Rr124 digital

Number 124Spring 2014

Spring 2014 Issue 124

Joint Training with the Coast Guard and USS Somerset The Milk Run

Maintaining Relevancy in a New Geo-Political Reality

Maritime security demands the most advanced multi-mode anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare helicopter. One with a sophisticated mission system that provides complete situational awareness. One with network-enabled data links that allow information sharing and instant decision making. One that is operationally proven and in production.

SOME THINGS YOU NEVER LEAVE TO CHANCE.MARITIME SECURITY IS ONE OF THEM.

MH-60R. The right choice for Maritime Security.www.mh-60.com

310-63280_MH60_SomeThings_RR.indd 1 3/12/12 12:55 PM

1 navalhelicopterassn.org

Naval Helicopter Association©2014 Naval Helicopter Association, Inc., all rights reserved

Editor-in-ChiefLT Allison Fletcher, USN

Design EditorGeorge Hopson

Aircrew / Special Missions EditorAWCM David W. Crossan, USN

HSC / HS / HM EditorLT James Thomas, USN

HSL / HSM EditorLT Erin Pursley, USN

USMC EditorCapt Rebecca Hagner, USMC

USCG EditorLT James Cepa, USCG

Technical AdvisorLCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret)

Historian / NHAHSCAPT Vincent Secades, USN (Ret) CDR Joe Skrzypek, USN (Ret)

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Features79

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Coast Guard, Navy Conduct Joint Training Aboard Newest Warship in the Gulf of MexicoPO2 Walter Shinn, USCG

Last Marine Aviation Transfer of Authority in AfghanistanSgt Jessica Ostroska, USMC

HSL-49 Det SIX Rescues Two Sailors from Cargo ShipLTJG Christine Mayfield, USN

Joint Training: Flying SWTP at the Next LevelLCDR Justin “Tinkles” Cobb, USN

Salute to 14 Years: The Retirement of NHA’sExecutive Director, Col Howard Whitfield, USMC (Ret)CDR Bradley Garber, USN / CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret)

Symposium Table of Contents2014 NHA Symposium Pocket Agenda

Focus2014 NHA Symposium Program

Printing bySOS Printing, Inc.

San Diego, California

Three services represented in rotary aircraft.Cover art by George Hopson, NHA Design Editor.

2191

In appreciation of our advertisers

Lockheed MartinRobertsonUniversity of San Diego MSGLAir Group Navy Mutual Aid AssociationAgustawestlandUSAAElbit Systems of AmericaL-3 Vertex Logistics SolutionsSOS PrintKongsberg Defence & AerospaceSikorsky Aircraft Corporation

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Rotor Review (ISSN: 1085-9683) is published quarterly by the Naval Helicopter Association, Inc. (NHA), a California nonprofit corporation. NHA is located in Building 654, Rogers Road, NASNI, San Diego, CA 92135. Views expressed in Rotor Review are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of NHA or United States Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. Rotor Review is printed in the USA. Periodical rate postage is paid at San Diego, CA. Subscription to Rotor Review is included in the membership fee in the Naval Helicopter Association or the corporate membership fee. A current corporation annual report, prepared in accordance with Section 8321 of the California Corporations Code, is available to members upon request. POSTMASTER: Send address change to Naval Helicopter Association, P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578.

Rotor Review #124 Double Issue Spring ‘14 2

National OfficersPresident.....................................................CDR Brad Garber, USNV/P Corp Mem......................... CAPT Don Williamson, USN (Ret)V/P Awards ............................................CDR Wilmer Gange, USNV/P Membership .....................................LCDR James Udall, USNV/P Symposium 2014..........................CDR Todd Vandegrift, USNSecretary.......................................................LT Kasey Scheel, USNTreasurer .................................................LT Jeremy Cappalo, USN“Stuff”..........................................................LT Gabe Stevens, USNSenior NAC Advisor..........................AWCM David Crossan, USNExecutive Director..................Col Howard Whitfield, USMC (Ret) Admin /Rotor Review Design Editor........................George HopsonMembership/Symposium ..........................................Kerri Dowling

Directors at LargeChairman.....................RADM William E. Shannon III, USN (Ret) CAPT Chuck Deitchman, USN (Ret) CAPT Dennis DuBard, USN (Ret) CAPT Greg Hoffman, USN (Ret) CAPT John McGill, USN (Ret) CAPT Dave Moulton, USN (Ret)

CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret)CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret)

Regional OfficersRegion 1 - San Diego

Directors.………………........................CAPT Jack Schuller, USN .............................................................CAPT Shawn Malone, USN...............................................................CAPT Mike Steffan, USNPresident..…............................................CDR Chris Hewlett, USN

Region 2 - Washington D.C.Director ....…………...…….…….................CAPT Pete Brennan, USN..................................................Col Paul Croisetiere, USMC (Ret)President ...........................................................CDR Roe Howell, USN........................................................................CDR Pat Jeck, USN (Ret)

Region 3 - JacksonvilleDirector ..........................................................CAPT Clay Conley, USNPresident......................................................CDR Michael Burd, USN

Region 4 - NorfolkDirector ................................................CAPT Todd Flannery, USN President .............................................CDR Todd Vandegrift, USN

Region 5 - PensacolaDirectors..................................................CAPT James Fisher, USN.........................................................CAPT Thurman Maine, USCGPresident ....................................................CDR Rob Sinram, USN2014 Fleet Fly-In.......................................LT Patrick Salvitti, USN

Region 6 - Far EastDirector..............................................CAPT Murray J. Tynch, USNPresident..…............................................CDR Thad Johnson, USN

Corporate AssociatesThe following corporations exhibit strong support of rotary

wing aviation through their sponsorship of the Naval Helicopter Association, Inc.

AgustaWestland, Inc. Airbus Group

BAE Systems / Electronics Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc.

Boeing Integrated Defense SystemsBreeze-Eastern

CAE Inc.Elbit Systems of America

FLIR Systems, Inc.G.E. Aviation

Kongsberg Defence SystemsLockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors

LSI, Inc. L3 Communications / Crestview AerospaceL3 Communications / D.P. Associates, Inc.

L3 Communications / Ocean SystemsL3 Communications / Vertex Logistics Solutions

Navy Mutual Aid AssociationNorthrop Grumman Integrated Systems Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

Robertson Fuel Systems, L.L.C.Rockwell Collins Corporation

Rolls-Royce CorporationSikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Telephonics CorporationUSAA

UTC Aerospace Systems

NHA Scholarship Fund

President........................................CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret)V/P Operations........................................LT Jonathan Wendt, USNV/P Fundraising ..........................LT Gretchen Rybarczyk, USNV/P Scholarships ........................CAPT Kevin “Bud” Couch, USNV/P CFC Merit Scholarship.................LT Jonathan Wendt, USNTreasurer........................................................LT Sean Purdy, USNCorresponding Secretary............................LT Alexa Bestoso, USNFinance /Investment..............................CDR Kron Littleton, USN (Ret)

Naval Helicopter Association, Inc.Correspondence and Membership

P.O. Box 180578Coronado, CA 92178-0578

(619) 435-7139 / (619) 435-7354 (fax)

NHA Historical Society

President............................................CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret) Secretary ..........................................CDR Joe Skrzypek, USN (Ret) Treasurer..............................................................................Joe Peluso San Diego Air & Space Museum ...........CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret) USS MIDWAy Museum .................CWO4 Mike Manley, USN (Ret) Webmaster...................................CDR Mike McCallum, USN (Ret) NHA BOD....................................CAPT Dennis DuBard, USN (Ret)BOD........................................CAPT Mike Reber, USN(Ret)President Emeritus.....................CDR Lloyd Parthamer, USN (Ret)


Number 124 2014 Symposium Edition / Spring ‘14

Departments

In Review

From the Organization

In Our Community

Industry and Technology

HistoricalThe Milk RunAir and Space Magazine

Final Visit to the Ol’ Hangar: A Tribute to RADM (Ret) F. W. JohnstonLTJG Daniel Knight, USN

Change of Command

A Reservist Interview withRDML Russell E. Allen

Transitions

Engaging Rotors

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6

8

11

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63

76

88

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89

Editors Emeritus Wayne Jensen John Ball John Driver Sean Laughlin Andy Quiett Mike Curtis Susan Fink Bill Chase Tracey Keef Maureen Palmerino Bryan Buljat Gabe Soltero Todd Vorenkamp Steve Bury Clay Shane Kristin Ohleger Scott Lippincott

Articles and news items are welcomed from NHA’s general membership and corporate associates. Articles should be of general interest to the readership and geared toward current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard affairs, technical advances in the helicopter industry or historical anecdotes. Submissions should be made to Rotor Review with documents formatted in Microsoft Word ® and photos formatted as high-resolution JPEG and/or PDF by e-mail to: [email protected] or by FEDEX / UPS on a MAC or PC formatted CD to Rotor Review / NHA, BLDG 654, Rogers Road, NASNI, San Diego, CA, 92135. Also, comments, suggestions, critiques and opinions are welcomed, your anonymity is respected. Send by email to: [email protected]; or by mail to: Naval Helicopter Association, Inc., P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA, 92178-0578, call (619) 435-7139 or FAX: (619) 435-7354.

Rotor Review is intended to support the goals of the association, provide a forum for discussion and exchange of information on topics of interest to the rotary wing community, and keep membership informed of NHA activities. As necessary, the President of NHA will provide guidance to the Rotor Review Editorial Board to ensure the Rotor Review content continues to support this statement of policy as Naval Helicopter Association adjusts to the expanding rotary wing community.

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In ReviewEditor’s Logby LT Al l ison Fletcher, USN - Rotor Review Editor-in-Chief

The long-anticipated NHA Symposium season is finally here and our Spring Edition of Rotor Review doubles as this year’s program. Our contributors are sharing an incredible series of articles to highlight how our services are using naval helicopters to meet every demand with which we are tasked. For those of you unable to make the trip to the Symposium in Norfolk, please go to the NHA website for information on how to watch a livestream video of many of the major speaking events. Not only will they be streamed live, but they will also

be archived on our site for later viewing in case your schedule conflicts. As we recognize many of the accomplishments in our communities over the past year at the Symposium, this is the perfect

opportunity to recognize our editors and their hard work, most of which are volunteers. The Rotor Review editorial team has worked very hard all year to deliver unique articles, new types of content, and to share your best stories with our readers. I am very proud of our staff’s products and could not ask for a better team. Our staff includes our very hard-working and talented design editor, George Hopson, without whom we would not have a magazine; HSC editor, LT James Thomas, HSCWSP; HSM editor, LT Erin Pursley, HSM-41; USCG editor, LT Jim Cepa; USMC Editor, Capt Rebecca Hagner; Aircrew and Special Missions editor, AWCM David Crossan, HSM-40; Technical Advisor, LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret); and our historical team of CAPT Vincent Secades, USN (Ret) and CDR Joe Skrzypek, USN (Ret). Thank you to each of you for the many hours of communication, brainstorming, research, and editing that you contribute every week. This magazine would be nothing without you.

Finally, I am very excited to announce our ongoing photo and video competition featuring cash prizes. Please see the rules on the NHA website or email us for details. The deadline for submissions is May 23rd. Soon after the deadline, we will begin public voting online. Be sure to “like” our Facebook page (not the Facebook group) in order to get updates about when and how the voting will be conducted. The Summer Edition of Rotor Review will showcase our winning entries. Enjoy!

Letter to the EditorsIf you would like to write a letter to the Editor-in-Chief, please forward any correspondance to [email protected] or mail to the following address:

Letters to the Editorc/o Naval Helicopter Association, Inc.P.O. Box 180578Coronado, CA 92178-0578

Coast Guard UASDear Editor, Great pub; I enjoyed looking through it! Interestingly enough, we are currently working with the Coast Guard in San Diego on a proof of concept with the

Puma SUAS, so LCDR Cassell’s article on USCG UAS capabilities was very pertinent. I’m going to see if I can track him down and coordinate efforts. You never know where important contacts like that are going to come from!

V/r,Brendan Applegate

Naval Postgraduate School

Dear Brendan,So happy to hear you are enjoying the magazine. And I am happy that we’ve given you a connection to help your research. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance in making contact.

-A.F.

Special Thanks to Our Community Editors

Thank you for your service from the cockpit, past or present, and your service to this publication. your contributions bring the magic to help Rotor Review come alive issue after issue.

Our Community Editors: (l-r, top to bottom) LT James Thomas, USN, LT Erin Pursley, USN, LT Jim Cepa, USCG, LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret), CDR Joe Skrzypek, USN (Ret), CAPT Vince Secades, USN (Ret), Capt Becky Hagner, USMC (not pictured), and AWCM David Crossan, USN (not pictured).


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From the OrganizationChairman’s Brief by RADM Bi l l Shannon, USN (Ret)

President’s Message by CDR Bradley “Weeman” Garber, USN

Greetings! As I write this, we are standing by for a St. Patty’s Day snowstorm here in Pax River. Hopefully, by the time you read this, winter will finally be over! If you’re reading the print version of this issue, you will see that we are

trying something new by combining this issue of Rotor Review with the NHA Symposium Program. We hope this will provide a little more exposure to the fine work that is done by the staff and contributors of Rotor Review. If you haven’t looked at RR for a while please take a look and notice the social media links and interactive technology that we hope will get our readers more involved. If you get the digital version of the magazine, it’s even easier to connect to additional information in many of the articles.

A Few Notes:First and foremost, I want to wish 1. “fair winds and following seas” and “Semper Fi” to our outgoing NHA Executive Director, Colonel Howie Whitfield, USMC (Ret.). I am not exaggerating when I tell you that NHA would not be where it is today were it not for the personal dedication and stewardship that Howie has shown for this organization. For the past 14 years Howie’s personal attention to all aspects of the day-to-day operations of NHA have helped make it a professional organization that is financially sound and envied for its growing and involved membership. This will be Howie’s last Symposium as Executive Director, please take the time to thank him for the work he has

done over the past 14 years. Thank you, Howie!!!I want to give a shout out to LT 2. Allison Fletcher and George Hopson for the work done on the membership survey that was published in the last edition of Rotor Review. Allison wrote the article and published a well written and very thorough summary of the survey. I was very impressed to see that we had over 500 respondents to the survey. We are in the process of digesting the results and will be discussing them in depth at the NHA directors meeting during the Symposium. Thank you to all who responded. You had some great comments and ideas!!

Finally, thanks to Commodore “Flan” 3. Flannery of COMHSCWINGLANT, and the CO’s of the Wing, for hosting me during my recent visit to Norfolk. I got to spend an awe-inspiring day with the men and women of the Wing and get updates on Wing operations around the world as well as updates on continued weapons (M-197 and rockets) integration, Romeo / Sierra synergy, Full Motion Video, and MH-53E aging aircraft challenges. As an old H-60 PM and a plankowner in HM-14 and HM-15, I was thrilled to see the progress being made in both the HSC and HM community. I’m looking forward to visiting the remaining wings in the near future.

On October 16, 1943, the U.S. Navy took delivery

of its first helicopter, a Sikorsky yR-4B piloted by USCG LCDR Frank A. Erickson in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This single event set into motion USN, USMC and USCG naval rotary wing operations that have resulted in 70 years of superior naval rotary wing service to our country.

Given naval rotary wings’ rich heritage and well-established role in both peacetime and war, the 2014 Naval Helicopter Association (NHA)

Symposium committee chose the symposium theme of First to Fight, Operating Forward, Always Ready.

This theme aligns very well with the current National Security Strategy and highlights naval rotary wing operations in 2013. Day in and day out, naval rotary wing units were engaged in ensuring our national security and stability. When tragedy struck around the globe, naval rotary wing assets were positioned to be the first on scene to provide much needed support and relief.

We in the naval rotary wing community are well positioned to contribute significantly to the future of our national defense. My hope is that you take significant pride in your role as part of our community and as a member of NHA. A special thanks goes out to CDR Todd Vandegrift, NHA Region 4 President and NHA VP for Symposium. He and is team have put together what is shaping up to be the best symposium in our history. To our corporate sponsors, thank you for making our Symposium possible.

Fly safe!


RADM Bi l l Shannon, USN (Ret)

NHA Chairman

CDR Bradley “Weeman” Garber, USN

NHA President

CAPT Michael Steffan, USN

Naval Reserve Director

Col Howard Whit f ie ld, USMC (Ret)

NHA Execut ive Director

Executive Director Notesby Col Howard Whit f ie ld, USMC (Ret)

As RADM Shannon mentioned in his brief, this will be

my last Rotor Review editorial comment as I will be turning over the Executive Director’s job after the symposium to Captain Bill Personius, USN (Ret). After 27 years in leadership positions with NHA, I am simply turning over the job. As an Air Force Academy graduate in 1960, and a Marine helicopter pilot, I have belonged to many aviation organizations. Early on, I found NHA to be one of the best, particularly the way the JOs are involved. I have attended every symposium since 1987, have been a NHA Trustee since 1991 and was the Vice President for corporate affairs, 1993-1999. In 2000, I was asked to take over the Executive Director’s job. NHA was bankrupt and owed North Island Credit Union $5,000. The previous Executive Director, Pam Vulte, had been sick and passed away. I took the challenge and relocated from Connecticut to San Diego to get started. There were three years of letters from the IRS that we hadn’t filed our taxes threatening disestablishment, along with checks not deposited, etc. We gradually dug ourselves out of a hole and restored NHA as a viable organization. I say “we,” as a longtime volunteer, Betty Stuyvesant, was invaluable as NHA’s corporate memory and for her hard work. Allyson Nesseler also came back to work on Rotor Review and on our hand-me-down computers doing a great job on a meager salary.

Fast forward to today. The last Rotor Review magazine, number 123, included a listing of some of our readers’ feedback on the association, good information! A number of the comments address the annual symposium. The annual symposium is the most important event NHA sponsors professionally, socially and financially. The key ingredients of an annual symposium include maximum member attendance, corporate involvement, invited senior officers, interesting presentations, recognition of excellence in our field, social and sports events, and a financial return for the association. The symposium active duty committee does much of the work planning and running the events and is the way NHA stays connected and relevant to 70% of our members, the active duty, the majority of whom are JOs. This year’s committee has done an outstanding job led by CDR Todd Vandegrift, CO, HSC-2.

Also, some of our members may not realize there are many different categories of non-profit organizations. Generally, a well run non-profit organization doesn’t operate with zero profit. Without a positive cash flow and reserves, our association woudn’t last long.

Thank you for your support

through the years, particularly the last 14. Special thanks to George Hopson who has been producing Rotor Review for 8 ½ years with his special artwork and Kerri Dowling who has set a new benchmark for excellence in membership and symposium registration.

Best wishes to you all! Welcome aboard, Bill Personius!

NHA Financial Position: April 2014Cash and equivalents: $334,195

Investments: $480,517

TOTAL: $814,712

Read more on Howard’s years of service with NHA as Rotor Review

pays tribute to him on page 92.


“fallen aviator/crewmember” scho la r sh ip which we e s t a b l i s h e d last year. We need another year or two of contributions to bring this into fruition, but last year was a great start. Look for our booth at the Norfolk Symposium to get more info on this scholarship initiative and how the Scholarship Fund can help both you and your family meet your educational goals.

Hold fast…

in Our CommunityNHA Scholarship Fundby CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret)

SCAN CODE

TO DONATE TO THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Naval Helicopter Association Historical Societyby CAPT Bi l l Personius, USN (Ret)

Greetings from the Scholarship Office! The application data

base for the 2013-14 cycle has been turned over to the Regional Presidents for initial review and selections. I continue to be impressed with the accomplishments and character of our applicants. They are clearly a cut above! I will tell you that we still need to work on getting the word out to our active duty folks that we have graduate and undergraduate scholarships specifically devoted to them. The

number of those applicants were far are less than anticipated. Please help us spread the word in the next cycle (September).

Efforts to improve our bottom line have been a challenge this year with fewer CFC donations and only a trickle of individual donations. The good news is that our corporate partners, Raytheon, Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman and several other organizations such as our parent NHA and the Historical Society have provided the funding to keep current level and numbers of scholarships consistent. As always, putting the Scholarship Fund in your estate planning has the potential of benefiting both you and the Fund, and we have tax/investment professionals who can work with you in making that happen.

We are looking forward to the Symposium to once again promote our

Greetings fellow Rotary-Winged Aviators.

Spring has sprung and with that comes the annual NHA Symposium. We are all busy making preparations for our travel to Norfolk this year. We are preparing our booth set up along with making the final selections for the Mark Starr Pioneer Award and Scholarship for 2014. There has been a great group of candidates considered for these prestigious awards this year, and I know that you are going to be pleased with this year’s recipients. We are all looking forward to another great event in Norfolk this year and excited about some new activities, which will add variety to the week’s schedule of events. This year the Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society (NHAHS) will staff a booth again where you can check your pilot designation number, sign-up to compete for the “Most Experienced Helicopter Pilot” (read “oldest” Helix) in

attendance at the Symposium, order one of the books we will have on display, or sign-up to volunteer some of your time to help us “Gather, Preserve and Display the Legacy of Naval Helicopter Aviation.” We also welcome you to just stop by and chat for a few minutes and share any ideas that you may have concerning capturing more of our helicopter history. Things are going along well for us this year.

We have obtained a H-60 rotor blade that we are in the process of putting in the NHAHS Exhibit on the USS MIDWAY Museum. We have been involved with helping to obtain a plaque at NAS Lakehurst, NJ, to commemorate and recognize the first helicopter squadrons in the US Navy (HU-1 and HU-2). We have also taken custody of 105 plaques that once hung in the Rufadora helicopter “hang-out” from Olongapo City, Republic of the Philippines. These plaques have been photographed and digitized and will

be uploaded to our website very soon. You will be able to see them and comment about them in a blog-type format along with quite a collection of squadron and detachment patches. We have also actively joined forces with the NHA Rotor Review staff to provide historical articles for the magazine and will continue to provide reference materials and sea stories of historical significance for your reading enjoyment. While our major fundraising project this year was derailed when the Miramar Air Show was cancelled due to sequestration and budgetary concerns, we are looking


CAPT Paul Stevens, USN (Ret)

President, NHA Scholarship Fund

CAPT Bi l l Personius, USN (Ret)

President, NHA Histor ical Society

CAPT George Galdor is i , USN (Ret)Author and

RR Columnist

A View From The Labs: Supporting The Fleetby CAPT George Galdor is i , USN (Ret)

Continued on page 10

forward to bigger and better opportunities this year to be able to raise more funds for the region, the Scholarship Fund, and NHA in general with a good contingent of volunteers to support this effort again this year. Enjoy your time at the Symposium. Ask those hard questions of our senior leadership and industry partners to become the best-informed pilots, aircrewmen, or maintainers as possible concerning the issues at hand and those things that might impact your careers in the future. Having access to senior leadership, our industry partners along with the camaraderie at the Symposium are worth the price of your membership. Have a great time and make the most of it. I’ll hope to see you around on the display floor and in the community meetings.

Keep your turns up.

The United States Quadrennial Defense Review Report:Implications for the Naval Helicopter Community

As the name implies, the United States publishes its major strategic document, Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), once every four years. Mandated by the U.S. Congress, this report focuses upon both United States defense strategy and military spending. Not

coincidentally, the 2014 QDR was released on the same day as the Obama Administration’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget (for reference the United States Fiscal Year runs from October 1 through September 30).

Tying the 2014 QDR so closely to the President’s budget was done purposefully and sends a clear message the U.S. Department of Defense is operating in a tight fiscal environment. And it is also clear that the department is making strategic choices that are informed by a number of factors ranging from the substantial United States debt, to constant budget deficits, to the desire for a bit of a peace dividend as the United States extracts itself from two decade-long land wars in the Middle East and South Asia.

Of interest to the Naval Helicopter Community is what the current QDR presages for what missions we must prepare for and where we will fight in the future. While there is no point solution to this question and strategic intent is heavily influenced by often unanticipated events - witness flashpoints as diverse as Syria, the Ukraine, and the South China Sea - examining the QDR exposes important trend lines. Therefore, there is value-added in dissecting the United States Quadrennial Defense Review Report to see what it means for the Naval Helicopter Community.

As is typically the case with many high-level strategic documents, the U.S. Department of Defense QDR is general in many of its aspects. A case in point is what is explained in the document’s Executive Summary:

Given this dynamic environment, the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) is principally focused on preparing for the future by rebalancing our defense efforts in a period of increasing fiscal constraint. The 2014 QDR advances three important initiatives. First, it builds on the Defense Strategic Guidance, published in 2012, by outlining an updated defense strategy that protects and advances U.S. interests and sustains U.S. leadership. Second, the QDR describes how the Department is responsibly and realistically taking steps to rebalance major elements of the Joint Force given the changing environment. Third, the QDR demonstrates our intent to rebalance the Department itself as part of our effort to control internal cost growth that is threatening to erode our combat power in this period of fiscal austerity. We will protect the health of the All-Volunteer Force as we undertake these reforms.

NAS Lakehurst in 1943


Fair enough as a general summary. But this general outline begins to reveal what the QDR portends for Naval Helicopter Community. By announcing that this document builds on the 2012 U.S. DoD Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG), the QDR embraces the ten tenets of the DSG. The QDR strongly suggests an increased focus on the kinds of missions important to the Naval Helicopter Community. Among the most important and widely-discussed tenets of the DSG:

Deter and Defeat Aggression:• “Our planning envisages forces that are able to fully deny a capable state’s aggressive objectives in one region by conducting a combined arms campaign across all domains, including cyberspace. U.S. forces will plan to operate whenever possible with allied and coalition forces.”Project Power Despite Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/• AD) Challenges: “The United States will invest in capabilities to operate in A2/AD environments. This will include implementing the Joint Operational Access Concept, sustaining our undersea capabilities, developing a new stealth bomber, improving missile defenses, and continuing efforts to enhance the resiliency and effectiveness of critical space-based capabilities.”Provide a Stabilizing Presence:• “U.S. forces will conduct a sustainable pace of presence operations abroad, including rotational deployments and bilateral and multilateral training exercises.”Conduct Humanitarian, Disaster Relief, and Other • Operations: “The Nation has frequently called upon its Armed Forces to respond to a range of situations that threaten the well-being of its citizens and those of other countries.”

The second key theme of the QDR is a description of how the Department is taking steps to rebalance major elements of the Joint Force given the changing security and fiscal environment. This is a reaffirmation of the steps - already in effect, underway, or planned - to establish an increasing U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

It is one thing to issue policy pronouncements such as the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review from the E-Ring of the Pentagon. It is quite another to shift forces, build alliances and infrastructure, and do all the other things that militarily undergird a major strategic shift. One of the most closely-watched indicators over the next several years will be how the United States is moving to “operationalize” this shift.

Indeed, over the past several years, the United States has moved to “operationalize” this new strategy, from reaffirming treaty obligations with Asia-Pacific nations; to speeches and articles in international media by Obama administration officials; to more robust U.S. participation in Asia-Pacific fora such as the East Asia Summit; to issuing its Air-Sea Battle Concept to address anti-access and area denial challenges in the region. All of these initiatives are important, but what has garnered perhaps the most attention have been the concrete military steps that are underway in the region. From this perspective, the QDR reinforces and instantiates the United States Rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region.

In Our Community: From the Labs (Cont.)

From the Reservesby CAPT Michael J. Steffen, USN

By now, most of us have read CDR Snodgrass’s article on officer retention which has gone viral throughout the Naval Aviation network. With an improving economy and the first big hiring wave (in over 15 years) underway in the airline industry, the demand for leadership and aviation skills in the civilian job market is heating up. For those of us who spent our JO tours in the 90’s, this is familiar territory as the current conditions mirror those at the turn of millennium. This presents a challenge for our leadership to retain high quality officers, while also trying to recapture the talent of those choosing to leave active service by recruiting them to the reserve force. As you ponder the next step in your Navy career, remember that every Naval Officer past their obligated service gate has had to make critical career decisions, which surrounds us with potential mentors. Our feature interview with Rear Admiral Russ Allen in this issue presents a prime example of someone who made the jump into the civilian/reserve sectors and has been highly successful.

From the Organization (cont.)



