100 years for Dental Corps Page 3
Ready Navy. Are you ready? Page 4
Scouts' work improves Pax
Page 6 VOLUME 69, NUMBER 36
NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, MARYLAND
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012
Groundbreaking ceremonies mark Webster Field construction Photo and story by Donna Cipolloni Tester staff writer Two new building projects began Aug. 29 with pomp and the ceremonial breaking of ground atWebster Outlying Field. Military leaders, Sen. Ben Cardin, Rep. Steny Hoyer and a group of distinguished guests gathered to celebrate the projects: the P-140 Special Communications Requirements Engineering Facility and the Unmanned Aerial Systems Operations Building.
P-140 Special Communications Requirements Engineering Facility
The Special Communications Requirements Division is engaged in all facets of electronic and communications systems, subsystems and equipment used by the Navy, Army, Air Force, Joint Special Operations Forces, and other DoD and government agencies. Capt. Ted Mills, commanding officer of NAS Patuxent River, served as the master of ceremony for the communication engineering facility groundbreaking. "In the hours following 9/11, we found that many of the agencies working to help our nation recover were having trouble communicating securely," Mills said. "The SCR Division is here to make sure that doesn't happen again. Here (at Webster Field), SCR designs for critical communication and electronic technologies will be conceived and de-
Distinguished guests and NAS Patuxent River military leaders break ground for the new P140 Special Communications Requirements Engineering Facility at Webster Outlying Field during a ceremony Aug. 29. From left, Steve Smith, G-W Management; Todd Morgan, St. Mary's County commissioner; Vice Adm. David Archizel, commander, Naval Air Systems Command; Sen. Ben Cardin; Rep. Steny Hoyer; Randy Morris, director, Ship and Shore Based Electronic Systems 4.5 at St. Inigoes; Cmdr. Jim Watts, NAS Patuxent River Public Works officer; John Bohanan, District 29B delegate; and Capt. Ted Mills, NAS Pax River commanding officer. veloped which will then enable our war fighters in the Special Operations Forces and Intelligence communities to be the best in the world." The 18,000 square foot, $9.6 million facility will house a high-bay Mechanical Integration Area for communications installation, se-
cure lab and office spaces, mechanical engineering and computer-aided-design space. Exterior amenities will include site access road, staff parking, pedestrian walkways, simulated C-130 loading ramp and paved vehicular staging area. The building will also achieve a LEED
Silver rating and feature sustainable elements such as a green roof and solar power.
Unmanned Aerial Systems Operations Building Maj. Gen. James A. Adkins, adju-
tant general of Maryland, later welcomed many of the same guests to the groundbreaking for the Maryland Army National Guard Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems Operations Building. Approximately 10,000 square feet, the $4.7 million TUAS facility will support A Company, Detachment 1, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, which operates and maintains the Shadow 200 aircraft, a relatively new system fielded to Army, Army National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps forces around the world. Featured areas of the building include mission and flight operations, hangar/aviation maintenance, simulation center, training support, classrooms, administrative and support areas and an observation platform. Supporting infrastructure will include hangar aprons, vehicle parking, site and runway access roads, security lighting, fencing, utilities and other items required to make the facility complete and usable. Both Cardin and Hoyer agreed that the new facilities will greatly augment two important missions at Webster Field—communications and unmanned aircraft—by enhancing intelligence capabilities and providing valuable resources for the Maryland National Guard. Both buildings are scheduled for completion by summer 2013.
Escape. Evade. Engage. Employees learn survival skills Photo and story by Connie Hempel NAS Patuxent River Public Affairs It could be the next customer who walks through the door or the coworker who sits beside you. While you never know when or where workplace violence will occur, you should know how to respond ... your life depends on it. It doesn't matter if it's a school, movie theater, church or a military installation, acts of violence can happen anywhere, anytime. Oftentimes, the offender is using a weapon, hence the term active shooter. In the last 20 years, at least 168 people in the U.S. have been killed by active shooter events throughout the country. These shootings include familiar incidents such as Columbine High School in 1999, Virginia Tech in 2007, Northern Illinois University in 2008, Fort Hood, Texas,
in 2009, Tucson, Ariz., in 2011, and the Aurora, Colo., shootings this past July. If there is an active shooter event on NAS Patuxent River, alerts can be sent out by the emergency management department through the giant voice system or electronic/telephone messaging from the Wide Area Alert Notification system. "It's not a matter of if it happens, but when it happens," said Craig Buist, NAS Patuxent River operational training and readiness director. "These situations are unpredictable with no pattern or warning to their selected victims." To prepare Pax employees, Buist, along with law enforcement, emergency management and fire and emergency services personnel, has conducted two exercises in the past few years. One was at the commissary when only staff was in the store and another at the Fleet and Family Support Center. More are planned for the future. Buist said training such as this is crucial.
"It's important for our employees and families to be appropriately trained so if it happens, no matter where they are, they know what to do. Preparing now will save lives," Buist said.
Escape. Evade. Engage. These are the three steps Police Sgt. James Williams, Naval District Washington police officer assigned to NAS Patuxent River, referenced during a classroom training last week for Building 409 employees. "If you hear gunshots and you're certain you can safely escape, get out," Williams said. "If you cannot escape, evade; find a place to hide. It could mean barricading yourself in a room or in a closet, or hiding under a desk. "If you can't do either, engage; fight back," he said. "If you do fight back, don't quit. Keep fighting until the threat is neutralized or law enforcement ar-
From left, Patrolman Sidney Thompson, Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Peter Noll, Patrolman Alfonso Ortiz, and Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Orry Diaz, back, demonstrate Tuesday how they would clear a building during an active shooter incident. See Escape, Page 4