community as a leader of vision, tenacity and unequaled maintenance expertise. He played a significant role in the organization and modernization of the entire Naval Aviation Maintenance Program. He was also instrumental in the establishment of a dedicated, professional Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer Community. Captain Lemmon was the consummate Aviation Maintenance Officer, and served as a role model for all who knew him.

An up and coming officer sat in the Oceana O'Club one afternoon about 35 years ago and asked Virg Lemmon for career advice. - "How do I get to be a good maintenance officer?" - "Good decisions" Virg replied. - "How do I learn to make good decisions?" the officer asked. - "Experience," Virg stated. - "How do I get experience?" the officer pressed. - "Bad decisions," he replied.

The above pretty well sums up why we have mentoring, informal/formal training and various community conferences/meetings on the business of Naval Aviation. All of us have made bad decisions at one time or another, but we have also made good decisions and they need to be shared formally and informally with other maintenance professionals. This makes the process of being an AMDO officer a little easier and enjoyable. ♦ Identify non-value added efforts/processes in your organization and do away with them…"You don't amputate a limb an inch at a time!" ♦ The first rule of operating for the remainder of this century and well into the next is …INNOVATE!

• If you can't innovate, do the basics better than anyone else. • If you can't do either one…Good Luck!

♦ Theory of Holes: "If you want to get out…stop digging!" ♦ There is no single approach or cookbook that will make your tour "painless." …In other words…there is no AMDO fairy!

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♦ We learn to manage aircraft maintenance by the rules. We have rules passed down by higher authority – CNAFINST 4790.2.

• Most rules are written to justify or explain or prevent repeating something unfortunate that happened. These are often classified as rules of thumb (ROT).

• Generally speaking, all rules of thumb should be prefixed with the qualification, "generally speaking". ♦ You will be forgiven for shooting yourself in the foot…but not for reloading. ♦ During this era of rapid change and innovation…don't forget to do the basics! Many have and have subsequently suffered for it!

1. IMRL/TOL management 2. Sling management 3. SEAOPDET management/leadership 4. Communication 5. Leadership 6. Leadership 7. Leadership

♦ Food for thought…….."experienced" maintenance officers have screwed up one or more of the following areas. Learn from their mistakes…or learn from your own:

• Understand how the TYCOM works • Keep in touch – communicate with each other • Ask for help when you need it • Shipboard operations…help others (meaning the CVW team) with solutions • How you breakout your superstars – FITREP writing • Know when to volunteer…and what to volunteer for • The C.O. / X.O. will go to their strength players – be one of the strongest! • BGIMA • Understand your strengths & weaknesses – work on your weaknesses. • Don't become a slave to your 'in-basket'…MBWA (Management By Walking Around) • If you're micromanaging production control…who is doing the AIMD Officer job? • Call a 'duck' a 'duck' • If you lead by intimidation – you're no leader • SEAOPDET needs your CLOSE personal attention • Tech Rep care & feeding is a priority if you want their best effort • You can be politically correct…or you can lead. It's very difficult to do both.

♦ HOW TO SUCCEED

• When it is your time to lead – LEAD • Get involved/take charge • Plan/cooperate • Involve subordinates/organizations • Set procedures • Communicate • Don't accept the unacceptable • Walk the extra mile • Go public • Listen • Encourage innovation • Have fun at your job

♦ REALITIES

• Build quickly on 'first love' • Opportunities for conflict abound • Great support may not MC/FMC aircraft make • Your teammates have other interests • You can't look good without their help • The converse is also true

♦ Our people work in a system…our job as managers is to work on that system to improve it.

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♦ In any system, human or machine, that person or part with the most variability will ultimately control. ♦ TRADITIONAL MEASURES OF SUCCESS

• Aircraft readiness (MC/FMC) • Items processed - engine backlog • RFI rate - Broadarrows/TBOS • BCM rate - Cannibalization trends • Production efficiency - SE readiness • AWM backlog - IMRL status

• AWP rate - ICRL • A799 rate - personnel on board • Direct MMH - Training • TAT - MTIP

TRUE MEASURE OF SUCCESS • On station/ship NMCS/PMCS (Exreps) • Rotatable pool effectiveness (zero/critical balances) • AWP management (validity/age) • Work the right things

• Maximize aircraft readiness • Good statistics will follow • Makes everyone happy

♦ What you have when you are there stays on POWER! What remains when you leave stays on MERIT! ♦ There is no cookbook or “recipe for success”

• Have an open mind toward progress • Accept and use new tools – a key!

