October 3, 2014
SOUTH POTOMAC PILOT NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUTH POTOMAC DEFENSE COMMUNITY
614th AOC, Det 1 holds open house, celebrates AF birthday By Zack Shelby NSASP Public Affairs
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U.S. Navy photo by Zack Shelby
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Terry Reedy, Solutions Development Corporation contractor, participates in a game of Jeopardy with his son, Joshua, 6, during the 614th Air and Space Operations Center, Detachment 1 open house Sept. 18 at their headquarters building at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren. The open house also included a briefing by Maj. Roland Rainey, 614th AOC, Det 1 commander, about the unit’s complex mission and a tour of its operation center.
The 614th Air and Space Operations Center, Detachment 1 gave colleagues and family members a glimpse into the organization’s complex mission through its first ever open house Sept. 18 at their headquarters building on Dahlgren. The unit also celebrated the Air Force’s 67th birthday as well as some of its airmen and civilian employees. In the morning, the 614th hosted the open house for a small group of service and family members. The event started with an informational presentation about the unit’s mission given by Maj. Roland Rainey, commander, 614th AOC Det 1. “This is a first-time endeavor for us, opening up our doors and showcasing the space mission,” Rainey said. “Today is also unique in its nature as we simultaneously celebrate the Air Force’s birthday.” Rainey gave a brief history about air and space and how technology has evolved
over the years, citing the Soviet Union’s launching of Sputnik as a springboard that triggered the space race. “When this event took place, that changed the game,” he said. “Senior leaders in our government commissioned efforts to find ways to detect and track orbital objects.” One solution was the construction of the AN/FPS133 “Space Fence” radar, which served the nation for more than 52 years as the Naval Space Surveillance System and later as the Air Force Space Surveillance System. Though that iconic radar system was deactivated in 2013, the mission continues today. Rainey explained how the mission migrated from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and eventually was established here at Dahlgren as the 20th SPCS, Det 1. Several years later the mission was realigned, resulting in the activation of the 614th AOC, Det 1 on April 30, 2010. “That’s how we came to be,” Rainey said.
He then explained the unit’s mission with the intention of giving family members a glimpse of what goes on at Det 1. “They’re tracking and actually identifying space objects near earth and in deep space,” Rainey said. “That is a very, very detailed mission.” Rainey said the unit has some of the best orbital analysts in the Air Force. “We want to provide superior space situational awareness to dominate the high ground,” Rainey said. “That’s our vision. We want to be the best at what we do so we have to be flawless. So when you’re at home or at work, wondering what the spouse is doing, they are making sure there is flawless command and control and space situational awareness for our senior leaders to make national security decisions.” He told the group that the unit must continue to evolve and always have a fresh perspective.
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Naval Warfare Center Division’s EOD Site receives VPP Star Site Status Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division’s (NSWC IHEODTD) EOD Site received Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Site status from during a ceremony, Sept. 22. The VPP Star certification is OSHA’s highest honor and is designed for exemplary worksites with comprehensive, successful safety and health management systems. The average VPP site has a work-related injury rate at 52 percent below the national average, for their respective industries. “You are the world’s premiere EOD workforce recognized by warfighters everywhere, for developing EOD technology and information that is used daily on
the battlefield,” said NSWC IHEODTD Commanding Officer Capt. Vincent Martinez. “It takes a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication into making an organization that conducts high-risk operations into a leader in workplace safety. Everything associated with what it is we do down here, to either learn how to diffuse, render safe and build information publications for the Joint Force. Being certified as an OSHA Voluntary Protection Program Star Site shows everyone in the Navy and in the Department of Defense that we are not only experts in our field, but we are committed to executing our mission safely.” The OSHA team performed a three-day worksite evaluation last December which included a comprehensive inspection of safety
programs, work processes, site facilities and interviews with employees. During the evaluation, NSWC IHEODTD’s EOD Site was identified as having multiple best practices/areas of excellence in areas such as employee involvement and ownership in safety and health, communications processes, trend analyses, and qualification and certification processes. “This recognition is terribly important to everyone who cares about safety in the Department of the Navy, so I am going to call you our superstars,” said guest speaker Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Safety Paul Hanley. “Right now, the Department of the Navy is at a turning point that only happens every 50 years or more. A whole new energy has accumulated around
U.S. Navy photo
Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division’s (NSWC IHEODTD) Commanding Officer Capt. Vincent Martinez and Safety Officer Anthony Brown raise the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Site flag at the EOD Site from during a ceremony, Sept. 22. the concept of Safety. What do we stand for? Warfight-
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