30 Oct 2016 by USS NIMITZ (CVN 68)

in this issue: 08

NIMITZ NEWS Capt. John Ring Commanding Officer Capt. John D. Boone Executive Officer CMDCM Jimmy Hailey Command Master Chief

Media Department Lt. Cmdr. Theresa Donnelly PAO Ens. Meagan Morrison DIVO Chief Ahron Arendes Media LCPO PO1 Porter Anderson Media LPO PO2 Jimmy Cellini Production LPO PO2 Andrew Price Creative Lead PO2 Holly Herline Phojo WCS SN Emily Johnston Lead Designer

INTEGRATION: After finishing sea trials, Nimitz welcomed aboard Carrier Strike Group 11 and Carrier Air Wing 11 for the first time in nearly two years. Read more to learn about the integration that is bringing Nimitz one step closer to the fight.

PO2 Mark Brison PO2 Eli Buguey PO2 Jose Hernandez PO2 Siobhana McEwen PO2 Ian Zagrocki PO3 Chad Anderson PO3 Samuel Bacon PO3 William Blees PO3 Eric Butler PO3 Colby Comery PO3 Marc Cuenca PO3 Deanna Gonzales PO3 Jessica Gray PO3 Austin Haist PO3 Lauren Jennings PO3 Erickson Magno SN Kenneth Blair SN David Claypool SN Cody Deccio SN Weston Mohr SN Liana Nichols SN Bethany Woolsey

04 BOMBS AWAY!: Nimitz regained the right to be called a warship after her crew on loaded more than 1,500 pallets of ammunition while conducting an underway replenishment with the dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8).

| STORY FROM USS NIMITZ PUBLIC AFFAIRS |

October 23-24, 2016

NIMITZ CONDUCTED ITS FIRST AT-SEA AMMUNITION ONLOAD IN MORE THAN TWO YEARS, OCT. 23-24 DURING AN UNDERWAY REPLENISHMENT (UNREP) WITH THE DRY CARGO/AMMUNITION SHIP USNS WALLY SCHIRRA (T-AKE 8).

imitz Sailors moved a total of 1,542 pallets during the 48-hour ordnance-handling evolution in preparation for an upcoming 2017 deployment. Deck Department worked tirelessly to safely transfer ordnance from Wally Schirra to Nimitz. Deck Sailors received pallets of ordnance via connected replenishment between the two ships. “It’s been a great effort considering most of Deck Department is new,” said Seaman James Garvey, a Deck seaman on board Nimitz. “We’ve been staying strong and tenacious and have been good about rotating people in and out so they can get their qualifications.” While Deck Sailors received the pallets, Weapons Department worked above and below decks to ensure ordnance was safely transferred, organized and stowed in the ship’s magazines. “It’s truly been a flawless effort,” said Lt. Mike Dasch, the Ordnance Handling Officer on board Nimitz. “It’s ordnance, it’s what we do, and we do it well. I couldn’t be more proud of my Sailors.” With the help of Sailors from Nimitz’ Air Department, MH-60S Sea Hawks from the Eightballers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 transferred ordnance, via vertical replenishment, from Wally Schirra to Nimitz. The onload was an all hands effort, and the success of the evolution was a result of all Sailors on Nimitz working together as a cohesive unit. Every department, from Navigation to Supply, played an import-

ant role in accomplishing the evolution safely and efficiently. “The guys in Deck Department who haven’t done an UNREP in about two years, all the Weapons Department Sailors below decks moving things around and keeping it organized, and the rest of the crew that had a part in this. They all did an amazing job,” said Capt. John Ring, commanding officer of Nimitz. The safety of all Sailors involved was a high priority during the evolution. Officers, chiefs and petty officers maintained vigilance over their junior Sailors to ensure proper procedures and risk management were used. Sailors from Safety Department were also on stand-by to ensure all safety precautions were followed. Nimitz completed the onload two days earlier than expected and used the extra time to perform additional practice approaches with Wally Schirra to further train and qualify Nimitz Sailors. “The Nimitz team came together and really accomplished some amazing things,” said Ring. “It was definitely a big win for Nimitz.” Nimitz recently completed a 20-month extended planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. In the coming months Nimitz will undergo a series of inspections and multiship exercises as part of a work up cycle that will test the ship’s proficiency and capabilities in preparation for her upcoming 2017 deployment.

