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March 2014 Volume 8, Issue 2

NAVAIR’s Long Term Strategy

Vice Admiral David A. Dunaway Commander, Naval Air Systems Command

Corrosion Control O Public-Private Partnerships O Aviation MRO

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MILITARY LOGISTICS FORUM Features

March 2014 Volume 8, Issue 2

Cover / Q&A

NAVAIR

Special Pull-Out Supplement

1

NAVAIR’s Long Term Strategy

Vice Admiral David A. Dunaway

Commander Naval Air Systems NAVAIR’s commander describes the command’s long term goals and path forward.

2

Who’s Who pictorial of NAVAIR

A pictorial review of NAVAIR’s headquarters, NAVAIR Competencies, NAVAIR Program Executive Offices and the Logistics & Industrial Operations.

13 Rear Admiral Jonathan A. Yuen

4

Special Section: Naval Aviation MRO Tough Flying, Tough Maintenance

Prolonged exposure to sun and extreme temperatures can damage or degrade aircraft. And going from ultra-wet conditions to ultra-dry environments in deserts only alters the environmental risks.

By Henry Canaday

Departments

7

17

The U.S. Air Force and Navy have a problem. Their aircraft operate in some of the harshest environments imaginable, conditions that cause corrosion to be a concern far above the kind of deterioration that takes place on other types of military equipment and in other environments.

By Peter Buxbaum

Partnerships between private-sector firms and U.S. military service depots to maintain vehicles and perform other logistics functions have significantly improved readiness while also cutting costs for the American taxpayer. PPPs are trending up.

By Scott Nance

Eating Metal

Triple P

Industry Interview

2 Editor’s Perspective 3 Log ops/people 10 Supply Chain 19 Resource Center

Patrick Seidensticker

Director Product Technology Dell Rugged Mobility Solutions

20

Commander Naval Supply Systems Command Chief of Supply Corps

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EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Military Logistics Forum Volume 8, Issue 2 • March 2014

Publication of Record for the Military Logistics Community Editorial

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General William Fraser recently gave testimony before the House Armed Services Committee addressing the U.S. Transportation Command of 2014. He spoke in detail and statistics of the transportation efforts moving people and materiel around the globe—with a heavy emphasis on Afghanistan. The volume and mass of what is being transported—inbound and outbound—is staggering.

Since March 2013, the command has managed more than 231,000 personnel deployments and 284,000 short tons out of Afghanistan alone.

It has long been understood that organic military lift capacity is sufficient to handle specific portions of the requirement and that working collaboratively with commercial partners is both a prudent use of resources and an efficient Jeffrey D. McKaughan use of budget. Looking at the CONUS infrastructure, for example, USTRANSCOM Editor-IN-CHIEF recently updated the Port Look 2008: Strategic Seaports study, which looked at road and rail networks—including the strategic highway network and the strategic rail corridor network around major seaports. The good news from the update is that the networks serving those ports were up to speed and capable of handling the forecasted requirements.

While the rail network touched all the bases, the rolling stock for that network is a different story. There is a known potential shortfall in commercial railcar capacity used to carry military equipment. For a long time, DoD has relied on commercial railcars to carry much of its military-specific cargo and much of that railcar fleet is nearing the end of its useful life. Fraser acknowledged this as an issue and said that the various stakeholders are working to develop solutions that will mitigate the risk and provide sufficient capacity.

The commercial ports and the infrastructure that feed them are sufficient to meet demand; there are two military-specific ocean terminals that are vital for strategic movement. If nothing else, the requirement to handle large stocks of ammunition sets the terminal apart from their commercial counterparts.

The East Coast terminal at Sunny Point, N.C., has recently seen significant improvements that position it for the future. The West Coast Terminal at Concord, Calif., is another story. So far DoD has not found suitable alternatives that can handle the throughput levels. The list of infrastructure improvements necessary there is still being compiled and indications are that it will be extensive.

The infrastructure improvements are needed for at a critical time in budgets, but lack of spending here now will increase costs and decrease operational response in the future.

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C-5M IOC Milestone

Magnetic Fields to Track Assets Accurate tracking of munitions and other assets in harsh and/or sensitive environments is now possible through a wireless automatic identity technology introduced by Lockheed Martin.

Working with Visible Assets Inc., they co-developed sensitive item tracking capabilities that use magnetic fields to track assets in locations where traditional radio frequency technologies encounter challenges.

“Historically, tracking sensitive items has been a very manual process demanding hundreds of man hours in sometimes volatile explosive environments,” said Dr. Robert Smith, vice president of C4ISR for Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Solutions. “This unique system not only tags and tracks sensitive items and fused munitions at zero separation, it also incorporates advanced sensors that can be used for predictive maintenance of weapons.”

Based on the international wireless protocol standard, this electromagnetic tagging and tracking solution, called RuBee, can be used to identify and track a variety of sensitive items including fused ordnances, firearms, night vision goggles and flak jackets. Each item is outfitted with a wireless visibility tag, which can be read and located anytime from the RuBee network.

One example of this application is the Lockheed Martin Armory, which allows all tagged items be networked and housed on smart racks.

The smart rack allows users to physically audit all items several times each day without any human help or intervention.

Because RuBee tags operate on electromagnetic, rather than radio frequency wavelengths, solutions based on this technology offer extremely high levels of security. Data passed through these channels operate more like secure peer-to-peer networks, and are less prone to outsider attempts to access information. RuBee visibility solutions are currently used in many high security U.S. government and international facilities.

This tracking solution can also be used to ensure readiness and maintenance of weapons.

Using the same RuBee technology, the Allegro Weapon Shot Counting can identify optimal maintenance periods for weapon parts as well as help detect performance anomalies before they lead to weapon failure. In addition to determining normal wear based on rounds fired, the rate of fire statistics and temperature readings show how the rounds were fired and provide early warning signs for required cleaning, gas port erosion and cracked bolts.

Air Mobility Command officials have announced the initial operational capability milestone for the C-5M Super Galaxy.

IOC was achieved for upgraded C-5M aircraft after successful qualification test, operational test and evaluation and delivery of the 16th C-5M aircraft with trained aircrew and maintenance personnel now at Dover Air Force Base, Del. “I’m proud of Dover’s efforts in helping to achieve this significant milestone,” said Colonel Rick Moore, 436th Airlift Wing commander. “Our aircrews and maintainers have worked tirelessly to support the upgrade and launch of the Super Galaxy airframe, to include training the next generation of operators and mechanics. We look forward to receiving our final two aircraft to complete Dover’s fleet.”

For IOC, initial spare equipment and parts had to be available in the base supply system at Dover as well as spares at some forward supply locations. Support equipment, test, measurement and diagnostic equipment also were required to be in place at Dover, key en-route locations and depot repair facilities.

Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program upgrades make the C-5 much quieter, enhance aircraft reliability and maintainability, and are projected to reduce operating costs while increasing operational capability. The new engines deliver 22 percent more thrust, 30 percent shorter takeoff distance, and a 58 percent faster climb while also reducing fuel consumption.

PEOPLE Army Major General Michael E. Williamson has been nominated for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and for assignment as military deputy/director, Army Acquisition Corps, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology), Washington, D.C. Williamson most recently served as deputy commanding general, Combined Security

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Transition CommandAfghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom.

Gen. Paul J. Selva

Air Force General Paul J. Selva has been nominated

for appointment to the rank of general and for assignment as commander, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Selva is currently serving as commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base.

Army Major General Gustave F. Perna has been nominated for appointment to the rank of lieutenant general and assignment as deputy chief

of staff, G-4, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. Perna is currently serving as the deputy chief of staff for logistics and operations, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. Brigadier General Clark W. LeMasters Jr., commanding general, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Fort Hood, Texas, has been assigned to deputy chief of

staff for logistics and operations, U.S. Army Materiel Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. Boeing has named Peri Widener vice president and general manager of integrated logistics, within its Global Services & Support business, overseeing readiness and after-delivery support for a wide variety of military platforms and systems.

MLF 8.2 | 3

Special Section: Naval Aviation MRO

Thin-skinned aircraft need all the love they can get when operating in a maritime environment.

By Henry Canaday MLF Correspondent Navy and Marine Corps aircraft spend a great deal of their flying time over or near salt water. That is tough on aircraft, as salty water and air increase corrosion threats.

Prolonged exposure to sun and extreme temperatures can also damage or degrade aircraft. And going from ultra-wet conditions to ultra-dry environments in deserts only alters the environmental risks.

In short, flying in harsh conditions ups the bar for maintenance. Corrosion alone has cost Navy aircraft $3 billion annually. Navy maintenance managers, from field to depot, constantly struggle with how to handle the impact of harsh climates affordably, in terms of both dollars and downtime.

For example, Fleet Readiness Center [FRC] Northwest tests, troubleshoots, repairs and overhauls the EA-18G Growler, EA-6B Prowler, P-3 Orion, its signals variant EP-3, C-9 Skytrain and H-60 Sea Hawks. FRC managers say corrosion is the toughest maritime challenge, and salt water is its primary cause.

All aircraft and aircraft systems are affected by corrosion, but different maintenance methods apply to corrosion of aircraft, avionics or support equipment. Corrosion most commonly affects nonferrous metals used on aircraft skins, less commonly the ferrous metals on support equipment.

Sailors must be trained to identify different types of corrosion so the FRC can fix it early. They must learn the difference between inter-granular corrosion, pitting corrosion and surface corrosion along with other common types. Even with accurate detection, difficulties can arise due to lack of access to 4 | MLF 8.2

affected areas. Finally, scheduled maintenance must be combined with unscheduled maintenance while still supporting a flight schedule.

In short, technicians must be properly trained in detecting corrosion, sufficient time must be allowed for corrosion inspections and proper tools, and equipment must be provided. Finally, corrosion inspections cannot be rushed, or scheduled maintenance will be replaced by the unscheduled maintenance that cripples readiness.

In 2013, the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest did depot maintenance on F/A-18 Hornets, EA-6Bs, AV-8B Harriers, E-2 Hawkeyes, C-2 Greyhounds, H-60s, AH-l/HH-l/ UH-ls and CH-53 Super Stallions. The FRC’s commanding officer, Captain Donald Simmons, said maintaining aircraft in locations with abundant water, salt, sun and constantly changing weather causes several issues.

First, moisture in sea air contains contaminants, leaves these behind and causes corrosion, including corrosion in joints and seals. Second, salt atmosphere causes rapid corrosion of unprotected metal surfaces.

