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SURFACE WARFARE WINTER/SNA 2022
USS Chafee Information Systems Technician Receives Alva Bryan Lasswell Award
Information Systems Technician 1st Class Karsten Aurella, assigned to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90), was recognized by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) during an award ceremony in San Diego, Oct. 25. Aurella was honored as the winner of the 2021 Alva Bryan Lasswell Award for Fleet Support for his efforts in assisting strike group ships to reduce the time it takes to transition from a primary satellite mission to an Assured Command and Control (AC2 Modem and computing system. Aurella identified that it was taking ships more than six hours to complete this task. The requirement is 30 minutes or less. He spent more than 80 hours identifying specific equipment setup requirements, documenting common issues, and implementing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for multiple ship configurations (to include destroyers, cruisers and carriers). Aurella coordinated directly with subject matter experts (SMEs) at Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific (NCTAMSPAC), and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 Flag Communications. He was able to push wide dissemination of the SOP to reduce the average AC2 mission change-over time to under 40 minutes, drastically increasing mission capabilities for both CSG -1 and CSG-5 during their 2021 deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations (AOR). “IT1 Aurella has been commonly referred to as the unofficial strike group communications officer (COMMO) due to his tireless and unrelenting nature in keeping all ships within the fleet up on all network and communication systems, and not resting until he sees it done,” said Cmdr. Shane Dennis, commanding officer of USS Chafee. “The standard he sets has absolutely paved the way for better command and control, communications, and mission effectiveness while operating with Carrier Strike Group 1, Carrier Strike Group 5, and the Essex Amphibious Readiness Group (ESX ARG).” The Lasswell Award is presented to mid-level active-duty or civil service technical individuals who directly support the fleet forces. Support can be either through technology innovation or in-service engineering accomplishments. “Aurella’s specific achievements discussed in this award nomination will certainly change the way we provide high-