The U.S. Navy has achieved initial operational capability (IOC) on the MK-

60 Patrol Coastal Griffin Missile System that includes the Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) Griffin missile. The milestone comes as the Navy continues to conduct littoral security operations in areas that require an immediate and precise response to confirmed threats.

The MK-60 Patrol Coastal Griffin Missile System includes a proven laser targeting system, a Navy-designed launcher and battle management system combined with Raytheon’s combat-proven Griffin missile.

“The Griffin missile and MK-60 system assure the accuracy and lethality our sailors need to combat growing regional threats,” said Captain Mike Ladner, Major Program Manager Surface Ship Weapons, U.S.

Navy Integrated Warfare Systems 3.0 program office. “IOC signals the beginning of improved ship self-defense on the Patrol Coastal fleet and provides an immediate response to potential maritime threats, especially small craft on the move.”

IOC follows extensive maritime testing that began in March 2012. During that time, the Navy developed, integrated and tested a complete system using mature components combined with Raytheon’s Griffin missile.

“Griffin is a mature, lightweight precision weapon that delivers reliable operational effectiveness to the warfighter,” said Mike Jarrett, vice president of Air

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yUS Navy Achieves Ini t ia l Operat ing Capabi l i ty on Patrol Coastal Gr i ff in Missi le SystemPress released on ASD.com

Warfare Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems. “The Navy’s declaration of IOC with the Griffin Missile System is a significant accomplishment that demonstrates Griffin’s flexibility and shows the missile is ideally suited to protect against the small boat threat on a variety of platforms.”

About GriffinThe Griffin missile is a multi-platform, multi-service weapon that has a proven track record for successful rapid integration on land, sea and air assets. The combat-proven Griffin AGM-176A is an aft-eject missile designed for employment from platforms such as the C-130 aircraft. The Griffin BGM-176B is a forward-firing missile that launches from rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, ground-launch applications and maritime platforms. The Griffin missile is 43 inches long, weighs 33 pounds, has a 13-pound warhead, and is in production today.

Photo ( lef t ) © Raytheon

While Europe is a landscape, the Asia-Pacific region is a seascape. Therefore, the most significant - and most closely-watched - U.S. force posture changes in the region are likely to be in naval force structure. As the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert noted in his Foreign Policy article, “Sea Change: The Navy Pivots to Asia,” the U.S. Navy is operationalizing this rebalance in four ways: deploying more forces to the Asia-Pacific region, basing more ships and aircraft in the region, fielding new capabilities focused on Asia-Pacific challenges, and developing partnerships and intellectual capital across the region. More on these U.S. Navy initiatives in a moment.

As a strategic document, the 2014 United States Quadrennial Defense Review does not break a great deal of new ground. Rather, the QDR restates and repackages tenets that have undergirded U.S. defense posture for most of this century. The 2014 U.S. defense strategy articulated in the QDR emphasizes three pillars:

Protect the homeland,• to deter and defeat attacks on the United States and to support civil authorities in mitigating the effects of potential attacks and natural disasters.Build security globally,• in order to preserve regional stability, deter adversaries, support allies and partners, and cooperate with others to address common security challenges.Project power and win decisively,• to defeat aggression, disrupt and destroy terrorist networks, and provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

One needs to dig deeper - often far deeper - into this eighty-eight page document to better understand what capabilities - read platforms, systems, sensors and weapons - will be the ones that the United States will field in the ensuring decades as well as where the U.S. military will deploy these assets. Tellingly, this 2014 QDR spends a great deal of time discussing the extent to which the U.S. Department of Defense budget has been cut as a result of the U.S. Budget Control Act of 2011.

In a nutshell, in the current U.S. DoD budget environment “flat is the new up,” and if a capability has not been cut, it is one of the few that will likely be sustained year-over-year. The QDR notes: “As the Joint Force rebalances so that it remains modern, capable, and ready, the Department will take additional steps that are consistent with the President’s FY2015 Budget submission to protect key capability areas in support of our strategy.” This is important, both in what it says and what it doesn’t say. And without putting too fine a point on

From the LABS (Cont.)



it, if a capability is not on this list, the chances of it being important to the U.S. strategic focus is limited indeed. The protected (read valued) capabilities for the U.S. DoD as defined in the QDR are:

Cyber.• We will invest in new and expanded cyber capabilities and forces to enhance our ability to conduct cyberspace operations and support military operations worldwide, to support Combatant Commanders as they plan and execute military missions, and to counter cyber-attacks against the United States.Missile Defense.• We are increasing the number of Ground-Based Interceptors and deploying a second radar in Japan to provide early warning and tracking. We will make targeted investments in defensive interceptors, discrimination capabilities, and sensors; and we are studying the best location for an additional missile defense interceptor site in the United States if additional interceptors are needed.Nuclear Deterrence.• We will continue to invest in modernizing our essential nuclear delivery systems; warning, command and control; and, in collaboration with the Department of Energy, nuclear weapons and supporting infrastructure.Space• . We will move toward less complex, more affordable, more resilient systems and system architectures and pursue a multi-layered approach to deter attacks on space systems while retaining the capabilities to respond should deterrence fail.Air/Sea.• We will continue to invest in combat aircraft, including fighters and long-range strike, survivable persistent surveillance, resilient architectures, and undersea warfare to increase the Joint Force’s ability to counter A2/AD challenges.Precision Strike• . We will procure advanced air-to-surface missiles that will allow fighters and bombers to engage a wide range of targets and a long-range anti-ship cruise missile that will improve the joint ability of U.S. air forces to engage surface combatants in defended space.Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)• . We will rebalance investments toward systems that are operationally responsive and effective in highly contested environments, while sustaining capabilities appropriate for more permissive environments in order to support global situational awareness, counterterrorism, and other operations.Counter Terror and Special Operations• . We will grow overall Special Operations Forces end strength to 69,700 personnel, protecting our ability to sustain persistent, networked, distributed operations to defeat al Qaida, counter other emerging transnational threats, counter WMD, build the capacity of our partners, and support conventional operations.

One needn’t be a Clausewitz or Sun Tzu to recognize many of the capabilities the United States seeks to protect are those that would be effective in “high-end” warfare worldwide - and especially in the Asia-Pacific region. This is not to suggest the United States is girding for war - far from it. Rather, it reflects a reality that a prudent evaluation of the geopolitical climate makes not having these capabilities imprudent at best, foolhardy at worst.

A View From the LABS (Cont.)

Exel is Awarded Contract to Support US Navy Minesweeping Solut ionsPress released on ASDNews.com

Exelis (NYSE: XLS) has received a contract valued at more than $13 million to provide the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, IN, with

depot level repair, maintenance and modifications for two mine defense systems currently fielded with the U.S. Navy. The IDIQ (indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity) contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring its total value to more than $53 million.

The Exelis MK-105 Minesweeping System and Airborne Mine Neutralization System provide the capability to conduct quick-response, high-speed airborne mine countermeasures. The MK-105 has been successfully supporting the U.S. Navy’s mine clearance mission since 1972. The MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter tows the system through the water as it detonates mines and enables safe passage of military and commercial vessels.

“The MK-105 minesweeping system is an essential technology for the U.S. Navy’s mine countermeasure operations,” said Dave Prater, vice president and general manager of the Exelis radar, reconnaissance and undersea systems business. “As the original manufacturer, we have the knowledge and expertise to perform technology insertion, maintenance and depot repairs to ensure continued effectiveness of this critical capability.”

More than 40 years ago, Exelis pioneered the development of minesweeping solutions for naval applications and remains the leading global supplier of minesweeping systems for military use. Exelis mine countermeasure technologies help counter maritime anti-access, area denial (A2/AD) challenges, ensuring naval forces can gain access to strategic operating environments. They also enable safe passage of commercial vessels through global waterways, ports and harbors. Work under this contract will be performed in Panama City, FL, and is expected to be completed by December 2014.

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As one - albeit major - vehicle for instantiating the United States Rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review must recognize that the United States does face a major peer competitor in the Asia-Pacific region. That is why “high-end” capabilities such as Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; AirSea; Precision Strike; Nuclear Deterrence; Missile Defense; Space and Cyber are “protected” in this QDR. U.S. policymakers have been clear that the Rebalance to the Asia-Pacific and the Air-Sea Battle Concept are designed to reassure allies and partners, not to threaten China. Naval War College Professor James Holmes put it this way in The Diplomat:

It’s not because a U.S.-China war is fated, but because of expediency. Military planners are negligent if they don’t plan against the toughest challenge elected leaders may order them to face. For instance, the U.S. Navy planned for war with Britain’s Royal Navy well into the interwar years. No one wanted or expected an Anglo-American conflict, but the Royal Navy remained the gold standard for naval power. It only made sense for the U.S. Navy to measure itself against the most exacting standard available while hedging against the unexpected. (Emphasis added)As the United States continues to “measure itself” against China and reassure allies and friends in the region, the QDR will continue

to provide guidance for force shifts and force allocations worldwide. An examination of the Obama Administration’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget validates the strategic changes the QDR reveals. The U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force - the forces likely to be most valued in the U.S. Air-Sea Battle Concept - fared relatively well, while U.S. Army forces fared less well. For the U.S. Navy specifically - the U.S. military service most noticeable in the Asia-Pacific region - both the QDR and the budget submission call for a carrier strike group force to remain at eleven. Conversely, capabilities less-well-suited to high-end deterrence, such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), fared less well, with the number of LCS capped at 32 ships from a previous build plan of 52 ships. It is crucial the Naval Helicopter Community look to the future and understand and prepare for what missions it must conduct in the future as well as where it will conduct these missions.

As noted earlier, the U.S. Navy is traditionally the U.S. military service that is most visible in the Asia-Pacific region - a region that is more Mahan than Mackinder. An important lens to use when determining what both the QDR and the most recent U.S. Department of Defense budget portend for the Asia-Pacific region as a place where the Naval Helicopter Community will be operating most in the future is to see what is occurring with U.S. Navy assets. In brief:

The U.S. Navy is “Pivoting to the Pacific” and as widely-announced, by 2020 60% of the U.S. Navy Fleet will be in the Pacific region • while only 40% will be in the Atlantic.The U.S. Navy’s newest assets are being fielded in the Pacific first. These include the P-8 • Poseidon aircraft, the MQ-4C Triton, and the F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter. The USS • Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), one of the U.S. Navy’s most modern aircraft carriers, will replace the USS George Washington (CVN-73) as the Japan-based forward deployed U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.More Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense capable U.S. Navy ships are being assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.• The United States presence - especially U.S. Navy presence - in Guam is growing year-over-year.• The U.S. Navy will forward stage four Littoral Combat Ships in Singapore and rotate crews from the United States.• The U.S. Marine Corps is forward staging forces in Darwin Australia on a routine, rotational basis.•

In summary, the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review and the Obama Administrations Fiscal Year 2015 budget act in concert to reaffirm the United States commitment to the Rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region and this is where our community needs to be prepared to operate in the future. This is a trend that is likely to continue in the future regardless of the U.S. budget machinations.

From the LABS (Cont.)

Sikorsky Awarded Maintenance Contract for US Navy Pilot Training AircraftPress released on ASD.com

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today announced the award of a

maintenance and support services contract for more than 360 aircraft operated by the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA). Valued at an estimated $110 million, the work is expected to be completed in October 2014. Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

“We are very proud to manage this contract again and support CNATRA and the Naval Air Training Command. From 2006 to January 2013, our outstanding workforce delivered exceptional performance, meeting

the Navy’s stringent requirements. In fact, for the last year aircraft availability exceeded our contractual specifications,” said George Mitchell, Vice President, Aircraft & Support for Sikorsky’s Defense Systems & Services business. “Winning this contract again speaks to our ability to provide world-class aviation support, not only to our rotary-wing platforms but to the U.S. military’s multiple fixed-wing fleets.”

The contract was awarded by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), based at the Naval Air Station in Patuxent River, Maryland. Sikorsky is providing

program and material management, scheduled inspections, depot level maintenance, required repairs, modifications and logistical support for Naval Air Training undergraduate missions. Aircraft variants include the single-engine T-34, the twin engine T-44A and T-44C, and the single-engine T-6A and T-6B.

The work is being performed at multiple sites: Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas; the Naval Air Stations in Pensacola and Whiting Field, both in Florida; and seven key satellite locations throughout the continental United States.


Navy Weapons Program Delivers New Capability for H-60 HelicoptersPress released on ASD.com

PMA-242 test ing out the new rocket launcher

A modernized rocket launcher will soon enable

MH-60 Seahawk helicopters to carry and deploy a variety of weapons for the first time.

As part of an Early Operational Capability (EOC), the Navy delivered the new system, called the Digital Rocket Launcher, to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 15 in March for pre-deployment training.

DRL is the answer to an urgent operational needs statement (UONS) from the Navy, and its quick fleet deployment is the result of the hard work and cooperation of a number of program offices here at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), said CDR Alex Dutko, the Airborne Rockets and Pyrotechnics team lead for the Direct Time and Sensitive Strike Weapons program (PMA-242).

Dutko’s team worked closely with the H-60 Multi-Missions Helicopter Program (PMA-299) to deliver DRL to the fleet in less than 24 months.

This new, “smart” launcher will first be integrated onto the MH-60S as part of a Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC) and later, onto the MH-60R and potentially other platforms.

“The fleet is very excited because this launcher will make an armed helo even more lethal than it already is,” said John Male, PMA-299’s Common Weapons lead. “The H-60 Sierra is already a significant threat, but the new launcher, and all that it brings, will allow the aircraft to engage a larger set of threats.”

Though the helicopter can be equipped with a variety of other weapons systems, the DRL will permit employment of the Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS), Dutko said. A semi-active laser guidance section added to legacy rocket components, APKWS offers greater precision than the unguided rockets currently employed from helicopters.

Additionally, the DRL’s digital interface makes it capable of employing a wider variety of rocket configurations, offering significant flexibility to engage different target sets. DRL allows for sequential and selective single fire; selective and all ripple fire; and rocket-inventory tracking, not available in its legacy predecessor, which required aircrew to keep a physical record of rockets fired.

“When the Vice Chief Of Naval Operations (VCNO) told us to ‘Get lead in the air,’ that was a clear, concise and direct statement reflecting the urgency with which we needed to accomplish this effort,” said CAPT Jim Glass, PMA-299 program manager. “Having a UONS is in integral part of this process, but when Navy leadership reinforced the urgency of the need with a short direct edict, the imperative was crystal clear, and this joint team responded.”

In 2012, the team was challenged to complete the project in 24 months and deliver EOC to the fleet in March 2014.

“We have a lot of important programs in our portfolio,” CAPT Al Mousseau, PMA-242 program manager explained. “While all of these programs are developing and delivering capability crucial to the warfighter, DRL is an RDC that

Navy leadership asked us to deliver to the fleet as quickly as possible — at least one year ahead of what a normal program would have delivered.”

Throughout the accelerated development effort, the team overcame numerous technical challenges and ultimately produced 22 launchers that fully incorporate a multitude of configuration changes. These launchers will support the scheduled deployment of HSC-15 later this summer.

“It’s not often that you see a program go from a sketch on a piece of paper to a reality,” Dutko said. “I keep telling the team: this is unique, special. EOC is just the first step to equipping the fleet with the capability and lethality that we need to be effective and successful in countering the fast inshore attack craft threat.”

PMA-242 is responsible for the acquisition, development and sustainment of weapon systems, including anti-radiation missile systems; airborne rocket systems; precision guided munitions; airborne gun systems; and joint air-to-ground munitions. PMA-299 provides full-spectrum, worldwide support for the Navy’s SH-60B, SH-60F, HH-60H, MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters and user communities.

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Industry and Technology

full system level.”Sikorsky leads an industry

team developing the CH-53K heavy lift helicopter for the U.S. Marine Corps. The aircraft’s 88,000-pound (39,916 kg) maximum gross weight is designed to triple the external load carrying capacity of the CH-53E Super Stallion™ aircraft to more than 27,000 pounds over a mission radius of 110 nautical miles under “high hot” ambient conditions.

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Program of Record remains at 200 CH-53K aircraft with a U.S. Marine Corps Initial Operational Capability in 2019. Eventual production quantities would be determined year-by-year over the life of the program based on funding allocations set by Congress and the U.S. Department of Defense acquisition priorities. The Marine Corps intends to stand up eight active duty squadrons, one training squadron, and one reserve squadron to support operational requirements.

CH-53K begins f l ight test ing on deck

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S ikorsky Begins Safety of Fl ight Tests on 1st Prototype CH-53K Hel icopterPress released on ASD.com

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United

Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), has powered up the engines and spun the rotor head on the first prototype CH-53K heavy lift helicopter -- designated the Ground Test Vehicle (GTV). The January 24 event continues the “Bare Head Light Off” phase of testing -- so named because it was conducted without rotor blades -- that began under auxiliary power in December with safety-of-flight test pilots at the aircraft’s controls.

“GTV main engines powered ‘on’ is a significant step for the CH-53K helicopter program,” said Mike Torok, Sikorsky’s CH-53K Program Vice President. “Having independently tested the aircraft’s many components and subsystems, including electrical and avionics, hydraulics and flight controls, landing gear, propulsion, transmissions and rotors, now we have begun testing these critical functions as an entire system powered by the GTV aircraft’s three GE 7,500 shaft horsepower class engines.”

Sikorsky delivered the GTV into the test program at the company’s West Palm Beach, FL - based Development Flight Center in late 2012. Now anchored to the ground at its remote outdoor test site, the 44,000-pound GTV aircraft is outfitted at more than 1,300 points with sensors that will measure and verify the ability to operate safely under its own power. The GTV will undergo ground testing for approximately two years with both Sikorsky and U.S. Marine Corps test pilots at the controls.

Once Bare Head testing is completed, Sikorsky will mount

seven main rotor blades and four tail rotor blades onto the GTV. During this second test phase, Sikorsky will conduct extensive aircraft system checks leading to a formal Pre-Flight Acceptance Test required to clear the first flight aircraft for flight testing.

Four additional test aircraft are being prepared for flight test, commencing in late 2014. During the three-year flight test program, Sikorsky will continue to evaluate the GTV for long-term endurance of the engines and dynamic components, survivability, and maintenance practices.

“We have entered a much anticipated phase in this developmental program,” said Colonel Robert Pridgen, U.S. Marine Corps Program Manager for Heavy Lift Helicopters. “We have experienced significant learning at the sub-system and component level, which continues to build our confidence in the capabilities of the 53K. We look forward to the initial validation and discovery at a


The Fourth LCS Arrives Home Update by George Hopson, NHA Art Edi tor

On April 5, 2014, the fourth Independence-class littoral combat

ship, USS Coronado (LCS 4) was commissioned on the island of its namesake city at NAS North Island. It will be the second LCS variant of this class to join the surface fleet.

It was originally built by Austal USA in Mobile, AL, started in 2009. It will be homeport in San Diego along with her sister ship USS Independence (LCS 2), and two Freedom-class variants USS Freedom (LCS 1), and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3).


Navy to Commission Amphibious Transport Dock SomersetPress released on ASDNews

USS Somerset (LPD 25) is the newest amphibious transport dock.

The Navy will commission the newest amphibious transport

dock, USS Somerset (LPD 25), at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia.

Somerset is named in honor of the courageous passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed near Shanksville, PA, in Somerset County during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Somerset honors the heroic actions of the 40 crew and passengers of United Flight 93 for their collective sacrifice and the tremendous courage displayed in the face of overwhelming adversity.

“As we commission the Navy’s newest LPD, the USS Somerset, we remember the heroes of United Flight 93, whose selfless actions on Sept. 11, 2001, serve as an inspiration to us all,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. “I have no doubt that the sailors and Marines who will serve aboard this ship will live up to the ship’s motto of ‘courage through adversity’ and proudly honor those who acted so heroically nearly 13 years ago.”

The third of the three U.S. ships named in honor of victims and first responders of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Somerset will join USS New York (LPD 21) and USS Arlington (LPD 24) which are already a part of the Navy’s combat force.

Gen. James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Mary Jo Myers, wife of former chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, retired Air Force General Richard

Myers, will serve as sponsor of the ship. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when Myers gives the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”

Designated LPD-25, Somerset is the ninth San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship. Its design incorporates state-of-the-art self-defense capabilities, including command and control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) suites. Somerset also has a reduced radar cross-section. The advanced enclosed mast/sensors, which enclose the ship’s

radars and communications antennas, characterize the ship’s distinctive profile.

CAPT Thomas L. Dearborn, a native of Mount Vernon, Maine, is the commanding officer of the ship and will lead the crew of 385 officers and enlisted personnel. The 24,900-ton Somerset was built by Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Shipbuilding in Avondale, LA. The ship is 684 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 105 feet, and a navigational draft of 23 feet. Four diesel engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 22 knots.

Along with the National Memorial in Somerset County (above), USS Somerset’s name honors those lost on Flight 93. Photo Courtesy of Nat ional Park Services.

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First to Fight, Operating Forward, Always ReadyIn an ever-changing operating theater, the collective Navy, Marine Corps,and Coast Guard helicopter community continues to serve as a reckoned logistics, lifesaving, and tactical platform. Sophisticated training has allowed our fighting forces the ability to stand ready for dynamic world tasking. With the support of our seagoing surface and land-based assets, we are able to maintain a global

presence capable of sustaining a supply-based defense concept. We are the tip of the spear.

The Navy’s unwavering dedication to the expeditionary mission allows for a task force that is omnipresent and permanently prepared.

Any beckon will be answered —Every Mission Will Be Accomplished.


2014

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W e l c o m e t o S y m p o s i u m 2 0 1 4

H o s t o f t h e 2 0 1 4 N H A S y m p o s i u m

2 0 1 4 N H A S y m p o s i u m S c h e d u l e o f E v e n t s

2 0 1 4 N H A S y m p o s i u m C o m m i t t e e & S p o n s o r s

F irst to F ight — Operat ing Forward — Always ReadyIntroduction by CAPT Brent Alfonso, USN

Operat ing Forward — Always Ready: F irst RespondersCommentaries by CDR Thad Johnson, LT Sean Hale, and ENS Haben Petros, USN

2014 Symposium Guest Speakers

2014 Symposium F lag Panel

2014 Symposium Captains of Industry

2014 Symposium Enl isted Matters Panel

USMC Art ic le : Marine Aviator Receives H igh-F ly ingBrit ish Honor for Saving L ivesArticle by Sgt Justin Boling, USMC

USN Art ic le : HSM-46 “Grandmasters” Aid Panamanian Hel icopter CrashArticle by LCDR Courtney Herdt, USN

USCG Art ic le : Where’s The Bridge?Article by LT Jesse Keyser, USCG

2014 NHA Awards

2014 NHA Symposium Exhib it

2014 NHA Symposium Pocket Schedule

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WELCOME TO THE 2014 NAVAL HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION SYMPOSIUM

The strategic relevance, worth, and value proposition of our Naval Aviation forces across a broad range of missions is being continually demonstrated around the world. The effects we deliver are critical and in high demand from the combatant commanders. We are agile and always combat-ready. The men and women who serve in the rotary wing community understand this better than most. The inherent flexibility and speed of response make our maritime services’ helicopter an indispensable part of our national security framework.

There has never been a better time to fly helicopters in our Navy. Your community significantly contributes to the strength and security of our nation. From the carrier air wings embarked in our nuclear powered aircraft carriers to the combined MH-60/Fire Scout detachments that will soon deploy in the Littoral Combat Ship, the men and women of our Rotary Wing community are at the heart of everything we do. Your relevance is undeniable. This is the result of the dedicated work that you do every day, completing your missions successfully and safely, and making a difference in the fleet. I hope you will take full advantage of this annual symposium which brings together the full Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard rotary community to exchange experiences and engage leaders, professionals and friends in uniform and in industry. The Naval Helicopter Association has long served as the advocate for the rotary wing community, and this event highlights their commitment to our profession.

Whether you fly in the aircraft, keep them ready to fly, or support those who do, know that your hard work is recognized and deeply appreciated. I am incredibly proud of our rotary wing community and all that you do to contribute to the success of Naval Aviation and our Navy.

FLY! FIGHT! WIN!Have a Great Symposium!

VADM David BussCommander, Naval Air Forces

FIRST TO FIGHT • OPERATING FORWARD • ALWAYS READY


HOST COMMODORECAPTAIN TODD J. FLANNERY, USNCommander, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic

COMHSCWINGLANT is under the direction and guidance of Commodore Todd J. Flannery, CAPT, USN. The command was established on April 1, 2005 with the realignment and merger of Commander, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Wing Atlantic (COMHSWINGLANT) and Commander, Helicopter Tactical Wing Atlantic (COMHELTACWINGLANT). Additionally, in 2006, as part of Active Reserve Integration (ARI) and the disestablishment of Commander, Helicopter Wing Reserve (COMHELWINGRES), COMHSCWINGLANT assumed the role of ISIC for HSC-84.

HSCWINGLANT is the largest TYPE WING in the US Navy, providing administrative and training support to all Atlantic Fleet Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) and Helicopter Mine Countermeasures (HM) squadrons consisting of four Carrier Air Wing squadrons, three Expeditionary squadrons, one Reserve Special Operations Support squadron, two Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS), one Wing Weapons School, and two Airborne Mine Countermeasures (AMCM) squadrons operating four different Type/Model/Series (T/M/S) helicopters. Additionally COMHSCWINGLANT provides T/M/S maintenance, logistic, and supply support to NAS Key West as well as fleet-wide SAR training and evaluation. In total, the Wing is ISIC to 14 commands, 144 aircraft, and more than 4,000 personnel.

MASTER OF CEREMONIESRADM WILLIAM E. SHANNON III, USN (Ret)NHA Chairman

Bill Shannon joined Science and Engineering Services, LLC, as the Executive Vice President for Naval Programs in November 2012 following a distinguished career in the U.S. Navy spanning more than 30 years. During his naval career, Bill held numerous operational, command and staff positions. He attained the rank of Rear Admiral, serving in his last tour as the Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons. Prior to that he served as the Vice Commander for Naval Air Systems Command.

Bill began his naval career as a helicopter pilot in the H-53 helicopter and held numerous squadron level positions culminating in squadron command. Following his command tour, Bill transitioned to the Acquisition Corps and was selected to lead the Navy H-60 program office during the development and fleet introduction of the MH-60R and MH-60S.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College, the United States Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, and the Defense Acquisition University’s Advanced Program Manager Course.

RADM Bi l l Shannon, USN (Ret)

NHA Chairman

VADM David H. Buss, USNCommander, Naval Air Forces

U.S. Paci f ic Fleet

CAPT Todd J. Flannery, USNCOMHSCWINGLANT


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMSCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Exhibit Hall HoursTuesday, 13 May: 0730-1030, 1130-1600 | Wednesday, 14 May: 0800-1600 | Thursday, 15 May: 0730-1000, 1200-1330, 1500-1700

Monday, 12 May 20140730 NHA Office - Shangri La & Yorktown0730 Registration and Exhibit Set Up - Norfolk Ballroom Lobby 0900 NHA Skeet Tournament - NAS Oceana1200 Golf Tournament - Aeropines Golf Course, NAS Oceana 1730 Sports Barbecue - Aeropines Golf Course, NAS Oceana

Tuesday, 13 May 20140730 Registration Open - Norfolk Ballroom Lobby 0730 VIP Hospital i ty Room - Franklin0800 Exhibit Hall Open (Norfolk Exhibit Hall)0800 General Members Meeting / Welcome - Hampton I- IV 0830 SecNav Video Address - Hampton I- IV 0840 Keynote Address - Hampton I- IV0945 Awards Roll Call - Hampton I- IV1015 Safety Symposium - Hampton I- IV1130 Awards Luncheon - Hampton V-VII I 1330 CVW MH-60S/R Integration - Hampton I- IV1430 PMA-299 - Hampton I- IV1530 Special Operations Integration - Hampton I- IV1730 Members Reunion - Half Moone Cruise Ship Terminal

Wednesday, 14 May 20140700 Director/Trustee Breakfast Meeting0730 VIP Hospital i ty Room - Franklin0730 Aircrew Challenge/5K Run - JEB Litt le Creek0730 Registration Opens - Norfolk Ballroom Lobby0830 Exhibit Hall Open - Norfolk Marriott Waterside0815 Senior Enlisted Maintenance Panel - Hampton I- IV0930 Enlisted Maintenance Community Manager Brief - Hampton I- IV1100 Spouses Luncheon - Hampton VI-VII I1345 UAV Brief - Hampton I- IV1445 Higher Education Brief - Hampton I- IV1545 Ready in a Resource-Constrained Environment - Hampton I- IV1800 Tides Baseball Game - Harbor Park Thursday, 15 May 2014

0700 Enlisted Detailer and ECM Brief - Hampton V0730 VIP Hospital i ty Room - Franklin 0730 Registration Opens - Norfolk Ballroom Lobby 0800 PERS-43 Brief - Hampton I- I I0915 Community Tactical Brief - Hampton I- IV 1000 Spouses Education Opportunity Brief - Hampton V 1030 Captains of Industry Panel - Hampton I- IV1215 Salute to Naval Helo Aviation Lunch - Norfolk Ballroom1215 VIP Lunch - Hampton VII & VII I 1330 Flag Panel - Hampton I- IV 1500 Team Seahawk Reception - Norfolk Ballroom 1730 Exhibit Hall Tear Down

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2014 NHA SYMPOSIUM2014 NHA SYMPOSIUM COMMITTEE & CORPORATE SPONSORS

CDR Todd Vandegrift, USNCommanding Off icer, HSC-2

2014 NHA Symposium V.P.

NHA would l ike to give a “Special Thanks” to th is year ’s Symposium Commit tee for the hard and detai led work to make this NHA event the best ever. . .