Third, sun exposure can deteriorate nonmetallic materials such as composites, rubber and plastics. Paints can also lose protective characteristics when exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods.

Fourth, high temperatures accelerate corrosion and extremely low temperatures can shrink seals and gaskets, resulting in fluid leakage. Fifth, sand and dust are very abrasive and can hold the moisture that causes corrosion. Desert sandstorms penetrate airframes and their moisture can cause

internal corrosion. Avionics and engines are especially vulnerable to this threat. Finally, microorganisms like bacteria and fungi grow in damp areas and deteriorate fiber components of seats and seatbelts. They also affect helicopter bilge areas.

“All of our aircraft are affected to some degree,” summarized Simmons. “Home bases are near water and the coast. Deployed bases are often in deserts. Carrier-based aircraft are particularly affected by moisture, salt and temperature.”

The FRC deals with these disparate challenges in several ways. Cleaning is performed to remove salt deposits, sand, dust and fungi.

Corrosion is removed and, if necessary, the structure is repaired. Upgrades are incorporated as required. Fasteners are reinstalled using protective sealants to minimize dissimilar metal corrosion. Corrosion prevention compounds are applied to corrosion-prone areas. Panels are reinstalled using seals or sealants to protect interior compartments.

Aircraft and components are stripped and bare metal is treated with corrosion preventives and repainted. “There are extra time and costs involved in corrosion prevention and control measures, both at the FRC and within the fleet activities,” Simmons stressed.

Top managers also spend substantial time on the challenge. For the past five years, the FRC has worked with the advanced avionics technology integrated process team, while the commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, has worked with its technology insertion team on several methods to address the distinctive challenges of maritime maintenance. www.MLF-kmi.com

For example, the Manufacturing Model Management System uses advanced measurement systems such as laser scanners to validate 3-D models created from 2-D blueprints by scanning actual parts. This reduces manufacturing discrepancies and drastically improves turnaround time on repair parts.

Additive manufacturing (3-D printing) could enable rapid tooling, including custom tooling fabricated at depots and sent to squadron maintainers.

Job performance aids and training performance aids provide multimedia such as video, 3-D animations and mentor segments to supplement maintenance publications and enhance understanding of complex maintenance practices.

The command has also engaged small business innovative research companies to develop novel solutions. For example, specialized software uses photos, X-rays, ultrasonic data, loads and previous repairs to create 3-D models of parts, cutting several days off traditional schedules. New powders enable coldspray technology to restore surfaces damaged by corrosion, chaffing or wear, rather than scrap them. And non-destructive tests are being evaluated for detection of disbands and de-lamination of large composite surfaces.

Private industry is actively engaged, especially OEMs of naval aircraft. “Corrosion is the primary challenge,” said Mike Kelly, director of Hale Enterprise Product Support for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

Kelly explained that factors such as salt, temperature and humidity can inhibit or

of system. “For instance, in avionics or elecaccelerate the effects of corrosion, depending trical systems, particular attention to connecupon their presence or absence. tors is necessary.”

The NGC exec cited a 2008 study sponCorrosion challenges are managed by an sored by the Defense Department and conapproach that covers the entire life cycle of ducted by the Logistics Management Institute an aircraft, from design through fielding and that estimated the annual cost of corrosion to sustainment. naval aviation at about $3 billion. “Operating In design, corrosion control and prevenaircraft in the marine environment means tion is managed by selecting only approved that aircraft, engines and support equipmetallic alloys, emphasizment are always subject to the ing use of inherently correlentless effects of corrosion.” rosion-resistant materials, Kelly agreed that all airlimiting dissimilar metal craft are subject to the effects of contact within assemblies, corrosion. But he said the magproviding adequate ventilanitude of corrosion depends tion throughout interior bays on materials, design, mainteand systems and employing nance planning and execution, drainage ramps to prevent and operating environment. fluid entrapment and moisTo illustrate the effect of ture collection. Furthermore, operating environment, Kelly MIke Kelly items procured through supcompares a helicopter operatply-chain relationships are ing off the back of a destroyer also subject to specifications and testing, and employing dipping sonar with an E-2C including tests with salt fogs that mimic the Hawkeye operating off an aircraft carrier. marine environment.

“Both are in the marine environment, but As design proceeds, a logistics supportthe helicopter may experience more salt spray ability analysis yields a maintenance plan and higher humidity on a day-to-day basis. tailored for the aircraft and its systems. The This means that the hard-working Navy and plan is designed to mitigate effects of corroMarine Corps maintenance technicians who sion by establishing the frequency of maintekeep these aircraft flying safely may spend difnance, the methods and tooling for opening fering amounts of time on corrosion-related and closing panels, types of sealants and activities depending upon aircraft type and other compounds applied for ensure moisoperating location.” ture resistance and other practices.

Kelly said corrosion generally affects Fielded aircraft are maintained under the many different aircraft systems, but the focus guidance of the Naval Aviation Maintenance of attention may vary depending on the type

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MLF 8.2 | 5

Special Section: Naval Aviation MRO Program (NAMP). “Navy maintenance policies have been honed over decades and are very focused on ensuring proper material condition is maintained and that the effects of corrosion are mitigated,” Kelly said.

Adherence to NAMP policies is mandatory, and Navy inspection teams visit each command regularly to ensure compliance. The Navy also provides corrosion-specific training using a corrosion focus area list to ensure technicians are familiar with specific corrosion tendencies of the platform they support.

Nevertheless, Kelly said, there are opportunities for improvement, and these are constantly explored by industry, government and academic organizations. An example in design and manufacturing is new aluminum casting processes and alloys that enable production of aluminum parts as light as parts previously made with magnesium, which is highly vulnerable to corrosion. “This improvement is very useful to rotorcraft, where magnesium is often used to save weight,” Kelly noted.

Also during manufacturing, better coating and bilge-drainage systems are being installed on many aircraft. And advances in coating systems and corrosion preventive compounds, gaskets and pre-coated fasteners continue to help combat corrosion.

In maintenance, when data and reliability centered maintenance support the change, maintenance plans are being revised to allow increased intervals of time or operations between major scheduled maintenance.

“These practices assist in the corrosion battle by reducing the number of times an aircraft must be opened up for inspection in the harsh marine environment,” Kelly explained.

Sikorsky supports its own platforms as well as many other OEMs’ aircraft, noted Pierre Garant, manager of Sikorsky Navy Programs–Logistic Support. Like others, Garant emphasized the threat posed by salty water. “Aircraft in harsh marine environments are constantly exposed to a water film high in salt content. Salt water is especially corrosive to many materials used in airframe structure. If salt is allowed to collect on surfaces, corrosion is accelerated.”

Aircraft stationed on carriers encounter the most challenging environment, according to Garant. These require frequent washing, rinsing and treatments to deter corrosion. Maintenance techs must perform inspections and treatments more frequently.

Beyond salt water, Garant said, shipboard conditions are also highly corrosive. Exhaust 6 | MLF 8.2

Active preventive maintenance programs, here on an F/A-18E Super Hornet, are designed to stay ahead of failures that affect operational performance. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Blagoj B. Petkovski|]

from aircraft on deck contains sulfur and nitrogen-oxide gases, which combine with sea spray to form acidic moisture on aircraft skins. “Paint and finishes need to be maintained in good condition to prevent corrosion from these acidic conditions.”

And maintenance is more difficult on ships because it is much harder to implement the optimum repair.

Garant agreed with his peers that all aircraft systems can be affected by the marine environment. Materials and finishes used in each system determine the level of maintenance necessary to control corrosion. He said extensive use of titanium, stainless steel and composites in Sikorsky aircraft reduces maintenance burdens on several systems.

But for some systems, strength, weight and electrical-conductivity requirements dictate materials that require vigilant maintenance of supplementary finishes.

Some think aircraft interiors are less exposed to harsh elements than exteriors.

But Garant noted that interiors do not dry as fast and are more likely to be affected. “In comparison to airframes, avionics can be especially susceptible. A very small amount of corrosion can disable an electrical system.”

There are several maintenance practices to prevent corrosion. Periodic application of CPCs is paramount. These leave a protective film in place of water in crevices, protecting electrical connectors, hardware and moving surfaces.

Polysulfide sealants are used extensively to maintain water integrity around components, antennas and fairings. Even

the smallest pinhole could lead to moisture entrapment.

Environmental seals are the primary tool for protecting airframe components. Seals for antennas and floor panels were once plagued by corrosion, but pre-cured polyurethane tape has fixed this issue. The tape is a polyurethane gel embedded in aluminum mesh for conductive applications, such as antennas, or in nylon mesh for floor panels.

Tapes have gel-like surfaces that create vaportight seals, are easy to install and maintain, and are free of hazards.

Many components are wet installed during assembly. For example, fasteners are covered with sealants to prevent moisture from penetrating the aircraft. Wet installation is used for all permanent fasteners, nut plates and other hardware. It uses a modified polysulfide sealant with a non-chromium corrosion inhibitor.

Several corrosion enhancements are being used for Navy Sea Hawks. These include corrosion inhibitors applied during aircraft assembly because many areas are difficult to inspect after completion of manufacture. Another focus area is new gasket material for areas that require grounding.

Gaskets historically included silver. New gaskets include nickel to reduce corrosion at mating surfaces. O

For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mlf-kmi.com.

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Fighting the scourge of corrosion is expensive, but not fighting it will cost more.

Prevention first, then detection, then mitigation.

By Peter Buxbaum, MLF Correspondent The U.S. Air Force and Navy have a problem. Their aircraft operate in some of the harshest environments imaginable, conditions that cause corrosion to be a concern far above the kind of deterioration that takes place on other types of military equipment and in other environments.

Moreover, the deterioration of airframes and their components puts lives at risk. Navy and Air Force aircraft must be inspected for corrosion regularly and be maintained and repaired accordingly. www.MLF-kmi.com

Aircraft manufacturers currently most often use coatings containing hexavalent chromium to inhibit corrosion. That compound has a long, proven track record of effectively preventing corrosion on the high-strength aluminum alloys used to manufacture aircraft.

The problem is that hexavalent chromium is also a known carcinogen. Federal and state regulations limit worker exposure to the substance and require special handling conditions for the material.

