Program executive officer aircraft carriers
New Ford class will increase capability while reducing operating costs.
Rear Admiral Thomas Moore Program Executive Officer PEO Aircraft Carriers them; a multifunction radar suite that will detect and engage PCU Gerald R. Ford (CVN the most advanced threats; and revolutionary launch and 78), the first ship of the Gerald recovery systems that contribute to more efficient flight operR. Ford class, was chrisations while reducing total operating costs and stress on the tened this past November at aircraft. Together, these efforts will reduce manning by more Huntington Ingalls Industries than 600 billets, improve operational availability and capabilShipbuilding in Newport ity, and reduce total ownership cost over its 50-year service News, Va. To date, the design life by $4 billion compared with Nimitz class carriers. is 99 percent complete, 95 The Navy and the contractor have learned a great deal percent of the material has been procured, 72.2 percent of the during the design and development of this new class of construction has been completed, 6.57 million feet (of 9 million carriers. Engineering and cost saving analyses are being feet) of cable has been installed, and the ship is in the water. conducted daily, and these lessons learned are being impleWhen CVN 78 is officially delivered to the fleet in 2016, she mented to reduce the costs of delivering the Ford, as well will carry out her mission with greater lethality, survivability, joint interoperability, and at a reduced operating and maintenance cost to taxpayers than her predecessors of the Nimitz-class carriers. While recent concerns of cost overruns on the first ship of the class have brought increased scrutiny, it is important to remember why the Navy chose to design and build a class of ship that will have a lifespan of 94 years and remain in service until 2110. The Ford class will deliver increased capability—at significantly reduced operating costs— and will remain at the forefront of a long-standing approach to countering The aircraft carrier Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is moved to Pier 3 at Newport News Shipbuilding. threats and providing U.S. military [Photo courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries/by Chris Oxley] presence in support of a wide variety as the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). It will take less man of security objectives. hours to build CVN-79 than the last Nimitz class carrier, CVN CVN 78 is a total redesign of the Nimitz class. The Ford 77, and the ship will be at least $1 billion dollars less than class brings a 33 percent increase in sortie generation rate; a CVN 78. This learning process has developed an affordable completely redesigned flight deck that uses a NASCAR-like and sustainable path forward for the remainder of the class. O concept to recover, rearm and refuel high-end aircraft capable of high sortie rates; a completely redesigned, more efficient and more powerful nuclear-propulsion system, greatly reducFor more information, contact NPEO Editor Brian O’Shea at briano@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for ing the requirement for steam, hydraulic and pneumatic piprelated stories at www.npeo-kmi.com. ing systems, along with the manpower necessary to maintain
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Program executive officer aircraft carriers
2014 Rear Adm. Thomas Moore Program Executive Officer
Brad Toncray Career Planning Activity Deputy Program Manager
Capt. John Markowicz PMS 312 Program Manager
Capt. Chris Meyer PMS 378 Program Manager
Capt. Doug Oglesby PMS 379 Program Manager
Jim Papageorge PMS 312 Deputy Program Manager
Ye-Ling Wang PMS 378 Deputy Program Manager
Eric Ryberg PMS 379 Deputy Program Manager
Giao Phan Executive Director
Howard Kirsner Chief of Staff
Maurice Ward Director of Corporate Operations
Jo Minor Chief Financial Officer
Nickita Davis Activity Chief Information Officer
Mike McEleney Director of Congressional/ Public Affairs
Lee Bowersox Total Ownership Cost Manager
Eric Pitt Chief Technology Officer