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Also we would l ike to give a “Special Thanks” to Our Sponsors for their generous contr ibut ions to help br ing th is Symposium to l i fe. . .

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14 N

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always ready!

First to Fight...

operating Forward...


This year’s NHA Symposium theme, First to Fight — Operating Forward — Always Ready, is particularly symbolic

of naval rotary wing aviation, encompassing the very traits that make our community so valuable to our national defense. Especially relevant is the need to live up to the term “always ready,” as the demand for naval helicopters has never been greater, presenting a direct challenge to each of us to uncompromisingly live up to that standard.

Naval Forces are doctrinally designed to be first into the fray, with deployment models that place and keep them near potential conflicts, serving as a visible reminder of the United States’ ability to influence events at global areas of interest. In the vast expanses of the open oceans and along undeveloped, war-torn, or disaster-ravaged coastlines, naval forces are often the only means of access. Additionally, operating from vessels at sea ensures a rapid, flexible and sustainable capability that provides persistent presence at the scene of a crisis, independent of the need to rely on established bases or the whims of foreign governments. The last twenty years have witnessed naval helicopters repeatedly executing their combat missions. The USMC led the charge into Iraq during the commencement of combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). USN crews conducted Maritime Intercept Operations in the Arabian Gulf and anti-piracy off the Horn of Africa. USCG crews continue to conduct counter-narcotics operations on the high seas and in our own home waters.

This concept has been a historical standard for naval helicopters

and has increased dramatically in the post-9/11 era. The Marines have been fully engaged in rotary wing close air support and vertical lift for ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan throughout OIF and Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF). Navy helicopters provided crucial insertion/extraction and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) for joint Special Forces in Iraq and vital MEDEVAC/CASEVAC support throughout Kuwait and Southern Iraq. These forward-based deployment patterns also resulted in naval helicopters being first on scene to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) in the wake of numerous natural disasters -- our ability to seamlessly transition from war-fighter to life-saver has been well documented in Indonesia, Haiti, the Philippines, Japan, and even right here in the USA.

Our perpetual mission is to ensure this very fitting motto of the US Coast Guard is true throughout naval rotary wing aviation! We are all entrusted with versatile, highly capable aircraft that are equipped with weapons and systems designed to meet the extensive list of responsibilities in our squadron mission statements and readiness matrices. And the list of missions only seems to get longer, as new systems are introduced and we discover innovative new ways to employ them. Paradoxically, every branch of the military has felt the effects of sequestration and shrinking defense budgets, to include reductions in people, parts, flight hours and airframes. No service can afford to buy single-mission aircraft as they did historically, so the fewer remaining type/model/series of today must be able to answer the call for an ever-increasing volume of tasks. This combination of factors places high demands on the operator, who is expected to be “Always Ready,” even when shortfalls in training or equipment exist.

Introduction by CAPT Brent Alfonzo, USN


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Complicating this struggle for readiness is the fact that we cannot assume that aviating and operating our own systems to perfection translates to success (or even survival) in our intended battlespace. To properly train, we must first understand how our platform fits into the greater scheme. Approaching our various missions with a platform-centric view is unrealistic. The Naval Aviation Enterprise is entirely based upon a “system of systems” mindset, with complementary platforms and systems collaborating as part of a larger group effort. Naval helicopters will continue to work routinely with surface, fixed-wing, and unmanned assets while prosecuting their primary missions, and future conflicts involving near-peer adversaries will likely demand multi-platform, multi-unit, and multi-service integrated operations. The task of defending our high value surface units from a small boat threat clearly illustrates this point. Due to the high volume, asymmetric nature of the FAC/FIAC threat, a layered defense incorporating strategic and theater ISR platforms, joint and coalition strike platforms, and naval fixed-wing, rotary wing and surface-based systems is envisioned. Taken individually, or lacking a coordinated effort, none of these layered systems could successfully combat the threat. By integrating their efforts, they present a potential enemy a far greater challenge.

Even non-combat operations have the potential to demand integration comparable to the most difficult combat scenarios. HA/DR incidents routinely force responding aircrews to overcome considerable challenges of scope or complexity. Unpredictable combinations of natural and man-made hazards have been found in every recent example -- Hurricane Katrina, Sumatra, Haiti, the Philippines, and most recently Operation Tomodachi in Japan. Each one of these scenarios demanded that every available helicopter in the region operate as part of a unified, coherent force in order to maximize their mission effectiveness. The response to Hurricane Katrina was particularly notable, having produced an unprecedented multi-community/multi-service collaboration that combined the talents of USN (from both carrier air wing (CVW) and expeditionary squadrons), USMC, USCG, US Army, and US Air Force helicopters.

History has clearly shown, and the readiness expectations of our leadership indicate, that naval rotary wing aircrews must be prepared to perform demanding missions, and they must be ready to execute alongside fellow operators with whom they have not had the opportunity to train. To succeed in this environment will demand common, standardized tactics that transcend platform and service boundaries. These common tactics must be continually developed, refined, and thoroughly trained to, as it is nearly impossible to predict which ships, squadrons or detachments will find themselves closest to the fight, and forced to fight coherently without benefit of workups or rehearsals. The key to developing this ability is to seek out opportunities to conduct integrated training, and evidence of this increasingly integrated approach may be found throughout Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard operations today. In nearly every carrier air wing, both HSC and HSM squadrons have been thoroughly incorporated, planning and executing strike group missions alongside their fellow VAW, VAQ, and VFA aircrews. Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESGs) are expanding joint rotary wing training and realizing the increase in combat power and capability possible when both USMC and USN rotary wing platforms are integrated. Closer to home, the complicated job of defending our own littorals from a variety of threats has consistently found Coast Guard helicopters working closely with USN surface and aviation units, along with US and cooperating nations’ law enforcement agencies.

This expanded integration of rotary wing assets into high-visibility missions and the drastic increase in our aircraft capabilities has triggered a concurrent spike in naval leadership’s interest in - and appetite for - naval

2014 NHA Symposium: First to Fight - Operating Forward - Always Ready!


helicopters. While serving on the SEAWOLF staff at Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC), I routinely had the opportunity to brief prospective carrier air wing commanders (CAGs) on helicopter capabilities. Without exception, they were committed to learning as much as possible, actively engaging NSAWC staff instructors with detailed systems and tactics questions. This interest was not limited to the classroom; despite the frenetic pace of air wing Fallon, every detachment over the last two years saw both CAGs and DCAGs on their helicopter squadrons’ flight schedules for a view of the “low fight.” In that same two year period, I witnessed two different NSAWC Commanders flying multiple times with CVW squadrons, to include performing Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance (SCAR) in an MH-60R during a dynamic targeting event, and employing the new M-197 20mm cannon and unguided rocket weapon systems in the MH-60S. Both of these Admirals were thoroughly impressed with the capabilities of the aircraft, and the professionalism of the crews. The value of naval helicopters is recognized, and aviation leadership’s understanding of our capabilities is growing -- aided greatly by our own efforts to plan, brief, execute and debrief using standardized tactics, techniques and procedures, and the proven best practices from our fellow aviation communities.

As naval helicopter pilots and aircrewmen, we know we will be Operating Forward, in close proximity to our potential tasking, and we will likely be first on-scene. Moreover, history has repeatedly demonstrated that naval helicopters will inevitably be tasked to perform the missions that we spend so much time and effort preparing for. In fact, it is highly likely that we will be ordered to perform outside our expected missions, completing tasks that may test our training and experience and stretch the capabilities of our aircraft and systems! Know your gear, and how it works with everyone else’s — if you haven’t mastered your own systems, the greater system is compromised. Know your mission, and how you work with everyone else to complete it. you are a critical piece of a much larger picture — strive to thoroughly understand your role and train relentlessly to it, so you can confidently claim you are “Always Ready.”


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operating Forward — always ready:

First Responders Article by CDR Thad Johnson, USN

In the early morning hours of 08 November 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the central part of the Philippines.

Yolanda, as the local people named her, began to rip through the nation, leaving misery and destruction in her path. According to the latest update from the Philippines’ National Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Council, Yolanda took the lives of 6,245 people (with over 1,000 still missing), injured another 28,626, and was responsible for displacing upwards of 4.1 million Filipinos. By 11 November, President Aquino would issue a proclamation declaring a “national calamity.”

When Yolanda struck the Philippines, Sailors from Commander Task Force (CTF) 70 were approximately 700 miles away in Hong Kong, expecting to get underway to participate in ANNUALEX with allies from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. Task Force 70, also known as Battle Force SEVENTH Fleet, is the lethal warfighting component of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces which includes USS George Washington (CVN 73), Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW-5), the ships of Destroyer Squadron FIFTEEN (CDS-15), as well as USS Antietam (CG 54) and USS Shiloh (CG 67). As the devastation wrought by Yolanda became apparent, CTF-70 prepared to respond. The strike group sortied from Hong Kong one day early on 12 November and arrived near Samar Island on 14 November.

En route to the catastrophe, CTF-70 prepared its Battle Force for Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR). The aircraft carrier cleared flight deck and hangar space by flying off fixed wing aircraft to Kadena. MH-60Rs and SH-60Bs were “trucked out.” Rotary assets included HSC-12 and HSM-77 onboard the carrier, HSM-51 detachments embarked on USS Mustin

(DDG 89) and USS Lassen (DDG 82), and an HSL-49 detachment with USS Cowpens (CG 63). Aircrews reviewed confined area landing procedures and worked with intelligence personnel on map studies and chart preparation. Staffs churned on battlespace management. Logisticians prepared supplies and ordered more. Ashore teams were identified and assembled for command and control, logistics and medical support. Flight deck crews prepared for MV-22 operations – a first for this aircraft carrier.

G e o r g e Washington S t r ike G r o u p ( G WA S G ) arrived on station a n d s e r v e d a s N a v a l C o m p o n e n t Commander for III Marine Expeditionary Battalion (III MEB) and later as Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander (JFMCC), when PACOM stood up Joint Task Force 505 to assume overall

responsibility for Operation Damayan. Beginning with GWA, CVW-5, DDG 89, DDG 82, CG 54, and CG 63, the force grew to include USNS Bowditch, USNS Yukon, USNS Walter S Diehl, USNS Richard E Byrd, USS Emory S Land, USS Ashland, and USS Germantown as well as those of international partners.

The GWASG response was relatively short and limited in scope in the context of the overall recovery efforts in the Philippines, but the rapid and significant

Crews onload suppl ies for HA/DR operat ions.Photo taken by LTJG TImothy Tran, USN.

Two Navy H-60s support ing Operat ion Damayan.Photo taken by LTJG TImothy Tran, USN.


response under dire circumstances provided initial and necessary relief. Over eight days, GWASG executed 1,059.2 flight hours. Helicopter crews from HSC-12, HSM-77, and HSM-51/HSL-49 detachments flew 12 hours per day and delivered 34,063 gallons of water, 27,590 pounds of dry stores, 496,915 pounds of food, and 1,250 passengers in need of relocation. Hundreds of landings were conducted to unprepared sites. On 21 November, the JFMCC responsibilities were handed over, and GWASG detached to participate in ANNUALEX.

In the CNO’s Navigation Plan 2014-2018, under the tenet “Operate Forward,” Admiral Greenert states, “The Navy and Marine Corps are our nation’s ‘away team’ and history demonstrates the Navy is at its best when we are forward and ready to respond where it matters, when it matters.”

For many years, CVW-5 has called itself “America’s 911 Air Wing.” Any of us who play for the “away team” could aptly be described as “America’s 911 Forces.” When you dial 911, you get the “first responder” - the closest capable professional. As we participate in forward operations, we provide the persistent presence which allows us to be first responders to global crises. Forward operations bring the capabilities of a professional force such that we are “there” when “it” happens – whatever “it” is. A carrier strike group is not the optimal HA/DR force, but CTF-70 was on station to provide the critical immediate response.

Of course, it is more than “being there.” We must be ready. The Navigation Plan quote above couples them immediately – forward and ready to respond. The first responder is not just close, but also capable. Based on the superb performance over those eight days, the helicopter crews proved themselves ready for the task at hand. As the GWASG approached the PI, there were some limitations of aircrew experience and currency levels with regard to confined area landings/landing zones (CAL/LZ) which had to be addressed. Ground training was conducted. Previous real-world HA/DR experience was identified and leveraged. Operational Risk Management was applied, and crew pairing was done based on experience. The foundation, however, began at home. As professionals, we are reminded to continuously strive to take sometimes-limited

USS LASSEN & HSM-51 DET 3ON SEMAR ISLAND, PHILIPPINES • PERSPECTIVE BY ENS HABEN PETROS, USN

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82)

continues to support Operation DAYAMAN after being the first US Navy ship attached to the George Washington Strike Group to arrive on station in the Leyte Gulf. Days after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the area nearly three million people remain displaced from their homes. USS Lassen with its embarked helicopter detachment, Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) Five One Detachment 3, are a small but important part of the many units directly supporting operations in the Philippines.

USS Lassen is a part of a small network of strategically positioned floating fuel stations that patrol the Leyte Gulf just a few miles offshore Guiuan Airfield to provide much needed fuel for the helicopters, as well as feed and berth the crews and personnel supporting the relief efforts. LCDR Steven Dobesh, the HSM-51 Det 3 Officer-in-Charge and senior pilot, describes the ships as invaluable to relief efforts. He stated, “Ships like Lassen enable helicopter crews to deliver more food and water without the need to transit back as many as 80 miles round trip to their respective ships. Over the course of one day, those transits for fuel can add up to over 2-3 hours not spent helping people in need. Without the Sailors and Crew of Lassen, these missions would not be possible.” To date HSM-51 DET 3 has provided 49,000 pounds of food, water and relief supplies to remote villages.

Lassen Sailors are also finding unique ways to contribute to the relief efforts. Sonar Technician First Class Petty Officer Haber led a donation drive to collect unused personal goods including toiletries and food purchased from the ship’s store for HSM-51 Det 3 to deliver ashore. Commander Robert Francis, the ship’s Executive Officer, was on hand to make the delivery, and he described the moment to the crew by stating, “I wish you were there to see the joy and relief on the faces of the local villagers. Pictures cannot capture the emotion of the moment.”

One village expressed their gratitude of the US Navy’s efforts during their time of need with letters written by children and adults. One man wrote: Thank you so much for the support you have given us. We will never forget your kindness,...

U.S. NAVY! I SALUTE YOU!!

AWR3 Peter Olson (photo upper r ight) takes suppl ies f rom an SH-60B and gives them to Fi l ip ino c i t izens in support of Operat ion Damayan. Photo taken by MS3 Ricardo R. Guzman.


AWR3 Jessica McCarthy, USN, of HSM-51, communicates with the local Filipinos using signs created by LASSEN crew members.

Photo credits U.S. Navy Public Affairs.


On the afternoon of 15 NOV, the USS Mustin (DDG 89) pulled into anchorage off the shore of Ormoc City, Philippines. Four days later, we rejoined the carrier strike group to continue efforts in Tacloban. In the four short days we were in Ormoc Bay, the

USS Mustin and USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10) managed to deliver 77,000 pounds of aid to 16,000 people in 22 remote villages. This mission was truly an all-hands effort.

One of the advantages of the MH-60R is its modular design. En route to Ormoc, the maintainers of HSM-51 Det 2 stationed aboard the USS Mustin worked tirelessly to strip off any nonessential mission equipment from the aircraft. The reduction in weight and increase in cabin space made it possible to carry more aid and passengers per trip. The MH-60S aircraft of HSC-25 DET 1 aboard USNS Charles Drew were outfitted for vertical replenishment (VERTREP), their main mission.

Upon arrival in the region, Warlord 00 launched to survey the damage done to the area. Part of their mission was to identify any possible landing zones (LZs) that could be used as a distribution center. The helicopter discovered a large, flat, green field on a hilltop, which turned out to be Camp Downes, a Philippine Army base. The following day, CDR Joe Ring, captain of the USS Mustin, made contact with the local government to create a relief plan. Utilizing Camp Downes as a vertical relief distribution center, the helicopters of HSM-51 and HSC-25 would deliver aid to the villages in the surrounding hills and mountains cut off from aid.

By 17 NOV, the operation was in full swing. The USS Mustin helicopters surveyed roads and villages in the surrounding mountains, looking for people who needed help. After marking their positions, Warlord 00 returned to Camp Downes to collaborate with the Philippine Army. The PI Army supplied population statistics for the villages, as well as locations for villages further in the mountains. The Sierras of HSC-12 conducted VERTREP to stock the distribution center with supplies from the USNS Charles Drew. Further aid arrived by truck from the city. By that afternoon, the aid was flowing out to the people in the remote villages.

The LZs in the villages were unlike any the aircrew had seen before. They were surrounded by downed trees and power lines, and most were filled with debris. Some were just a few feet from the edges of cliffs. It was a challenge that required the aircrew to constantly be flexible and think outside the box. “It was the most challenging and rewarding flying I have ever experienced,” said LTJG Dro Gregorian. By using the skills of every crew member, the helicopters were able to safely land and distribute the much needed food and water to the remote villages. Nothing can compare to witnessing the suffering in a mother’s eyes be replaced by overwhelming joy when help arrived.

The helicopter crews were not the only ones working hard. Engineers from the ship brought their knowledge and tools to fix broken equipment ashore. Trucks received much needed TLC and the headquarters building had its roof replaced. Sailors who spoke Tagalog offered translation services. Medical personnel treated the sick and injured. Others volunteered to load helicopters, organize supplies and clear debris.

LTJG Dro Gregorian summed up his experience by saying, “It was wonderful being able to use the skills I and others have been training for to help ease the suffering of other people.”

The morning after pulling out of Ormoc, CDR Joe Ring addressed the crew:

“It was your infectious ‘fight hard, fight to win, never give up and never give in’ spirit that made the difference on the ground in Ormoc City. I couldn’t be

more proud of you and honored to be your Shipmate.”

ON THE GROUND IN ORMOC CITYHSM-51 DET TWO & USS MUSTIN SUPPORT OF OPERATION DAMAYAN • PERSPECTIVE BY LT SEAN HALE, USN



opportunities to train and make the most of each of our flights to maximize our readiness and capability to perform when called upon – in each of our mission sets. The fixed wing aircraft fly-off provides a superb example of maximizing training opportunities; seeing they would not be effective in this mission set, the creative minds of operational Naval Aviation professionals devised a fixed wing detachment literally overnight and executed it the next morning. The training detachment in Kadena enabled the fixed wing strike assets to maintain a high state of readiness while simultaneously maximizing HA/DR effectiveness back on the carrier.

The CTF-70 HA/DR response in support of Operation Damayan is just one good example of the applicability of a forward and ready force. Being forward and ready gives us the ability to be first responders across the spectrum of Navy missions which may be necessary to support America’s vital interests. The SEVENTH Fleet commander’s guidance begins in Latin; Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum – if you want peace, prepare for war. Our presence on station (forward) and our preparedness to fight and win (readiness) deters those who would challenge our national interests.

As I write this, the USS Pinckney (with two MH-60R embarked) is being diverted from maritime security operations in the region to assist in the search for the Malaysian Airlines flight which disappeared off the coast of Vietnam. As long as our ships go to sea with helicopters embarked, you can count yourself as a first responder. You can expect to go forward. Will you be ready?

Continued from page 33


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMGUEST SPEAKERS

VIDEO REMARKS DURING THE KEYNOTE ADDRESSRAY MABUSSecretary of the Navy

Ray Mabus is the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy and leads America’s Navy and Marine Corps.

As Secretary of the Navy, Mabus is responsible for conducting the affairs of the Department of the Navy, including recruiting, organizing, equipping, training and mobilizing. Additionally, he oversees the construction and repair of naval ships, aircraft, and facilities, and formulates and implements policies and programs consistent with the national security policies established by the President and the Secretary of Defense. Secretary Mabus is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $170 billion and leadership of almost 900,000 people.

Upon assumption of office and throughout his tenure, Mabus has prioritized improving the quality of life of Sailors, Marines and their families, decreasing the Department’s dependence on fossil fuels, strengthening partnerships and revitalizing the Navy’s shipbuilding program.

Leading the world’s only global Navy, Mabus has traveled more than 800 thousand miles to over 100 countries to maintain and develop relationships with national and international officials and visit with Sailors and Marines forward deployed or stationed around the world. He has traveled to Afghanistan on 12 separate occasions, in recognition of the sacrifice and service of Sailors and Marines deployed in combat zones.

To prepare service members and their families for the high tempo operations of today’s Navy and Marine Corps, Mabus announced in 2012 the “21st Century Sailor and Marine” initiative, designed to build and maintain the most resilient and ready force possible.

Mabus also directed the Navy and Marine Corps to change the way they use, produce and acquire energy, and set an aggressive goal that no later than 2020, the Navy and Marine Corps obtain at least 50% of their energy from alternative sources. In pursuit of that goal, the Department has achieved several milestones. In 2012, President Obama announced in his State of the Union address that the Department will purchase or facilitate the production of 1GW of renewable energy for use on Navy and Marine Corps installations. The Navy also demonstrated the Great Green Fleet in 2012, a carrier strike group in which every participating U.S. Navy ship and type of aircraft operated on alternative energy sources including nuclear energy and biofuels.

Secretary Mabus has made increasing the size of the naval fleet and protecting the industrial base a top budget priority of the Department. During his tenure, the Navy went from building fewer than five ships a year to having more than 40 ships under contract, most of them in fixed-price, multi-year deals that assure value for taxpayers, certainty for industry partners and strength for our nation.

In June 2010, as an additional duty, President Obama appointed Mabus to prepare the long-term recovery plan for the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mabus’ report was released in September 2010 and met with broad bi-partisan support with most recommendations passed into law by Congress as the Restore Act. Included in the legislation was a fund to aid in the Gulf Coast’s recovery by distributing 80 percent of any civil penalties awarded as a result of the damage caused by the disaster. To date, civil penalties total more than one billion dollars.

Before his appointment, Mabus held a variety of leadership positions. From 1988 to 1992, Mabus served as Governor of Mississippi, the youngest elected to that office in more than 150 years. Mabus was Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1994-1996 and later was Chairman and CEO of a manufacturing company.

Mabus has been recognized for his leadership of the Navy and Marine Corps on multiple occasions. In 2013, he was named one of the top 50 highest rated CEOs by Glassdoor, an online jobs and career community. Mabus was the only leader of a federal agency to receive this award.

Secretary Mabus is a native of Ackerman, Mississippi, and received a Bachelor’s Degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Mississippi, a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a Law Degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. After Johns Hopkins, Mabus served in the Navy as an officer aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock.


GUEST SPEAKER FOR THE SAFETY SYMPOSIUMREAR ADMIRAL KENNETH “K.J.” NORTON

COMMANDER, NAVAL SAFETY CENTER

In January 2013, Rear Admiral Norton assumed the duties as commander, Naval Safety Center.

Norton commanded USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) from 2007 to 2010, leading the ship on two U.S. Central Command deployments in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Following the second deployment, he successfully led Reagan during the multinational maritime exercise Rim of the Pacific exercise 2010. Under his command, Reagan was awarded the 2008 and 2009 Battle “E” as well as the 2009 Chief of Naval Operations Afloat Safety Award.

Norton’s other command tours include USS Camden (AOE 2) from October 2004 to October 2005 and commanding officer Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Two from 1998 to 2001. Under his command and leadership Camden was awarded the 2004 Battle “E.”

Afloat tours include Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 2 (HS-2) from March 1983 to December 1985, where he made two Western Pacific/Indian Ocean deployments aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). He then reported to Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) and deployed to the Persian Gulf aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in support of post-DESERT STORM operations as the helicopter operations/anti-submarine warfare officer. In May 1992, he reported to HS-6 for his aviation department head tour where he deployed aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH in Southern Iraq and RESTORE HOPE in Somalia. Norton served as the squadron executive officer to HS-10 from 1997 to July 1998. Following his tour at HS-10, he joined CVW-2 aboard USS Constellation (CV 64) where he served as air wing executive officer. After completion of the Navy’s nuclear power training pipeline, Norton reported aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and served as the executive officer from December 2002 to September 2004.

Ashore, Norton served on the H-60 Fleet Introduction Team (FIT) while simultaneously instructing at Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) 41 (HSL-41) from January 1986 to April 1990. Norton’s other shore assignments include the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) PERS-432, studying at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and service as a battle watch captain attached to J3 of JFCC GSI / U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) from November 2005 to September 2007.

Following his command tours, Norton reported as the special assistant to Commander, Naval Air Forces in September 2010. His first flag assignment was as U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Resources, and Plans where he served from April 2011 to December 2012.

Norton was commissioned in July 1981 under the Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate (AVROC) program and graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology. He has accumulated over 4,500 hours in rotary wing aircraft and has nine overseas deployments. His personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, in addition to various unit and service awards.


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMGUEST SPEAKERS

GUEST SPEAKER FOR CVW MH-60R/S INTEGRATIONREAR ADMIRAL KEVIN M. SWEENEY

COMMANDER, CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 10

A native of Wynnewood, PA, Rear Admiral Sweeney graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982.

Sweeney’s sea duty assignments include tours as communications officer and anti-surface warfare officer in USS John Rodgers (DD 983); combat systems officer in USS Elliot (DD 967); combat systems officer and readiness and training officer at Commander, Destroyer Squadron 13 and executive officer in USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51). In March 2001, Sweeney assumed command of USS Cole (DDG 67) and was responsible for Cole’s restoration and return to fleet operations in April 2002. He next reported to the staff of Commander, Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group as the surface operations officer and then operations officer, and deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. In March 2005, Sweeney assumed command of Destroyer Squadron 26 and served as the sea combat commander for the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.

Ashore, Sweeney completed three tours in Washington, D.C., as an action officer on the staffs of the chief of naval operations and the joint staff; and as the executive assistant to the under secretary of the Navy; served as flag secretary for the Commander in Chief, U.S. Joint Forces Command and Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, and served at Navy Personnel Command as branch head for Surface Warfare Officer Commander and Lieutenant Commander Assignments. He also served as the executive assistant to the Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command and most recently as the executive officer to the Commander, U.S. Central Command.

Sweeney graduated with distinction with a Master of Science degree in Management, specializing in Financial Management from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, in 1989. He also graduated with a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval Command and Staff Course at the Naval War College in Newport, RI, in 1994. Additionally, he completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 2007.

Sweeney’s decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal (two awards), Legion of Merit (two awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various campaign and service awards.