Hexavalent chromium has been completely outlawed for some applications in the European Union. The thought is that the same approach will be eventually taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Chromium-free coatings have existed for years, and, although they are more environmentally friendly, none provide the anti-corrosive properties of chromium, which is why aircraft manufacturers have resisted change. The U.S. military has also been cautious in this regard, MLF  8.2 | 7

Roger Brown, manager for aerospace R&D at insisting that performance requirements Akzo Nobel. “Chromium coatings are ideally not be compromised. suited for aluminum. But from an environDepartment of Defense policy dictates the mental standpoint it is a horrible material to avoidance of hexavalent chromium where use. We have spent 20 years developing nonpossible. In 2009, Undersecretary of Defense chromium coatings, but industry is reluctant John J. Young Jr. issued a directive for minito use it because they get such good results mization and elimination of hexavalent chrowith chromium.” mium by all branches of DoD. The branches The justification for that attitude in the were requested to invest in research and aircraft business revolves around safety. development for substitutes, approve the use “You’re talking about the lives of 100 people of alternatives where they can perform adeevery time an aircraft goes up,” said Brown. quately, and share knowledge derived from “Everything that relates to airframe integrity non-chromium research. is a valid concern. Chromium coatings are “On the naval aviation side, we have extremely effective and last a minimum of 50 an operational environment that is quite years. Nothing else on the market has that a bit more corrosive and aggressive than long of a track record.” elsewhere,” said Bill Nickerson, program “Chromium is a more consistent mateofficer for structures and materials at the rial,” added Mike Hentzen, executive vice Sea-Based Aviation National Naval Responpresident for corporate develsibility program. opment at Hentzen Coatings “Navy aircraft operate Inc. “Chromium-free materioff aircraft carriers, which is als tend to show some corrothe most corrosive operating sion and exhibit inconsistent site,” said Steve Spadafora, a results in the lab. Chromium recently-retired official who primers look better, show litran the anti-corrosion protle or no corrosion, and program at the Naval Air Systems vide more consistent results.

Command (NAVAIR). “It is That doesn’t mean that a four to five times more corchromium-free coating can’t rosive than land-based sites.

Steve Spadafora work. It’s just that in testing Aviation also presents a chalthe chromium primers outlenge because we can’t put a perform the chromium free lot of heavy and thick coatings coatings.” on aircraft. Typically, the top“There are products out coat and primer on aircraft is there that could replace 3 millimeters thick. On a ship chromium,” said Pat Adams, or a tank it could be up to 50 military market manager at millimeters.”

Akzo Nobel. “There is a lot of “The consequences for pressure to replace chromium corrosion failure can be much coming from the EPA, and higher in military aircraft even DoD and the services as opposed to other types of Dave Robertson are looking at replacing chroequipment,” said Dave Robmium.” Akzo Nobel has develertson, an Air Force corrosion oped a magnesium-based technology that the control and prevention executive. “The Air company claims is the first non-chromium Force also plans to keep some its aircraft in corrosion inhibiting system to perform as operation for as long as 70 years, much lonwell as chromium in laboratory testing. ger then in the commercial world.”

The Air Force is looking at three differ“We have various bases around the counent types of materials to replace chromium: try that have to comply with local, state and magnesium-rich coatings, those based on federal regulations,” said Craig Matzdorf, a magnesium oxide, and rare earth minerals. senior engineer in the materials engineering “We have been doing research in this area division of NAVAIR. “We also have a general for 15 years,” said Robertson. “After years of desire to eliminate those materials where we frustration we are seeing some materials that can.” The Navy has an ongoing research and are fairly promising.” development effort to that end, as does the In order to take advantage of these develAir Force. opments, the Air Force is proceeding with a “Aerospace is the only industry that still risk-based approach. “We are looking to see allows use of chromium pigments,” said 8 | MLF 8.2

where we have the highest worker exposure risk and where the risk for corrosion is lower,” said Robertson. The outer mold line of airframes is one area that has been identified where non-chromium coatings can be safely tested.

“There are other areas where the risk of exposure is low but the risk of corrosion may be high,” said Robertson. “Areas such as internal critical structures that can’t be readily inspected or fuel tank coatings where the risk for aircraft mishap becomes a lot higher are not areas ripe for the use of alternative coatings right now.”

The Navy is re-examining how they traditionally characterize and test the properties of anti-corrosion coatings to develop more optimal coating alternatives. “One thing we are working on is a stretch corrosion cracking test for coatings so we can characterize coatings by how they protect metal from a stretch corrosion, as opposed to just a surface pitting and surface corrosion, standpoint,” said Nickerson.

Surface corrosion is not the biggest issue for equipment made with high-strength aluminum and steel. Rather, it is corrosion of aluminum substrates around dissimilar material interfaces.

“That is not how coatings have traditionally been optimized,” said Nickerson. “We are working on a set of standard practices for designing and optimizing coatings from that standpoint. This change will affect how we would rate the performance of different materials and how we will select coatings for given applications.”

The Air Force is also attempting to develop another perspective on how it tests and evaluates alternative coatings. Air Force testing material procedures have been based on the performance of chromium-based products.

As a result, other products displayed inconsistent results. “Some of them did well in the lab but not in the field,” said Robertson. “We are trying to develop tests that are more realistic for different types of coatings.”

“Using the new technology will have cost benefits because it will remove the need for mandatory extra control measures designed to reduce exposure to chromium,” said Brown. “Primers utilizing magnesium will also have the potential to be lower in density than chromium primers, which will reduce weight and result in lower fuel consumption.”

“We have had airframes on the commercial and general aviation side that have been using this product with success,” said www.MLF-kmi.com

the exterior of aircraft. The interior will be the Adams. “Progress is being made but it is last place where you will see chromium-free extremely slow going.” primers adopted because some of these parts However, a 2012 report released by don’t see the light of day for years.”

NAVAIR on a joint DoD demonstration and Some none-chromium validation of magnesium-rich primers have qualified under primer coating technology Navy specifications and have found that “they perform betbeen put to use in some limter than other non-hexavalent ited applications. “We are chromium primers” but that beginning to use them on “the performance of the magtrainer and other land-based nesium rich primer was not aircraft,” said Matzdorf. shown to be equivalent to The Navy supports an currently-qualified hexavalent ongoing portfolio of corrochromium alternatives.” sion-prevention research Hentzen continues to work Pat Adams projects, many of them on chromium-free primers but focused on replacing hexavahas yet to receive any approvals lent chromium. One promising process is from the U.S. military. “We are working with called cold spray, which allows users to put the Navy on a bunch of different products to down an aluminum coating to better repair try to come up with something that is comaluminum. “This is a new process and coatparable,” said Hentzen. “As environmental ing that will improve how we maintain parts regulations tighten, you are going to end up at depots,” said Matzdorf. with chromium-free primers that may not be The Air Force is taking a phased as good but may require corrosion inspecapproach to the testing of non-chromium tions on a more frequent basis. Chromiumcoatings. “We have started to evaluate the free materials will more readily be adopted on

materials on aircraft where there may be less risk,” said Robertson. “We don’t have a timeline just yet but we will be pressing ahead. We do have a worker exposure risk that we want to manage.”

For all the risks and caution associated with the process, Robertson is optimistic that the research and testing efforts will eventually bear fruit. “We have tested some coatings which are very close in performance to chromium,” he said.

Ironically, a better understanding of how hexavalent chromium works could provide clues to the alternatives the Air Force and Navy are looking for. “We know that chromium is extremely versatile and provides a wide variety of protective mechanisms,” said Spadafora. “But we don’t have a true understanding of those mechanisms. A lot of people have studied it, but there really is not a good answer.” O For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.mlf-kmi.com.

The Perfect Wrap Corrosion prevention and mitigation are not considerations only for aircraft that may fly tomorrow. Special precautions are necessary to preserve the integrity of aircraft that are being transported or that are headed for storage.

Protective Packaging Corp. packaged the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for shipments around the world for testing purposes. Protective Packaging Corp. uses a variety of flexible packaging Steve Hanna materials to meet the needs of its customers and has also developed its own unique packaging material, which it guarantees will protect equipment from the elements for two years.

“We can control the atmosphere around the product and protect it from vapor, corrosion, mold, mildew and static electricity,” said Steve Hanna, the company’s CEO. “This can be designed to protect any type of product and is as effective as storing it in a climate-controlled warehouse that costs millions of dollars.”

www.MLF-kmi.com

When protecting aircraft, the key consideration is to identify the objective of the protection. “In the case of the F-35, the Air Force was concerned primarily with corrosion and static electricity that could be generated on the trip,” said Hanna.

The F-35s were being shipped to the United Kingdom for testing and had to be trucked on open-bed trucks from Fort Worth to Houston, shipped across the Atlantic to Europe, barged up a river on the coast of England, and then trucked to their final destination.

Assuring corrosion protection means preventing the atmosphere of the aircraft below a relative humidity of 40 percent, when corrosion begins. “We did that by using a combination of a moisture barrier film that also had a carbon loaded static shielding capability,” said Hanna. “We sealed the entire aircraft inside this unique film and then put an additional vinyl covering over each aircraft to provide extra protection from factors such as ultraviolet rays and high winds. The aircraft could have been on high seas for six months and have been totally protected.”

As aircraft are being repositioned out of Afghanistan, Hanna foresees a growing need for corrosion-preventing protective packaging as those units are placed in storage.

MLF 8.2 | 9

SUPPLY CHAIN

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

DLA’s Electronic Public Data Service Portal On the Move The Defense Logistics Agency is moving its electronic public data service from its current webpage location this summer to comply with the Department of Defense’s requirements of separating public and restricted information online.

Public access users can contact the agency’s customer interaction center by email or telephone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if they have any problems during or after the transition.

DLA’s Federal Logistics Information System Portfolio Management Office, based in Battle Creek, Mich., manages the portal.

Many researchers interested in the more than 6 million items used by the Defense Department have long relied upon the public version of a Web-based version of the Federal Logistics Information System known as WebFLIS to access releasable information about those items.

“Beginning in June, the public WebFLIS search will be moving to the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Reading Room as the original application is decommissioned,” said Vicky

Sandberg, the FLIS data product and services manager. “Publicly releasable data will remain available through a new service called ‘PUB LOG FLIS Search’ that anyone interested in FLIS releasable data can access after June.”

The change helps DLA safeguard restricted information and comply with online requirements to separate tools for researching restricted and publicly releasable data. It also co-locates the new tool in one place with other public information tools offered by the agency that relate to its logistics information services.

