'Boots on the Ground' leaves an imprint on NAS Jax

Attendees included: Vice Adm. Wally Massenburg, commander, Naval Air Systems Command, and chief operating officer of the NAE; Rear Adm. Bill Shannon, NAE Total Force Readiness lead; Rear Adm. Brian Prindle, commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group; Capt. Sean Buck, commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Eleven and others.

Since 2001, the ''Boots-on-the-Ground'' tours have been conducted by the Naval Aviation Readiness Integrated Improvement Program (NAVRIIP) and is a key part of Naval Aviation's efficiency efforts. (NAVRIIP, which was recently reorganized and renamed Current Readiness, is one of NAE's three cross-functional teams that aligns and links providers to increase cost-wise readiness in Naval Aviation.) The program gives senior leadership a chance to see how implemented improvements have progressed, analyze potential problems and provides an opportunity for them to discover and knock down walls that may prevent future progress. NAS Jacksonville underwent Enterprise AIRSpeed implementation in 2005.

Enterprise AIRSpeed, which is Current Readiness' enabler to operationalize cost-wise readiness across the NAE, synergistically uses three industry-proven continuous process improvement tools: Lean, Six Sigma and Theory of Constraints. AIRSpeed is used to analyze current workflow processes in order to increase productivity. To do this, Sailors are trained to apply the tools to recognize and address constraints in their processes, waste and inefficiencies.

Massenburg led a panel of distinguished visitors as they began their tour at the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) where they received firsthand accounts of readiness problems from military and civilian maintainers. The team received briefings from representatives of targeted departments at NAS Jacksonville.

Vice Adm. Wally Massenburg addresses personnel at Fleet Readiness Support Center Southeast Headquarters Dec. 6. His opening remarks included, "A special thanks to the FRCSE team for all of their hard work and all that they do for our Navy."

At the briefing, commanders and officers-in-charge of FRCSE, Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit (CNTTU), Supply and Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing - 11 (CPRW-11) reviewed their past progress and the benefits they have provided to the warfighter to help them accomplish their mission. One of the functions of the briefings to the BOG attendees was to identify problems that that are currently restricting Sailors from getting their jobs done and issues that could cause roadblocks for the aviation community later on down the road.

''BOGs are a look at the basic housekeeping of our organization and finding out what is hurting our Sailors… the most. It is a program that is going to give the power of change back to our Sailors and let them create the organization that is right at the right cost.'' stated Massenburg. ''The only way that is going to happen is to ensure that our senior leadership is out there listening to the troops and discovering what their needs are.''

The tour continued with stops at the aviation support detachment, CNTTU, and FRCSE. Massenburg took that time to introduce himself to Sailors in their work centers and hear what they had to say. ''These Sailors deserve everything we can possibly get to them,'' explained Massenburg. ''What we've failed to do in the past 10 years is to get them the tools. This is part of what we want to do here with the BOG project.''

The NAE began when then Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark, tasked Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific with the responsibility for overseeing all of Naval Aviation. ''We were tasked to find out why it was costing so much and we were receiving so little,'' explained Massenburg. ''We didn't have the parts that were needed to properly complete the mission. Basically, we were mortgaging the future on the backs and the can-do attitude of our Sailors and Marines.

''If we would have continued with the same spending behaviors that we did in the 90's, we would be on our way to a diminished Navy,'' he added.

The responsibility in-cludes implementing a comprehensive program to make fundamental process changes in the way the Navy provides manpower, equipment and training to stateside naval aviation commands between deployments.

The following day, Mas-senburg held an executive brief in the VP-30 auditorium for senior Naval Aviation leadership stationed at NAS Jacksonville. They talked about the NAE, AIRSpeed and the role each of them played in the readiness pro-cess.

Massenburg then opened the floor up to questions about the future of Naval Aviation. Mas-senburg told the audience about the ''journey'' the Navy is on using AIRSpeed and better business practices that will increase productivity while saving money. ''We are changing the way we do business, and we saw some of that here today,'' said Massenburg. ''At the end of the day, it is all about our Sailors and Marines and giving them the tools they need,'' he said.