GUEST SPEAKER FOR READINESS IN A RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT BRIEFREAR ADMIRAL MARK LEAVITTCOMMANDER, NAVAL AIR FORCE RESERVEDEPUTY COMMANDER, NAVAL AIR FORCE/NAVAL AIR FORCE PACIFIC FLEET

RADM Leavitt is a New England native and son of a United States Marine Corps Sergeant Major. He is a graduate of Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, FL, and enlisted as an Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate in April 1982. Upon

graduation from FSU, he entered Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, FL. He was designated a Naval Aviator in June 1986 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Meridian, MS. His current assignment is Commander Naval Air Force Reserve which oversees all Navy Reserve aviation assets.

Leavitt completed operational assignments with the Blue Blasters of Attack Squadron (VA) 34 and Commander, Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW 7) assigned as the senior staff landing signals officer, both based in Virginia Beach, VA.

His shore assignments include Fleet Replacement instructor pilot duty with the Green Pawns of VA-42. His command tours include: Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VR) 56; Training Air Wing Two Reserve Component; Chief of Naval Air Training Reserve Component; and, Joint Transportation Reserve Unit Navy Element, United States Transportation Command. He has also served as deputy Reserve component commander, Navy Region Midwest.

In October 2011, Leavitt was promoted to flag rank. He has commanded Naval Air Force Reserve and the Naval Air Training Command.

Leavitt has accumulated over 5,000 hours in multiple naval aircraft. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and other personal and unit awards and citations.


GUEST SPEAKER FOR THE PMA-299 BRIEFCAPTAIN JAMES A. GLASS

PROGRAM MANAGER, H-60 HELICOPTER PROGRAM OFFICE, PMA-299

Captain Glass is in command of the Navy’s H-60 Helicopter Program, headquartered at Patuxent River, MD. The H-60 Program Office, PMA-299, provides full-spectrum, world-wide support for the Navy’s SH-60B, SH-60F, HH-60H, MH-60R and MH-

60S helicopters and user communities, working closely with Type Wing Commanders, Carrier Air Wing Commanders, OPNAV and the Naval Aviation Enterprise. The program also acquires new aircraft and weapon systems for fleet employment, leading accomplishment of two Acquisition Category I programs.

Captain Glass is a native of Neenah, WI. His Naval career began in Aviation Officer Candidate School after graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in May 1986. He was commissioned as an Ensign after graduating from Aviation Officer Candidate School in December 1986 and designated a Naval Aviator in May 1988.

After completion of Fleet Replacement Training, Captain Glass reported to HSL-45 in February 1989. While flying the SH-60B, he deployed to the Western Pacific aboard USS Fife (DD-991) from a forward deployed base in Atsugi, Japan and aboard USS Gary (FFG-51) to the Middle East. Additional duties while attached to HSL-45 included Legal Officer, Assistant Operations Officer, and Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization Instructor.

Selected for the Naval Post-Graduate School/Test Pilot School Cooperative Program in 1992, Captain Glass graduated from the USN Test Pilot School (USNTPS) in December, 1994, receiving a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Post-Graduate School. After completing his test pilot obligation at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWO ONE (HX-21), Captain Glass served as the personal aide to the Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan. He then reported to HSL-41 as Maintenance Department Head and flight instructor.

At the completion of his tour in HSL-41, Captain Glass transferred to the Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer corps. As an AEDO, he served as the Navy Team Lead and Chief Flight Officer at Defense Contract Management Agency located at Lockheed-Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY, from September 1998 to September 2001.

Captain Glass returned to HX-21 to serve as the MH-60R Government Flight Test Director from September 2001 to April 2004. He reported to Naval Air Systems Command in May 2004 and served as the Deputy Program Manager for Common Systems for the MH-60 program until May 2006 when he reported to USNTPS as the Executive Officer. He assumed command in January 2008.

Subsequent to USNTPS command in May 2009, Captain Glass reported to Naval Air Systems Command as Executive Assistant to the Commander. He subsequently served as Deputy Program Manager for Presidential Helicopters, In-Service programs from January 2010 to May 2011. In July 2011, Captain Glass reported to Program Executive Officer (ASW/ASM) as Program Manager for the H-60 Program, PMA-299.

Captain Glass has over 2000 flight hours in numerous types of rotary and fixed wing aircraft. His personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars, Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two gold stars, and Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal with gold star.

GUEST SPEAKER FOR PMA-266 FIRE SCOUT UAV BRIEF CDR BRIAN P. REARDONUNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS

Commander Brian P. Reardon attended the United States Naval Academy with the class of 1996 and was awarded his Naval Aviator’s Wings in October of 1998.

Following SH-60B Fleet Replacement Pilot Training, Commander Reardon reported to the Proud Warriors of HSL-42 in Mayport, FL. He deployed in USS John L. Hall (FFG 32), USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79), and served as Detachment Ten’s Maintenance Officer in USS Stephen W. Groves (FFG 29).

In October of 2002, Commander Reardon reported to HT-8 as an instructor pilot. While at HT-8 he exceeded 1,000 flight hours in the TH-57.

Reporting to USS Wasp (LHD 1) in February, 2005, Commander Reardon served as the Aircraft Handling Officer and V-1 division officer. While serving in Wasp, Commander Reardon qualified as Helicopter Control Officer, Command Duty Officer, and Officer of the Deck (underway).

Following selection for Aviation Department Head, Commander Reardon rejoined the Proud Warriors of HSL-42 in February, 2007. In addition to serving as the squadron’s Operations Officer, Commander Reardon served as the Officer in Charge of Detachment SEVEN, embarking in USS John L. Hall (FFG 32), USS Farragut (DDG 99), and in USS Kauffman (FFG 59).

In August of 2009 Commander Reardon reported to the Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Tactical UAS Program Office (PMA-266) where he served as the Deputy Program Manager for Air Ship Integration. In that role, he led the effort to integrate the Fire Scout MQ-8B/C, Ground Control System, and C4I mission systems in the LCS, FFG, and DDG classes of ships. He led the effort to deploy the Fire Scout system in support of SOCOM, CENTCOM, AFRICOM, and NATO providing much needed ISR coverage to deployed combat units.

In October of 2012 Commander Reardon reported to ECRC Forward Norfolk in support of Overseas Contingency Operations. CDR Reardon deployed in USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG 49) and USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) where he flew Fire Scout missions in support of SOCOM Counter Terrorism objectives in the AFRICOM AOR.

Commander Reardon has rejoined PMA-266 where he now serves as the Military Lead for the MQ-8B Fire Scout Program.



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2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMFLAG PANEL

VICE ADMIRAL DAVID A. DUNAWAYCOMMANDER, NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND

Vice Admiral Dunaway was born in El Paso, TX. After receiving his wings in April 1984, he served as a graduate flight instructor, then went on to complete flight training in the F/A-18 Hornet. From 1986 to 1989 he flew with the Vigilantes of Strike Fighter Squadron 151

aboard the carrier USS Midway (CV 41) homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, and was then selected for Class 96 at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, MD.

Dunaway’s test assignments include: A-12 operational test director with Air and Test Evaluation Squadron (VX) 5; F/A-18 branch head; deputy for Test and Evaluation at the F/A-18 Weapon System Support Activity; and F/A-18E/F operational test director with VX-9, where he flew more than 200 developmental test missions and was the test pilot of the year.

His program management assignments include: F/A-18 Radar Integrated Product Team lead for Program Manager Air (PMA) 265, responsible for the development of the APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array radar; program manager for the Precision Strike Weapons program office (PMA-201); and deputy program executive officer for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault, and Special Mission Programs.

From September 2007 to January 2009, Dunaway served as the commander of the Naval Air Warfare Center (Weapons Division) at China Lake and Point Mugu, CA, and as U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) assistant commander for Test and Evaluation. His next flag assignment was as commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force in Norfolk, VA, where he served from January 2009 to August 2012. In September 2012, he assumed command of the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, MD.

Dunaway is a class of 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Science in Aviation Systems Management from the University of Tennessee, and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. His personal decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He has accrued more than 2,900 flight hours and 290 arrested carrier landings.

VICE ADMIRAL PAUL A. GROSKLAGSPRINCIPAL MILITARY DEPUTY

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY FOR RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND ACQUISITIONS

Vice Admiral Grosklags is a native of DeKalb, IL. After being designated a Naval Aviator in October 1983, he immediately reported to Training Squadron Three at North Whiting Field in Milton, FL, as a T-34C flight instructor.

Grosklags served operational tours with Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadrons 34 and 42, where he flew the SH-2F and SH-60B, respectively. Grosklags made multiple deployments with the USS John Hancock (DD 981), USS Donald B. Beary (FF 1085), USS Comte de Grasse (DD 974), and USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55). He later served as both executive and commanding officer of Helicopter Training Squadron 18.

Grosklags’ acquisition tours include engineering test pilot and assignments as MH-60R assistant program manager for systems engineering, H-60 assistant program manager for test and evaluation, MH-60R deputy program manager, and ultimately as program manager for Multi-Mission Helicopters (PMA-299), during which time the MH-60R was successfully introduced to the fleet. Grosklags also served as operations officer and subsequently as deputy Program Executive Officer for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Mission Programs (PEO(A)).

Grosklags has served flag tours as commander, Fleet Readiness Centers and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) assistant commander for Logistics and Industrial Operation, NAVAIR vice commander, and PEO(A). In July 2013, he assumed responsibilities as principal military deputy for the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition).

Grosklags graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982, is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Class 99, and holds a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He has more than 5,000 military flight hours in numerous types of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. Grosklags is a proud but humble co-owner of the Green Bay Packers and works weekends providing free labor on his wife’s fish farm.


REAR ADMIRAL MICHAEL C. MANAZIRDIRECTOR, AIR WARFARE (OPNAV N98)

Manazir, the son of a United States Marine, entered the U.S. Naval Academy from Mission Viejo, CA, and graduated in 1981. He earned his Naval Aviation wings in April 1983, and deployed in the F-14A in July 1984.Manazir commanded the Tomcatters of Fighter Squadron 31 (Jun97-Sep98), USS

Sacramento (AOE1) (Jan03-Jul04), USS Nimitz (CVN 68) (Mar07-Aug09) and Carrier Strike Group 8 embarked in USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Sep11-Jun13).

Prior to squadron command, his afloat tours included service as a fighter pilot and Landing Signal Officer aboard various aircraft carriers on the west coast. Following Navy Nuclear Power Training, Manazir served as the Executive Officer of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) (Jul01-

Dec02).Ashore, Manazir served as an action officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, on the Chief of Naval

Operations staff as F-14 Requirements Officer, and for the Commander, Naval Air Forces, as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Readiness.

As a flag officer, Manazir served as director, Strike Aircraft, Weapons, and Carrier programs on the Chief of Naval Operations Staff (N880) from Aug 09 - Sep11.

Manazir qualified in the F-14A/D and F/A-18E/F aircraft and has flown more than 3750 hours and 1200 arrested landings during 15 deployments aboard aircraft carriers on both coasts.

He is the recipient of various personal and campaign awards including the Legion of Merit (6), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (2), and the Strike/Flight Air Medal (2). In 2007, Manazir was recognized as the Tailhooker of the Year by the Tailhook Association. Manazir has been married for 31 years and has two grown children.

RADM Manazir currently serves as the Director, Air Warfare (OPNAV N98) on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). In this capacity, Manazir is responsible for the development, programming, and budgeting of all U.S. Naval Aviation warfighting requirements, resourcing and manpower.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER / FLAG PANELREAR ADMIRAL TROY M. “MIKE” SHOEMAKER

COMMANDER, NAVAL AIR FORCE ATLANTIC

Rear Admiral Shoemaker, a native of St. Petersburg, FL, graduated with honors from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering and was designated a Naval Aviator in July 1984.Shoemaker’s operational assignments include tours with Light Attack Squadron (VA)

105, USS Forrestal (CV 59); Carrier Air Wing (CVW) Three, USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67); Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CV 69), USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75); CVW-17, USS George Washington (CVN 73); Carrier Strike Group (CSG) Nine, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and CSG-3, USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Shoemaker commanded VFA-105, VFA-106 (F/A-18 Fleet Replacement Squadron), CVW-17, CSG-9 and CSG-3.

His shore assignments include VA-174 and instructor duty with VA-122 and VFA-106. He also served as aide to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations and Commander, U.S. Pacific Command; was assigned to Navy Personnel Command (head of Aviation Officer Placement - PERS-433); and, was the executive assistant to Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In his first flag officer assignment, he was assistant commander, Navy Personnel Command for Career Management (PERS-4). He has completed the Naval War College Non-Resident Program and is a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College. He reported as commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic in June 2013.

Shoemaker has accumulated over 4,400 flight hours, primarily in the A-7E Corsair and the F/A-18C Hornet and has 1,066 carrier-arrested landings. His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit (5), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (3), Air Medal (3) (one individual award with combat “V” and two strike/flight awards) and other personal, campaign and service ribbons.


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMFLAG PANEL

REAR ADMIRAL ANDREW L. “WOODY” LEWISCOMMANDER, NAVAL STRIKE AND AIR WARFARE CENTER

Rear Admiral Lewis is a native of Los Altos, CA, and a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He was designated a Naval Aviator in April 1987.

His command tours include Carrier Air Wing 3 deploying in USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 aboard Naval Air Station Oceana, and VFA 15 deploying in USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).

Lewis’ sea tours include a division officer tour in Attack Squadron 72 deploying in USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67), as an exchange pilot/tactics instructor in 800 Naval Air Squadron deploying in HMS Invincible (R05), and as a department head in VFA 192 deploying in USS Independence (CV 62). Other deployed tours have been as a battle director at the Combined Air Operations Center in Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, and as the Maritime Operations Center Director at Naval Forces Central Command, Bahrain.

Ashore, Lewis served as an instructor pilot in Air Training Squadron 23, as a branch chief at the Joint Warfare Analysis Center, as the executive assistant to the Chief of Naval Air Force, and as the executive assistant for the Director, Joint Staff. Presently, he is the commander of Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center in Fallon, NV. He is a graduate of Air Command and Staff College, the Armed Forces Staff College, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Military History from the University of Alabama.

He has flown over 100 combat missions in Operations DESERT SHIELD, DESERT STORM, SOUTHERN WATCH, DENY FLIGHT, ENDURING FREEDOM and IRAQI FREEDOM. He has accumulated over 5,200 flight hours and 1,100 arrested landings. He was the recipient of the Naval Air Forces Pacific Pilot of the Year in 1996. He is the prospective Commander of Carrier Strike Group Twelve (CSG-12).

Lewis’ personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (4 awards), Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (7 Strike Flight and 4 Individual with Combat “V”), 3 Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals (2 with Combat “V”), and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, as well as various service and campaign awards.

REAR ADMIRAL WILLIAM K. LESCHERDEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY FOR BUDGET (FMB) DIRECTOR, FISCAL MANAGEMENT DIVISION, OPNAV (N82)

Rear Admiral Lescher has served as the Department of Navy Budget Officer since December 2013. A native of Highland Park, IL, and Naval Academy graduate, he flew H-2 Seasprites with the Lamplighters of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Light (HSL) 36 after

graduating with distinction from primary and helicopter flight training, and H-60 Seahawks with the HSL-44 Swampfoxes, deploying aboard USS O’Bannon (DD 987), USS Clark (FFG 11), USS Capodanno (FF 1068) and USS Elrod (FFG 55).

In later tours, he commanded the HSL-48 Vipers, the HSL-40 Airwolves and the Atlantic Fleet Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing. Between command of the Vipers and Airwolves, Lescher

was executive officer of Mine Countermeasures Command and Control Ship USS Inchon (MCS 12). He most recently commanded Expeditionary Strike Group Five/Task Forces 51/59 in Bahrain, leading the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG)/24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU); Peleliu ARG/15 MEU; Kearsarge ARG/26 MEU and the afloat forward staging base USS Ponce (AFSB(I)-15) in execution of multiple contingency response and counter-terrorism support missions, and Theater Security Cooperation exercises spanning the Naval Forces Central Command region.

On his first shore tour, Lescher graduated with distinction from Naval Test Pilot School following intermediate jet training. He led the Naval Air Warfare Center team conducting all SH-60B testing and launched the first guided missiles from a Navy helicopter. In other shore tours, he served as head programmer in the OPNAV Space, Command and Control, and Information Warfare Directorate; as deputy director/acting director of the Budget and Appropriations Affairs Directorate in OUSD (Comptroller); and in the Joint Staff as head of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Office and Program and Budget Analysis Division Chief. Shore Flag assignments include director, Operations Division, Department of the Navy Budget Office and Joint Staff Deputy Director for Resources and Acquisition.

Lescher has been recognized as the Association of Naval Aviation’s HSL Pilot of the Year, the Naval Helicopter Association’s Regional Pilot of the Year, and the Naval Air Warfare Center’s Rotary Wing Test Pilot of the Year. He holds an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School and an Aeronautical Engineering MS degree from the Naval Postgraduate School/Test Pilot School Cooperative program. Military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal (three awards), Legion of Merit (three awards), Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation and Achievement Medals, and various campaign and unit decorations.


2014 FLAG PANEL MODERATORREAR ADMIRAL DANIEL H. FILLIONDIRECTOR OF STRATEGY, POLICY, & PLANS

US SOUTHERN COMMAND

Rear Admiral Fillion serves as US Southern Command’s Director of Strategy, Policy, & Plans, J5. As the J5, Fillion leads the combatant command’s policy recommendations, strategy, and contingency and theater campaign plans for

the Caribbean, Central American, and South American regions. His immediate previous assignment was Executive Assistant to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller).

Fillion is a 1984 graduate of the College of Charleston, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. He also earned a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University.

Fillion’s afloat assignments include service in the USS Nimitz (Navigator) and the USS Wasp (LHD 1) as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer. His aviation assignments in the SH-3 and SH-60B/R involved tours with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 1, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadrons Light 40, 44 and 46, and Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 2. He served as Commanding Officer of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 51 and of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 41.

Ashore and staff assignments have included duty in the Politico-Military Affairs Directorate in Joint Staff J5; Director of the President’s Emergency Operations Center in the White House; Air Warfare Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Budget Analyst in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; and Fellow on the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group (XXIX).

Fillion’s military decorations include the Legion of Merit (3 awards), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2 awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3 awards), and various service and unit awards.

REAR ADMIRAL RICHARD P. “RICK” SNYDERCOMMANDER, EXPEDITIONARY STRIKE GROUP TWO

Rear Admiral Rick Snyder graduated with honors from Tulane University in May 1983, earning a B.S. in Management. He was commissioned in the Navy having completed the Navy ROTC program. In November 1984, Rear Admiral Snyder

was designated a Naval Aviator.Following initial training in the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter, Snyder served at Helicopter

Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 43, based in North Island, CA. Subsequent flying tours included duties as an instructor pilot at HSL-40 and as a department head at HSL-46 in Mayport, FL.

Shore tours included attendance at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, where he earned a M.S. in Operations Research and a follow-on tour as the Navy analyst for the Republic of Korea/U.S. Combined Forces Command in Seoul, Korea. In Washington, D.C., Snyder served the secretary of defense as the aviation liaison for public affairs, and he served as a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States. Snyder also served as a senior fellow in the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group. On the Joint Staff, Snyder served in the Directorate for Strategy and Policy (J5) as Deputy Director for Joint Strategic Planning, Deputy Director for Partnership Strategy, and as Executive Assistant to the J5 Director.

Snyder has served at sea in USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as Navigator and in USS Bataan (LHD 5) as executive officer. In command, Snyder led the men and women of HSL-46, HSL-40, and Bataan.

Personal awards earned by Snyder include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), and the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3 awards).


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMCAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY PANEL

RAYMOND G. DUQUETTEPRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF CAE USA, MILITARY – SIMULATION & TRAINING

Raymond G. Duquette was appointed President and General Manager of CAE USA, Military – Simulation & Training, a Tampa, Florida-based subsidiary of CAE in July

2013. This business unit designs, manufactures and provides training systems, training services, and simulation-based solutions for military and government customers in the U.S. and abroad. In his position as president, Mr. Duquette is responsible for the strategic direction, general management and operation of the business unit.

Mr. Duquette has more than 20 years experience in the global defense industry. He served as Vice President, Global Business Development and Sales for the CAE Military business segment from June 2010 to July 2013, responsible for the development and

implementation of the global military strategy and new business capture execution. Prior to that, he was Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Business Development for the United States, Central and South America at CAE USA for over six years.

In 1989, Mr. Duquette began his career within the simulation and training industry with Boeing Training Systems and Services where he held positions of increasing responsibility over 14 years. He served as an active duty Marine Corps officer and fighter pilot for over ten years and remained active in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves for an additional nineteen years, retiring in 2008 at the rank of Colonel.

Mr. Duquette has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Florida State University and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M – Kingsville University. In addition, he has completed several senior level management and executive leadership development programs with the United States Marine Corps (USMC), Boeing and CAE.

EDWIN P. BIRTWELL VICE PRESIDENT TURBOSHAFT ENGINES MILITARY SYSTEMS OPERATION GE AVIATION

Ed Birtwell graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1972 with a BS in Aerospace Engineering. He received an MS degree in Aeronautics and

Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974.Following a two-year research assignment at MIT, Ed joined the engineering

department at Sikorsky Aircraft. In 1976, he joined GE Aircraft Engines in Lynn, Massachusetts. After a number of engineering assignments on various product lines, he entered the T700 Project Department in 1984. There he held several program management positions covering Army, Navy, International and Marketing programs. In 1990, Ed became Director of T700 U.S. Military Programs, covering all U.S. Government T700 programs. In 1995, he was assigned as Director of Turboshaft International Operations, including the T700/CT7 growth engine and new T700/CT7 applications.

In October 1998, Ed was promoted to the position of General Manager, T700 Engine Project Department, overseeing all aspects of the T700/CT7 turboshaft engine. This was expanded in 2001 to include all of GE’s turboshaft engine product lines leading to Ed’s current position of Vice President, Turboshaft Engines. Ed is married with one child and resides in Marblehead, Massachusetts.


JAMES M. ZORTMANSECTOR VICE PRESIDENT

GLOBAL LOGISTICS & OPERATIONAL SUPPORTSITE MANAGER, UNMANNED SYSTEMS CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

NORTHROP GRUMMAN AEROSPACE SYSTEMS

James M. (“Jim”) Zortman is sector vice president, Global Logistics and Operational Support, for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (AS), a premier provider of manned

and unmanned aircraft, space systems and advanced technologies critical to our nation’s security.

Supporting sector strategy of “design anywhere, build anywhere, support anywhere,” Zortman provides sector-level leadership of the full spectrum of logistics and product support functions. He is responsible for ensuring that the same excellence represented in design and production at AS is fully realized in anticipation and fulfillment of product support requirements.

Zortman joined Northrop Grumman in January 2008 following a career in the U.S. Navy, where he attained the rank of vice admiral. He served as commander Naval Air Forces and chief executive officer, Naval Aviation Enterprise. In this role, he led a combined team of more than 180,000 military, government, civilian and contractor personnel responsible for operations, readiness and full life cycle management of 3,800 aircraft and 12 aircraft carriers.

His other assignments include commander, Naval Air Forces, Pacific Fleet; commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet; commander, Task Force Fifty; commander, John C. Stennis Battle Group; director, Operations and Politico-Military Affairs; and executive officer to the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (four), the Bronze Star and the Air Medal.

Zortman presently serves on the board of trustees of the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the board of United Through Reading. He also serves on the executive committee of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.

Zortman earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and completed a fellowship with the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group at the Naval War College. In addition, he completed courses in executive business and strategic planning at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, and the University of North Carolina Business School at Chapel Hill.

CHARLES “CHUCK” DEITCHMANG E N E R A L M A N A G E R , P A T U X E N T R I V E R F A C I L I T YS I K O R S K Y A I R C R A F T

Captain Deitchman grew up in Los Altos, California and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1976. He was designated an Unrestricted Naval Aviator in 1978.

His early career included numerous squadron tours and shipboard deployments to include Command Tours at HC-11 and HC-3.

Shore tours assignments included the Naval Postgraduate School, Office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel and Training (OP-01), The Naval War College, Head of Helicopter Requirements in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (N88).

Captain Deitchman Commanded Helicopter Tactical Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and Helicopter Combat Support Squadrons Three and Eleven. He has flown the CH-46, H-3, UH-1, MH-53, and MH-60S.

After retiring from the Navy, he worked for Lockheed Martin Corporation in their Washington Office. His area of responsibility was Helicopter Business Development and included interacting with Senior Department of Defense Officials and the U.S. Congress. He then was assigned as the Lockheed Martin Flight Test Director for the MH-60R developmental flight test program in Patuxent River, MD. After the successful completion of developmental flight testing he was assigned as the MH-60R Production Manager in Owego, NY. His last position with Lockheed was as the Deputy Program Manager and Aviation Lead for Lockheed’s Littoral Combat Ship Program in Washington, D.C.

In 2010 Captain Deitchman accepted a position at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation as the General Manager of the company’s Patuxent River, MD facility. In this position he coordinates activities for the MH-60, CH-53, Presidential Helicopter, and Unmanned Aircraft Programs. In 2013 he was assigned the additional responsibility of Director Navy Business Development with his primary location moving to The Sikorsky Arlington, Virginia Office.


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMCAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY PANEL

DAN SPOORVICE PRESIDENT AND OWEGO GENERAL MANAGER OF AVIATION SYSTEMSLOCKHEED MARTIN MISSION SYSTEMS AND TRAINING

Dan Spoor serves as vice president and Owego site general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems and Training (MS2) Ship & Aviation Systems line of business. In this role, he is the site lead, responsible for ensuring success for all lines of business and functions resident at the 3,000- employee Owego location.

Mr. Spoor has responsibility for Lockheed Martin’s Rotary Wing Center of Excellence which includes the lead integration role for the U.S. Navy’s multi-mission MH-60R platform, as well as development of the unmanned resupply K-MAX helicopter. He also oversees Lockheed Martin’s efforts in support of the presidential helicopter program.

Previously, Mr. Spoor led an effort to develop and market mission systems across a broad range of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, and served as the lead for Lockheed Martin’s pursuit of the Air Force Combat Search and Rescue program, a position he assumed in 2005.With more than 30 years of experience in the aerospace and defense industry, his career began at General Electric Corporation where he held progressively higher-level management positions prior to joining General Signal Corporation in Rochester, NY. From 2000 to 2005, Mr. Spoor was president and CEO of Lockheed Martin Canada. Mr. Spoor holds a B.S. from Clarkson University and an MBA from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the Tau Beta Pi honorary engineering fraternity and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Mr. Spoor has served on the board of the United Way and the Boy Scouts. He has also served as a director of the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation, and served on the board of directors for ISCO International.

2014 CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY PANEL MODERATORSTEVE SCHREIBER

VICE PRESIDENT, NORTH AMERICAN STRATEGY & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT KONGSBERG DEFENSE SYSTEMS

Senior Executive, Military Test Pilot, Information Dominance Warfare Qualified (ISR/Cyber/Unmanned Systems/Information Technologies/Electronic Warfare/Space

Systems), and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt with more than 20 years of experience in operating, leading and managing complex organizations. A proven record of achieving the highest levels of productivity and efficiency. An exemplary leader, mentor, manager, and communicator with key organizational, administrative, and people strengths that focus on establishing goals, building alliances, guiding high-performance teams, and achieving priority objectives.

Steve was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but grew up in Tucson, Arizona where he attended the University of Arizona and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He entered the United States Navy through the Aviation Reserve Officer Corps program in July 1983, earned his Wings of Gold as a pilot in January 1985, and retired in August 2013 as a Captain after 30 years of dedicated service.