Sandberg said that logistics data users have benefited from WebFLIS since 2005 to help obtain essential and detailed information about supply items, such as National Stock Numbers, item names, manufacturers and suppliers and possible substitutes if desired items are not available.

“When one considers how many variations there are for many of those parts and supply items, it’s easy to see why having the most detailed information is important to ensure you are studying the right thing,” Sandberg said.

Red River and Sierra Army Depot Support URS Corporation announced that it has been awarded two task orders under its Field and Installation Readiness Support Team (FIRST) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with TACOM. The task orders, which are for maintenance and logistics services at Red River and Sierra Army Depots, have base periods of two and three years, respectively. The orders have an aggregate maximum value to URS of approximately $183 million.

The Red River and Sierra Army Depots, which are located in Texas and California, are two of the Army’s largest depots. Under the task orders, URS will provide vehicle maintenance, refurbishment, logistics, and care of material in storage. The URS team will work closely with the government workforce at both sites.

Randall A. Wotring, president, Federal Services for URS, said, “These wins reflect our successful long-term partnership with the Red River and Sierra Army Depots, and our role as a valued and capable service provider for TACOM. With these contracts, we have solidified our position as a leading provider for U.S. Army depot maintenance and logistics.”

B-2 Obsolete Avionics Replacement The U.S. Air Force will get its first look at a faster, more affordable way to replace obsolete avionics on the B-2 stealth bomber under a contract awarded last August to Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Under the 43-month, $43.5 million award, the company will produce a functional replacement for a B-2 avionics box called the audio central distribution unit (ACDU).

More significantly, the work will map out a smart, cost-effective way to address a growing threat to B-2 readiness: mission-essential parts that cannot be repaired or easily replaced.

Northrop Grumman is the Air Force’s prime contractor for the B-2, the flagship for the nation’s long range strike arsenal and one of the world’s most survivable aircraft.

“Northrop Grumman has developed a concept called the common 10 | MLF 8.2

processor to create same-size, functional replacements for many of the B-2’s most critical avionics units—in a fraction of the time and cost required to do custom replacements for those units,” said Dave Mazur, vice president and B-2 program manager, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “The ACDU will be the first B-2 avionics line replaceable unit [LRU] to be produced using this approach.”

An increasing number of LRUs on the jet face or will soon face obsolescence, explained Mazur. In some cases, the company that produced an LRU is out of business or can no longer produce the unit. In other cases, the equipment required to test an LRU is no longer available.

The common processor concept is achieved by taking advantage

of functional similarities among avionics LRUs on the B-2 today.

Common hardware elements will be used in unique combinations to create different types of LRUs. “One of the most powerful features of the common processor is that it will allow B-2 maintainers to use one common set of test equipment for all of the replacement

LRUs,” said Mazur. “This approach will reduce avionics sustainment costs and help improve aircraft availability.”

Northrop Grumman and the Air Force have identified 21 different current LRUs on the B-2 that could be replaced using the common processor, he added. Each LRU has multiple copies on the jet. www.MLF-kmi.com

NAVAIR Strategist Vice Admiral David A. Dunaway Commander Naval Air Systems Command

2014

U.S. NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND

U.S. naval air systems COMMAND

NAVAIR Strategist People, Integrated War Fighting Capability and Affordability

Vice Admiral David A. Dunaway Commander Naval Air Systems Command

Vice Admiral David A. Dunaway was born in El Paso, Texas.

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 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/A18 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, Calif., 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. www.MLF-kmi.com

NAVAIR’s Long-Range Strategy (LRS) identifies three enduring priorities that will serve as guideposts for our decisions and investments, now and in the future. These priorities—People, Integrated War Fighting Capability (IWC) and Affordability—are equally important and interdependent, and include a number of strategies that will broadly define our approach in the coming years.

The LRS will serve as input to my annual commander’s guidance, which assigns specific objectives, metrics and actions to each of the three priority areas. We will prioritize and implement a manageable set of actions in a phased approach with the resources available. Along the way, we will reflect on our progress, celebrate our wins, and seize the next opportunity to improve results for our programs and the fleet.

Why develop a long-range strategy during the most uncertain budgetary environment in our history? This is exactly the right time to be leaning forward. Our job is to enable naval aviation forces to emerge from this turbulent period in a position of strength—able to defend our nation against current and future threats.

After every major conflict, from the American Revolution to the end of the Cold War, our Defense Department has seen a deep demobilization. The adversary was defeated, the threat eliminated and the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command | MLF 8.2 | 1

NAVAIR

U.S. NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND NAVAIR SYSCOM

2014

Vice Adm. David Dunaway Commander

Garry Newton Deputy Commander

Capt. Brian Corey Vice Commander

Cmd. Master Chief Bret A. Joel

Program Executive Officers

Rear Adm. CJ Jaynes Air ASW Assault & Special Mission Programs

Rear Adm. Donald Gaddis Tactical Aircraft Programs

Rear Adm. Mathias W. Winter Unmanned Aviation & Strike Weapons

Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan F-35 Lightning II Program

NAVAIR COMPETENCIES

Diane Balderson Assistant Commander Contracts

Keith Sanders Acquisition Executive Program Management

Rear Adm. Michael Moran Assistant Commander Test and Evaluation; Commander NAWC Weapons Division

Rear Adm. Paul Sohl Division Commander Fleet Readiness Centers and Assistant Commander for Logistics & Industrial Operations

Rear Adm. Mark W. Darrah Assistant Commander Research & Engineering Commander NAWC Aircraft Division

Gary Kurtz Assistant Commander Corporate Operations & Total Force

Logistics & industrial operations

Todd Balazs Deputy Assistant Commander

Capt.

Bob Farmer Executive Director

Dennis West Deputy Commander Fleet Readiness Centers/Director Industrial Operations

Toni Meier Director Logistics Management Integration Department

Tracy Moran Director Industrial & Logistics Maintenance Planning/Sustainment Department

Dan Nega Director Aviation Readiness & Resource Analysis Department

Todd Mellon Director Design Interface and Maintenance Planning

U.S. navAL air systems COMMAND majority of forces returned home. Unfortunately, these rapid drawdowns left our military largely unprepared for the next conflict.

The current drawdown is especially challenging because our adversaries remain a constant threat and are increasingly dispersed and unpredictable. Our Navy’s global missions continue to stretch the capacity of forward deployed forces and the capability of our weapons systems while modernization dollars decline.

The acquisition community will be increasingly pressurized in the years ahead. We must work smarter—smashing bureaucracy

so we can focus on the mission, solving problems collaboratively and learning from our wins and losses, and rewarding creativity and innovation at every opportunity. Working together, we will deliver capability with far greater affordability and speed.

Times like these test even the best organizations. Those that succeed make a conscious effort to prepare, reshape and create new opportunities to increase their relevance in the new environment. I place the NAVAIR team in this category. We do not simply respond. We lead!

Mission—Our Core Responsibilities We research, develop, acquire and support integrated, interoperable and affordable war fighting capabilities, enabling forwarddeployed Navy and Marine Corps forces to quickly respond, deter conflict and if necessary, fight and win.

Vision—Our Contributions over the Next 10-20 Years Naval Aviation will remain critical to our national security and economic prosperity. Our job is to enable the Navy to maintain forward presence and persistence in an increasingly challenging environment. A number of trends will influence the way we accomplish our mission in the years ahead: • Continued pressure on the Navy’s budget will impact the overall size of the fleet, and the growing sophistication of our adversaries will drive the Navy to invest in capabilities that can be rapidly and affordably configured, deployed and supported.

• The Navy will rebalance its focus toward the Asia-Pacific region while sustaining support for our Middle East partners.

4 | MLF 8.2 | U.S. Naval Air Systems Command

We will coordinate closely with our joint and allied partners to ensure joint operational access and freedom of the seas.

• Unmanned systems will be fully integrated with manned platforms, weapons, networks and sensors.

• Cyberspace will be fully operationalized with capabilities that provide superior awareness and control when and where our Navy needs it. www.MLF-kmi.com

U.S. naval air systems COMMAND

Priorities—Aligning our Efforts to Achieve our Vision

PEOPLE

Invest in our people and prepare them for success in a dynamic and challenging environment.

“

Our sailors and civilians remain the source of the Navy’s war fighting capability. Our people will be personally prepared, confident and proficient.

– Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations

Strategies:

”

Technical and Professional Skills: • Recruit, develop, mentor and retain top-tier acquisition talent.

• Invest in quality training, development and certification.

• Foster a culture of continuous learning and the creation of new knowledge.

Teamwork and Collaboration (Organizational IWC):

• Empower people to innovate, take risks and lead (up, down and across).

• Recognize people for innovative ideas that improve mission performance and productivity.

WAR FIGHTING CAPABILITY

Deliver integrated and interoperable war fighting capabilities that produce an immediate and sustainable increase in war fighting effectiveness.

“

We will develop the processes, skills and tools to successfully execute mission-level systems-of-systems engineering, test and evaluation, and logistics—ensuring all of these important elements are as tightly integrated as the capabilities we deliver to the fleet.

– Vice Adm. David Dunaway, NAVAIR Commander

Strategies:

”

• Automate manual processes so employees can focus on mission-critical work.

• Standardize processes, methods and tools where appropriate.

• Promote safety, wellness and work-life balance.

Capabilities-based Acquisition: • Strengthen decision support and analysis tools, enabling us to identify gaps and redundancies across mission areas and recommend options for achieving mission-level effects within cost and schedule.

• Connect naval aviation’s S&T portfolio investments to mission outcomes and speed technology transition to programs and the fleet.

• Develop the capability to assess the capacity of our logistics support systems to address a wide range of worldwide deployment strategies.

• Test and evaluate systems in a systems-of-systems context at critical times and in relevant operational environments using integrated live, virtual and constructive (LVC) environments.

• Fully leverage government-owned LVC environments to enhance fleet operator training and maintainer proficiencies.

Innovation, Creativity and Risk Taking:

Government as Lead-Systems-Integrator (LSI):

• Encourage diversity of skills, background and experience to enhance problem solving, creativity and innovation.

• Develop and manage government-owned, capability-based technical standards and reuse engineering and test

• Strengthen integration and collaboration across competencies, commands and program teams.

• Work together across sites and leverage proven solutions vs. building our own.

• Strengthen relationships and professional networks (both inside NAVAIR and with customers and stakeholders) to increase collaboration, understanding and trust.

• Invest in digital collaboration tools that enable people to connect with experts, share knowledge and solve problems quickly.