• Employ new ways of thinking • Don't accept excellence – but build on excellence

♦ Long Range Goals/Objectives

• Increase commonality • Improve TOL management • Decreasing repair and procurement $$ • CASS implementation

• Increasing EPA requirements • Dollar-based decisions versus readiness-based

decisions? Know how to differentiate between the two and when to focus on one over the other

♦ What does the TYCOM expect from me?

• Create a culture of 'continuous improvement' • Create energy • Be the least of your CO's problems

♦ "THE ONLY TROUBLE WITH THE FUTURE IS IT ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE." – Yogi Berra ♦ TRIED & TRUE

• What you measure is what you get • The right people in P/C and Q/A still works • Division and branch officers belong in work centers • Don't chase RFI – do chase NAMP Program

management • TQL is a good process – but it’s still OK to make a

decision on your own.

• You won't know it all so watch for the flickering “B.S.” light!!

• Your attitude determines your altitude • Personally 'interview' all E-6 and above after jacket

review – interview everyone going out. • Lower rated to work center first – then TAD • Have you checked your auto-BCMs today??

TRIAD

• AIMDO/CAGMO/SUPO - Still the best game in town • Do everything except sleep together (CARGRU brief/C.O. brief/CAG brief/PC mtg./meals)

"Coming together is a beginning" "Keeping together is progress" "Working together is success"

• A/C must come aboard groomed and ready to fly. • O-level techs in AIMD work centers is encouraged. I-level techs on the hangar deck is also encouraged. The priority changes

in only one place – the catapults. ♦ The real key to success…your people

- All good AIMD maintenance type indicators - Many required by system and important - Good AIMD statistics do not necessarily produce aircraft readiness

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Once again, the following words were written over a decade ago, but remain true and relevant in today’s Navy and into the future. Also, we are Navy officers who should take great pride in our contributions to our Navy and country. The following from President John F. Kennedy sums it up:

"I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'"

I wish you all the best of luck in your mentoring and professional careers. I look forward to working and serving with you in the fleet.

BY CAPT DAVE MOZGALA (’68) In the late 1970s, I was a Lieutenant Commander and the Production Officer (IM-1) of the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department in USS DWIGHT D EISENHOWER (CVN-69). It was IKE’s first cruise after commissioning. While deployed to the Med we had a port call in Naples, Italy. The ship anchored in the designated harbor area for nuclear-powered vessels and the crew was enjoying much deserved liberty ashore for a few days. Just prior to our entering port, one of the F-14 squadrons had turned in a TF-30 engine for repair. My guys in the jet shop made the fix, but had to run the engine on the test cell at the ship’s fantail before we could reissue it to the squadron. The on-duty engine mechs asked me if they could run it while we were in port. Being a CAN DO guy eager to support the air wing, I proceeded to get that engine ready to issue to the squadron before we headed back out to sea for flight ops. I happened to be the Assistant Command Duty Officer (ACDO) that evening. Since we were on IKE’s first deployment as a commissioned vessel, all of our policies hadn’t been established; I was aware that we had no regulation pertaining to testing of jet engines in port (truth be told, I had been the aircraft power plants officer (IM-2) on a prior tour in USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62) and knew test cell runs in port then were verboten). I received the OK from the Command Duty Officer (CDO) for the test cell run after I had assured him we had no ship’s policy against it. I then informed the Boat Officer to keep liberty launches clear of the aft end of the ship and told my men to prepare for the test run. As my troops cranked up the engine, the quiet, clear, dark Naples evening was jolted by the roar of the powerful TF-30 and a plume of flame exiting the back of the ship. The Neapolitans reacted emotionally, of course, thinking we were exploding and our reactors were spewing nuclear stuff into the atmosphere. I understand the Naples police were inundated with calls! Our embarked admiral, who was ashore having dinner with local dignitaries, called to have the testing stopped. An international incident was averted, but by then we had completed the run and the engine was ready-for-issue. No harm – no foul. Mission accomplished! Needless to say, from then on ship’s policy prohibited running aircraft engines on the test cell in port.

