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Electronic Attack Community Addresses Personnel, Supply Issues to Improve Readiness

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS130621-23
6/21/2013

From Naval Aviation Enterprise Public Affairs

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- The Electronic Attack (VAQ) community has made significant progress in identifying and addressing its key readiness issues, ensuring its squadrons are manned, trained and equipped to carry out today's mission while also continuing to shape the future of the community.

The community raised and addressed its readiness issues through the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) briefing cycle, which involves each aircraft community briefing a board of Naval Aviation leadership on their readiness challenges and successes.

The key issues raised by the VAQ community during this Air Board cycle included: personnel issues in both the EA-6B and EA-18G communities; EA-18G supply and repair support, and the availability of the core Electronic Attack weapon system.

"As always, this was not an individual effort," said Navy Capt. John Springett, VAQ Type/Model/Series lead and commander, Electronic Attack Wing U.S. Pacific Fleet (CVWP). "Building and maintaining readiness for Naval Aviation is a full contact sport that requires the effort of each team member whether it is Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific Fleet (CNAP), Navy Personnel Command (NPC), Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers (COMFRC), Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) or the respective type wing."

During this briefing cycle the community's personnel shortfalls were addressed for both airframes. For the EA-6B, early analysis by CVWP pointed to a decline in distributable personnel with EA-6B maintenance experience that could present a risk to the Navy's ability to effectively support the last deployable EA-6B units. The team quickly came to the conclusion that additional measures beyond the normal detailing model would be required to maintain an adequate supply of trained and proficient EA-6B Prowler technicians as the community simultaneously retrained its workforce to support the EA-18G Growler.

As a result of this analysis, the CVWP staff developed an aggressive solution to ensure these last EA-6B squadrons would be adequately manned. This solution was coined the "Prowler Franchise Player" effort and requested that the NAE team work outside the business model exercised by NPC in order to hand-pick a group of highly experienced EA-6B maintainers to serve as the core of these squadron's maintenance departments. CVWP proceeded to utilize the resources of the NAE to build a coalition of support around the Prowler Franchise Player plan and systematically take steps to address the projected key personnel shortfalls. The success of the Franchise Player effort will be measured by the successful deployments of the last three Prowler squadrons, one of which is currently underway, with the requisite manpower to support flight operations.

Collaborative solutions to the EA-6B manpower shortages were developed by a team of manpower managers from CVWP, type commander and NPC. Weekly teleconferences by the team have led to viable solutions that may have otherwise been filtered out by the normal detailing process. During this effort, the team introduced courses of action that may not have fit neatly into the established detailing model, but were able to move the right Sailors into the right gaps. Now the manpower requirement for the remaining two squadrons continues towards a final solution with the support of CNAP and NPC.

From the EA-18G perspective, the Navy's requirement for Super Hornet trained technicians is presenting its own unique challenges. An NAE team was identified and, with the help of CNAP and NPC, updated business rules to ensure manpower requirements better support deploying units.

CVWP initiated a tracking and accountability practice in order to better align the priority billet requests by the type wing. This practice was ultimately adopted by the Navy Total Force team which is now utilizing the tool to better track the efforts of all Naval Aviation type wings. The challenge of improving the range and depth of VAQ supply assets brought together many NAE team members to search for both short-term and long lasting solutions.

Data provided by CVWP provided the justification to NAVSUP to fund key components directly tied to the execution of the VAQ expeditionary mission and culminated in the successful appropriation of funds to better resource Supplemental Aviation Spare Support. NAVAIR Logistics and Industrial Operations (6.0) and the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office 265 (PMA-265) also have expanded their focus on improving support for the EA-18G and have initiated an overarching review of the EA-18G support strategy.

This effort is intended to identify opportunities for improved readiness by focusing on reduced operating and supply (O&S) cost through Aviation Rapid Action Team surveys, Maintenance Optimization and the O&S Cost Reduction Initiative. With a current projected operating lifetime of the EA-18G going out to 2032 (or later), any investments and efficiencies that are made now have the potential to greatly decrease total sustainment costs.

The electronic attack weapon system is the heart of all VAQ and Marine Corps Electronic Attack (VMAQ) aircraft and an indispensable resource for the nation's only tactical airborne electronic attack platforms.

The efforts of the NAE team and others have created a successful end-to-end approach in identifying bottlenecks in the distribution pipeline. They also have invested in a number of availability and reliability solutions with the warfighter in mind. NAVAIR Air Electronic Attack Systems and EA-6B Program Office (PMA-234C) headed the effort to solve the distribution of resources. Along with Naval Sea Systems Command Crane, COMFRC, and NAVSUP, PMA-234C tackled the challenge and developed a firm recovery strategy. Improvements have already been reflected in the availability of assets and the effort will continue to improve the posture of these high demand assets as we move closer to the next generation of Airborne Tactical Jamming Systems.

"This is a process and not an event," said Springett. "So the completion of the 2013 Air Board briefing only indicates that it's time to prepare for the next opportunity. Many of the challenges we face will not be new, but the playing field is constantly changing. Whether it's continued financial constraints or changes in deployment schedules, we need to be ready. We know that the NAE team members will show up to meet the challenge and ensure Naval Aviation's success."