Quality of Work Life:

www.MLF-kmi.com

U.S. Naval Air Systems Command | MLF 8.2 | 5

U.S. navAL air systems COMMAND results associated with those standards to reduce developmental costs.

• Emphasize modular, open-architecture solutions.

• Implement the product support manager role for all lead logisticians to ensure a properly evaluated and balanced support strategy exists for all fielded weapon systems.

• Apply new technologies to maintenance challenges aimed at reducing maintainer workload and maximizing reliability.

• Reduce future O&S costs by emphasizing life cycle support costs and alternatives in early acquisition planning.

Weapons Systems Development and Procurement:

Rapid Response: • Explore simplified, low-cost solutions to complex problems, including application of existing systems and innovative approaches to countering emerging technologies and threats.

• Invest in engineering and advanced manufacturing techniques to strengthen in-house rapid prototyping and product development capability.

• Increase use of fleet experiments as part of our rapid deployment processes to obtain and apply direct user feedback and enhance speed to fleet.

• Develop expeditionary logistics support concepts to ensure all systems are logistically supportable for fielded environments.

AFFORDABILITY

Improve affordability and provide maximum value for every dollar invested.

“

Achieving Better Buying Power would, of course, be an important goal in any budget environment, but its importance has only grown given the strategic and budgetary challenges we now face.

– Ashton Carter, Deputy Secretary of Defense

Strategies:

”

Operations and Support (O&S): • Expand proven cost-saving maintenance techniques such as co-located maintenance and maintenance optimization.

• Establish and replicate a “should cost” best practice across programs and teams.

• Drive the industrial base to establish “best value” solutions, both in the weapons systems and contract services segments. Require open architecture, modular solutions and incentivize productivity and innovation.

• Emphasize production quality and adherence to manufacturing quality standards.

• Improve market research and supply chain insights to increase competition and control costs throughout the product life cycle.

Organizational Performance: • Collapse organizational layers and create horizontal networks that enhance communication and decisionmaking.

• Eliminate redundant and non-value added infrastructure, processes and tools.

• Transform or modernize our technical and business processes.

• Identify key metrics to better understand and drive organizational performance.

• Develop and integrate automated, data-driven decision support tools to increase decision-making speed and effectiveness.

• Develop a workforce planning framework that connects people to processes and products, enabling us to effectively staff to current and future demand.

Values—The Starting Point for our Decisions and Actions Our culture is defined by the way we work, how we communicate and learn from each other, and the behaviors we expect and reward. These enduring values establish the orientation and approach we will need to overcome obstacles, seize opportunities and achieve our goals.

• Safety is our first priority, from the shop floor to the flight line to the cockpit. People trust their lives to our judgment.

• Our thoughts and behaviors demonstrate a commitment to the highest ethical standards and command respect from all who work with us.

• We make reasonable and realistic commitments, execute to plan, and deliver outcomes that meet expectations.

• We take personal ownership for our contributions to mission success, making fact-based decisions that deliver best value to the fleet and the taxpayer.

6 | MLF 8.2 | U.S. Naval Air Systems Command

• We rapidly respond to new circumstances and requirements, creating and enabling opportunities that meet warfighter needs ahead of schedule and below cost.

• We create and apply new knowledge, innovative methods and technologies to overcome barriers and create gamechanging improvements.

• We develop and maintain productive relationships with our stakeholders, team members, industry and academic partners through open communication, collaboration and trust.

• We continuously expand our knowledge and apply what we learn to improve organizational performance and results. www.MLF-kmi.com

SUPPLY CHAIN

Compiled by KMI Media Group staff

Self-sustaining Living Module Leidos, a national security, health and engineering solutions company, has developed a highly energy efficient shelter system that provides full-living capability for military personnel at base camps. The Self-sustaining Living Module (SLiM) concept, designed to provide greater levels of self-sufficiency and habitability to support expeditionary bases, was developed for the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in support of the Department of Defense initiative to modernize contingency basing.

NSRDEC, also known as Natick Labs, provides American forces with a wide range of field feeding and life support systems, clothing, precision airdrop systems, and ballistic, chemical and laser protection systems.

More Pallets Please AAR has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force for the production and repair of 463L cargo pallets. The contract has a two-year base period valued at $133 million in revenue and an estimated value of $323 million over the five-year term. The cargo pallets will be manufactured and maintained by AAR’s Mobility Systems business in Cadillac, Mich.

The 463L pallet was developed by the U.S. Air Force and put into operation with the assistance of the company nearly 50 years ago. The 463L design uses a lightweight balsa wood core that continues to provide unparalleled strength-to-weight performance and reliability compared with alternative commercial pallet designs.

“It is a great honor to be chosen again by the U.S. Air Force for this mission-essential work,” said Lee Krantz, senior vice president of AAR’s Technology Products Group.

“We look forward to continuing to provide value as an integral part of the U.S. Air Force’s logistics chain by supplying and maintaining a proven product with high levels of quality, service and reliability.”

www.MLF-kmi.com

“Leidos is proud to develop the SLiM project to provide energy efficiency operations and living capability for expeditionary forces to protect our soldiers and enhance their quality of life,” said Sam Gordy, Leidos group president.

The rigid-walled, modular shelter system can be set up by soldiers without material handling equipment and includes energy efficiency systems that reduce water and fuel resupply needs. The SLiM system has several features that address expeditionary basing challenges, including solar energy collection and microgrid power management, rainwater collection, water purification systems, and easy onsite setup and teardown. With the capability of energy, water and waste management subsystems, each SLiM system can accommodate squad size units in remote combat outpost/patrol base environments.

During earlier concept development, Leidos engineers performed multiple studies and analyses and conducted mechanical modeling to validate the design.

Under this contract, the Leidos team will continue the development of a detailed design; fabricate, assemble and perform acceptance testing of the prototype; and support a field demonstration experiment.

The company, formerly named Science Applications International Corporation, changed its name to Leidos Inc. on September 27, 2013, in connection with the spin-off of its former technical, engineering and enterprise information technology business, which has assumed the company’s former name. Leidos has submitted a change-of-name agreement to the U.S. government to recognize the name change, which is currently under review by the responsible Defense Contract Management Agency contracting officer.

Maintenance and Support Services Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced the award of a maintenance and support services contract for more than 360 aircraft operated by the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA).

“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 and 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, based at the naval air station in Patuxent River, Md. 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 singleengine T-6A and T-6B.

MLF 8.2 | 11

Readiness Supporter

Q& A

Laser-focused on Improving Readiness and Quality-of-Life Requirements Rear Admiral Jonathan A. Yuen Commander Naval Supply Systems Command Chief of Supply Corps Rear Admiral Jonathan A. Yuen became commander, Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and 47th chief of Supply Corps on October 3, 2013. Previously, he served as commander, NAVSUP Global Logistics Support, headquartered in San Diego, Calif.

Yuen, a San Francisco native, graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1983. While a midshipman, he attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as an exchange student in the fall of 1981 and was selected as an Olmsted Scholar.

He has a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business Executive Education Programs. Additionally, he completed the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, Navy Executive Business Course.

His Supply Corps sea duty assignments include tours in USS Narwhal (SSN 671) and USS Constellation (CV 64); and as supply officer in USS Nassau (LHA 4).

His shore assignments include Navy Acquisition contracting officer intern; aide to the director of the Supply, Programs and Policy Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; career counselor and community manager, Navy Supply Corps Personnel; executive assistant, Defense Logistics Support Center, Defense Logistics Agency; executive officer, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Yokosuka (formerly U.S. Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Yokosuka); deputy commander of corporate operations, Naval Supply Systems Command; deputy commander for ships and submarines, NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support (formerly Naval Inventory Control Point); Fellow on the Chief of Naval Operations’ Strategic Studies Group; and deputy chief of staff for logistics, fleet supply and ordnance, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

His joint assignments include serving as deputy commander/ chief of staff of the Joint Contracting Command–Iraq/Afghanistan, headquartered in the International Zone of Baghdad with 18 regional offices throughout both theaters. He also completed a Navy individual augmentee (IA) assignment as the director, U.S. Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center (CDDOC), Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

A member of the Acquisition Professional Community, Yuen has earned supply warfare qualifications in submarine, aviation and surface warfare. Personal awards include three Legions of Merit, a Bronze Star, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, among unit and campaign commendations. www.MLF-kmi.com

Q: What are the governing parameters of your commander’s guidance and how will those elements help shape the command?

A: Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert established three tenets as part of his Navigation Plan: Warfighting First, Operate Forward, Be Ready. These are the foundation of my commander’s guidance. Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) is laser-focused on meeting and improving the Navy’s readiness and quality-of-life requirements around the world, both cost effectively and in accordance with the highest standards of moral excellence.

There are many organizations that have a role to play in supporting naval and joint war fighting and theater security cooperation efforts.

We refer to this collection of providers as the Naval Support Network.

It encompasses not only NAVSUP and other Navy organizations, but all joint and sister-service organizations, Department of Defense and federal agencies, and coalition and commercial partners that provide logistics and/or quality-of-life support to naval customers. Because of our shoulder-to-shoulder relationship with the warfighter on ships and on the ground, the NAVSUP/Navy Supply Corps team is uniquely qualified and positioned to ensure Navy’s maritime and expeditionary requirements are met whenever and wherever the need arises.

Our team is the interface and advocate to the Naval Support Network on behalf of the warfighter. In that role, we help define and MLF 8.2 | 13

convey Navy’s unique support requirements. We ensure that a DoD logistics system—supporting all services—does not inadvertently sub-optimize its support of customers. We care about how well NAVSUP supports the fleet, and how well the fleet is supported by all providers. We engage with customers and partners throughout the Naval Support Network to better understand current and future requirements, take action where gaps in service exist, and leverage our relationships to deliver effective sustained logistics and qualityof-life capabilities as efficiently as possible.

Q: Have you seen near-term changes in your budget as a result of the budget deal signed in late December?

A: As a direct result of the signed budget deal, NAVSUP was recently provided an increase to the fiscal year 2014 operations and maintenance account; the account remains slightly lower than the president’s budget requirements for the fiscal year. We are managing these resources carefully through a culture of judiciousness that flexes our supply chains to maximize the options available to those who most depend upon our services—the warfighter. Our diverse workforce plans for the long term and ensures we are realistically confronting our strategic and fiscal challenges through innovative, creative and visionary solutions to increase the Navy’s logistics resiliency. No matter the budget, we focus on what is possible, always considering what our sailors need to be confident in their abilities and equipment, and proficient in their operations.