BY CAPT MIKE BEAULIEU (’86) Tune in to the latest sound bites coming from our Pentagon leaders and you will undoubtedly hear emphasis placed on sustaining readiness in the face of difficult national budget reconciliations, being judicious stewards of our resources, and finding more effective and efficient ways of doing business. “While we hone our individual, unit and family readiness, we have to deal with diminishing resources. We must adopt and embrace a culture of fiscal responsibility and judiciousness. We must be ready and willing to make analytically sound, hard

choices in the months and years ahead. Further, we must also look at innovative ways of maintaining our forward deployed and ready posture, while seeking efficiencies and reducing costs when we can.” ~ Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations For Naval Aviation, the H-60 helicopter program provides an instructive example of how we might successfully meet Congressional and DoD mandated reductions, using an approach fueled by enterprise principles.

AMDO Can-Do

Enterprise Thinking in Action

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The H-60 is used for a wide range of missions in the Navy including anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, drug interdiction, anti-ship warfare, cargo lift, refueling, transport, and special operations. In addition, the multi-purpose H-60 is a valuable platform used across our joint military forces. Yet a recurring problem for this platform and especially for the Naval and Marine variant has been recurring corrosion of main rotor gearboxes that results in frequent replacement at an estimated annual cost of $11.5 million for USN platforms alone. For rotorcraft, magnesium alloys are used as primary material for large castings such as the main reduction gear box due to its high strength to weight ratio, however magnesium is susceptible to corrosion regardless of protection measures, especially in the often warm saltwater maritime environments that the Navy and Marine forces frequently operate in. “The salt-environment in which the Navy operates often exacerbates the corrosion we see,” says H-60 Engineer Chich Shin, “it affects not only cost to the fleet, but also readiness, because it takes approximately 220 hours to replace one gearbox.” Working from a mindset of continuous improvement, engineers researched a solution that they believe will allay costs and improve readiness targets. They proposed a change of material from magnesium to aluminum. They consider the alteration to be the “ultimate” solution to the corrosion problem, which is expected to provide increased material strength to the MGB housing, reduce wear and maintenance damage, and utilize fewer components and less labor hours. Initial research and estimates suggest that this material change will reduce corrosion removal by 90%. On the surface, the case seems simple: change the material from magnesium to aluminum for cost and time efficiencies. However, H-60 engineers certainly would not classify the retrofit as simple. “The program was never able to get funding for such a project because of upfront costs associated with things like a necessary redesign trade study,” says Shin. He says that his fellow engineers have been driving at this solution for a very long time, but even with an outlining of tangible return on investment (ROI), timelines and funding have always been obstacles. Enter the enterprise approach employed by Naval Aviation. In the late 1990’s, Naval Aviation conducted several successful projects in the areas of training and cost-per flight hour, and focused on shifting the cultural mindset from consumption to readiness at the lowest cost cost-effective. Building on that success, by 2004, the Naval Aviation Community established a more codified method of decision-making, sharing best practices and affecting cultural change using a set of enterprise principles. Not a command itself, the so-called Naval Aviation Enterprise supports a mission to advance and sustain Naval Aviation warfighting capabilities at an affordable cost...today and in the future. The enterprise operates akin to a trade association. Cross functional experts facilitate collaborative dialogue among stakeholders and offer Naval Aviation leadership

analysis and recommendations for better informed decision-making in a number of critical focus areas. Navy and Marine Corps “command and control” flag and general officers together lead and engage this enterprise partnership across their aviation commands and other stakeholder organizations, like the Navy Fleet Forces Command, Naval Supply Systems Command, Naval Personnel Command and so forth. This governance structure aligns to its enterprise principles, facilitating increased transparency and collaboration, continuous improvement, and the utilization of metrics to inform objective focused behavior geared toward efficient delivery of Naval Aviation forces ready for tasking; aircraft on the flight line or ship’s deck, ready to execute their mission in support of American interests whether it is delivery of humanitarian aid, deterrence, or delivery of lethal force when required. Naval aviation enterprise thinking was initially focused on improving of aircraft warfighting readiness and success rapidly led to application of enterprise principals to address other strategic challenges for Naval Aviation. Currently the Naval Aviation Enterprise has mobilized teams to address four key areas including aforementioned readiness (including readiness of H-60 helicopters), management of our total manpower force, integrated coordination of fiscal resources, and engaging stakeholders now to produce required levels of future readiness, while optimizing costs. Future Readiness and Total Ownership Cost (TOC) Managers of Naval Aviation readiness operate in environments predetermined by yesterday’s decisions – some made long before the systems have achieved initial operating capability. Today’s legacy aircraft, including the H-60 helicopter, will account for approximately one-third of the total aircraft inventory utilized by the Navy and Marine Corps through FY 2020. In addition these leaders operate in an environment of constantly evolving national priorities and budgetary pressures, that contribute to significant adjustments in procurement of new platforms to address emerging threats, especially if development delays are encountered. The Future Readiness Cross Functional Team (FR CFT) stood up in July 2009, and works to better inform acquisition process decisions and to raise visibility of readiness and total ownership requirements at all phases of a program lifecycle. An important and visible part of their engagement centers on recommending specific investment initiatives for already fielded weapons systems that can deliver out-year total ownership cost (TOC) reductions during the annual budget cycle. For example, the team identified a $130M investment in POM-12, focusing on specific high-cost drivers and reliability initiatives which could yield increased fleet readiness and a projected cost avoidance of $1.5B over the remaining service life of affected platforms. The H-60 program had been submitting requests to fund the retrofitting of aluminum gearboxes for almost a decade without success; however, within the first year of joining forces with the FR CFT, the added engagement and advocacy resulted in the necessary authorization for moving forward to fund this “investment proposal” that offered future cost avoidances of