His last military assignment was to the Pentagon as the Military/Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Robert O. Work. Prior to this tour, he was the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance/Director of Naval Intelligence (OPNAV N2/6) at the Pentagon, and the Commander, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic in Norfolk, the Navy’s largest and most diverse Wing, supporting Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief and combat operations worldwide. Before his Commodore tour, he was Chief of Staff, Carrier Strike Group EIGHT and Eisenhower Strike Group embarked in the Dwight D. Eisenhower in support of combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. During his Joint tour, he was the Chief, Strategic Plans and Policies Division, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) at MacDill Air Force Base, FL; he deployed numerous times to Afghanistan and Iraq in direct support of Special Operations Forces as the lead for the USSOCOM’s Afghanistan Joint Counter-Ambush and Improvised Explosives Device Advisory Team. He was formerly the Commanding Officer, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron FIVE (HS-5), deployed aboard the USS John F. Kennedy in support of combat operations during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, as well as Operation NOBLE EAGLE following the attacks on 9-11-01. His other assignments included Executive Officer, HS-5; C4I and TACAIR Analyst for the Secretary of the Navy’s staff (SECNAV-Office of Program Appraisals); Aide and Deputy Executive Assistant to the Navy’s Director of Space, Information Warfare, Command and Control (N6) at the Pentagon; Operations Officer, HS-3 in support of combat operations in Bosnia and Iraq; and a Naval Test Pilot, at the Naval Test Center, Patuxent River, MD. He was selected as the first American helicopter pilot to attend the British Empire Test Pilot’s School in 1990. Prior to attending Test Pilot School, he was a Government Flight Representative and an Acceptance Pilot at Sikorsky Aircraft. His first operational flying tour was with Helicopter Combat Support Squadron FOUR (HC-4) flying CH-53Es in Sigonella, Sicily.


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMSENOR ENLISTED MATTERS PANEL

2014 SENIOR ENLISTED MATTERS PANEL MODERATORCMDCM CLIFTON D. MOORE, USN

H S C - 2 F L E E T A N G E L S

Command Master Chief Clifton Moore was born and raised in Roxboro, North Carolina, where he joined the Navy in March 1992.

After completing Basic Training at Recruit Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, he attended Fire Controlman Class “A” School at Service School Command Great Lakes, Illinois; and reported to his first duty assignment onboard USS Peterson (DD 969).

Master Chief Moore’s other assignments have included USS Clark (FFG 11), Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic in Dam Neck, USS McFaul (DDG 74), Afloat Training Group Norfolk and USS San Jacinto (CG 56). He has earned six Battle Efficiency “E” awards, Master Training Specialist qualification and the Afloat Training Specialist certification.

In January 2010, Master Chief Moore was selected into the Command Master Chief program and reported to VFA-32.

In November 2013, he reported to the HSC-2 Fleet Angels where he currently serves. He is a graduate of the United States Navy Senior Enlisted Academy, Class 155 “Blue”, National Defense

University’s KEYSTONE Senior Enlisted course and holds an Associate in Applied Science from Excelsior College.

Master Chief Moore was selected by his Senior Enlisted Academy classmates to represent the class for the prestigious Peter Tomich Distinguished Leadership Award.

Master Chief Moore’s personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4 awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (5 awards), Navy Good Conduct Medal (5 awards) and numerous Unit and Service Awards.

AFCM KAREN GAREIS, USNH S C - 5 N I G H T D I P P E R S

Master Chief Gareis is a native of Sacramento, CA and entered the Navy in July 1992. She reported for Training at Recruit Training Command, Orlando, FL, with follow on orders to Aviation Structural Mechanic “A” School, Millington,

TN.Master Chief Gareis’ first assignment was Helicopter Support Squadron THREE

(HC-3), San Diego, CA. In 1996, she transferred to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron THREE ZERO (VRC-30), San Diego, CA, completed two Western Pacific deployments in 1997 and 1999 on board USS Constellation (CV 64). In 2001, she reported to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light FOUR ONE (HSL-41) also in San Diego, CA.

In 2002 she was advanced to Chief Petty Officer and served as Logs and Records Chief, Aircraft Division Chief, Maintenance Control Chief and Quality Assurance Supervisor. In 2005, she reported to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWO EIGHT (HSC-28), Norfolk, VA, served as Maintenance Control Chief and Detachment Leading Chief Petty Officer for deployments on board USS Bataan (LHD 5), USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20), and Naval Support Activity, Naples, Italy. In 2008, she achieved the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer and attended the Senior Enlisted Academy, Newport, RI, where she was awarded Class 140 “Honor Graduate.” In September 2008, she reported to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron TWO (HSC-2), Norfolk, VA, where she served with distinction as Acting Command Master Chief, Aircraft Division Leading Chief and Maintenance Control Leading Senior Chief. In April 2011, she reported to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron EIGHT FOUR (HSC-84) where she was selected to Master Chief Petty Officer and served as Acting Command Master Chief and Acting Maintenance Master Chief until July 2011. She currently serves as Maintenance Master Chief at Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron FIVE (HSC-5). During this tour, she has deployed twice on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), transitioned the squadron from HS to HSC, and won the 2013 Battle “E” Award.

Master Chief Gareis has earned the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4 Awards), the Navy Achievement Medal (4 Awards), and various unit and campaign awards. She is married to Naval Aircrew Senior Chief Jeff Gareis, has a daughter, Autumn (12), and son, Jonathan (4).


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUMSENIOR ENLISTED MATTERS PANEL

AVCM THOMAS JACKSON, USNH M - 1 5 B L A C K H A W K S

Avionics Technician Master Chief (AVCM) Thomas Jackson joined the Navy from Wayland, MI, in May 1991. Following graduation from recruit training in Great Lakes, IL, he reported to Aviation Electronics Technician “A” School at

Naval Aviation Technical Training Center Millington, TN. He attended SH-60B Fleet Replacement Aviation Maintenance Program (“C” School) at NAS Mayport, FL.

AVCM Jackson reported to his first duty station onboard HSL-42 where he qualified as SH-60B Plane Captain, AT/AE/AO/PR CD/QAR, ordnance Quality Assurance/Safety Officer, and Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS). During this assignment, he

completed deployments with USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS George Washington Battle Groups, as well as many other deployments.

AVCM Jackson’s follow-on assignments include VX-1, HSL-37 where he qualified as Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) , HX-21, HSC-22, an Individual Augmentee assignment with HSC-84, and HSC-2. His first tour as Maintenance Master Chief Petty Officer is at HM-15, where the crew has earned the Sikorsky “Golden Wrench” and the 2013 Battle “E.”

A graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Aeronautics.

Master Chief Jackson’s personal awards include Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (4) and Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal (6), along with many Unit awards.

AZCS (AW/NAC) JOSHUA T. HUNTER, USNH S C - 2 8 M A I N T E N A N C E C O N T R O L L E A D I N G C H I E F P E T T Y O F F I C E R

Joshua Hunter, a native of Fort Pierce, FL, graduated from Ft. Pierce Central High School in June 1987 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in July of the same year. He

completed recruit training at Recruit Training Command, Orlando, FL, and continued on to Aircrewmen Candidate School and Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare “A” school graduating from the AW pipeline in August 1988.

After completing his first cruise with VS-21, San Diego, CA, on board USS Enterprise (1989-90), he converted to Aviation Maintenance Administrationmen and attended “A” school in Meridian, MS, graduating in late 1990.

AZCS’s sea duties consist of tours with the VS-21 Shamrocks, VAQ-33 Adversaries, HSL-48 Vipers, HSC-25 Island Knights, VFA-14 Tophatters, HSC-28 Dragon Whales. During his career, he has completed a total of five ship deployments to the Med/MEF, Baltic Ops, Caribbean Counter Drug Ops, Indian Ocean/Persian Gulf and a yearlong IA tour in support of GWOT in Afghanistan with port visits around the world.

Ashore, AZCS was stationed abroad at NAS Atsugi, Japan, as Production Control Supervisor and with VX-1 Pioneers as Maintenance Control Chief Petty Officer and H-60 Test Program Advisor in Patuxent River, MD.

Upon completion of his IA tour, he transferred in July 2012, then reporting to his present command with the world famous HSC-28 Dragon Whales where he assumed the duties as the Maintenance Leading Senior Chief Petty Officer. The Dragon Whales have flawlessly executed their mission under his tutelage earning recognition as the 2013 Battle “E” Award Winners and as a SECDEF Maintenance Award Nominee.


AVCS SCOTT GRAYSON, USNH S C - 2 F L E E T A N G E L S

Scott Grayson, a native of Jasper, TN, graduated from Marion County High School in June 1989 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August of the same year.

He completed Recruit Training Command, San Diego, CA, and continued on to Aviation Structural Mechanic “A” School.

Senior Chief Grayson’s sea duties consisted of tours with the USS Enterprise, HM-15 Blackhawks, USS George Bush, and HSC-9 Tridents. During his career, he has completed a total of five ship deployments to include three Mediterranean Cruises, one WESTPAC, and one world cruise. He also did a three-

month humanitarian relief detachment to Port au Prince, Haiti, after a major earthquake. His shore duties consisted of tours with AIMD NAS Alameda, CA; Naval Recruiting District, Richmond, VA; HM-14 Vanguard; and HSC-2 Fleet Angels.

He is currently serving as the Maintenance Master Chief at HSC-2 where their most recent awards include the 2013 Battle “E,” Safety “S,” and the Medical Blue “M.” Personal awards include: the Navy Commendation Medal with a gold star, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with three gold stars, along with various unit and service awards. Senior Grayson is qualified as an Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist and an Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist.


agustawestland.com

Passion for Innovation

AgustaWestland is at the leading edge of technological development and innovation in vertical flight.The company invests more than 10% of its revenue in R&D projects, fosters global relationship with leading academic institution and promotes a culture innovation across all functions.

LEADING THE FUTURE

Ci-14-00149-Passion for innovation-Rotor Review awna.indd 1 21/02/14 16:45


Captain Brian Jordan, USMC from HMLA – 469 is the second U.S. Marine to receive the British

Distinguished Flying Cross.

Marine aviator receives high-Flying British honor For saving lives

Article and photos by Sgt Justin Boling, USMC

a Uh-1y venoM pilot received the British distingUished Flying cross, FeB. 12, 2014 at

the British eMBassy in washington.

Capt Brian Jordan, the second Marine aviator to earn the medal since World War II, was honored for his actions on June 21, 2012, while deployed in Afghanistan. “This has

been a very amazing and humbling experience for me,” Jordan said. “I really am accepting this on behalf of my flight crew and all of the maintainers who work tirelessly on keeping these aircraft operating.”

“Without them none of these actions would have been possible.” Jordan said he could not have accomplished this award without the direct efforts of his aircrew consisting of Capt Joshua Miller, GySgt Andrew Bond, SSgt Steven Seay and Cpl Joshua Martinez. The captain also attributes the support of LtCol Stephen Lightfoot and Capt Frank Jublonski, the pilots of the AH-1Z Viper Super Cobra accompanying them on the mission.

“I am happy for him and anyone else who could accomplish something like this,” GySgt Andrew Bond, the crew chief during the mission, said. “I am very proud of him.” Jordan arrived on Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan in late May 2012 with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469. Jordan and his flight crew were tasked with a mission to support the British Grenadier Guards.

“We worked together as a constant combat crew, and I had become very used to working with him,” Bond, with more than 14 years of experience, said. “Still being a relatively young pilot, he was doing well and was always open to listen to us.” The squadron’s aircraft spent 40 minutes providing reconnaissance of buildings


UsMc article




surrounding the area the guardsmen were patrolling and, when requested, supplied cover fire. Jordan and his aircrew had depleted most of their fuel and spent ordnance to suppress an enemy attack, which had pinned down the British soldiers. Jordan and his crew were preparing to return to Bastion when they saw an explosion.

“I remember the [joint tactical air controller] saying over the radio, ‘Man Down, man down. Request immediate MEDEVAC,’” Jordan said. “One of the guardsmen had stepped on an [improvised explosive device]. He had lost a limb and was going into shock.” Capt Jordan and his crew began to discuss the situation and

Capt Brian Jordan (l) and LtCol William Chesarek (r) , helicopter pilots and the only two Marines to receive the British Distinguished Flying Cross since World War II.

began preparing a medical evacuation request form for higher headquarters. “It can be a little frustrating at times, but you have to follow the orders you are briefed,” Bond said. “The end state was somebody needs our help and you don’t want to let them down.” They calculated it would take more than 30 minutes for another aircraft to come and pick up the two wounded British guardsmen.

“I talked to the crew, and we made the assessment that we were all comfortable with going down to picking up the wounded soldier,” Jordan said. “We then heard over the radio, that there was no time and he won’t make it...We all agreed this

is what we need to do, we talked to our section leader and told him our intention and he said they would provide cover fire as we went down for the pick.”

Jordan landed between the enemy and soldiers. “Both SSgt Seay and I are search and rescue qualified, so we began to re-arrange and prepare the inside of the aircraft the best we could,” Bond said. The aircrew landed in-between enemy fighters and the British troops to pick up the British soldiers.

“The situation made it feel like we were on the ground for an eternity,” Jordan said. “Even though we could not have been on the

Continued from page 53


ground for more than 10 seconds... Both aircraft were in a very low fuel state. We pulled full torque and got the soldier back to Bastion for medical attention.”

Both wounded British soldiers survived. “I feel like we were just doing our duty,” Jordan said. “We took the actions we needed to make sure we saved a soldier’s life. Do I think I went above and beyond? —No, absolutely not. We are just doing our job to support all the ground forces in any way possible.”

Jordan is currently preparing to serve as a pilot instructor at Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA. Jordan will teach newly commissioned pilots to operate the UH-1Y Venom. “You go through a lot of training to make sure you can make the hard decision when things do not go the way you anticipate,” Jordan said. It is not just pilots. It is all Marines — Marines always do what is right.

Capt Jordan, a AH-1Y pilot will be sharing his experiences with other future pilots as an instructor pilot at his next duty station [HMLAT - 303]. HMLAT trains with the AH-1Z Vipers (pictured here).

Usn article

hsM-46 “grandMasters” a i d p a n a M a n i a n h e l i c o p t e r c r a s h

HSM-46 Detachment FOUR began their Counter Illicit Trafficking (CIT) deployment in January of 2014. Their mission is to intercept illicit traffickers in the Caribbean upon direction from FOURTH FLEET (C4F) while embarked in USS HALYBURTON (FFG 40). Underway only three weeks into deployment, the embarked MH-60R detachment seamlessly adapted to a

persistent alert status ready to launch on actionable intelligence.

Article by LCDR Courtney Herdt, USN



On the evening of 5 February, the detachment launched in support of periodic training and readiness requirements to maintain aircrew proficiency while verifying fully mission capable aircraft systems. Shortly after recovery, tasking came in to launch the Alert Crew, locate a single Go-Fast vessel, and remain covert while Coast Guard District SEVEN (D7) gathered amplifying information to authorize engagement of the contact of interest.

Low illumination, no moon, and a cloud layer at 1,500 feet made the environment especially difficult and degraded Night Vision Devices (NVD) with heavy scintillation. D7 soon responded with authorization for the helicopter to assume an overt posture and proceed over the coast and overfly the vessel. Immediately after making their presence known, the suspect boat turned towards

land and beached the craft ejecting the two man crew onto the shore. The suspected traffickers were then witnessed stumbling into the mangrove jungle to avoid capture. Working closely with Panamanian allies, D7, and C4F; USS Halyburton’s embarked Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) coordinated efforts to apprehend the suspects and seize their cargo.

As the flight crew of Cutlass 466 approached minimum fuel, a Panamanian SENAN Bell 412, call sign AN137, checked on station to continue the mission. The crews conducted the appropriate turnover and positioned AN137 overtop the beached vessel. Shortly after marking on top, AN137 verbally acknowledged the location of the suspect vessel allowing Cutlass 466 to check off station and return to USS Halyburton mission complete.

Just prior to recovery, the crew of Cutlass (LT Pete Keaney, LTJG Brian Stong, and AWR1 James Hay) attempted to regain contact with AN137 as a final sign-off. However, after the call went unanswered and radar contact was lost, Cutlass 466 turned back to the beach to search visually for AN137. After the initial search and still without establishing communications with AN137, Cutlass 466 returned to the ship and continued appropriate “lost plane” procedures with USS Halyburton’s watch team.

A short while later, USS Halyburton received word confirming AN137 had crashed in the jungle and survivors, the number of which remained uncertain, were on the ground in need of assistance. Cutlass 466 was prepared for launch with a the second alert crew (LCDR Stiles Herdt, LTJG

The crew of Cutlass 466 (left to right) AWR3 James Corr, AWR1 James Hay, LTJG Ryan McDonough and LCDR Stiles Herdt.


Ryan McDonough and aircrewmen AWR1 James Hay and AWR3 James Corr) tasked to conduct a Search and Rescue for the crew of the downed Panamanian Helicopter, AN137.

The crew of AN137 was in satellite communications with C4F and relayed their coordinates while Cutlass 466 made their trek to the crash site located in a dense portion of the mangrove jungle. The crew opted to use the rescue light and dim position lights to illuminate the large tree AN137 had come to rest beside to provide the pilot at the controls (PAC) a reference for his 40 foot hover.

At 0515, over the crash site, AWR1 Hay took verbal control of the aircraft, assessed the scene and directed the rescue operation. AWR1 lowered AWR3 Corr to the jungle floor where he made his way to the wreckage and quickly assessed the situation. Despite the language barrier and numerous injuries of varying degree, AWR3 Corr was able to triage the survivors and identify those most seriously injured for immediate evacuation via the rescue hoist into the helicopter. The most critical survivor was an aircrewmen who had been ejected from the downed helicopter and was pinned by a small tree that lay across his chest. AWR3 Corr took his vitals, ensured that moving the tree would not harm him further. He then lifted the tree off the man and proceeded to drag him over the mangrove roots to a clearing under Cutlass 466. AWR1 Hay recognized that the survivor was non-ambulatory and readied the rescue basket for recovery. Cutlass 466 became Rescue 466 as the first survivor was brought in the cabin at approximately 0530. AWR1

Hay secured the survivor in the rear of the cabin and assessed his condition. He discovered a compound fracture to his arm, back injuries, and labored breathing. The second most critical patient was assessed as ambulatory but with a severe head wound. AWR3 Corr utilized the rescue strop for hoisting and made another assessment of the remaining survivors, which he determined to be in shock, but stable. After retrieving AWR3 Corr, Rescue 466 departed the hover with the two most critically injured for the transit west to Panama City.

Panama City is located 102 miles from the crash site. The flight route involved traversing the nation of Panama from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The aircrew immediately was faced with overcast clouds at 2000 feet and quickly rising terrain. Utilizing USS Halyburton’s watch team and the aircrew on-board, the quickest and safest route over a steep ridgeline to the nearest hospital was planned and passed to the rescue crew. The flight took 50 minutes at maximum speed while AWR1 and AWR3 continued to stabilize and treat the survivors with the basic medical kit on board. The sun rose at 0630 making the final phase of flight significantly easier heading into unfamiliar airspace. After gaining clearance through Panama City International Airspace and downtown Panama City the crew landed safely at Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport in Panama City, Panama. Panamanian military, law enforcement and medical personnel hurried into the rotor arc to aid the first two survivors. The survivors were rushed to Albrook Hospital by ambulance while the aircrew prepared for immediate departure. Knowing that at least four men

remained at the crash site, Rescue 466 re-launched.

Once airborne, silence momentarily struck the crew as they absorbed the gravity of the mission assigned and the daunting task that remained. Their focus quickly returned as all began immediate preparations for the next rescue effort. Rescue 466 went directly to USS Halyburton after crossing the mountain ridge to refuel and clear the cabin for the remaining survivors. While on deck, the crew was informed that there had been nine personnel on board AN137 at the time of the crash. The extra crew was made up of a Panamanian Law Enforcement Team brought in to clear the mangroves from the beach inland in search of the traffickers. Rescue 466 also received word that one of the downed pilots was pinned in the aircraft and pronounced dead at the scene leaving eight total survivors from the horrific crash. Once fueled and provisioned with extra medical items, food, and water the crew once again launched to the crash site.

Rescue 466 established communications with a second Bell 412, AN 142, on station at the crash site. AN 142 had already dropped off a crewman from a nearby clearing to walk to the crash site and assist in the extraction the pinned crewmember and prepare the survivors for rescue. The Cutlass crew immediately established on scene commander responsibilities and directed AN 142 to stay on deck until they were over the crash site. While executing their approach and re-surveying the area in the daylight, a Panamanian Lynx helicopter checked on station and established an overhead orbit. AWR1 Hay again took control of the scene and directed the PAC over


2014 NHA Symposium: First to Fight - Operating Forward - Always Ready!the crash site. At 0755, AWR3 Corr was lowered on the hoist to assess the remaining survivors. Now in daylight conditions, he realized the land around the crash was dry and the mud he had stepped in earlier was actually fuel from the downed aircraft saturating the ground. He was able to identify the six remaining survivors among the group at the scene. AN 142’s reinforcements as well as local villagers arrived to help clear the underbrush and secure the crash site. Of the six remaining, one was critical, three needed immediate medical attention, and the last two were ambulatory allowing them to walk out of the jungle to AN142. The survivor in critical condition was barely conscious and believed to be suffering from a broken back. AWR3 immediately prepared him to

be raised into the helicopter. Once safely on board the helicopter, AWR1 Hay laid him in the cabin to ensure he was as comfortable as possible, not knowing the extent of his injuries. AWR1 comforted him with a blanket and a calm reassuring voice before returning to lower the hoist. There was little time to waste to get the first patient the medical attention he desperately required, therefore, AWR1 and AWR3 expedited the final recoveries in the span of 25 minutes--a truly incredible feat given the challenging environment and injuries sustained.

During Rescue 466’s 50 minute flight back to Marcos A. Gelabert Airfield, the most critical survivor began to fade. AWR3 Corr remained by his side, holding his hand to ensure he didn’t fall asleep while monitoring his breathing. AWR3 remained with him throughout the flight ready to

provide life saving techniques should his condition continue to degrade. Meanwhile, AWR1 provided medical treatment to the three other survivors, to include splinting compound fractures and bandaging an eye wound. Their constant attention both reassured and stabilized all four survivors. The aircrew was thankful that sunlight had burned off most of the leeward clouds providing a clear view of the mountain ridgeline and subsequent visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The survivors were met by family, media, military personnel, police, and medical personnel upon arrival anxiously awaiting the status of the remaining survivors.

The six rescued survivors, which included the SENAN Director General Belsio Gonzalez, and the two other crewmembers that walked out of the jungle were reported stable from the embassy team the next day. The crew of Cutlass 466 would like to take the time to remember Subteniente Augstín Santos Vinda, a fellow aviator, who perished in the crash. Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family and friends.

The crew of Cutlass 466 was proud to be a part of what was truly a team effort under the most unfortunate of circumstances. It takes a great team to accomplish the mission well--and this team was larger than the aircrew that flew the mission. The HSM-46 Det FOUR team includes the maintainers that constantly groom the aircraft for launch at any time and in any environment as well as the very capable crew of the USS Halyburton that maintained critical and persistent command and control between the rescue units and the operational chain of command. We wish the USS Halyburton and HSM-46 DET FOUR team continued success through the remainder of their deployment--JOB WELL DONE!


Uscg article


where’s the Bridge?Article by LT Jesse Keyser, USCG

the night oF 30 JUly 2013 started like any other night, Foggy with a high proBaBlity oF low ceilings. For those who know the san Francisco Bay area, yoU are well aware oF the Many Micro-cliMates and the Fog layers that can overtake the san Francisco Bay in a Matter oF MinUtes. yoU May have seen the pictUres oF the city skyline covered with the snow-like cloUd layer and JUst the two golden gate stanchions piercing throUgh. yes, the night Began

JUst like any other night, BUt then it wasn’t.

Based at San Francisco International Airport, Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco is home to four Coast Guard MH-65D helicopters, also known as the Dauphin. LCDR James Kenshalo was the aircraft commander at Air Station San Francisco that evening, along with co-pilot LT Beau Belanger. On this particular evening, the SAR Alarm sounded and CG-6515 was directed to launch and rescue six hikers requiring immediate evacuation from a secluded cove in the vicinity of Point Reyes, CA, notably one of the foggiest spots in the United States. Both pilots, the flight mechanic, AMT3 Travis Swain, and rescue swimmer, AST3 Corey Fix, were geared up and ready to perform the night mission. CG-6515 departed Air Station San Francisco and encountered dense fog, with less than 200 feet between the waterline and cloud layer, only a half nautical mile of visibility, and a barrier of mountains that blocked a direct route to the search area. According to LCDR Kenshalo, “It was intense, but you get a feel for fog here in San Francisco. The fog was pushing us down.” Exercising superior crew resource management, the crew of CG-6515 planned and executed the low visibility route offshore - an often practiced route passing under the San Francisco Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge - and along the mountainous coastline to the hikers’ secluded location. The precipitous cliffs, deep sea caves, and low visibility and ceilings that completely engulfed the tops of the cliffs made the nighttime search conditions unfavorable for detecting the survivors. Circumnavigating the cliffs and steep-walled bluffs along the coastline, the aircrew utilized Night Vision Goggles and the aircraft’s radar to navigate the obstacle-laden bay and coastline until they located the six stranded hikers in a narrow cove surrounded by towering sea cliffs. “I couldn’t go up, couldn’t go sideways because of the cliffs, couldn’t go down because of the water. So I hovered, trying to stay close to the beach without hitting the cliffs,” said LCDR Kenshalo.


Piloting the helicopter perilously close (within several feet of rotor arc clearance) to the jagged sea cliffs, the aircrew of CG-6515 deployed the Rescue Swimmer to the cove in order to triage and take accountability of the hypothermic and frightened hikers and prepare them to be hoisted. The helicopter’s deafening clamor echoing off the bluffs rendered radio communications with the rescue swimmer useless. “We were all on the same page, but couldn’t hear each other,” said AST3 Fix. “The radio was pretty much out, so I switched to hand signals and that worked out well.” Using nighttime hand signals and exacting crew coordination, the aircrew hoisted four survivors, and then delivered emergency provisions to the rescue swimmer and remaining two hikers before leaving them on scene due to minimum fuel. Managing

the dwindling fuel reserves, the aircrew navigated at 100 feet around the cliffs back through the obstacle-strewn bay in total darkness and fog, underneath the bridges, and delivered the four survivors to awaiting emergency medical services at Air Station San Francisco with less than 20 minutes of fuel remaining.

The rapidly deteriorating weather made the second low visibilty route back to the incident even more challenging. Unable to see the suspension cables, towers, or the auto decks of the bridges, the aircrew of CG-6515 flew underneath along the same hazardous course back to the cove. Making the transit even more dangerous was the moisture in the air that was so thick that the helicopter’s landing lights were creating visual

illusions disorienting for the aircrew. “And now it’s really dark,” LT Belanger reiterated. “There was so much humidity in the air that our normal search lights weren’t working. I couldn’t even see the cliffs.” Unable to use the aircraft’s exterior lighting due to the severe moisture in the air, the aircrew ingeniously employed flares to reflect light off the cliffs and illuminate the cove. Operating the helicopter at the edge of its performance envelope, the aircrew completed another basket hoist of one of the two remaining survivors. When a flare used to reflect light off the cliffs illuminating the cove extinguished, the aircrew initiated a demanding no-reference orbit in the fog around the confined inlet until another flare could be deployed. “We had some flares that would light up for about 18 minutes, so we dropped one in the ocean and it lit up the


cliffs just fine,” said LT Belanger. Using the light from the flare, the aircrew repositioned the helicopter for the final hoists.

The wind shifted during the final hoist causing the aircraft to settle unexpectedly and reduced the power available for a standard hoist. The crew aborted the hoist while the rescue swimmer, who was dangling beneath the helicopter, used his own body to shield the survivor from banging against the rocks. AST3 Fix chuckled as he spoke of the incident,“I braced for impact. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but I’m still not sure how that one didn’t hurt!” Knowing that if CG-6515 experienced an engine power loss it would likely cost them their lives while operating the helicopter within feet of the cliffs, the aircrew hovered “nose-into” the cliff without an emergency fly-out route in order to optimize the wind ricocheting off the rock face. This unconventional and risky maneuver provided just enough power to complete the final hoist.

Immediately following the hoist, the aircrew completed a hovering pedal turn in order to point the

aircraft on a safe heading before completing an instrument departure in the dense fog. At approximately 2000 feet, the aircrew of CG-6515 broke out on top of the clouds and returned to Air Station San Francisco where emergency medical personnel awaited their arrival. Emotionally and physically exhausted after over three hours of the most challenging flying conditions in nighttime fog, including a series of four demanding hoists and six low level passes underneath Bay area bridges, the aircrew landed with only a few minutes of fuel remaining. “At the end of the night, you come back and slump down in a chair and the wind knocks right out of you,” LCDR Kenshalo said.