Q: What does your forward deployed footprint look like and how involved are you in the Afghanistan drawdown?

A: One of NAVSUP’s four Echelon III commands has a significant footprint OCONUS—NAVSUP Global Logistics Support (GLS).

From a forward posture, NAVSUP GLS provides Navy, Marine Corps, and joint and allied forces with operational logistics capabilities through a network of four NAVSUP fleet logistics centers (FLCs) based in Yokosuka, Japan; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Sigonella, Italy; and Bahrain, in addition to state-side NAVSUP FLCs in San Diego, Calif.; Norfolk, Va.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Bremerton (Puget Sound), Wash.

Of more than 6,600 military and civilian logistics professionals within NAVSUP GLS, more than 3,500 operate from 37 locations outside the United States, providing an extensive array of integrated global logistics and contracting services to Navy, Marine Corps, joint operational units and allied forces across all warfare enterprises around the world. NAVSUP GLS personnel provide oversight for material management services, warehousing services, integrated logistics support, contracting services, global logistics services, regional transportation services, fuels, hazardous material management services, transportation and distribution coordination, global logistics planning and coordination, ammunition supply chain management, household goods services, and postal services in alignment with NAVSUP and the Chief of Naval Operations’ Tenets. Our execution of this global logistics support effort entails a pointed and deliberate orientation toward the operational commanders—U.S. Navy numbered fleets around the world—and their maritime operations centers and logistics readiness centers.

The drawdown in Afghanistan is a strategic military mission led

by U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), and NAVSUP 14 | MLF 8.2

is playing an important role. Through NAVSUP’s transportation arm, and in coordination with NAVSUP FLC Bahrain, we provide integrated logistics support to the drawdown in Afghanistan. Our ammunition division provides oversight and facilitates the movement of material, by funding shipments of Navy and Marine Corps munitions retrograde out of Afghanistan.

NAVSUP GLS also supports forces forward deployed through forward stock positioning of fuel in critical locations. While not directly involved with the force flow out of Afghanistan, we will remain a forward presence in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Working with DLA, we have fuel inventory in Bahrain at both the seaport and Isa Air Base. Our footprint at Isa is expeditionary. It is still funded with other contingency operations funding and could be moved to other locations, if required, or closed as theater conditions evolve. As we continue to shape the theater with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and DLA, fuel storage capability is under contract for Salalah, Oman.

Currently, a contractor-owned and operated facility is under construction, and we expect to have access to this capability by spring of 2015. NAVSUP GLS is fully supporting AFRICOM and the mission at Djibouti across the logistics spectrum. Specifically for fuel, we are evolving from an expeditionary Air Force bladder system to new MILCON tanks. We recently completed the construction of 160,000 gallons of storage and have a planned MILCON project in for an additional 500,000 gallons of storage.

At the sea port, DLA has a contract for bulk fuel in support of 5th Fleet operations. We continue to work with the COCOMs and Navy component commands to ensure that NAVSUP is postured to support their war fighting or humanitarian assistance/disaster relief requirements.

NAVSUP has also participated in this mission by sending military members on individual augmentee (IA) assignments. These military members, on a recurring basis, support Joint missions in Afghanistan and the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) theater. For example, I personally deployed in 2012 as the director of USCENTCOM’s Deployment and Distribution Operations Center in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where we supported the planning and execution of retrograde movement for the drawdown of U.S. forces, equipment and supplies out of Afghanistan.

Q: What are NAVSUP’s marching orders in preparing the supply chain and logistics foundation for the growing presence in the Pacific?

A: As our presence in the Pacific continues to grow, we need to be better listeners than ever. We will listen as the fleet identifies their requirements and mission support elements. We will listen to our workforce as they identify issues and solutions—remembering always that “good answers come from everywhere.” We will listen to partners and fellow services as we maximize our capabilities to the greater good of our warfighters and on behalf of our taxpayers.

We will take what we have heard and be innovative in the execution.

The vastness of the Pacific region requires us to plan for today, tomorrow and the future years defense program in support of U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. Pacific Command initiatives. This requires us to work with program offices and the fleets to minimize configuration variation while positioning the right material in the right place at the required levels within today’s funding constraints.

NAVSUP continues to partner with organizations such as DLA, www.MLF-kmi.com

Commander Naval Installation Command, Naval Sea Systems Command, and Naval Air Systems Command, as we continue to optimize and right-size service support and positioning efforts within the Pacific fleet.

Q: How much of a concern is the threat of cyber attacks on the Navy supply system; and to that end, how would you characterize efforts to detect/prevent those attacks?

A: A critical component of NAVSUP’s business is ensuring key supply chain data reaches decision makers throughout our operational community. We collect that data, process it and provide it to our customers. We work with DLA, USTRANSCOM and other partners to ensure our customers have accurate and complete information in support of their mission.

Cyber attacks are always a concern because they essentially disrupt the flow of information. Preventing and mitigating cyber attacks is an all-hands-on-deck effort. It is important that our workforce be trained from the simplest preventive measures to leveraging world-class information technology service providers like the Defense Information Systems Agency.

We have leveraged Navy Enterprise Resource Planning and have eliminated more than 60 outdated applications. This allows us to minimize the application footprint, making it easier to defend. We have worked closely with organizations like Fleet Cyber Command and Space and Naval Warfare Command to rearchitect applications making them more secure. Much has been done, but clearly more can be done to react to this persistent and ever-changing threat.

Q: Tell me about NAVSUP’s role in responding to devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

A: As one of the major logistics providers in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility, NAVSUP played a role in supporting 7th Fleet and III Marine Expeditionary Unit units during Operation Damayan, the U.S. government relief effort to the Philippines.

Our primary role, led by NAVSUP FLC Yokosuka in Japan, was providing a range of logistics products and services to Navy ships supporting relief operations, including petroleum services, food services and contracting support out of our sites in Yokosuka and Singapore. We also deployed personnel to the U.S. Embassy in Manila and the former Clark Air Force Base to assist in the effort.

Our personnel provided in-transit visibility of relief cargo moving into the Philippines, as well as provided short-term husbanding service provider contracts for eight ports in the Philippines for our ships involved in the relief effort.

NAVSUP was part of the supply chain delivering collapsible water bottles to several Navy vessels. Sailors on the USS George Washington and USS Denver filled the bottles using their own organic water production capability, and then air lifted them inland to forward logistics hubs for local distribution by the government of the Philippines and non-governmental organizations.

NAVSUP also loaded medical supplies and hygiene items forwardpositioned in our Singapore facilities on board USS Freedom, and made them available to the armed forces of the Philippines for distribution to victims of the storm.

NAVSUP FLC San Diego was instrumental in providing load-out assistance and oversight for vending, food ordering, continuing www.MLF-kmi.com

services, and medical supplies. Overall, it was a total team effort from all of our sites across the Pacific that contributed to a successful support operation.

Q: Much has been talked about the state of ground vehicles and the aging of much of the Air Force. What is the state of the fleet in general, in terms of supply chain management for aging systems and the demands placed on it to meet operational needs, long deployments and the general conditions brought on by age?

A: Everything must be on the table for consideration, from manpower, maintenance, resourcing, training and supply.

In general, aging weapon systems, particularly those that stay in service longer than originally planned, place a number of challenges on the spare parts supply chain. On the maritime side, the Navy has extended certain platforms’ operational life five years or more beyond the designated 30-year lifespan. Mine countermeasures ships and guided missile frigates are two examples of platforms fast approaching their 30th year in service, and may be required to remain in the fleet longer than planned.

In the aviation arena, items such as blades reach their planned life limits. Airframes begin to experience symptoms of “tired iron” and we must choose to extend their lives with examples being the service life extension programs for aircraft such as the EA-6B, F/A18, E-6B and others.

In both worlds, things start to break sooner or more often, generating increased demand and replacement or repair costs. If this demand gets too far out in front of historic levels, it can also result in backorders and impact readiness. In some cases obsolescence becomes an issue, as the technology to maintain, repair or manufacture a part may go away or a supplier may simply opt out of the business, resulting in the need to develop new sources of supply, or other measures such as life-of-type procurements, which take into account all cost factors contributing to procurement lifecycle cost (procurement, inventory, disposal, penalties) to determine if life extension is economically advantageous.

Obsolescence also creates opportunities, for instance, to rapidly redesign using additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3-D printing technologies, which could offset capital costs by avoiding purchase of some common components. Further, as platforms and systems are phased out, there is opportunity to leverage existing assets, thereby driving down costs. The flip side of this is that for every system or platform going out of inventory, there is a replacement coming in, and the support considerations for a newly fielded platform or system are radically different from those related to sustainment or sun downing. We see goodness in the commonality across newer programs like the MH-60R and the MH-60S that share 85 percent commonality to support maintenance and logistics efficiencies, and we are using commercial next generation 737 aircraft as the basis for the P-8A. Regardless of the challenge though, we continue to focus upon full lifecycle best practices to maintain or improve readiness and drive down costs.

Q: What is NAVSUP’s role in logistics research and development?

What are some areas where you are spending your research time and dollars?

A: NAVSUP recognizes the potential for new technologies and innovative approaches to not only meet current operational requirements, MLF 8.2 | 15

but to significantly improve the way we support the naval warfighter in the future.

Our logistics research and development (R&D) efforts have focused on demonstrating and transitioning technology solutions to improve logistics efficiency throughout the supply chain, creating energy efficiencies and recycling opportunities, and enhancing the quality of life for our sailors.

An example of a recent R&D effort is the Transportation Exploitation Tool (TET). Developed in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research and USTRANSCOM, TET provides visibility of excess capacity on scheduled air, sea and surface shipments. The ability to piggyback on these existing transports versus scheduling additional shipments provides fleet logistics planners with timely and costeffective solutions to support the movement of items, especially those requiring special handling and emergent requirements such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Another example is the development of improved personal protective clothing for use by maintainers performing abrasive blasting functions. This R&D effort is being led by our Naval Clothing and Textile Research Facility and is focused on new fabrics and technologies that will improve the dexterity, flexibility, mobility and comfort of this specialized protective gear. The new ensembles will also be reusable, instead of disposable like the current clothing, resulting in savings to the Navy.

As I mentioned, we are working with other providers and the Navy Warfare Development Center to pursue opportunities to leverage AM technologies. Future areas of involvement include development of demand capture procedures for AM built parts and development of acquisition language and database requirements to obtain and manage the 3-D data files needed for procurements.