Nimitz Sailors conduct an at-sea ammunition onload with the dry cargo/ ammunition ship USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8). Photo by SN Trenton J. Kotlarz

Nimitz Integrates Seamlessly With CSG-11 |sn cody deccio |

n influx of new faces can be seen moving around the deck plates of USS Nimitz (CVN 68). After nearly two years, Nimitz has finally embarked her full complement of Sailors and aircraft by welcoming aboard members of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, bringing with them the deafening roar of aircraft launching from and landing on the flight deck. Roughly 1,500 Sailors were welcomed aboard Nimitz as she got underway with her embarked air wing and strike group for the first time since concluding her 20-month planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. “When Nimitz moved down to Bremerton, CSG 11 stayed up in Everett, and after two years it created a separation between us,” said Command Master Chief Aaron Coke, the senior enlisted leader for CSG 11. “From the khaki level down, we’ve been working to break that barrier. Our multi-cultural committees will be coordinated with one another, our junior enlisted associations have already contacted one another. It’s important we build this foundation now so we are already integrated as a team for the long haul ahead.” Commander, Carrier Strike Group 11 Rear Adm. Bill D. Byrne and his staff embarked Nimitz almost immediately to build on this same foundation. “It is not common for the strike group to embark this early in the work up cycle,” said Rear Adm. Bill D. Byrne, commander, CSG 11. “I am glad that we have. We are working on the relationships needed to create and build a cohesive and successful warfighting team.” Carrier strike groups play a vital role in the National Military Strategy by being the centerpiece of visible maritime deterrence and continue to

be decisive in peace, natural disasters and war. “Today, more than ever, U.S. national interests require the speed, endurance, flexibility and autonomous nature of U.S Navy’s nuclear powered aircraft carrier, which deploys, operates and is prepared to fight as part of a carrier strike group.” said Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, Commander, Naval Air Forces. “Even when faced with contested waters and airspace, the composition and maneuverability of a CSG ensures survivability of the carrier while it’s embarked carrier air wing uses its integrated capabilities to project power, thus enabling the U.S. to continue its role as a key guarantor of peace and stability around the world.” he added. With Nimitz still at the beginning of preparations to deploy next year, integrating the rest of CSG 11 allows the Nimitz and CVW 11 Sailors to learn each other’s roles during the training phase, which will maximize operational effectiveness once deployed. The Sailors, pilots and equipment of CVW 11 are the first elements of the carrier strike group to integrate with Nimitz and her crew in the workup cycle. As part of their first functional underway, Nimitz welcomed the Argonauts of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, the Black Knights of VFA 154, the Blue Diamonds of VFA 146, the Death Rattlers of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 323, the Gray Wolves of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, the Blue Tails of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the Eightballers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, the Wolfpack of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squdron (HSM) 75 and the Providers of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30. The VFA and VMFA squadrons

bring three variants of the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet with fighter/ attack aircraft capabilities that provide fleet air defense, force protection and close-and deep-air support. VAQ 142, with its attached EA18G Growler, combines the capabilities of the combat-proven F/A-18 strike fighter platform while providing an umbrella of protection for strike aircraft, ground troops and ships by jamming air defense systems and communications. The E-2D Hawkeye from VAW 121 provides all-weather early warning, airborne battle management and command and control functions for the strike group. HSC 8, with its MH-60S Sea Hawk is used for its multi-mission capabilities including anti-surface and naval special warfare support, search and rescue operations and logistical and humanitarian operations. The MH-60R Sea Hawk of HSM 75, deployable from the decks of cruisers, destroyers and aircraft carriers, is pivotal in self-defense, anti-ship warfare and anti-sub warfare. VRC 30, with their C-2A Greyhound is a critical logistics oriented squadron, capable of carrying mission critical supplies, mail or passengers. From junior enlisted to senior officer, all hands are doing their part to set everything in motion for the mission ahead. “I am unbelievably impressed by every Sailor up and down the chain of command,” said Byrne. “The leadership throughout every rank is obvious. I’m happy to be here and proud to be part of the team.” With her air wing attached, flight deck certification complete and ammunition slated to be on loaded in the coming weeks, Nimitz and the rest of CSG 11 stand motivated to overcome future obstacles and rise as a testament to U.S. maritime might.