Not only is this a story of heroism by the crew of CG-6515, but its also a lesson on preparation. Every location comes with it’s own sets of challenges. “I’ve been on a couple of really tough cases, but this one was the hardest to pull off,” LCDR Kenshalo said. After reading this article, hopefully you can identify ways to make yourself a better pilot and be ready for the “worst case scenarios,” complete the mission, and get home safely.

The crew of CG-6515 (l-r) : AST3 Corey Fix, AMT3 Travis Swain, LT Beau Belanger, LCDR James Kenshalo. Photo courtesy of USCGAS San Francisco Public Affairs.


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUM2014 NHA AWARDS

CNAF Achievement AwardsAnnual Aviation Unit Award Winners of CY 2013

CNAF Achievement AwardsNamed after Naval Aviators who have

exemplified the highest standards of naval service.

Admiral Jimmy S. Thach Award Winner

HSM-71

Captain Arnold Jay Isbell TrophyPresented to superior anti-submarine (ASW) and

anti-surface (ASUW) squadrons

COMNAVAIRPAC: HSC-6 & HSM-75

COMNAVAIRLANT: HS-5 & HSM-74Lockheed Martin sponsors and will be presenting the

Thach Award and Isbell trophies.

CNAL Enlisted Aircrewman of the YearAwarded to the top enlisted aircrewman from the Atlantic area who throughtout the year has consistently demonstrated superior aeronautical ability and performance in his/her assigned billet.

AWS1 John Ferris, USNHSC-22

Aviation Squadron Battle Efficiency Winners

HS/HSC: (CNAL) HS-5 & (CNAP) HSC-6HSL EXP : (CNAL) HSL-48 & (CNAP) HSL-37HSC EXP: (CNAL) HSC-28 & (CNAP) HSC-21

HSM: (CNAL) HSM-74 & (CNAP) HSM-75 HM: HM-15

CY13Lifelong Service Award

Sponsored by L3 Communications / Ocean Systems This award is presented to an individual

chosen by the Board of Directors for most significant lifelong contributions to vertical

lift aircraft and/or operations.

CY13Service to NHA Award

The award is sponsored by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration

This award is presented to the individual who has contributed most significantly to achieving the goals of the Naval Helicopter

Association.

CAPT Michael S. Ruth, USN

Aircrew of the Year (Non-Deployed)

Sponsored by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration

Awarded to the flight crew which, in the opinion of the National Awards Committee, accomplished the most notable non-embarked helicopter mission during the preceding year. Demonstrating the most professional airmanship and overall performance as a crew

during helicopter operations.

CG Rescue 6012 USCGAS Elizabeth City

LCDR Jeffery M. Bolling • LT Jenny L. FieldsAET2 Jonathan A. Avery

AST2 Christopher C. Watson

Service Winners

CY13 Single Action Winners

Aircrew of the Year (Deployed)

Sponsored by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.Awarded to the flight crew which, in the opinion of the National Awards Committee, accomplished the most notable embarked helicopter mission in the preceding year. Demonstrating the most professional airmanship and overall performance as a

crew during helicopter operations.

Red Stinger HSL-49

LCDR Timothy D. O’Brien LTJG Christine N. Mayfield

AWR2 (NAC/AW/SW) Michael A. AardsmaAWR2(NAC/AW) William H. Casson II

Col Howard M. Whitfield, USMC (ret)


CY13 Single Action Winners

Rescue Swimmer of the YearSponsored by L3 Communications / Crestview Aerospace

Awarded to an enlisted Rescue Swimmer who accomplished the most notable waterborne rescue mission during the year.

AST2 Christopher C. Watson, USCG USCGAS Elizabeth City, CG Rescue 6012 Aircrew

CY13 Sustained Performance Awards

RADM Steven Tomaszeski Squadron Commanding Officer Leadership of the YearSponsored by G.E. AviationAwarded to the helicopter-designated Officer in an O-5 command position in recognition of his/her unit’s overall excellence and positive command climate as well the officer’s outstanding example, ability to motivate subordinates and enforce standards.

CDR Thomas Foster, USNHSM-75

Aircrewman of the YearSponsored by L3 Communications / Ocean Systems

Awarded to the enlisted aircrewman whose performance throughout the year has consistently demonstrated superior

aeronautical ability and performance in his/her billet.

AWR2 (nac / aw) Cameron T. Schreiter, USN

HSM-75

Pilot of the YearSponsored by Rolls-Royce Corporation

Awarded to the pilot who throughtout the year has consistently demonstrated superior aeronautical ability

and performance in his/her assigned billet.

LT Gavin C. McCorry, USNHSC-6

Fleet Instructor Pilot of the YearSponsored by L3 Communications / D. P. Associates

Awarded to a pilot who has consistently demonstrated superior aeronautical ability and performance in his/her

billet.

LT Ryan J. Klamper, USNHSC-3

Training Command Instructor Pilot of the Year

Sponsored by L3 Communications/Vertex Logistic Solutions Awarded to a pilot who has consistently demonstrated superior aeronautical ability and performance in his/her

billet.

LT Edward J. Nowak, USNHT-8

Shipboard Pilot of the YearSponsored by Raytheon Naval and Maritime Systems

Awarded to a pilot on his/her first disassociated sea tour in the rank of O-4 and below who has consistently demonstrated superior performance in his/her assigned

duties while serving in a ship’s company billet.

LT Richard M. Christoff, USNCarrier Wing Five (CVW-5)

Instructor Aircrewman of the YearSponsored by CAE

Awarded to the enlisted aircrew instructor who has consistently demonstrated superior aeronautical ability

and performance in his/her assigned flying billet.

AWS1 (nac / aw / sw) Jason M. Blase, USNHSC-3


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUM2014 NHA AWARDS

Maintenance Officer of the YearSponsored by BAE Systems Inc.

Awarded to the unit Maintenance Officer whose dedication and effort have significantly improved his/her command’s ability

to perform its mission.

LTJG Kyle D. Kuester, USNHSM-77

CY13 Sustained Performance Awards

Maintenance Chief Petty Officer of the Year

Sponsored by BAE Systems Inc. Awarded to the Chief Petty Officer/Petty Officer assigned to a unit’s Maintenance Department whose dedication and effort have significantly increased his/her command’s

ability to perform its mission.

ADC (aw) Senh Phu, USNHSM-77

Maintenance Enlisted Person of the Year

Sponsored by Breeze-Eastern Awarded to an enlisted person (E-5 or below) assigned to a unit’s Maintenance Department whose dedication and effort have significantly increased his/her command’s

ability to perform its mission.

AM2 (aw /sw) Caston L. Boyd, USNHSC-26

CY13 CAPT Bill Stuyvesant Best Scribe Award

The Bill Stuyvesant Best Scribe Award, sponsored by the Stuyvesant Family, is presented annually to the active duty member of the Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard whose article, published in Rotor Review during the calendar year prior to the Symposium, best addresses the issues of interest to Naval Helicopter community in the most original,

provocative, constructive and informative manner.

LCDR Matthew Vernon, USN “The Ukraine — Not THE Way , Just A Way” - RR121

NHA Historical Society Awards Mark Starr Award

The Mark Starr Award is presented by the Naval Helicopter Historical Society annually to the individual, organization or group who has made a major contribution to naval

helicopter history. This year’s winner is

CAPT Charles Oakes, USN (ret)

Special Recognition AwardThe Golden Family is the recipient of the Naval Helicotper Association Historical Society (NHAHS) Special Recognition Award for 2014.

The entire Golden Family:

CAPT Kenny Golden, USN (ret)CDR Francie Sidor Golden, USN (ret)

CDR Tara Sidor Golden, USN dedicated their lives to the U.S. Navy in

numerous ways.


2014 MAX Beep

The term Max Beep is generally used to describe a condition of maximum power output of an engine and inertial output of a rotor system. Because it is associated with a state of maximum output, it has also been used to describe a person who operates in a perpetual state of high intensity. For NHA, “Max Beep” describes a squadron that continually demonstrates the highest levels of support for our professional organization.

Criteria – To be considered a “Max Beep” squadron’s 85% of the aviators on the squadron alpha roster must be registered, dues paying members of the Naval Helicopter Association. Fleet Replacement Squadron rosters must include all Replacement Pilots and Instructor Pilots attached to the squadron as of the submission deadline. All squadrons who meet the criteria will receive a certificate honoring their efforts.

85% or Above

HSC-5

WINGERS

Association of Naval Aviation AWARDS

Outstanding Achievement in Helicopter AviationSponsored by the ASSOCIATION OF NAVAL AVIATION (ANA)

Awarded to the aircrew for their performance throughout the year that has consistently demonstrated superior aeronautical ability and performance of

their duties.

CGNR 6009USCGAS CAPE COD

PILOT : LT ADAM DAVEPORT, USCG • CO-PILOT : LT BRYAN HOYT, USCGRESCUE SWIMMER: AST2 MICHAEL HEXIMER, USCG

FLIGHT MECHANIC: AET3 JOSEPH IVY, USCG AVIATION MISSION SPECIALIST: HS2 DARCY MCGRAIL, USCG

The following personnel from HELTRARON 8 (HT-8), HELTRARON 18 (HT-18), and HELTRARON 28 (HT-28) are receiving their wings at this year’s NHA Awards:

ENS Natalie Nguyen, USN HT-8 • ENS Jace Fincher, USN HT-8

1stLt Joshua Elwell, USMC HT-18

Click Button to View all Award Winners

(National / Regional)


2014 NHA SYMPOSIUM2014 NHA EXHIBITERS

K o n g s b e r g D e f e n c e Systems is Norway’s premier supplier of defence and aerospace-related systems. The portfolio comprises products and systems for command and control, weapons guidance and surveillance, communications solutions

and missiles. Kongsberg Defence Systems also makes advanced composites and engineering products for the aircraft and helicopter market. The Norwegian Armed Forces is the Business Areas most important customer. Whether developed in collaboration with the Norwegian Armed Forces, international partners or alone, the BA’s solutions have proven highly competitive internationally. One key element of the Business Areas market strategy is the formation of alliances with major international defence enterprises. All defence-related exports are contingent on the approval of the Norwegian authorities.http://www.kongsberg.com/en/kds/

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Sikorsky Aircraft is a global leader in developing and manufacturing

rotary-wing aircraft and systems for domestic and international naval customers. Its current U.S. Navy

products, the MH-60R and MH-60S, provide unmatched mission effectiveness, as well as significantly improved logistics, training, and acquisition efficiencies. Additionally, Sikorsky’s eighty-year commitment to future rotary wing technology is embodied in its new S-92, S-76D and X2 Technology Demonstrator Aircraft. Sikorsky Aircraft sponsors the Aircrew Competition, and the Aircrew of the Year (Deployed) awards.www.sikorsky.com

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106The United States Naval Test Pilot School provides

instruction to experienced pilots, flight officers, and engineers in the processes and techniques of aircraft and systems test and evaluation. This unique instruction is provided to selected personnel from all U.S.

military services, U.S. Federal agencies, and international military services and organizations through regularly conducted main curricula and selected short courses.

Each class accepts a total of 36 students, including pilots, flight officers, and engineers across U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, and U.S. Air Force aviators, international aviators/engineers, and Civil Service engineers. USNTPS is the only U.S. military source of rotary-wing test pilots and flight test engineers and, therefore, serves as the U.S. Army’s test pilot school.

The educational program requires personal qualities including initiative, adaptability, and an ability to work as part of an effective team. Courses entail considerable engineering depth and project variety. Each course also affords a unique opportunity to gain on-board flight test experience with a wide variety of aircraft and airborne mission systems. Flight instruction develops individuals’ abilities to conduct an effective test, determine results, and evaluate and report results objectively.

USN and USMC graduates are assigned either to Naval Test Wing Atlantic at Patuxent River or Naval Test Wing Pacific at China Lake or Point Mugu. US Army, USAF, Civil Service engineers, and international graduates return to their parent organizations for assignment. USNTPS also offers cooperative advanced degree programs with accredited educational institutions, granting graduate-level credit toward Master of Science degrees.

USNTPS is located on Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, adjacent to the town of Lexington Park, in rural Southern Maryland. Situated on a peninsula at the confluence of the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay, Pax River is the Navy’s premier aircraft research, development, and test & evaluation center.www.navair.navy.mil/usntps

108Founded in 1993, NHA Scholarship Fund was established to assist persons who desire to pursue their educational goals and expand their knowledge. Since its inception, the Fund has provided over $200,000 to high school and college students to assist them with their goals

of higher education. Currently, the Fund receives donations from individuals, private and corporate endowments and through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) ID Number 10800. www.nhascholarshipfund.org

110The NHA Historical Society was organized to “Gather, Preserve, and Display the legacy of Naval

Helicopter Aviation to include past, present, and future helicopter operations in Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.www.nhhs.org

111I n n o v a S y s t e m s International is a leading provider of

information technology and software solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal government agencies. The company designs, builds and deploys software solutions that support the National Security Strategy, including the Naval Aviation Helicopter community with Navy SHARP, SHARP LMS and Marine-SHARP. These web-based software applications collect readiness and training data at the source, aggregate disparate data sources and-through its reporting tools-enable capability readiness assessment and resource allocation.

InnovaSystems creates dynamic enterprise-wide solutions with an emphasis in process-driven agile and iterative development; data management; business intelligence; system architecture; mobile development; and premier customer service. http://www.innovasi.com/


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ACES Dynamic Instrument, Inc. is the Aviation Division of Technology for Energy Corporation. ACES Dynamic Instruments is an industry leader in

aircraft vibration analysis, providing complete solution packages for balancing and tracking helicopters, turbo-propellers and turbine engine trim balancing. We are a full service manufacturer providing new products, service and training. www.dynamicinst.com211

Robertson Fuel Systems, LLC, formerly known as Robertson Aviation, LLC, of Tempe, Arizona,

is the acknowledged world leader in fuel containment and ballistic tolerance, having designed, manufactured, and fielded over 4,500 crashworthy, ballistically self-sealing primary and auxiliary fuel systems for rotary and fixed winged aircraft and ground combat vehicles since 1976.

In the 1960s, the company’s founder, Dr. S. Harry Robertson, pioneered the development of crashworthy fuel systems. The company continues Dr. Robertson’s research and develops, produces, and sustains systems that enhance the survivability of ground vehicles and aircraft.www.robbietanks.com

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Team SEAHAWK: Lockheed Martin, Mission Systems and Training will be onboard to demonstrate and discuss the technology and pre-planned program improvements for the MH-60R/S Multi-Mission Helicopter

Program. Other participating TEAM SEAWAWK members include, ELBIT (Heads Up Display), L3 (HAWKLINK Ship data link), Northrop Grumman (GPS/Inertial Navigation System), Raytheon (FLIR and ALFS) and Telephonics (Multi-Mode Radar).

Lockheed Martin proudly sponsors the Aircrew of the Year Award (non-deployed), Service to NHA Award, and Chief of Naval Operations ASW awards (Isbell and Thach). www.lockheedmartin.comwww.elbitsystems.comwww.northropgrumman.comwww.raytheon.com

310For over 90 years, USAA has proudly served the financial needs of the military and their families. For insurance, banking, investments and advice, you can trust USAA to provide the convenience you

need, savings you want, and the service you deserve. Because with USAA, you’re more than a member, you’re part of the family we serve. Learn more at USAA.COM or call 800-531-USAA.

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CAE is a global leader in modeling, simulation and training for civil aviation and defense. The company employs more than 7,500 people at more than 100 sites and training locations in over 25 countries. Through CAE's global network of 34 civil aviation, military and helicopter training centers, the company trains more than

80,000 crewmembers yearly. CAE's business is diversified, ranging from the sale of simulation products to providing comprehensive services such as training and aviation services, professional services and in-service support. The company applies its simulation expertise and operational experience to help customers enhance safety, improve efficiency, maintain readiness and solve challenging problems. CAE is now leveraging its simulation capabilities in new markets such as healthcare and mining. CAE USA is the prime contractor responsible for the design and manufacture of MH-60S and MH-60R tactical operational flight trainers for the U.S. Navy, and has developed MH-60R avionics maintenance trainers for the Navy. CAE is also supporting the Navy and Team Romeo on potential foreign military sales of the MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters.www.cae.com


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LSI is an employee-owned training company that has been providing training products to the Department of Defense, the

Aerospace Industry, and foreign militaries for over 30 years. LSI’s Corporate Headquarters and primary courseware production facilities are in Jacksonville, Florida, with satellite offices in North Carolina, Virginia, New Mexico, California, and Texas. LSI’s management and production processes are certified under the International Organization for Standardization ISO 9001:2008. LSI core competencies are Instructional Systems Design (ISD) and courseware development; desktop simulations and training devices; gaming applications and technology; electronic classroom design and installation; worldwide instructor services; and technical data support www.lsijax.com

405Liberty University: FAA Airline Transition Program for Helicopter Pilot www.liberty.edu

407I n 1 9 8 2 , t h e Amer ican people helped the Vietnam

Veterans Memorial Fund complete an impossible mission to heal a nation and bring comfort and solace to a generation of Veterans. Today, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is working to complete this mission by building The Education Center, the place on the National Mall where our heroes’ stories will never be forgotten. Help us build it. www.vvmf.org

409Safety Above and Beyond. Quality you can bet your life on.

Since 1926, AERIAL has specialized in manufacturing products and components that perform flawlessly under life and death conditions. Our dedication to quality has been our key to success in the exacting and competitive world of contract manufacturing for military life support, search and rescue and industrial applications.

We are proud to serve the military, Homeland Security, search and rescue and law enforcement professionals.

While countless domestic manufacturers have folded their tents in the face of foreign competition, AERIAL continues to thrive. We do so by focusing on products where quality is of paramount concern----namely products that protect lives; products that must perform even in the most extreme conditions.

AERIAL was founded in 1926 and has been a prime contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense ever since. We continually update our capabilities, skills and manufacturing processes to keep pace with the ever-evolving needs of the men and women who protect us from harm. It is their safety that underlies our drive to be the best.

AERIAL specializes in: (1) Custom and technical sewing, (2) RF welding and inflatables, (3) Precision machined and EDM parts, (4) Assembly and integration of components, (5) Inspection and repair of life support equipment.

AERIAL manufactures a wide range of products including: (1) Survival vests and harnesses, (2) Personnel restraints, (3) Seat belts for vehicles and aircraft, (4) Search and rescue equipment, (5) Parachute components and hardware, (6) Flotation systems and devices, (7) Aerial delivery parachute components, (8) US Coast Guard products, (9) Industrial safety products, (10) Custom-designed hardware, (11) Survival and medical kits, (12) Case goods/Specialty products, (13) Vehicle components and Systems.

Contact AERIAL today. Aerial welcomes all inquiries and is open to strategic partnerships with like-minded companies. AERIAL Safety Above and Beyond, 4298 JEB Stuart Highway, Vesta, VA 24177Telephone: 276-952-2006, Fax: 276-952-2231, Email: [email protected]

www.aerialmachineandtool.com

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At BAE Systems, we design and deliver advanced defense, aerospace, maritime, and security solutions that keep the nation at the forefront of modern technology. We’re working on the platforms, tools, technology

and services our customers need to perform at the highest level in meeting all types of modern challenges. That’s work that protects lives. That’s work that inspires us. That’s BAE Systems.www.baesystems.com



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For over 30 years, FLIR Systems has been a world leader in the

design and production of thermal imaging technologies for both military and civilian applications. Today, FLIR produces a wide range of high definition multi-spectral systems for airborne, maritime, land and man-portable applications. FLIR is focused on delivering unmatched situational awareness and targeting capabilities, covering everything from Airborne ISR/Targeting turrets to clip-on thermal rifle sights. Our unique Commercially Developed, Military Qualified business model enables us to bring proven capabilities to the end users quickly and cost effectively, because we are committed to the warfighter. FLIR - Beyond Vision. www.flir.com

502Cobham's products and services have been at the

heart of sophisticated military and civil systems for more than 70 years, keeping people safe, improving communications and enhancing the capability of land, sea, air and space platforms. The Company has four divisions employing more than 12,500 people on five continents, with customers and partners in over 100 countries and annual revenues of more than £1bn.

Cobham plc is an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced aerospace and defense systems for land, sea and air platforms. The Company specializes in the provision of components, sub-systems and services that keep people safe, improve communications and enhance the capability of aerospace and defense platforms. www,cobham.com503

Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation (NASC) is a 475+ employee Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business providing Engineering Services, products and in-theater product

support. For over 35 years the NASC team has been providing strategic and responsive problem solving to DoD and other organization requirements. We strive to meet the challenges of an ever-changing national/international environment by maintaining a staff of highly qualified Scientists and Engineers who perform research and development activities

from concept definition, systems design, prototyping, test & evaluation through to production and operational support. We specialize in the application of cutting-edge-technologies in acoustics, avionics, air vehicles, materials, corrosion control and sensors. NASC specializes in meeting customer requirements for the rapid and responsive infusion, prototyping and integration of these advanced technologies. Our primary product lines are Acoustics/Anti-Submarine-Warfare sensor and support systems and Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV) for Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.www.navmar.com

Based in Camden, NJ, L-3 Communication Systems-East (CS-East), a division of

L-3 Communications, specializes in the design, development and production of integrated communication systems supporting space, ground, air and naval operations. We are currently organized into three business areas:

Cyber Defense and Intelligence, Surveillance and • Reconnaissance (ISR) for secure communications and ruggedized storage & server systemsIntegrated and Automated Communications • Systems for maritime platforms and land-based command centersTactical Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS) for • force protection and intelligence gathering, and Signals Intelligence solutions for government agencies

http://www2.l-3com.com/cs-east

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505ADS is intensely focused on providing timely, cost effective Operational Products and Logistics Services Solutions our clients need to increase their operational effectiveness, complete

their missions, and make this world a safer place. ADS has developed procedures that shorten the “logistics pipeline” to provide rapid response and the best possible pricing to our customers worldwide. www.adsinc.com


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A d v a n c e a n d s u s t a i n N a v a l Aviation warfighting capabilities at an affordable cost... today and in the future.http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/nae

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507Dedicated to the preservat ion

of the r ich history and proud her i tage of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Aviat ion, the National Museum of Naval Aviation is one of the largest aviat ion

museums in the wor ld. The museum houses the most important col lect ion of Naval Aviat ion art i facts to be found anywhere. I t is open dai ly --- except Chr istmas, Thanksgiv ing and New Year ’s Day --- f rom 0900 to 1700 and is f ree to the publ ic.http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org

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Navy Mutual Aid Association protects Sea Service members and their f a m i l i e s w i t h l o w - c o s t , d e p e n d a b l e l i f e i n s u r a n c e , a n n u i t i e s a n d b e n e f i c i a r y services. We are an industry pr ice leader, because we have no agents or commissions and keep our operat ing costs low. At Navy Mutual there are no addi t ional costs associated with mi l i tary service - there are no war, aviat ion or terror ism clauses. Navy Mutual is a recognized expert on survivor benef i ts and

helps tens of thousands of service members understand their benef i t opt ions each year. Since 1879, we have served as a non-prof i t , member-owned Veteran’s Service Organizat ion.

www.navymutual.org

509 We provide safety assistance and advice to the CNO, CMC, and the Deputy Assistant SECNAV for Safety in order to enhance the warf ight ing capabi l i ty of the Navy and Marine

Corps, preserve resources and improve combat readiness by prevent ing mishaps and saving l ives.safetycenter.navy.mil

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ZODIAC DATA SYSTEMS, I N C . , a w h o l l y - o w n e d s u b s i d i a r y o f Z O D I A C AEROSPACE, is a leading provider of data acquis i t ion, recording and telemetry solut ions to the Department of Defense,

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CDR Bryan S. Peeples, USN, relieved CDR

Brad L. Arthur, USN, on January 9, 2014

CDR Michael Burd, USN, relieved CDR Sil Perrella,

USN, on April 3, 2014

HSM-40AirwolvesCHSMWP

CAPT Shawn P. Malone, USN, relieved CAPT Dave W. Bouvé, USN, on May

1, 2014

VMM-268Red Dragons

LtCol Trevor A. Heidenreich, USMC, relieved LtCol Brian

R. Peterson, USMC, on April 10, 2014.

HSC-15 Red Lions

CDR Wesley S. Daugherty, USN, relieved CDR James W. Stewart,

USN, on March 6, 2014

HSM-77Saberhawks

CDR Lonnie Appleget, USN, relieved CDR

Robert Whitfield, USN on April 10, 2014

HSC-6Screamin’ Indians

CDR Stephen J. Bury, USN, relieved CDR David

E. Burke, USN, on April 30, 2014

ASWTS

CAPT Richard J. Davis, USN, will relieve CAPT Mark A. Joynt, USN, on

May 16, 2014.

CDR Edward J. O’Grady III, USN, relieved CDR Eric J. Bower, USN, on

May 2, 2014

HSL-48VIPERS

HSCWSP

CDR Wilmer B. Gange, USN, will relieve CDR

Brian J. Miller , USN, on May 29, 2014

HSM-37EasyRiders

CDR Brannon S. Bickel, USN, will relieve CDR Daniel A.

Nowicki, USN, on June 12, 2014

Scan the code to view the Commanding Officer History Listing online


Member Information: Date:Name:Active Military / Civilian / Retired / Former Active Duty (circle one)Rank / Rate / Title (civilian):Service / Company Name: Squadron/Military Unit:Warfare Specialty: Pilot/Aircrew/Other (circle one)Community: HSC/HSM/HM/Other Aircraft Flown: Mailing Address: Street Apt

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Cell Phone: Home Phone: Home Email: Work Email: Do you want your membership information published on the online directory? Yes NoDo you want your spouse to be contacted about NHA events? Yes NoSpouse Name: Spouse Email:Levels of Membership:NHA Membership (Annual Dues) 1 Yr: $35.00 3 Yrs: $95.00 5 Yrs: $160.00Nugget Membership: 2 Yrs: $35.00 (Open to O-1/O-2 on first tour, one time use only)Enlisted Membership: 1 Yr: $15.00 (Open to E-9 & below)Canadian Addresses: 1 Yr: $40.00 International Addresses: 1 Yr: $50.00Preferred method to receive Rotor Review: Paper: Electronic: Both:Payment Options:Payment Due: $ Cash: Check: (Payable to NHA) AMEX/MC/VISAAMEX/MC/VISA #: _________-__________-_________-_________ CCV: ________ Exp Date: ________

Send your completed application to: NHA, PO Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578Commercial: (619) 435-7139, FAX: (619) 435-7354, or email: [email protected] site: http://www.navalhelicopterassn.org/ Apply online: http://www.navalhelicopterassn.org/forms/new_member.php or use QR code:

Subscription to the Rotor Review magazine is included in the annual membership to NHA. Rotor Review is published in print and in a digital version quarterly. If you choose the digital version, you will receive a link to view your copy online or via a mobile de-vice. The printed version is mailed at a periodical rate and will not be forwarded if your address is incorrect. Change of addresses, inquiries for membership, subscriptions, back issues, sale items, etc., should be directed to the NHA office.

Naval Helicopter AssociationMembership Form

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Coast Guard, Navy Conduct Joint Training Aboard Newest Warship in Gulf of Mexico

Coast Guard MH-60s on the f l ight deck of USS Somerset . Photos courtesy of USCG .

The crews of the Navy’s newest warship, the USS Somerset,

and Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters from the Coast Guard’s Aviation Training Center in Mobile worked together to complete joint ship/helicopter training and qualifications Wednesday.

The two Coast Guard Jayhawks from ATC Mobile were the first aircraft to ever land on the Somerset. The Jayhawk crews transported parts and supplies to the ship and then conducted more than 60 day and night-vision goggle deck landings, vertical replenishment sling loads and refueling operations to qualify and certify the ship’s personnel for aviation operations. This operation also completed semi-annual deck landing training for the Coast Guard

pilots and aircrew. At the completion of the training exercises, the Coast Guard helicopters transported 10 certification experts from the ship back to shore.

