www.flagshipnews.com | The Flagship | Section 1 | Thursday, June 8, 2023
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IN THIS ISSUE
Hybrid Fleet Readiness Seminar goes coast to coast Capt. Harold Cole, NAVIFOR Deputy Director for Information Warfare Readiness Directorate, kicked off the Fleet Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Familiarization Seminar, in early May. Page A2 VOL. 31, NO. 20, Norfolk, VA | flagshipnews.com
June 8-June 14, 2023
The AV-8 team poses in front of the last TAV-8B Harrier trainer to be completed by Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) before it was delivered to Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. The Marine Corps is replacing the aging AV-8 Harrier platform with the more high-tech F-35 Lightning II. FRCE is expected to complete its AV-8 workload by the end of Fiscal Year 2024. (PHOTO BY KIMBERLY KOONCE, FLEET READINESS CENTER EAST PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
FRCE delivers final Harrier trainer to Marine squadron Kimberly Koonce
Fleet Readiness Center East Public Affairs
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. — Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) has reached another milestone toward the drawing down of its AV-8B Harrier program, with the completion of its last TAV-8B trainer aircraft. The two-seater trainer was delivered May 11 to Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 223, located at Cherry Point. The Marine Corps is moving to replace the Harrier with the short takeoff-vertical landing F-35B Lightning II by 2027, which means FRCE’s AV-8 program will soon transition to supporting other platforms. Many of the aircraft maintenance professionals on FRCE’s Harrier program have spent a significant part of their careers repairing and maintaining AV-8 aircraft. They say that’s why it’s tough to see another piece of the program’s workload come to an end. “I’ve been at FRC East for almost 32 years, and this aircraft is almost 35 years old, which means it was flying before I came here,” said Jeff Broughton, AV-8 planner at FRCE. “I’ve spent 20 years on this program, so you can imagine how many
times I’ve seen this aircraft come through for Planned Maintenance Interval events. I worked on it once while I was a mechanic and twice while I was a planner, so you get to know the history of the aircraft each time it comes through.” Broughton said the Harrier program has established an impressive record of working under budget and ahead of schedule, and its final TAV-8B is no exception. According to Broughton, FRCE’s total combined work on this particular aircraft over the years was estimated to take nearly 11,000 work hours, but a tally of all the work actually completed on the aircraft came in at only 8,100 hours. Even on its last trip through the depot, it was delivered back to the fleet eight days early. “Our FRCE AV-8 team prides itself on being ahead of schedule and under budget most of the time,” Broughton said. “We might be considered out of sight, out of mind as a sundowning program, but the team is proud of being good stewards of the customer’s money and being on or ahead of schedule to keep the customer happy.” With three more scheduled PMI inductions over the next year and a half, the AV-8 team will be disassembling, inspect-
ing, repairing, reassembling and testing those aircraft. They are dismantling retired aircraft and removing good parts to be refurbished and returned to the supply system to be used on the aircraft remaining in the fleet. Artisans also continue to support the Marines with onsite in-service repairs. Currently, FRCE’s AV-8 program is scheduled to complete its final aircraft in September 2025. By that point, the personnel assigned to that team will be pursuing the next steps in their careers. “We have a highly experienced team here, and many of them have been on this program for a long time,” said Mike Stewart, AV-8 shop supervisor at FRCE. “They are extremely knowledgeable and can handle any issues with the AV-8.” Many will go on to support growing and incoming workload, such as the F-35, CH-53K and C-130 platforms. Stewart said these programs will benefit from the quality work and strong customer relationships formed by the AV-8 team, especially as the Marine Corps’ former AV-8 squadrons have transitioned to flying the F-35. “We have spent years building a good foundation with the AV-8 community, and now they will be our future customers with
the F-35,” Stewart said. “The program may be ending, but we’ve paved a clear path for future endeavors with the customer for a long time to come.” As a long-time member of the AV-8 team, both as a Marine and later as a civilian artisan at FRCE, F-35 and AV-8 Branch Head Ike Rettenmair, said he is proud of what the Harrier program has accomplished and looks forward to what lies ahead for the fleet. “You always hate to see a platform sundown, but technology is changing, our threats are changing, and it is time to move to the F-35 and the capability it will bring to the warfighter,” Rettenmair said. “FRCE will continue to support team Harrier as we have always done, until the final Harrier lands on the runway, regardless of when that will be.” 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.
Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center changes name Story By Hugh Cox
Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command
The Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center changed its name in accordance with section 711 of John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for FY19 to the Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command (NMCFHPC), effective January 01, 2023, emphasizing its operational mission focus. According to Capt. Matthew McLean, NMCFHPC’s Commander, the mission to provide force health protection through enhancement of operational units organic preventive medicine and environmental health assets to prevent illness and its impacts to readiness remain unchanged. “We will continue to provide public health
consultation and expertise to operational forces and shore command stakeholders across the Navy, Marine Corps and joint environments to guide best practices and procedures, resolve issues and shape policy,” said McLean. The transition is expected to be seamless with NMCFHPC continuing to deliver the same exceptional public health expertise worldwide with no changes to the availability of public health services, tools and resources. With the exception of the name change, NMCFHPC’s public-facing website will remain the same, including content, and points-of-contact. Eventual changes to the URLs for our webpages and social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin) will be posted to our current sites prior to the transition.
The Navy and Marine Corps Force Health Protection Command (NMCFHPC) develops and shapes public health for the U.S. Navy and Marines Corps through health surveillance, disease and injury prevention, and public health consultation. Learn more by going to www.nmcphc.med. navy.mil. Follow NMCFHPC on social media at https://www.facebook.com/ NavyAndMarineCorpsPublicHealthCenter http://twitter.com/nmcphc and https://www.instagram.com/ nmcphc/ Navy Medicine — represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals — provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.
Navy Expeditionary Combat Command selects top sailor www.flagshipnews.com
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NECC announced its Sailor of the Year during a ceremony at its headquarters onboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, June 2. Construction Electrician 1st Class Janice N. Coppock, from Omaha, Nebraska, earned top honors as the force’s Sea Sailor of the Year. Page A3
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