PO3 Nicu Durus, shows a weight board to the pilot of a C-2A Greyhound from VRC 30 by po2 eli buguey 9

USS NIMITZ (2016)

USS REAGAN (2013

USS NIMITZ (2012)

62 101 117 127

* total shipyard injuries during EPIA

USS STENNIS (2014)

a new recruit gets to boot camp. They’re expected to carry out every action, from the way their racks are made to the precise positioning of the recruit manual they must carry in their right hand. Boot camp stresses the importance of following directions closely without making mistakes or missing steps. Every military evolution has a set of directions, that if followed is intended and proven to prevent injury. It is imperative that a Sailor be able to carry them out without mistake to ensure the safety of themselves and others. This is something that Nimitz Sailors excel at. With the completion of USS Nimitz (CVN 68)’s recent extended planned incremental availability at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) comes the recognition of performing the safest aircraft carrier availability in the last 10 years. This availability comes in as a complete anomaly with nearly half the injury rates of any maintenance period recently recorded at PSNS. Nimitz concluded the yard period with a Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) of 3.02. The average TCIR for an aircraft carrier going through a maintenance period similar to the one Nimitz just completed is usually in the sixes, according to Cmdr. Jason Garrett, Nimitz’ Safety Officer. TCIR is defined as the average number of work-related injuries incurred by 100 workers during a one-year period. Use of the TCIR report allows for the comparison of accident and injury statistics across industries t starts from the day

and segments of work. Due to the inability to accurately track a Sailors amount of work hours, TCIR only accounts for shipyard worker’s work-related injuries. In most cases evidence suggests if required data could have been obtained, a similarly low mishap rate for Sailors would also have manifested itself. “By the time we hit the four month mark we already had people coming from all over the place to figure out what we were doing differently to get these results,” said Garrett. Nimitz works hard to cultivate an atmosphere that promotes first time quality while always keeping safety in mind. At the core of one the safest carriers in the fleet is Nimitz’ Safety Department. “There are lots of reasons that safety in general is important,” said Garrett. “If you work in a very dangerous environment where people are constantly getting injured the work proficiency, production and morale all go down. There are a lot of things that come as a result of safety and we were dedicated to promoting job efficiency and effectiveness.” Over the course of the yard period the Safety Department implemented an approach that they referred to as ‘Find it. Fix It.’. The idea was that if they found an issue or deviation from the safety standards, no matter how big or small, they would bring it to the attention of the Sailors in charge of the work being done. “We set incredibly high safety standards from the very beginning and made sure every-

5.65 one knew it,” said Garrett. “We would go looking for the smallest discrepancies to put them into a spreadsheet and send it out the leadership daily. Those issues continuously got fixed.” This process proved to be effective in multiple ways. First off, fixing the small things as soon as they were noticed, and then getting them corrected immediately, prevented them from becoming bigger violations and contributed to the rectification of the already existing problems that were out of compliance. Secondly, it set a precedent of positive involvement from the Safety Department that sometimes doesn’t exist during a yard period. Being approachable about safety questions and always willing to help find the solution to any safety hits they found was one of Safety’s largest goals. “Our approach helped to foster a lot of cooperation between us and the crew and people respected that,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Greg Geske, a member of Nimitz’ Safety Department. “We rarely got kick back.” Developing and maintaining a culture of safety at a command as large as Nimitz takes a lot of teamwork. Safety teamed up with Code 106, the shipyard’s safety team, to help keep safety in the forefront of everyone’s mind. Their collective effort is what kept Sailors informed and gave them the tools and motivation to carry out daily tasks free of danger and harm. It also helped that Nimitz Sailors and PSNS contractors bought into it. “The leadership setup a culture of safety that went from the

5.65

8.1

5.65 5.65 8.1

* average mishaps per month

NIMITZ STENNIS REAGAN

very top to the very bottom of the deck plates,” said Garrett. “It came down from the captain and the project superintendent and trickled all the way down from the officers and chiefs to the junior Sailors and those that were doing the work day in and day out.” The numbers alone prove that Nimitz had safety figured out in the yards. Now that Nimitz is underway, Safety’s newest mission is to maintain that standard while dealing with the new challenges of a fully operational aircraft carrier. The beginning of Nimitz’ preparation for her upcoming 2017 deployment brings with it added obstacles as the ship acquires its full capabilities. “We are going to have to learn how to safely operate side by side with the air wing and strike group,” said Geske. “Integration is our new goal and were excited to do it and become a safely operating team.” While underway, it is Safety’s job to provide a constant presence and be at every major evolution to be the extra set of eyes and make sure the proper procedures are being carried out.