“Celebrating one of the heroes aboard Flight 93, Todd Beamer’s now famous quote, ‘Let’s Roll , ’ is boldly emblazoned on the Somerset’s hangar door,” said CDR Craig Neubecker, a Jayhawk pilot and chief, aviation special missions branch at ATC Mobile. “Calling on that spirit of taking action, this joint training exercise highlights the cooperative efforts between the Navy and the Coast Guard to protect the nation and save taxpayer dollars.”

The mission of ATC Mobile is to produce mission ready aircrews

and develop aviation capabilities by providing core training for rotary wing and fixed wing pilots, rescue swimmers and aircrews for air stations Coast Guard wide. They also serve as the Coast Guard’s avia t ion capabi l i t ies development center and provide direct aviation

support to Coast Guard Atlantic Area and the Coast Guard 8th District.

The USS Somerset, a 684-foot San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, is named after Somerset County, PA, to honor the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, whose actions prevented terrorist hijackers from reaching their intended target by forcing the airplane to crash in Somerset County, PA, on September 11, 2001. Some 22 tons of steel, from a crane that stood near Flight 93’s crash site, was used in building the Somerset. The ship was constructed at Avondale Ship Yard in New Orleans, where they departed Monday en route to conduct the joint aviation operations.


Last Marine Aviation Transfer of Authority in AfghanistanArticle by Sgt Jessica Ostroska, USN

Marines and sailors with 2nd Marine Aircraft

Wing (Forward) handed over the responsibilities as the aviation combat element for Regional Command (Southwest) to 3rd MAW (Fwd) during a transfer of authority ceremony aboard Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, Feb. 4, 2014.

This was the third deployment to Afghanistan for the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC, unit, and the casing of 2nd MAW (Fwd)’s colors signifies their Operation ENDURING FREEDOM mission is now complete. They close out another chapter in Marine Corps history as the last East Coast unit to serve as the ACE for RC(SW).

Second MAW (Fwd)’s deployment to Afghanistan began during February 2013. Throughout their time here, the unit completed more than 35,000 manned flight hours and 31,000 unmanned flight hours, covering more than 44,000 square miles of the RC(SW) area of operations, said LtCol Mark E. Van Skike, assistant chief of staff for operations, 2nd MAW (Fwd).

The wing has carried out and completed its missions with the support of a variety of aircraft from rotary-wing CH-53E Super Stallions, AH-1

Super Cobras and UH-1 Hueys to fixed-wing AV-8B Harriers, tilt-rotor MV-22 Ospreys and Cargo Resupply Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The round-the-clock support the wing provided ranged from medical evacuations for partnered and coalition forces in the RC(SW) area of operations to rotary-wing close air support with immediate response capabilities, assault support, and assistance transporting personnel, gear and cargo.

“I would like to convey what a privilege and honor it has been to serve as part of RC(SW), serving side by side with our Afghan partners and getting to watch the progression over the year of their increased ability to support themselves,” said Col Scott Jensen, commanding officer, 2nd MAW (Fwd). “It’s been a privilege as an aviation unit to be able to contribute in so many different ways, and interact with so many commanders and ground units across the coalition, across the Afghan National Security Forces, and certainly with our fellow Marines and Navy sailors that participated in operations within RC(SW). There is no finer organization and no finer group of people that have supported themselves in combat, in stress and in difficult times. They always marched to the sound of

the gun fight, they never turned down a mission and were always there when someone on the ground or someone else in the air needed them. And I am very proud that.”

Colonel Jensen attributed the unit’s effectiveness to the hard work and dedication of all the Marines and sailors within the command. He said it doesn’t happen by chance, but by good organizational skills from the headquarters level on down. The men and women who represent 2nd MAW (Fwd) made sure the aviation support on the ground and in the air was assisting those who needed it at the right time and place to protect the Marines out there on the battlefield.

The TOA ceremony marks the start of 3rd MAW’s third deployment to Afghanistan. The unit, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA, is scheduled to be here until the end of the year. They will be the last Marine Corps wing unit to aid RC(SW) with aviation support.

“We are trained, ready, motivated and proud to be your Marine Aircraft Wing,” said Col Patrick A. Gramuglia, commanding officer, 3rd MAW (Fwd).

As they assume command, 3rd MAW (Fwd) plans to maintain readiness for all elements of RC(SW) and keep coalition units in the fight by sustaining force protection of Camp Bastion and Camp Leatherneck, and maintaining the partnership with the United Kingdom Task Force Joint Aviation Group. Together they have integrated their operations and missions to work as a team to provide the best aviation support as the ACE for RC(SW).

Third MAW (Fwd) will continue to uphold the standard for professional execution of all their missions, said Gramuglia. The morale amongst the staff, Marines and sailors is very high, and they have trained hard and are motivated to be here.

Osprey from VMM-26l helps Army troop transport get to a remote area of northern Helmand. Photo taken by Ed Darack.


Features

HSL-49 DET SIX Rescues Two Sailors from Cargo ShipArticle By LTJG Christine Mayfield, USN

In the late hours of Tuesday, October 8, 2013, USS Cowpens

(CG 63), operating with USS George Washington (CVN 73) Strike Group in the Yellow Sea, received a “Mayday” call over Bridge-to-Bridge from a Cypress- flagged cargo ship. The ship’s captain requested any available assistance as the ship had suffered an engine casualty and was dead in the water. Two of his mariners suffered electrical burns while attempting to perform corrective maintenance on the engine. The captain informed Cowpens that they needed clean drinking water, medical assistance and medication for his injured mariners. As Typhoon Danas slowly churned just south of the operating area, sea states were too high to deploy the Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) to rescue the injured crew. The best option was Cowpens’ embarked SH-60B helicopter detachment, the Immortals of HSL-49 Detachment SIX. Commander, Task Force SEVEN ZERO (CTF 70) directed Cowpens to launch its helo and provide assistance to the burn victims on board the cargo ship. It was early evening, both Red Stinger helicopters were folded and stuffed in the hangar, and the detachment maintenance department was in the middle of shift change when the Immortals received the call to “launch LAMPS.” The entire maintenance team worked together to get the aircraft out of the hangar, spread, prepped and ready for flight in minimal time. The flight deck crew manned their stations for flight quarters and ensured the deck was ready to operate. The alert crew began their preflight planning and NATOPS brief, while other pilots performed the preflight inspection of the helicopter and obtained weather information. At the same time, the detachment’s operations officer coordinated logistical details with the Cowpens’ Commanding Officer and Strike Group personnel. Aircrew prepped

the cabin for rescue with the proper equipment and medical supplies. All the while, Typhoon Danas created sea states on the edge of our launch and recovery pitch/roll limits, variable winds, overcast skies and low light illumination. Despite these obstacles, Red Stinger 102 launched from Cowpens within an hour of the call, and proceeded to the vessel in distress a short distance away. It was just past sunset when the pilots, LCDR Timothy O’Brien and LTJG Christine Mayfield, spotted the 1100-foot cargo ship loaded with shipping containers. A reconnaissance pass over the ship revealed no landing site and many obstacles on the deck. Employing sound crew coordination between the pilots and crew chief, AWR2 Michael Aardsma, the crew decided a small clearing near the back of the ship presented the least number of hazards for a hoist. After communicating the intentions to the ship’s captain, the crew began its approach. The helicopter hovered at approximately twenty feet, while the crew chief hoisted AWR3 Hayden Casson down to the rolling deck so he could assess the injured personnel. It was immediately apparent that the two victims desperately needed medical attention beyond painkillers and clean water. Without hesitation, AWR3 Casson relayed communications through Red Stinger 102 to Cowpens medical corpsman that the victims suffered third degree burns to the face, neck, arms, and hands. He simultaneously began first aid on the victims, checked their vitals, and searched for signs of shock. Both reported severe pain and needed to be transported to a hospital immediately. Red Stinger 102 returned from a low orbit, came into hover over the fantail, and deployed a rescue basket to effect recovery of the two victims. A combination of rotor wash and a rolling unstable deck caused instability of the rescue basket over the deck, and posed a

risk to the rescue crewman and patients. Under advice of AWR2 Aardsma, the crew raised their hover altitude. This method provided some stability but it was AWR2 Aardsma’s steady hand that proved the most effective as both victims were hoisted into the cabin. After ensuring the safety of both victims, AWR2 Aardsma hoisted AWR3 Casson safely into the cabin. Upon departure from the cargo ship, CTF 70 directed Red Stinger 102 to conduct a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), flying the two victims to Kunsan U.S. Air Force Base in the Republic of Korea, roughly one hundred and fifty nautical miles away. Red Stinger 102 returned to the Cowpens for fuel and interim medical treatment of the survivors. Onboard Cowpens, the ship’s medical corpsman, HM1 Nickolas Westberg, administered morphine to both patients for their pain and stabilized them for the long transit to South Korea. During the two hour flight to Kunsan U.S .Air Force Base, AWR3 Casson did everything in his power to keep the two patients comfortable and interactive. Upon landing, the helicopter was greeted with a full team of Air Force medical personnel and ambulances. The two patients were transferred from the helicopter and into the ambulances for further treatment. A short time later, Red Stinger 102 departed Kunsan for Cowpens, who was closing Republic of Korea waters. Just before midnight, Red Stinger 102 made its final landing for the evening safely aboard Cowpens.

This strenuous six hour rescue mission presented significant challenges at every turn. The esprit de corps, dedication, and close coordination between the Cowpens and the DET-6 Immortals ensured success and saved lives. The mission serves as a vivid reminder of the importance of training, vigilance, and courage.


Joint Training: Flying SWTP at the Next LevelArticle and Photos by LCDR Justin “Tinkles” Cobb, USN

“Marauder 10 flight, t a r g e t t a s k i n g

previously identified vessels designated tracks 004-007, keep all fires to the northwest, break, Slayer 21, flow east, call established charlie three, expect target tasking tracks 008-009, request investigate tasking en route for unidentified track bearing 195 for 1000 yards.” It was going to be a solid week! R-2910 was reserved from morning through night, captive air training missiles (CATMS) and weapons were prepped on two of the HS-11 Dragonslayer HH-60Hs, and the moving land target (MLT) and crew-served scorable targets were standing by on range. Doing our best to keep with our established battle rhythm, the second week in March was slated as Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW) week. We had a slew of level two and three Seahawk Weapons and Tactics Program (SWTP) ASUW cards for both Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance (SCAR) and Close Air Support (CAS) and the squadron was once again ready to execute. Making this week even more productive and valuable was the integration of two South Carolina Army National Guard 1st Battalion, 151st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB) AH-64D Apache helicopters. Coordinated weeks earlier, two AH-64Ds and an H-60 Blackhawk loaded with additional pilots, support personnel, and equipment made the trek from McEntire Joint National Guard Base to conduct SCAR training with Navy assets.

The days leading up to the training flights saw the entire squadron working to prepare imagery, products, briefs, and

scenarios to ensure the week would be as productive and safe as possible. With so many moving parts the squadron planned and prepared as a team, leaving nothing to chance. Our planning cells utilized every asset at our disposal from Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) and TOPSCENE to Google Earth. For our CAS events, the team of junior officers created their own custom graphic operational schemes and gridded reference graphics (GOS/GRG) with self-mensurated details thanks to the help of TOPSCENE and Google. For SCAR, the detailed planning involved creating a prioritized target list (PTL), devising a methodology for breaking the airspace into manageable pieces for deconfliction of multiple assets and fires, while seamlessly integrating the real-life range restrictions into the concept of operations. In the end, the results were enough to make any weapons and tactics instructor’s heart swell with pride!

The hard work that the squadron aviators put into preparing for the week paid dividends the moment that Marauder 01 and 10 arrived on our flight line. After the requisite meet and greet formalities and a bit of lunch, the element brief kicked off. The details of the flight and SCAR mission were briefed and walked through in great detail. The plan involved utilizing one HH-60H as SCAR and the second HH-60H and two AH-64Ds as ARs – also known as SCAR Coordinator (SCARC) and strikers in Joint terminology. Some obvious limitations in our scenario included the fact that an HH-60H is not the best SCAR, neither aircraft was link

16 capable or on the same tactical data link net (both had operational Blue Force Tracker (BFT) but were on different nets), and the targets simulating naval threats were actually boxes and vehicles on land, all compounded by the usual language barriers and systems issues one might expect when working with joint assets. As it turned out, each of these things would provide invaluable lessons learned in how seemingly handicapped assets in the naval environment could, through astute planning and execution, work together to wreak havoc on multiple threats.

With respect to an HH-60H acting as SCAR, the SEAWOLF manual and NSAWC note that the first AR on scene will assume the duties of SCAR until it can be handed off to a more capable asset. While the likelihood of an HH-60H or an MH-60S being SCAR in a preplanned and executed mission is extremely small, any student of military history could point to innumerable examples of how unexpected and unplanned things manifest themselves in the combat environment. Besides, if we can train and act as SCAR then being an AR would be a piece of cake! Rather than utilize Link 16 the way modern carrier air wings would for this mission set, we devised a communications plan that included a combination of cuts from a bullseye and LAT/LONG to find and fix tracks and used a numbering sequence to keep them ordered and easy to reference once identified. Practicing this particular skill set was as important to the AH-64Ds as it was to the HH-60Hs of HS-11. Being the last HS squadron in the Navy, finding workarounds for not being “in the link” is


Features

of monumental importance, and its joint applications are obvious.

The ambiguous nature of simulating boats with overland targets also has corollaries for the HH-60H, MH-60S, and many other “non-naval” joint assets – finding and classifying targets visually, without the aid of surface search radar, inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR), or electronic support measures (ESM). Whereas the AH-64Ds AN/APG-78 Longbow millimeter-wave fire-control radar (FCR) target acquisition system and Radar Frequency Interferometer (RFI) gives it an absolute advantage overland, in an overwater environment it is far less effective. The difficulty in determining if the image on your FLIR from four miles away is a truck simulating one threat or a CONEX box simulating another requires the same skills needed in a dynamic or congested maritime arena. For the HH-60H, the MH-60S, or the AH-64D, target-track correlation relies heavily on FLIR proficiency and a well-calibrated eyeball.

Having tackled the issues of SCAR, lack of interoperable data links, and target-track representation and correlation, the last hurdle of our joint training produced some great lessons. The language piece of operating jointly has improved with the increased level of cooperation and joint publications, such as the ALSA Multi-service Brevity (NTTP 6-02.1), JFIRE Multi-service TTP for the Joint Application of Firepower (NTTP 3-09.2), and the SCAR Multi-service TTP (NTTP 3-03.4.3). Still, confusion can arise from differences in accepted vernacular within communities. The AH-64D, for instance, has a laser spot tracker. Use of the phrase “buddy lase” and “remote designation” opened room for confusion with respect to whether the desired tactic was to lase for the spot tracker or support a missile. In terms of systems differences, the AH-64D has no method of drawing a vector or “from hook” line from a point like a bullseye. Tried and true naval and air-to-air bearing, range, altitude, aspect (BRAA) tactics employed by other services are thus difficult to implement. Additionally, AH-64s are limited to one method of entering LAT/LONG (DD MM.MMM) and are more comfortable

working MGRS. We also knew from confirmation briefs that the AH-64D only had one VHF and one UHF radio (as well as additional FM and HF radios), but didn’t know that the range of their VHF radio is limited relative to naval VHF radios. Above the 130 MHz range, their radios became severely degraded, while, in comparison, our VHF radios are designed to operate throughout the Maritime 150 MHz region and perform normally. Whereas lessons such as their inability to draw a vector line and their coordinate formats were discovered and corrected during the brief, items like the VHF differences were discovered in flight, accounted for in real-time, and thoroughly debriefed.

All of the lessons learned by our unit were well worth the effort demanded by conducting such training. The opportunity to work with dissimilar aircraft in a mission set that is becoming increasingly more joint was serendipitous. The fact that HS-11 was able to conduct SWTP level two and three cards during these events was further proof that with proper mission planning and ORM even the most complex training mission can be accomplished safely. Establishing planning cells, working together as a

squadron, and conducting thorough briefs and rehearsals of concept were key to our success. Instead of a mundane syllabus event in sterile conditions, we conducted robust training in a joint environment with live ordnance and lasing. Use of a moving target for lasing and acoustically scored targets for our gunners meant that we were not only able to train for a big picture mission like SCAR, but were able to focus on the fundamentals. HS-11 has multiple upcoming events with both joint assets and several HSM squadrons from NS Mayport and NAS Jacksonville. Our goal is to keep our battle rhythm geared towards value-added training while emphasizing the importance of being professional aviators. In the end, we aim to take the SWTP to the next level. Double One!!


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lA Story For All Naval Sea-Going Helicopter Aircrews...

THE MILK RUN

For any pilot flying aircraft carrier operations, the voice of

the Air Boss, the officer in charge of all air operations on deck, is the sound of absolute authority. For this Navy helicopter pilot, the Air Boss represented trouble. He was a tyrant with a hair trigger.

In 1988, I was flying the Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight, a tandem-rotor helicopter deployed on the USS Niagara Falls, a support ship in the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Battle Group. My crew and I delivered “beans and bullets” to the fleet. We hit the Ike every other day, restocking whatever was needed to keep a city at sea afloat. Ammunition, food, machinery, mail—referred to as “pony”—the ships in the battle group relied on us for everything except fuel. It was exciting, challenging flying, and I loved it. But always, just below the surface, was the fear of raising the ire of the Air Boss.

One morning, flying as Knightrider zero six, we launched before dawn on a replenishing mission. We moved tons of cargo attached as sling loads beneath the helicopter.

By noon we had only a load of internal cargo left to deliver. I radioed the carrier. “Boss, Knightrider zero six, 10 miles out for landing.”

“Recoveries in progress. Take Starboard Delta,” he replied, directing us into an established holding pattern.

We watched as jets made approaches and “trapped” (caught one of the arresting cables) or “boltered” (missed the wires and went around for another try). We should be next, I thought, once all the jets were aboard. But the voice of authority had other plans. “I’ve got another cycle 15 minutes out, Knightrider. I’ll recover them first, then bring you aboard.”

“Haven’t got fuel for that, Boss,” I said. “Then go get some,” he snapped.

He knew we could get in and out in five minutes, but he was the Air Boss, so I bit my tongue and turned for the Falls. Then I remembered those orange bags marked U.S. Mail. In a mariner’s heart, mail call ranks just below liberty call. Not even an air boss can

Article courtesy of Air & Space MagazineSubmitted by CDR Joe Skrzypek, USN (Ret)

resist mail call. I keyed the microphone. “We have pony aboard, Boss.” Everyone in the control tower would be staring at him. If he didn’t land us, all 6,000 sailors aboard would soon know he had denied them a mail call.

“Knightrider, you’re clear to land, spot three,” he relented, specifying the forward spot on the angled flight deck.

I flew a shallow approach, careful not to let my rotor wash disrupt his flight deck. As soon as I touched down, my aircrew lowered the ramp and began pushing pallets down the rollers to the forklifts. Minutes after receiving the Air Boss’ grudging clearance, we were empty and ready to go.

“Knightrider zero six, ready to lift, spot three,” I transmitted. “Stand by, Knightrider,” he said. “Supply wants you to move a load of milk back to home plate for dispersal. How many gallons can we load, max?”

With our fuel load, we could lift about 7,000 pounds, but I hadn’t a clue as to how many gallons of milk that would be. I looked over at Dave, my copilot. “Any idea what milk weighs?” Dave shrugged and turned his palms upward in what is known in Navy parlance as an ensign’s salute.

“I need a number, Knightrider,” the Air Boss growled. Forklifts began driving off the elevators with pallets of milk. I pulled the calculator out of my helmet bag and typed 7000. Now I just needed to know what to divide it by.

“Knightrider! I need a number—now.” “Milk must weigh about the same as fuel, right Dave?”

Dave gave me another ensign’s salute. I knew that jet fuel weighed about 6.5 pounds per gallon. Even though the voice in my head told me to slow down and think this through, I decided that a liquid was a liquid. I plugged 6.5 into my calculator. Just as the Boss started to growl again, I transmitted, “One zero five zero gallons, Boss,” with far more

confidence than I actually had. It was meager comfort that I had figured in a 27-gallon cushion, just in case milk was a little heavier than fuel. How much heavier could it be?

“Okay, Knightrider. Here it comes. Be ready to lift as soon as we stuff you.” In minutes the cabin was crammed with hundreds of plastic jugs that I prayed weighed no more than my hasty calculation.

“Knightrider, cleared for takeoff.” I pulled the aircraft into a hover and stabilized it for a ground-effect power check. Ground effect—the cushion of air that provides extra lift for a helicopter operating within one rotor diameter of the surface—can be a blessing or a curse. With a long hovering run, a pilot can accelerate in the ground effect cushion until reaching flying speed, thereby lifting far more than would be possible from a standard climbing transition. The carrier, however, presented the opposite situation. From our position adjacent to the deck edge, I would take off into a ground-effect hover, then transition over the edge of the flight deck, 90 feet above the water, to an immediate loss of ground effect. The voice in my head warned me as I raised the collective to increase rotor pitch and add engine torque, but the big voice in my headset drowned it out: “I need my deck, Knightrider!”

Normally I would have taken my time to evaluate a takeoff this critical. But this was the Air Boss’ deck, and he wanted it back. “Get that darn helo off my deck, now!”

Without the stabilized torque reading that would tell whether the aircraft would fly at this weight, and against my better judgment, I eased the cyclic stick forward and the aircraft lumbered across the deck edge. Immediately we were in trouble. The aircraft settled, and I instinctively countered by raising the collective. But instead of slowing its descent, the helicopter settled faster. The steady hum of the rotors changed to a distinct whump whump whump, and the familiar blur of the rotors slowed until I could see each individual blade. A


CDR D.J. HayesCAPT C.B. SmileyCAPT J.M. PurtellCDR H.V. Pepper

CDR H.F. McLindenCDR W. StaightMr. R. WallochCDR P.W. Nicholas

CAPT A.E. MonahanCAPT M.R. StarrCAPT A.F. EmigMr. H. Nachlin

NHA Founding Members

NAVAL HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION, INCThe Navy Helicopter Association, Inc was founded on 2 November 1971 by the twelve rotary wing pioneers listed below.

The bylaws were later formally written and the organization was established as a nonprofit association in the State of California 11 May 1978. In 1987 the bylaws were rewritten, changing the name from Navy to Naval to reflect the close relationship of the rotary wing community in the Coast Guard,

Marine Corps and Navy, from initial training to operating many similar aircraft. NHA is a 501 ( C ) (6) nonprofit association.

Objectives of NHA Provide recognition and enhance the prestige of the United States Naval vertical flight community.

Promote the use of vertical lift aircraft in the U. S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Keep members informed of new developments and accomplishments in rotary wing aviation.

quick glance at the instruments confirmed that both engines were operating normally. I was simply demanding more power than they could produce, and the strain was making the rotor speed decay.

I should have predicted what would happen next. With a jolt, both generators kicked off and we lost everything electrical. Powered by the rotor system, the generators had been designed to “shed,” or drop offline, at 88 percent of optimum rotor speed to preserve torque for lift. The jolt was the loss of the flight control stability system. The helicopter was still controllable, but controlling it took far more work without the stability system. Things were starting to go very badly.

As the rotor speed continued to decay, I realized the only chance we had was to get back into ground effect. If I continued wallowing, the helicopter would “run out of turns”—lose lifting rotor speed—and crash, or settle into the ocean and sink. I had to try what the old salts called “scooping it out.”

Faced with an undesirable sink rate, it is counterintuitive to decrease either power or pitch, but scooping it out required both. To dive back into ground effect, I lowered the nose, and the windscreen filled with the sight of blue water and white foam. To preserve rapidly deteriorating rotor speed, I lowered the collective. The bottom dropped out and the ocean rushed upward. I blurted, “Brace for impact!” Dave immediately understood what I was attempting and began calling altitude and rotor speed.

“Fifteen feet, 84 percent.” I needed airspeed. I had to trade more altitude to get it, so I eased the cyclic forward a little more. “Five feet, 84 percent.” I checked the descent and stabilized in the ground effect run. “Three feet, 83 percent.” We were flying,

and the rotor speed had stabilized, but I couldn’t seem to coax any acceleration out of it. This low, even a rogue wave could bring us down. Milk, I thought. Evil stuff.

With only the speed I had bought with the dive and no sign of acceleration, I despaired. Then the old salts spoke to me again. If you ever need a little something extra, try a 15-degree right yaw. The drag is negligible, but your aft rotors get undisturbed air. What did I have to lose? I tapped the right pedal and the helicopter yawed. “Two feet, 84 percent.” Running through ditching procedures in my mind, I suddenly noticed the waves gliding by faster than they had only seconds before. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, we were accelerating. I glanced at the airspeed indicator and my heart leaped: It was passing 40 knots. Then I felt that beautiful shudder every helicopter pilot knows as translational lift, the point where the aircraft is flying like an airplane more than hovering like a helicopter.

“Five feet, 90 percent.” Then another jolt—the generators were back, bringing the stability system with them. I accelerated through normal climb speed. At 90 knots and with rotor speed back, I finally had the confidence to leave the ground cushion that had saved us. Climbing through 100 feet, and over a mile from the carrier, the voice of authority once more rang in my headphones. “Great to see you flying, Knightrider. We were all holding our breath up here.”

So, the Air Boss had a heart after all.

Turning for home, I passed the controls to Dave, took a deep breath, and noticed that my hands were shaking. I’d made a rookie mistake, and very nearly paid for it with four lives and a helicopter.

I later learned that milk weighs 8.7 pounds per gallon, a far cry from the 6.5 I had estimated. I had taken off from the carrier more than 2,100 pounds overweight, not counting the weight of pallets and packaging.

That was 20 years ago. Now I’m the old salt. Thousands of flight hours later, I still remember what I learned that day. Never allow external pressures to force a decision on any matter of safety. And never ignore the voice in my head that says something isn’t right. Frequently it is the only one making sense. And when the guy at the supermarket asks me how I want to carry my milk, I always tell him to double-bag it.

SCAN CODE TO THE MILK RUN

Online


Historical

Final Visit to the Ol’ HangarA Tribute to RADM (Ret) F. W. JohnstonArticle and Photos by LTJG Daniel Knight, USN

During the third week of October 2013, the Dragonslayers of HS-

11 played host to a reunion of former squadron members. In attendance were veterans representing over 15 years of Dragonslayer legacy. This included several former HS-11 Commanding Officers.

Earlier in 2013, the Dragonslayers framed and hung the photographs of every previous Commanding Officer (CO), but with a history extending into the early 1950s, a few of the Commanding Officer photos were missing. This included that of RADM F. W. Johnston, USN (Ret) who led the Dragonslayers from June 1972 until May 1973. Through the course of planning the reunion, an inquiry was made as to whether or not any of the former skippers happened to be in possession of missing photos. To the delight of the Dragonslayers, not only did the photo exist, it would be personally delivered by RADM Johnston.

Being unable to attend the scheduled reunion visit to the squadron on Thursday, October 17th, RADM Johnston made a special visit that Tuesday to his old squadron. During his visit, RADM Johnston met the current Dragonslayers, toured the spaces, and learned about the squadron’s aircraft and missions.

After the reunion, HS-11 pressed on with a busy detachment schedule. While aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in January, the

RADM F. W. Johnston, USN (Ret), speaks with HS-11 Executive Officer, CDR Robert Smallwood, and Command Master Chief Costello.

squadron received word that RADM Johnston had sadly passed away. His passing was rather sudden, but his wife and son were thankfully at his side.

RADM Johnston will always be remembered by the Dragonslayers as “Skipper,” but his service didn’t end there. After leaving HS-11, RADM Johnston would go on to serve as the Executive Officer of the USS Tarawa (LHA 1) and then as the first CO of USS Saipan (LHA 2). RADM Johnston then served as the Head of Navy Personnel Programs and was appointed to the

rank of Rear Admiral and assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Plans & Policy section. Notably, RADM Johnston was only the second helicopter pilot to have ever attained Flag rank. Subsequently, he served as the Commander of Carrier Based ASW Aircraft in the Atlantic Fleet. His last assignment

was as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Readiness and Resources for the Atlantic Fleet.