Q: How have you used continuous process improvement to improve efficiencies? Has this helped in warehousing capabilities?

A: Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI) is the primary methodology used across the NAVSUP enterprise for improving the performance and efficiency of our business processes. We use CPI in collaboration with fleet customers and other providers to address improvement initiatives identified by the flag-level Fleet Supply Policy Council.

Some current projects are focused on better aligning material expediting and support functions; improving distribution and material positioning processes; optimizing and aligning supply support functions at naval air stations; and improving processes for disposing excess inventory. Our commitment to CPI runs throughout the NAVSUP organization, and we have efforts underway at every level of the organization With regard to warehousing, we currently have a CPI effort underway at NAVSUP FLC Jacksonville to improve support to Southeastern Regional Maintenance Center. The team is developing a warehouse database tool which enables rapid determination of storage capacity and greatly improves inventory accuracy supporting SERMC repair and modernization schedules and planning.

Another CPI effort underway at NAVSUP FLC San Diego is working to improve the receipt process at the Receiving/Deep Stock Division, which is responsible for unloading, processing, stowing, and issuing material received from government or commercial carriers.

The goal of this initiative is to reduce material processing time by 75 percent (from an average of four workdays to one workday).

16 | MLF 8.2

Q: Do you see any changes forthcoming in the way you partner with industry? Do you see your civilian workforce growing or staying relatively the same as it is today?

A: NAVSUP partners with Navy and industry, and continues to pursue additional partnering opportunities as a standard part of daily business. Experience has clearly demonstrated that partnering with industry, particularly under performance-based logistics (PBL) arrangements, promotes the sharing of best business practices, encourages reliability improvements, ensures the Navy retains its repair capabilities, and improves readiness at reduced costs.

In fiscal year 2013, 91 percent of funding obligations against performance-based contracts—$1.1 billion—were for partnerships. We expect this trend to continue.

In general, staffing has stayed stable over the last few years due to budgetary constraints, so we don’t see any growth and believe civilian and military manpower levels will stay relatively the same as they are today. That being said, we have some significant growth in new workload in both contracting and operations. This increase stems from the fact that we are transitioning away from a few of our PBL arrangements, which means we are taking back work.

Combine this with the workload associated with supporting new platforms coming online early, such as the KC130J and the P-8, the latter of which is also deploying early, as well as changes being driven by Financial Improvement Program/Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness Program compliance, and you can see that we some challenges ahead of us.

Q: Any closing thoughts?

A: I am honored and excited to work with such a tremendous and diverse team throughout the NAVSUP enterprise, the Navy Supply Corps and the team of providers who comprise the Naval Support Network. The individuals who comprise our team are our most valuable asset. Their ideas and inputs are essential as we develop solutions for the challenges we face.

A mentor once taught me a priceless lesson—“Good answers come from everywhere”—not anywhere, but everywhere. I believe in evaluating every answer, every idea on its own merit and encouraging everyone to have an opportunity to identify, provide and implement better solutions in the process.

Fostering a work environment characterized by communication, command climate and collaboration grows our supply family by encouraging innovation and creative thinking so we can remain an agile and resilient organization responsive to the emerging needs of our customers, and a workplace that recognizes, acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of every member.

Everywhere we are and everything we do—through our priorities, goals, attitudes and values—represents the building blocks of the moral excellence that epitomizes our commitment not only to our own convictions, but to our unwavering commitment to our Navy and our nation.

During my 30 years of service, three tenets have remained steadfast as part of my personal philosophy—a servant’s heart, bedside manner, and a Socratic mindset. Servant’s heart is about following; it’s about serving. Bedside manner is the golden rule.

Finally, Socratic mindset … the big picture. Wonder, challenge traditional thought and paradigms. This promotes understanding.

But, challenge things respectfully. O www.MLF-kmi.com

Public private partnerships trending up.

By Scott Nance MLF Correspondent

Northrop Grumman Technical Services is another contractor Partnerships between private-sector firms and U.S. military which has developed successful partnerships, including one for service depots to maintain vehicles and perform other logistics large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) maintenance at functions have significantly improved readiness while also cutting Warner Robins ALC, Ga., said Larry Pittman, program manager for costs for the American taxpayer. These public-private partnerships the LAIRCM sustainment repair contract. have proven themselves so successful that both the number of such “We’ve participated in successful public-private partnerships arrangements—as well as the scope they take on—are likely to at Warner Robins, so when the opportunity to create one for the expand in the coming years, predicted those in both the military and LAIRCM program presented itself, we understood the benefits,” industry who oversee a variety of such partnerships.

Pittman said. “Through public-private partnerships, we’re able to “I believe the current trend is very positive. Just here at the Ogden leverage the best of public and private core competencies to improve Air Logistics Complex (ALC) we’ve almost doubled the number of the sustainment of Air Force war fighting capabilities. partnerships from 2010 to 2013,” said Major General H. Brent Baker, “Most recently, Northrop Grumman installed contractor-furcommander of the Ogden ALC at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. “We’ve nished equipment into a government facility. Because we didn’t had kind of a philosophical change come about in the last couple of need to modify our building to house the equipment, years. I think, in years gone by, when you talked about we reduced our life cycle costs by approximately $2 partnership, what that really meant was: Hey, let’s million,” Pittman added. “Because the government figure a way I can take work from you or you can take is using our existing LAIRCM system components work from me. That philosophy has greatly changed. and technical expertise, they’ve shaved years off the Now we really want to make it a true partnership—and standard depot activation process.” make it a win-win for both parties.”

Honeywell works on several performance-based “I’m convinced that this is a significant future logistics programs that leverage public-private parttrend. And I think it’s essential to the [Department nerships with the Air Force and Army, Thompson of Defense’s] retention of their current depot maintesaid. “In general, what we find is that we typically nance capacity,” said Alan Thompson, former director get about a 20 percent gain in component or system of the Defense Logistics Agency and now vice presiMaj. Gen. H. Brent Baker reliability and typically at least [a] 10 to 15 percent dent of logistics at Honeywell Technology Solutions. cost reduction—frequently more, in the actual depot “I think that we will see more and more. There is a overhaul cost,” he said. great eagerness across all of the military services to engage with For instance, Honeywell teams with the air logistics complex to industry and leverage their existing capacity.” overhaul aircraft components, Thompson said.

Being able to maintain “organic maintenance capability” is a key “Essentially, Honeywell provides the program and supply chain reason for the military to continue to pursue public-private partnermanagement [and] some engineering support—then we leverage ships, “because without some of the public-private partnerships that the ALC for the facility, the actual tools and equipment, test equipHoneywell has with Army, Navy and Air Force, there would be excess ment, as well as the government Air Force civilian labor force,” he capacity in the maintenance depots,” Thompson said. said, adding: “Although we’ve had some big challenges, frankly, over “You could, in fact, perform the work in a commercial setting— the last couple of years since we expanded the program, we now are but by performing it in partnership with the military service overhaul in kind of the position of really humming in the program. I think depot, you’re able to leverage that existing capacity and preserve it for the Air Force has gone from being a bit of doubting Thomas to being future flexibility. I think that that is beneficial,” he added. sold on the value of the Honeywell partnership.”

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin also has partnered with Ogden Core Competencies separately since 2008 on the F-22 Raptor program, Kratz said. Lockheed provides engineering, supply chain and other support while Working together, industry and the military have identified Ogden offers “all of the touch labor for things like depot maintecomplementary skill-sets and areas of expertise to create a variety nance and modifications and upgrades,” he said. of partnerships, according to Louis Kratz, vice president of logistics “We’ve been able to increase mission-capability rates by about and sustainment at Lockheed Martin, adding that his company is 15 percent in the overall fleet, and we’ve improved our non-missionengaged in about 30 such partnerships. capable supply metric by about 35 percent. What that means to Air “So by bringing the best of government together with the best of Combat Command is availability of the jet to be in the air,” Kratz industry, we’re able to provide the best outcome for the warfighter said. “Part of that was through a reliability improvement, so engiand also the best outcome for the taxpayer, from an affordability neering enhancements [created a] roughly 58 percent improvement point of view,” Kratz said. www.MLF-kmi.com

MLF 8.2 | 17

in reliability. Part of that was due to the efficiency and excellence of the depot artisans, so we had about a 20 percent reduction in our repair time over the period of the contract.”

For the taxpayer, Lockheed has produced a “dramatic reduction” in the operating and maintenance (O&M) budget of about $500 million in O&M savings, Kratz said.

“Two hundred and thirty million of that $500 [million] was supply inventory reductions—so, inventory that did not have to be bought to maintain the availability of the aircraft. Then, on top of that, [there is] roughly $25 million a year in annual manpower savings due to the improvement in reliability and the reduction in repair time,” he said.

“That’s an excellent example of where we can move forward, working with the maintenance depots inside of DoD to, again, to bring industry capabilities and United States government capabilities to really help the warfighter and provide the most affordable solution for the taxpayer,” Kratz added.

infrastructure associated with that,’” he explained.

“Actually, Lockheed Martin won that contract. It is a 20-year program that began in 2008. And all the financing for that was provided by third-party bankers, so the capital assets are actually owned by the bank and then bought-down over time by use by the Singapore air force,” Kratz said.

“The reason I bring that example up is I think that’s where the Department of Defense in the U.S. needs to go, particularly given the current affordability challenges that we have,” he added.

Keys to a Successful Partnership

Maintaining a successful public-private partnership takes a certain amount of effort, said Baker, the commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, likening a successful partnership to a marriage.

“From my perspective, what makes a good partnership is when both parties benefit from it, number one. I think when both parties are able to open up Creating New Types of Partnerships and have an open dialogue when you can talk about issues that are ongoing, where both parties feel Kratz predicted public-private partnering will like they can come to the table and voice issues or broaden beyond parts labor to include “more of the Alan Thompson concerns they have with a partnership—and both white-collar work at the depots” with activities like propartners are willing to address those. To me, that’s duction and manufacturing scheduling, manufacturwhat really makes a partnership strong,” ing engineering, inventory management and software Several specific factors go into making a publicmaintenance. “Those are areas that we’re engaging private partnership successful, Kratz said. with the depots in conversations to, again, draw upon The first is a “shared and common understandtheir outstanding capabilities,” he said. ing of what the outcomes are,” he explained. “When The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan slowed the develI say, ‘Best for the warfighter; best for the taxpayer,’ opment of public-private partnerships somewhat, “but there has to be real numbers behind those,” Kratz as we come out of that, I actually see the partnering said, adding that understanding must be shared with and the partnerships increasing—and increasing both the military participant in a given partnership. in terms of number and in terms of scope,” Kratz The second factor is cost, Kratz said. “The focus forecasted. He also suggested there was a role for Louis Kratz has to be on: Deliver the performance at what price. public-private partnerships outside of depot mainteWorking together, we’ve been able to clearly both nance—particularly in the areas of military facilities define what that means across the partnership, and then deliver it and in services. to the comptroller and to the taxpayer.”