* breakdown of ship’s force injuries

CONTUSION

LACERATION

SHOCK

FRACTURE

SLIP/ TRIP/ FALL

“I have no need for spies. I have Twitter” NICHOLAS PAVLOVICH TSAR OF IMPERIAL RUSSIA 1825-1855

STORY BY PO3 SAMUEL BACON

OUR NAVY

G “Get out of the way, Get DOWN!” Shouts echoed down the air field, punctuated by dull thudding in the distance. The hangars echoed the howling of the incoming rounds as the soldiers scrambled under them. Only a few short moments before, pilots and mechanics alike had been working on their newly arrived flight of helicopters. The explosions began near the fence-line, obliterating dirt and runway. The mortar rounds fell closer and closer, finding their mark in a few short moments. The screech of tearing metal and flying parts pierced the air as one of the four AH64 Apaches was struck, helpless on the tarmac. After the smoke cleared from the barrage, all four of the squadron’s helicopters laid in ruin. By the end of the day, captured insurgents had revealed they received GPS data from social media and used it discover which base the Apaches were at. A spotter, a mortar tube and a cellphone destroyed a combined 140 million dollars worth of American equipment. The picture the insurgents used was uploaded by a service member, excited to see Apaches land at his operating base. On board USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the command is committed to ensuring operational information stays out of the enemy’s hands. Ship information should never go in an e-mail, over the phone or be posted on social media, to prevent a scenario just like the Apaches. “When service members fail to practice Operational Security (OPSEC), or fail to recognize violations, their complacency can lead to grave damage to national security,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Dolores Ruizleon, the Leading Petty Officer of Operations Signals Division on

board USS Nimitz (CVN 68). “Vigilance against insider threats as well as outsider infiltration is a commitment we have made as members of the military.” Small pieces of operational information can be pieced together to create a big problem for a sailor or even an entire unit. Improperly tagged photos and videos of military equipment can be used by adversaries to prepare attacks against forward deployed units. Messages home can be used to give normally unaware enemies a view into deployment schedules. Personal details such as birthdays or hometowns, posted on social media sites, could be used to bypass password restrictions on banking web pages. Vacation and leave dates indicate when homes are empty and vulnerable to break ins. Information about network outages, important personnel coming aboard and even training schedules could be used by a spy, terrorist or even the media in negative ways. “What we all have to remember is that every Sailor is a cyber warrior,” said Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. John Richardson. “… it just takes one person to make a mistake; that mistake can be exploited and the network can be severely damaged by one person’s lapse in concentration.” Everyone can help keep operational security by following a few basic guidelines. Develop ways for your family to communicate without revealing exact dates and times. Building a code-card for days of the week to speak with families at home is one consistent method. Using the ship’s ombudsman or the Family Readiness Group (FRG) to communicate with loved ones is another method to pass information. Being aware of where your information is going and how it’s getting there, is a vital step to basic OPSEC.

HINTS: DO NOT TALK ABOUT YOUR LOCATION The ocean is a big place and it’s known to most of our adversaries that the US Navy inhabits it. Describing your location as “The Pacific Ocean” is considered acceptable. “Off the coast of Coronado” is not, especially when the ship is parked for a long period of time. Adversaries can use this information to discern when best to strike in transit, or when to rob a service member’s home.

DO NOT TALK ABOUT LOGISTICS While a picture of your newest tool in the shop, from a lathe to a particle defoliator cannon, could be a cool social media post, it informs the enemy of what our exact mission capabilities can be. Complaints about equipment breakage gives insight into disruptable logistics, making it that much more difficult to get replacement bags to carry the excess headlight fluid in.

MISSION LIMITATIONS The max range of your weapon is as far as the enemy thinks it is. Most people travel through their life trying to getting shot. This includes terrorists and adversaries. Informing them of the safe distances to stand away from your newest weapon by bragging about marksman scores at the 7-11 will make your job much more difficult in the future.

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channel list CH. 02- MOVIE CHANNEL CH. 03- MOVIE CHANNEL CH. 04- MOVIE CHANNEL CH. 05- MOVIE CHANNEL CH. 07- AFN CH. 08- AFN CH. 09- SCROLLER CH. 10- ILARTS CH. 14- CBS CH. 15- NBC CH. 16- FOX CH. 17- ABC CH. 18- ESPN CH. 19- FOX SPORTS CH. 20- NFL NETWORK CH. 21- A&E CH. 22- HISTORY CH. 23- TNT CH. 24- NATIONAL GEO CH. 25- DISCOVERY CH. 26- FX CH. 27- COUNTRY NETWORK CH. 28- TBS CH. 32- BBC NEWS CH. 33- CNN

weekly throwback

Nimitz sits at anchorage at sunrise during a port visit to Phuket, Thialand.

Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All submissions are subject to review and editing. “Nimitz News” is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families. Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.

through | the | lens

SN Andre Alfonso (right) shares a joke with SN Mason Chytraus while they wait to participate in the ammo onload. Photo by PO3 Samuel Bacon An MH-60S Sea Hawk from the Eightballers of HSC 8 transfers ordnance onto the flight deck. Photo by SN Weston Mohr Sailors rig the shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s baracade during a drill on the flight deck. Photo by PO2 Siobanna R. McEwen