Dragonslayers past and present are proud to have once been led by such an outstanding officer and those who were present for his visit were honored to have met him. The photo provided by RADM Johnston will be proudly displayed among the HS-11 Skippers and his legacy of leadership will continue to inspire Dragonslayers for years to come.

RADM Johnston was the second naval helicopter pilot to attain the rank of Flag Officer.


RA: Think about all your options and get advice from your friends and your mentors. If you do decide to transition to civilian status, there is life on the other side! I like not moving my family every two years; that might appeal to you as well. Be sure to talk to people you respect who made the decision to leave active duty. Find out why they left. You might find their reasons don’t resonate with you, and might also find they had a tougher time transitioning than expected. Ultimately, if you decide to make the Navy an active duty career, you will feel more confident you made the right call.

If you decide to separate, do yourself a favor and get yourself into the Navy Reserve. There is tremendous honor in serving our country as a Navy Reservist. I recommend starting off in a squadron, while you are still current and qualified in a fleet model aircraft. You will find the same camaraderie exists as in an active squadron, and you will still be able to fly Navy helicopters and keep leading sailors. It also gives you command opportunities. It’s the best of both worlds.

I wouldn’t trade my career in the Navy for anything. The opportunity to contribute directly and indirectly to the global war on terror has been extremely rewarding. My selection as a flag officer has extended my ability to keep making a difference on behalf of our sailors throughout the fleet. I am very proud to represent the Navy Helicopter Community in that capacity.

Transitions...

Interview by CDR Mike Steffen, USNA Reservist InterviewThe fol lowing is an interview with RDML Russel l E. Al len, USN. His current naval reserve posi t ion is Deputy Commander, 7th Fleet. As a c iv i l ian, he is a Del ta Air L ines 767 First Off icer.MS: Please describe your civilian job and what you

like most about it.RA: I am an international first officer with Delta

Air Lines, flying the Boeing 767 & 757. My schedule changes from week to week. I am able to pick and choose my days off and generally where I want to fly, with some restrictions. For example, I really enjoy flying to the Hawaiian Islands during the winter months (who wouldn’t?!). Although I am qualified to fly long-range flights to Asia, I usually don’t do that since those trips are 10-12 days in length. With my new assignment at 7th Fleet, I am going to get plenty of Asia travel to check that block.

I’d have to say that what I most enjoy about the airline job is still being able to fly airplanes and traveling around the country and the world. The United States is such a beautiful country, with so much variety, that I never get tired of looking out the cockpit window at the wonders on the ground. Flying across the Pacific and arriving in Hawaii 5 to 6 hours later never gets old either.

MS: Why did you choose to leave the active service?

RA: I decided to separate from active duty when I finished my initial obligation. At the time, I felt like I wanted to pursue a civilian career more than accept orders to a disassociated sea tour, followed by another non-flying tour…Most of my contemporaries will chuckle at my short-sightedness, but that was a big issue for many of us back then. I also preferred a career transition as a 32 year old rather than trying to do the same thing after a 20 or 30 year career.

MS: Please describe your current Navy Reserve position and what you like most about it.

RA: Well, I am the Deputy Commander of U.S. 7th Fleet. My boss, VADM Robert Thomas and I go back a few years to my midshipman days at the University of Texas. He was a company officer. I admired him as a leader then, and am happy to be working for him now.

What might be surprising is that my position is part-time. During day to day operations, 7th Fleet staff has managed to survive without a full-time deputy for years, maybe even decades. They are very good at what they do. However, when the demand signal goes up, as it does during major exercises, the need for a Deputy is well established. That model holds true for any major contingency operation.

What I like about the job is the challenge it represents. I get to be directly involved in operational command and control of forward deployed naval forces in a very challenging maritime environment. The pace is fast, and the opportunity to lead our Navy’s largest fleet is very humbling, but exciting.

MS: What made you decide to “rejoin” the Navy through the Reserves?

RA: I always intended to continue my career and I really struggled with the decision to leave active duty. Being able to affiliate with the Navy Reserves made that decision so much easier. And the fact I would join the squadron I listed as my first choice on my dream sheet in flight school made it even better, and allowed an immediate transition to the Reserves. My first drill weekend was exactly 9 days later, in fact.

MS: What advice would you give young naval officers who are considering a transition?

The following resources are designed to help NHA members who are considering or have the desire to explore transition options.

3. NHA’s LinkedInFor job listings or other career transitions, join Naval Helicopter Association Group and follow the company page.

2. Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military FamiliesThe Veterans Career Transition Program is no cost to active duty, post-9/11 veterans, and their spouses. The Professional Skills Track and the Tech Track are offered through an advisor-led group admitted quarterly, and the Independent Study Track is available for start at any time. Courses available include

ITIL, Six Sigma, Project Management, Web Design and more. http://vets.syr.edu/education/employment-programs/

1. Business 101 Course by MEA-WestA graduate school level training curriculum targeted to transitioning Senior Military Officers and Enlisted, open to all ranks and spouses.Learn the employment skills to succeed in civilian business… a world far different from military culture. Our next course is May 12 through 15, 2014 at Camp Pendleton. Learn all about civilian business… its unique language, the modern business culture, contemporary

perceptions of military personnel, goals and metrics, job success tools, your new challenges, and civilian business expectations. This is your preparation for better interviews and a more successful career transition. https://business101-may2014.eventbrite.com


The newest naval helicopter pilots going to the fleet

WINGING CLASS 14FEB14Third Row: CDR. Matthew J. Bowen, USN, Commanding Officer HT-8; ENS Brian A. Sprague, USN; ENS Ryan C. Gawne, USN; LTJG Daniele Trozzi, IT Navy; LT Jack C. Shadwick, USCG; ENS David A. Tassin, USN; LT Brian J. Michka, USCG; ENS Matthew A. Burgess, USN; ENS Ben H. Dodge, USN; LTJG Jacob M. Marks, USCG; ENS Brett W. Hicks, USN; 1st Lt Stuart M. Bryson, USMC; ENS Jonathan D. Scarfo, USN; Col Gary A. Kling, USMC, Deputy Commodore TRAWING-5. Second Row: CDR Kevin Pickard, Jr., USN, Commanding Officer HT-18; ENS Benjamin P. Aspholm, USN; LTJG Jarrod S. Martyn, USN; ENS David F. Boring, USN; LTJG Abdulaziz M. Al-Mulhim, RSNF; LTJG Enrico Carpanese, IT Navy; ENS Devin y. Splatt, USN; ENS Kevin A. Petty, USN; LTJG Paolo Clericuzio, IT Navy; ENS Jacob M. Bean, USN; 1st Lt Traci A. Willemse, USMC; ENS Joseph R. Luna, USN. First Row: CDR. Jeffrey D. Ketcham, USN, Executive Officer HT-28; ENS Michelle R. Sybouts, USN; ENS Jonathan G. Smoak, USN; ENS Randall A. Perkins IV, USN; ENS Scott J. Luke, USN; 1st Lt Anthony L. Robertson, USMC; ENS Matthew S. Pollock, USN; ENS Morgan C. McCleve, USN; ENS Alexander B. Mckenna, USN; ENS Hannah M. Buck, USN; ENS Jack E. Haller, USN; ENS Brian L. Isbell, USN; CAPT Richard A. Catone, USN (Ret.).

WINGING CLASS 28FEB14Third Row: CDR Matthew J. Bowen, USN, Commanding Officer HT-8; ENS Caleb L. Korver, USN; 1stLt Michael R. Seabolt, USMC; ENS Alexander W. Morgan, USN; ENS Colin R. Price, USN; Col Gary A. Kling, USMC, Deputy Commodore TRAWING-5. Second row: CDR Kevin Pickard, Jr., USN, Commanding Officer HT-18; ENS Blane H. Butcher, USN; 1stLt Brandon T. Dell, USMC; ENS George B. Evans, USN; 1stLt Jason E. Grimes, USMC First row: LtCol Jeffrey M. Pavelko, USMC, Commanding Officer HT-28; 1stLt Jessica J. Del Castillo, USMC; ENS Kaila M. Summers, USN; ENS Caitlyn M. Brogdon, USN; ENS Shelby P. De La Mora, USN; Col James T. Jenkins, USMC, Commanding Officer MAG-29.


WINGING CLASS 14MAR14Third Row: CDR Matthew J. Bowen, USN, Commanding Officer HT-8; ENS Richard M. Prevatt, USN; 1stLt Charles J. Ruck, USMC; 1stLt Michael S. Smithson, USMC; ENS Brandon P. Telatovich, USN; ENS Benjamin T. Von Forell, USN; CAPT James L. Vandiver, USN, Commanding Officer NASC. Second Row: CDR Kevin Pickard, Jr., USN, Commanding Officer HT-18; LTJG Caleb L. Stevens, USN; ENS Kevin P. Matovina, USN; ENS Patrick P. Bagnick, USN; LT Adnan Abbasi, USN; ENS Kevin P. Primeau, USN; CAPT James Fisher, USN, Commodore TRAWING-5. First Row: LtCol Jeffrey M. Pavelko, USMC, Commanding Officer HT-28; ENS Alexander S. Campbell, USN; LTJG Timothy J. Olah, USCG; ENS Matthew T. Wellens, USN; ENS Rhiannon R. Frencher, USN.

WINGING CLASS 28MAR14Third Row: CDR Matthew J. Bowen, USN, Commanding Officer HT-8; ENS Anthony S. Arrow, USN; LTJG James L. Adair, USN; ENS Wesley H. Smith, USN; ENS Drew C. Gresh, USN. Second Row: CDR Kevin Pickard, Jr., USN, Commanding Officer HT-18; 1stLt Antonio R. Alvarado, USMC; ENS Matthew A. Abeling, USN; LTJG James A. Rader, USCG; ENS Kevin B. Flood, USN; CAPT Thurman T. Maine, USCG, Commanding Officer ATC Mobile. First Row: LtCol Jeffrey M. Pavelko, USMC, Commanding Officer HT-28; ENS Joshua C. Schmidt, USN; ENS Garrett E. Horn, USN; ENS Michael R. Ballester, USN; CAPT James Fisher, USN, Commodore TRAWING-5.

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WINGING CLASS 22NOV13Third Row: CDR Matthew J. Bowen, USN, Commanding Officer HT-8; ENS Rylee J. Streff, USN; LTJG Stephen M. Sanders, USCG; 1stLt Matthew D. Dieska, USMC; ENS David A. Simone, USN; ENS Eugene T. Flood IV, USN. Second Row: CDR. Kevin Pickard, Jr., USN, Commanding Officer HT-18; ENS Logan G. Sprague, USN; ENS Andrew J. Reynolds, USN; ENS Jonathan J. Yaede, USN; ENS Jonathan C. Happy, USN; ENS Amanda H. Lowery, USN; CAPT Matthew F. Coughlin, USN, Commanding Officer NAS Whiting Field. First Row: LtCol Jeffrey M. Pavelko, USMC, Commanding Officer HT-28; ENS Samantha A. Smith, USN; ENS Adam B. Granic, USN; ENS Jacob M. Amon, USN; 1stLt James R. Davin, USMC; CAPT James J. Fisher, USN, Commodore TRAWING-5.


A Salute to 14 Years…The Retirement of NHA’s Executive Director, Col Howard M. Whitfield, USMC (Ret)

Colonel Howard “Howie” M. Whitfield, USMC (Ret), was raised

in New York and graduated from Garden City High School, Long Island, NY. Howie attended Colorado University, Boulder, Colorado where he studied engineering. In the spring of 1956, he was selected to attend the second class at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Upon graduation in June 1960, with a BS in Engineering, he elected to be commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps. After the Officers Basic Course in Quantico, VA, he went to Naval Aviator training in Pensacola, FL, and selected the helicopter pipeline.

Howie was assigned to his first helicopter squadron in Tustin, CA, HMM-361, flying the UH-34D. In 1962, the squadron deployed in support of the Cuban Missile Crisis

and in 1963 the squadron deployed overseas to DaNang, S. Vietnam. Upon return in 1964, and during the next 21 years, he alternated east coast/west coast and had various assignments, back to Vietnam, in staff and squadron jobs, Headquarters Marine Corps, and military schools. Howie commanded two Marine helicopter squadrons and a group and retired from the Marine Corps in 1985 with 5,500 flight hours at the rank of Colonel.

Howie then accepted a marketing job with Sikorsky Aircraft in Connecticut. He had a variety of assignments with Sikorsky Aircraft in advanced design and marketing in the

U.S. and overseas. While at Sikorsky, he became connected with the NHA organization. Howie became an NHA Trustee in 1991 and then again in 1999. Howie retired from Sikorsky in 1999 and relocated to San Diego, CA.

Howie earned a BS in Operations Research/Systems Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School and a MPA in Public Administration from Auburn University.

Howie was hired as the Executive Director of the Naval Helicopter Association in 2000

and has done an absolutely outstanding job for the organization to date. Howie will retire after this year’s symposium with 14 years of dedicated service to the organization. Howie has two married daughters and three granddaughters.

It is our honor to congratulate Colonel Howie Whitfield, USMC (Ret), on his 14 years of exceptional service as the Naval Helicopter Association Executive Director. Colonel Whitfield’s tenure as Executive Director represents a lifetime of service to NHA, our naval helicopter community and our country. During his tenure as NHA Executive Director, Colonel Whitfield successfully reestablished NHA as a f inancial ly sound organizat ion of over 2 ,800 members .

Howie, thank you for your outs tanding service to NHA and the naval rotary wing c o m m u n i t y . F a i r w i n d s a n d fol lowing seas as you set out on this next phase of your l i fe! Best wishes for cont inued success and smooth sai l ing!

(photo on the left) Then LtCol Whitfield, Commanding Officer of HMM-268 pictured with a row of CH-46 Sea Knights in the background at MCAS(H) Tustin, CA in 1981.


Naval expeditionary rotary wing aviation is paramount in the current United

States order of battle (OOB) and frankly, more relevant today than in the past due to a glaring demand for increased integration of the MH-60 Sierra and Romeo series helicopters in the service of special operations air and ground force missions. The following objective analysis of the modernized naval MH-60 platform and squadrons illustrates an energetic and positive trend unconstrained by historical constructs such as Carrier Strike Group deployments and outdated community norms. Today’s Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) squadrons are proving highly adaptable and flexible, capable enough to meet this unique operational tasking. However, before discussing why this ultimate integration is so critical, it is important to recognize that past failures across multiple service agencies have actually incurred a vacuum of stagnation. This danger must be met full force and head on to avoid a similar calamity. Case in point, the unsuccessful rescue of American hostages in Iran in the 1980s exposed a multitude of communication issues with regards to intelligence. Respective service commanders were guarding their own intelligence and unintentionally putting servicemen and servicewomen at risk. Consequently, assimilation of theater assets became the means for a joint mindset of combat against enemies across the globe. In the mid-1980s, Senator Barry Goldwater and Representative William Nichols designed and created the Goldwater-Nichols Act which delegated the retention of power from singular service (i.e. Navy, Army, Air Force) to Regional Geographic Combatant Commanders (RGCC) who could then control what assets they had in theater - be it air, land, or sea. This type of regional oversight allowed Joint Force Commanders (JFC) to better assess the enemy’s OOB. Further, they could combat it across a five-dimensional battlespace including air, land, sea, information, and space with whatever service assets they had in their area of responsibility (AOR). For fear of repeating the past, we must once again revisit the basic premise that all services must answer the call when requests are made; specifically, the HSC

expeditionary community needs to expand how assets are tasked and develop the organic ability to answer hybrid tasking in a timely and fiscally responsible manner.

IN THE BEGINNING Naval rotary wing aviation began the process of tactical integration roughly a decade after Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld planned to reduce cost expenditures across the DoD with the ultimate goal of increasing war fighting efficiency. The result was streamlining the Navy helicopter OOB to just three models: the MH-60 R/S and CH-53. The new MH-60 series would carry the bulk of day-to-day operations while a small number of CH-53 heavy-lift squadrons would remain for their particular mission set. This arrangement was detailed in MH-60 R/S news online in an article entitled “Multi-Year Buy Generates Savings for Navy.”

“The Navy is streamlining its helicopter fleet by replacing six existing models with just two, the MH-60R and the MH-60S...[which will be] used for ship-to-ship cargo resupply, search and rescue, humanitarian relief and close-in defense of Navy ships.”1

This move would meet current naval rotary wing demands but did not address future mission growth. On March 4th, 2004 Mr. Thomas E. Laux, Assault and Special Missions PEO alongside RADM Anthony L. Winns, Deputy Director of Air Warfare, spoke before the House Armed Services Committee on future technology initiatives and concerns. Their primary point reiterated the essential support these airframes provided in joint and coalition operations (e.g. OIF, OEF etc.) and noted a new transformation had begun, albeit accidentally, in the concept of operations for these helicopter communities.

“The Sierra’s primary missions are Anti-Surface Warfare, Combat Search and Rescue, and Naval Special Warfare support… this change involves more than just in-theater assignment of forces from Carrier Battle Groups to Amphibious Ready Groups, the new groups will train together and deploy as a cohesive unit…and prevail against asymmetric threats.” 2

BUILT FOR COMBAT SUPPORT It would seem serendipitous that the latest MH-60 series models would be able to

so superbly answer the call, and yet one must keep in mind that this model aircraft boasts a strong heritage of versatility, endurance, and flexibility in satisfying rotary wing requests to ground unit needs. True to form, the US Army has been—with impressive results, using the MH-60 for decades across the globe, from the Middle East to South America. Built upon a modifiable chassis, the Navy took advantage of this with multiple upgrades to include: a foldable rotor system to allow for ship storage, more powerful engines for improved VERTREP and logistical support, and a fully modular cabin to accommodate the tools and equipment necessary to conduct everything from helicopter rope suspension training (HRST) operations over land and sea, to weapons placement enabling dual M-240D and GAU-21 employment. Furthermore, the Extended Weapons Storage (EWS) pylons allow up to eight Hellfire missiles or a 20mm forward firing cannon. Finally, the Romeo and Sierra models both have an improved communication suite with line-of-sight and over-the-horizon capabilities such as SINGCARS, HAVEQUICK I & II, and DAMA SATCOM in both 5 and 25 KHz. LINK-16 and the Multi-Spectral Targeting System (MTS) provide vast enhancements in live intelligence broadcasting for Ground Force Commanders (GFC) and Officers in Tactical Command (OTC). Respect for this extremely capable platform is evidenced by the phenomenal increase in foreign military sales to countries like Australia, Israel, Japan, Denmark, and Korea, among many others. 3

A QUESTION OF MUTUAL SUPPORT President Obama appealed for “innovative, low-cost, and small-footprint approaches to achieve security objectives.” 4

This mindset of fiscal responsibility, while still maintaining an ability to conduct necessary operations in “deterring and defeating aggression by adversaries…and protecting the homeland”5 was tasked by the National Command Strategy and called for a creative, “outside-the-box” approach. ADM McRaven, Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, insists that this could only be met by direct integration

Maintaining Relevancy in a New Geo-Political RealityArticle by LT Joseph Proffitt, USN

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The Next Issue of

will feature the 2nd Annual Rotor Review Photo and Video ContestAll photo and video entries must meet the rules on the website and are due no later than May 23, 2014. All article submissions need to be sent to your Rotor Review community editor or NHA Design Editor no later than June 13, 2014.

Any further questions, please contact the NHA National Office at 619.435.7139 or [email protected].

of SOF in dynamic environments in support of RGCCs.

“Execution of the Defense Strategic Direction requires that we achieve our end state of globally networked Special Operations Forces, Interagency, Allies and Partners capable of rapidly or persistently addressing regional contingencies and threats to stability.” 6

This utilization of SOF operators in conjunction with conventional ground forces requires “all-service” support over many operational, logistical, and financial levels. A large part of this burden would be alleviated with the integration of Naval rotary aviation into all facets of the RGCCs’ and Theater Special Operation Commanders’ (TSOC) OOB, thereby encouraging the transformation of US military forces into a lighter, agile, and more reactive force. Furthermore, it would effectively answer two of the five major tenants of the President’s strategic guidance:

1. “Plan and size forces to be able to defeat a major adversary in one theater while denying aggression elsewhere or imposing unacceptable costs.”2. “No longer size active forces to conduct large and protracted stability operations while retaining the expertise of a decade of war.” 7

The Romeo and Sierra expeditionary helicopter communities maintain relevancy by diligently training to meet this high standard where more emphasis is placed on missions such as ASUW and SOF support including maritime interdiction operations (MIO). Additional strides have also been made to meet the “joint, all-service” requirement with the establishment of the “Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) in January 2006, which consolidated and facilitated the expansion of a number

of Navy organizations in Irregular Warfare (IW) operations.” 8

DESIRED AIR SUPPORT The article, “Beyond the Ramparts, The Future of U.S. Special Operations” published by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments succinctly and logically details a continual need for increased rotary wing (RW) support for SOF across the globe. Historically, these requests have been fielded by specially designated, funded, and manned aviation squadrons such as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), and HSC-84 and 85 (Reserve Helicopter Sea Combat Squadrons); when called upon they performed exceedingly well. However, the rapidly growing need for increased intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), close air support (CAS), and SOF infiltration and exfiltration options has left unit commanders with exhausted resources that are all too often pulled in multiple, disparate directions. The MH-60 Romeo and Sierra series can answer this resource disparity with marked improvement over previous models, specifically in the realm of communication and real-time information dissemination, thereby clarifying the battle picture for both ground and seaborne units. 9 Additionally, the current geo-political environment and ongoing economic turbulence has left minimal concrete deployment schedules for Carrier Strike Groups (CSG); while expeditionary squadrons remain idle at Homeguard. The procurement of the naval MH-60 models nearly a decade ago was, in part, to meet these needs, yet the current force construct does not take advantage of this, nor does it fulfill the original intent to further increase our tactical arsenal.

A SHIFT IN FOCUS Guidance from the Defense Budget Priorities and Strategy (2012), notes that as US forces recede from predominantly land-based engagements, the fleet will transition to a more maritime-centric environment with the following major objectives:

1. Sustained Army and Marine Corps force structure in the Pacific, while maintaining persistent presence in the Middle East. 2. Maintain current RW support of amphibious assault ships while initiating support to forward stationed Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).3. Funded development of ‘proving technology’ for afloat forward staging bases providing dedicated support to long-stay missions (e.g. counter-mine ops) where ground-based access is not available.

This shift in focus comes at an opportune time as the MH-60S excels in these primary mission areas including helicopter visit, board, search, and seizure (HVBSS), surface surveillance coordination (SSC), strike coordination and reconnaissance (SCAR) and gas and oil platform (GOPLAT) insert and extract. Additionally, the wars of the last decade are still providing unparalleled insight into Al-Qaeda tactics and how to best combat terrorists cells in AORs such as North Africa, the Middle East, and other harboring nations – all insights that further the utility of the MH-60R and MH-60S. Next, future military operations concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region are garnering special attention to utilizing Guam and Australia as forward staging areas. Two and three helicopter detachments from both the HSC and HSM communities would help alleviate the high OPTEMPO for Guam based aviation units. Lastly, the SPECOPS units that generate this RW demand are expanding their scope to align, train, and assist in the execution


of multinational IW, counter-terrorism (CT), and foreign internal defense (FID) in the aforementioned regions. Case in point, ADM McRaven explains in his SOCOM 2020 statement, “…another key element of our global SOF network requires enhancing the capabilities of our Theater Special Operation Commander’s (TSOC)…we will properly empower the TSOCs to increase capacity and capabilities of SOF support to the Geographic Combatant Commander’s (GCC).” The Commander of SOCOM plans for the establishment of Regional SOF Coordination Centers (RSCC) that would progress international interfaces by fostering inclusive military partnerships to achieve mutual security objectives. 10 The result of the establishment of these RSCCs presents a collage of international cooperation opportunities for Navy expeditionary squadrons to showcase their abilities.

TRAINING TO MEET EXPECTATIONS The Navy’s plan to progress to the “indirect mission” in varying locations is being realized with the implementation of LCS which helps allied nations in the defense of littoral waters, thereby combating terrorist growth, Islamic fundamentalism associated with impoverished, undereducated communities, and narcotics-terrorism, piracy, and trans-national criminal networks to name a few.

Though still in its ‘ramp-up’ phases, the LCS training pipeline is spooling up with several proof of concept deployments completed with MH-60 and MQ-8 Fire Scout airframes embarked. Next, rotary wing training for traditional SOF missions is already well in place with the establishment of the Seahawk Weapons and Tactics Program (SWTP) with much value added in the San Diego area of operation where Naval Special Warfare (NSW) desert and over-water training areas, weapons ranges, and combat towns provide unparalleled opportunities to integrate with local Navy and Marine Corps operators. This construct could be further realized by designating Navy Expeditionary Squadrons as temporary SOCOM assets, maximizing interdepartmental coordination and fostering significant combat synergy with host units well before entering into an overseas AOR.

EXPEDITIONARY SQUADRONS STAND READY The MH-60 Romeo and Sierra are meeting the demand for a multitude of missions, but asset allocation and utilization is stopping at the training level. The Navy possesses dedicated SOF ground support squadrons with dozens more on each coast standing ready to answer the global demand

for joint “all service” integration. The HSC community is no longer constrained to traditional logistical and operational support missions (e.g. VERTREP and SAR) due to the improved capabilities of the aircraft, competency and training of aircrews, and the effectiveness and dedication of prescribed maintenance personnel. The new geo-political reality in which we live demands cost efficiency and public scrutiny inhibits not only large-scale warfare but also socially unpalatable troop movements. Policy makers subject to public whim may reallocate defense budgeting to other domestic issues and in so doing enhance the gradient for military services to precisely scale. Nevertheless, the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, end to a decade of war, and a national economic recession truly necessitates an influx of funding, training, geographic coverage, and scope of specialized operations. Fortunately, this transformation is already buoyed by the service Admiral, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of Defense instituted plan to assimilate the MH-60R/S into a tactical support aircraft. It is now up to Naval expeditionary rotary wing communities to answer the call for enhanced rotary wing support - pointedly following our National Defense Strategy now and improving our community in the future.

FOOTNOTES1“Multi-Year Buy Generates MH-60 Savings for Navy” 2012. Lockheed Martin. Accessed on 13 July, 2013. <http://www.mh-60.com/multi-year-buy-generates-mh-60-savings-for-navy>2 Laux, Thomas E., and Rear Admiral Anthony L. Winns. Interview. 4 March, 2004. Accessed on 13 July, 2013. <http://www.navy.mil/navydata/testimony/aviation/laux-winns040304.txt>3 “ Romeo Woos Another Country” 2012. Lockheed Martin. Accessed on 13 July, 2013. < http://www.mh-60.com/romeo-woos-another-country/>.4 “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense,” January 2012. U.S. Department of Defense. Accessed on 23 June, 2013. p. 3. <http://www.defense.gov/news/Defense_Strategic_Guidance.pdf>.5 “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for the 21st Century.” January 2012. U.S. Department of Defense. Accessed on 24 August, 2013. <http://www.defense.gov/news/defense_strategic_guidance.pdf>.6 “SOCOM 2020.” 2013. Defense Innovation Marketplace. Accessed 24 August, 2013. <http://www.defenseinnovationmarketplace.mil/resources/SOCOM2020Strategy.pdf>.7 “Defense Budget Priorities and Choices.” January 2012. U.S. Department of Defense. Accessed on 24 August, 2013. <http://www.defense.gov/news/Defense_Budget_Priorities.pdf>.8 O’Rourke, Ronald. Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations: Background and Issues for Congress. Washington: Congressional Research Service. April 25, 2013.9 Thomas, Jim, and Chris Dougherty. Beyond the Ramparts The Future of U.S. Special Forces. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment. 2013.Robinson, Linda. The Future of U.S. Special Operation Forces. Council on Foreign Relations: Council Special Report No. 66. April, 2013.10 “SOCOM 2020.” 2013. Defense Innovation Marketplace. Accessed 24 August, 2013. <http://www.defenseinnovationmarketplace.mil/resources/SOCOM2020Strategy.pdf>.


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