Kratz recalled that in the 1990s, DoD brought in private developAnother important factor is trust. “On the most successful parters to build brand-new housing, largely for enlisted personnel, and ner arrangements we’ve had, we have been able to build a strong, then entered into long-term contracts “that allowed that developer to trusted relationship with not only the [military] provider—whether recoup his capital investment.” it be a depot or [Defense Logistics Agency]—but also with the “Building off that, the department has expanded into the energyultimate customer,” Kratz said. “So the equipment user views the efficiency area—largely through a series of contracts that are actupartnership of great value.” ally run by the Department of Energy—where industry comes in Lastly, a partnership must deliver results and “be visible with that and modernizes the energy delivery on the bases and allows the delivery,” Kratz said. “In other words, you can’t just trust each other [services] to reap those savings of the energy efficiency,” he said. and hit your performance. You have to kind of celebrate that together, “Some of the savings are sent to industry to buy-down the capital so that you can move forward and advance the art. Part of that is investment; some of [the savings] are retained by the services.” documenting those common understandings in what I’ll call ‘enabling The U.S. should follow the lead of some of its key allies by creating business agreements.’ Whether they are contracts or partnering agreepartnerships with industry to deliver services, Kratz said. ments, they clearly specify the roles and responsibilities on both sides.

Such allies as the United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore, “because “For example, we are now in the final negotiations with the Air they have a longer-term contract authority, really have perfected the Force Sustainment Center for a corporatewide partnering agreement, public-private partnering applied largely to the services area,” he said. which will include pre-negotiated clauses so it’s easy to add all of our For instance, Kratz cited a program in Singapore in which that nation’s Air Force programs onto that agreement,” he added. O air force “bought what we would call ‘trained pilots,’” Kratz said.

“Rather than buying a trainer and buying trainer aircraft and buying a simulator and buying coursework, they went to industry and For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories said, ‘What we really want are trained pilots and we’re willing to pay so at www.mlf-kmi.com. much per head for that trained pilot. But you have to capitalize all the 18 | MLF 8.2

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The advertisers index is provided as a service to our readers. KMI cannot be held responsible for discrepancies due to last-minute changes or alterations.

MLF RESOURCE CENTER Advertisers Index Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation........................................................C2 www.gulfstream.com/specialmissions

NEXTISSUE

April 2014 Vol. 8, Issue 3

The Publication of Record for the Military Logistics Community

I.H.S........................................................................................................... 1 www.ihs.com I.H.S......................................................................................................... 12 www.ihs.com Inventory Locator Service........................................................................ 5 www.ilsmart.com SAIC.........................................................................................................C4 www.saic.com

Special PULL-OUT SUPPLEMENT

Northrop Grumman Technical Services................................................C2 www.northropgrumman.com/logistics Northrop Grumman Technical Services...............................................2-3 www.northropgrumman.com/logistics

Cover and In-Depth Interview with:

Lt. Gen. Judith A. Fedder

Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support (A4)

Special Section Supply Chain Innovation

Calendar April 7-9, 2014 Sea-Air-Space Exposition National Harbor, Md. www.seaairspace.org

August 22-25, 2014 NGAUS Chicago, Ill. www.ngausconference.com

April 14-17, 2014 Aircraft Airworthiness & Sustainment Conference Baltimore, Md. http://aasconference.com

September 15-17, 2014 Air & Space Conference National Harbor, Md. www.afa.org

April 15-16, 2014 National Logistics Conference Washington, D.C. www.ndia.org/meetings/4730

September 23-25, 2014 Modern Day Marine Quantico, Va. www.marinecorpsexpos.com

April 21-23, 2014 Army Engineer Association Industry Exhibition Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. www.armyengineer.com

October 20-22, 2014 Logistics Officers Association Conference Washington, D.C. www.loanational.org/conference

Is the military supply chain system adaptable enough to accept more commercial supply chain management solutions?

Features

Sustaining Unmanned Systems Asia Pacific Logistics Life Cycle Excellence AFRICOM Logistics

Special Who’s Who Pull-Out Supplement

U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center A special pull-out supplement featuring:

• • • • •

Exclusive interview with Lieutenant General C.D. Moore, commander of AFLCMC. Who’s Who two-page pictorial spread detailing AFLCMC command structure and senior leadership.

Command’s top contracts for 2013-14.

A handy reference guide with a long shelf life.

Bonus Distribution NDIA National Logistics Forum

May 12-15, 2014 AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems Orlando, Fla. www.auvsishow.org/auvsi2014

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October 28-30, 2014 NDTA-USTRANSCOM Fall Meeting St. Louis, Mo. http://ndtahq.com/events_cal_ events.htm

I n sertio n O rder D eadli n e: M arch 24, 2014 A d M aterial D eadli n e: M arch 31, 2014 C o nt a c t J a n e En g e l a t 3 01.670.570 0 e x t.120 o r ja n e @k mim e dia g ro u p.c o m

MLF 8.2 | 19

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW Military Logistics Forum Patrick Seidensticker Director Product Technology Dell Rugged Mobility Solutions Patrick Seidensticker is a key member of the Dell Rugged Solutions team involved in partner engagements, solution development, technical product support and more.

Q: How would you describe your company’s focus, goals and abilities to meet the needs of the military customer?

A: With each new generation of our rugged solutions—including the fourth generation of our fully-rugged products that we will launch this spring—we continue to integrate customer feedback in order to help our customers better accomplish their mission.

As our primary customer for the first generations of our rugged solutions, feedback from the U.S. military is a large part of what has helped shape these products. We have designed ruggedized solutions with all branches of the military in mind since 2007, and that goes beyond meeting the full compliments of MIL-STD-810G testing. That’s a reflection of Dell’s deep relationships with our customers as well as well-informed knowledge of how we can help them best use their technology as a tool to solve some of their most complex problems.

In the case of the military, Dell Rugged Solutions meet the need for computing solutions that don’t just survive harsh conditions but also provide maximum performance in a variety of challenging environments.

Q: What innovations do you expect to bring online that will better position you to compete in today’s military marketspace?

A: With Dell’s next generation of fullyrugged notebooks that launch this spring, we’ve put an added focus on answering our military customers’ need for increased mobility through a lighter, easier-handled product. These products will have new lightweight materials and an innovative new chassis design that will allow our notebook to maintain its fully-rugged durability in a more mobile-friendly form. We’re expanding on the established reputation, especially within the military, of Dell Rugged solutions 20 | MLF 8.2

for optimized field computing with new outdoor readable screen technology, providing the best visibility in all lighting conditions.

We’re also bringing a number of other innovations online that will make our military customers more efficient. These include a 30 percent improvement in target battery life and a versatile new docking design that will give our customers the option for a mixed deployment of ruggedized solutions based on the varying needs of their users.

Our close relationship with all branches of the military gives us access to immeasurably useful feedback about what their greatest computing needs are; all of the improvements we have made in our forthcoming products are rooted in that feedback.

Q: What do you do to better understand logistical requirements from the military’s perspective?

A: We’ve been working with the military and designing products with the military in mind for many years. We have a developed deep customer knowledge and relationship with all branches of the military and take their feedback into account during the design phase in order to best meet their most demanding needs. That direct line to customer input is unique in the industry and so is the fact that Dell Rugged Solutions are not static in their design; we take great pains to deliver customercentric improvements and innovation in our solutions. For many devices in the rugged mobility space, basic design hasn’t changed in over a decade.

Q: What challenges have you forecasted for the coming 12 months?

A: Our primary challenge is always trying to balance the field-user’s needs for mobility and performance while also maintaining the dependability Dell Rugged solutions are known for. We continue to design lightweight products that maximize battery life but remain the highest-performing and survivable field units designed for a wide variety of applications. That is especially important for our military customers who need a solution designed to brave the same elements they’re required to as well.

Q: Are there examples that illustrate your capabilities in meeting the needs of the defense customer?

A: Dell Rugged solutions are deployed across a full spectrum of military branches and functions as well as in theaters of operations across the world. Not only are we meeting the needs of customers in theater, we actually have forward deployed assets ourselves to ensure any issues encountered with any of our solutions are addressed quickly so our military customers can be fully mission capable faster.

Q: With reduced DoD spending, will you become more or less involved in joint ventures with other industry partners?

A: Our focus is on making sure we’re meeting our customers’ needs, especially as they’re being asked to do more with less. As a tier one provider of end-to-end solutions, Dell has the capability to deliver holistic IT solutions to the military from endpoint to the data center, including industry leading software and services—and Dell Rugged solutions are part of that complete IT ecosystem. For example, the elite computing performance in our ruggedized solutions stems from the Latitude architecture that is built in. This is something we do very well, and by meeting a specific need for our military customers, such as giving them a solution that can survive the rugged environments they need to work in, we’re helping them meet specific demands by leveraging our extensive experience and expertise. O p_seidensticker@dell.com www.MLF-kmi.com

The Reference Guide the Commands are all Talking About Military Logistics Forum is the only publication providing continuous coverage of DoD’s major military logistics commands • The most current information available on “Who’s Who” at each command.

• At-a-glance command reference guide including photos and rank.

• Profile of critical contracts at each command.

• Command Components explored.

• Distributed to senior leadership at each command and at major trade shows and conferences.

• A handy reference guide with a long shelf life.

• Save time and get right to your source.

Who’s Who Line-up for 2014 February March

U.S. Army Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) Naval Aviation Command (NAVAIR)

April

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC)

May

Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM LCMC)

June

Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)

July August September October November/December

Army Sustainment Command (ASC) Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Air Force Air Logistics Complexes (ALCs) Army Materiel Command (AMC) U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)

For more information on reaching your customers’ command effectively and efficiently, contact: Jane Engel, Associate Publisher, Military Logistics Forum, (301) 670-5700 ext.120, jane@kmimediagroup.com

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