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$190M dollars as main gear box corrosion was greatly reduced or eliminated as a major cost driver for the H-60 community. "As we strive to make every dollar count across our Naval Aviation portfolio, the future readiness cross functional team is championing those cross-cutting initiatives that will accelerate TOC reduction,” says RADM Steven Eastburg, Program Executive Officer for Air ASW, Assault & Special Mission Programs. “We’ve already seen their influence in securing funding for the advanced aluminum gearbox design, condition based maintenance, and promising future initiatives continue to be explored.” The FR CFT is known for championing TOC reduction and readiness improvement projects that may be submitted by any stakeholder across the enterprise, but the team also leads numerous other efforts focused on facilitating engagement and better informed decision-making in the requirements and acquisition process; identification of best practices aimed at improving the transition rate of science and technology investments into fleet use. All impact the Navy’s ability to field future capability, achieve total ownership cost reduction goals and, meet readiness entitlements. The Future of Future Readiness Looking ahead, the FR CFT plans to identify other areas, such as the Systems Engineering Technical Reviews (SETRs), Independent Logistics Assessments (ILAs), and NAVAIR Initial Operating Capability (IOC) Sustainment Review results – looking at program preparedness to begin sustainment operations to levels of readiness that are also cost affordable. For POM-13, the future readiness cross functional team identified 10 initiatives that if funded at a cost of $290M could save over $900M in the future. Of these, 5 were supported by our senior leadership in the budget cycle with funding of $175M and are expected to reduce operations cost by $800M over the life of impacted weapons platforms. Additionally the NAE’s integrated resource management team will be monitoring these initiatives to measure their success in achieving promised savings. Maintaining leadership support for future readiness initiatives during the FY14 program objectives cycle is critical. Future readiness initiatives consistently appear on the Type Commander’s Priorities List, which is a list providing critical items that should be funded during the POM process and have systemic impacts on reducing top readiness degraders and cost drivers. Getting back to the H-60 – this winter marks the first procurement of the aluminum gearboxes. As they install these game-changing parts onto the H-60 aircraft, they expect to see savings of nearly $190M over the remaining life of the platform and reduced aircraft downtimes as fewer aircraft must undergo major maintenance needed to replace prematurely corroded gear box assemblies. This is a step in the right direction; more aircraft availability for the Warfighter, reduced maintenance required both at the depot and in the field, and lower sustainment costs resulting from fewer removals due to corrosion. Was there a cost to implement this? Yes; The Navy

invested $18.3M to reengineer and manufacture the aluminum gear box, but replacement will be accomplished on an attrition basis, replacing corroded or otherwise defective components only as required to minimize impact to fleet maintainers and Warfighters. Removal of the corrosion prone components from fleet use will result in an estimated 90% fewer gear box removals per year when fully implemented.

Naval aviation’s Future Readiness Cross Functional Team is a young concept, but enterprise thinking is not. When used effectively the collaboration, transparency and metrics informed decision making between Warfighters, support providers, and resource sponsors will help the Navy and Marine Corps make the necessary tough decisions necessary to ensure we can continue to efficiently deliver the right force at the right time today and in the future.

CAPT Michael Beaulieu is a Resource Officer assigned to the Office of Chief of Naval Operations, Director of Air Warfare (OPNAV N88)

WHY SUBMIT COST SAVING INITIATIVES FOR NAE SUPPORT?

Every stakeholder in Naval Aviation has a unique perspective of

how specific behaviors, actions, equipment use (or non-use) etc

that drive costs, and impact ability to execute our assigned

mission. With that in mind, some of our greatest successes in

Naval Aviation and elsewhere have emerged when we least

expected them. We each have a personal responsibility to

contribute where we can; to preserve our ability to fight and win

when called upon. If you have an idea for improving readiness,

reducing total ownership costs, or saving the Navy money or

making it easier to do our job, let’s talk.

Please contact the Future Readiness Team Leader, CAPT Mike

Beaulieu at michael.beaulieu@navy.mil

WHAT REALLY MADE THE DIFFERENCE FOR H-60?

Through the FR CFT process, the H-60 Aluminum Gearbox

gained:

Direct feedback from senior technical experts, resource

sponsors, and logistics experts about the strengths and

weaknesses of their proposal

Senior leadership visibility of true costs of the status quo

and support necessary to address the specific issue of

fundamental incompatibility of this magnesium alloy for

use in a corrosive maritime environment.

Funding that they had been trying to obtain for years

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BY LCDR DAN REED (’02) In any journey, the first step challenges your courage, the second your determination, but if you stay on the path outlined by good leaders and time-tested practices, you will arrive at your goal. For me, the journey to and through Afghanistan as an Individual Augmentee (IA) was no different than the journey through life. That morning when you hear a call has come down from the front office for an IA at your rank, your heart skips at least one beat. It is not from fear, nor is it from a hunger for danger or new challenges. It is akin to the feeling from your school days, when a teacher announced you would be receiving an unannounced quiz. It is the feeling of uncertainty before a crossroads in your life. When you decide to volunteer, as I did, a strange calm transforms most of your decision’s more anxious considerations into a keener focus toward preparation and planning. For me this process of getting ready was relatively simple. I located and then followed the procedures, and when a concern was vital enough, I discussed it with my mentors and the chiefs. Ultimately, there were websites filled with thorough references and recommendations that answered my most ambitious questions (http://www.ia.navy.mil). Before I realized it, the day had arrived. I was on the road to a variety of training bases to obtain the knowledge and gear that would serve me well during the coming year. Although Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management (DISAM), Navy Mobilization Processing Site (NMPS), and Camp McCrady demanded some mental discipline and at times a daring degree of patience, the rewards in knowledge, skill, and character were worth far more than the costs. The instructors and leaders made only one absolute demand of their often green trainees: attentiveness. If you provided that dedicate attention, they thoroughly groomed you and had you packed out, geared up, and lined-up for the trans-Atlantic flight. In the case of my class from Camp McCrady, we were ready and in our formation with bemused smiles on our faces, just in time for presidential candidate Newt Gingrich to come on-board and shake our hands and wish us well on our deployments. From the Carolinas to Maine to Germany to Kuwait and onward to Kandahar the bulk of our class stayed together. On each flight we found there was time to reminisce and to prepare ourselves, both individually and collectively, while somehow still making plenty of time for encouraging outbursts of camaraderie. The situational challenges and the tenacious merriment eventually blended together.

On the flight from Kuwait to Kandahar, over the United Arab Emirates, we were stuffed into a poorly heated C-130 with our bags in our laps at more than 10,000 feet, and still the smiles and jokes along with that curious spirit of determined surety reflected down both columns of seats. We were infectious. Less than an hour into the five-hour flight, the Load Master invited Master Chief, me and six nurses to unbuckle and climb atop the cargo netting to stretch out and make room in some of the seats for our classmates. It was the same story all along the way; we discovered this curiously common understanding that was mixed with a uniquely personal hospitality and professional diligence. Bouncing from Kandahar to Kabul International Airport (KIA) the number of our classmates had dwindled to less than 20

sailors. About a third of this remainder was met and then escorted by their various new commands from KIA to their destination. Those of us without chauffeurs waited leisurely on wooden benches for the Coalition’s Kabul Shuttle system, called The Rhino Convoy. This convoy was comprised of two bright, almost-shiny, heavily armored tactical busses and a lead and a trail MAT-V for security. Nothing reminded us that the area was a warzone like riding in up-armored tank-busses. In less than thirty minutes, we were deposited at our destinations, where I and seven of my classmates piled one another with gear strapped over our armor, and then marched clumsily into what was to be our home for the next twelve months, Camp Eggers. We called our respective Directorates and within hours were settled into the transient barracks. We had arrived. (to be continued in the next issue……)

Afghanistan IA: Duty and Pilgrimage “Traveling to the Deployment Duty Station” – Part 1 of 3

The AMDO Association Newsletter Summer 2012

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