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Friday, December 20, 2013 Vol. 48, No. 50 Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C.
Delta and Papa Company graduates
Page 15
“The noise you hear is the sound of freedom.”
n Entertainment n News Briefs n Weather n In The Community n Around The Corps n Graduates
2 3 3 4 10 15
Fightertown celebrates holidays Page 4
Fightertown weighs in on female cover change Page 9
Tri-Command service members honor those forgotten
Reducing Fightertown’s energy footprint Page 12
TSA offers PreCheck to military Cpl. Sarah Cherry Staff Writer
The Transportation Security Administration is planning to offer PreCheck expedited screening to active duty military service members beginning Dec. 20. The screening is also available to children of service members ages 12 and under. The screening means less waiting, shorter lines, and being allowed to keep belts and shoes on. Service members do not need to be in uniform and can use PreCheck for business or leisure travel. The program will be offered in 100 different airports, including Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Charleston International Airport (CHS) and Jacksonville International Airport (JAX). The 10 airports which currently offer PreCheck by scanning Common Access Cards will continue to do so until March 31, 2014. see
PreCheCk, Page 14
Sexual assault prevention overhaul Cpl. Sarah Cherry Staff Writer
Congress is seeking to protect service members by changing how sexual assault cases are handled in the military. The House of Representatives passed a bill Dec. 12, with almost two dozen provisions that would drastically change sexual assault proceedings in the military. Among other changes, the bill would remove the ability of commanders to overturn jury convictions of sexual assault cases, criminalize retaliation against sexual assault victims and require a civilian review if a
See page 6
commander decides not to process a case. The bill passed in the House, but the Senate has not voted yet. On the military side, changes have been made with the 2012 three-phase Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Campaign Plan. The goal of the campaign is to “gain greater consistency of effort and enhance oversight, investigative quality, pretrial investigations, and victim support,” said Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in an August memorandum for secretaries of the military see
saPr, Page 14
NAE leadership visits for Boots on the Ground
Cpl. Sarah Cherry Staff Writer
Naval Aviation Enterprise senior leadership visited Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31 aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort as part of the Boots on the Ground program, Dec. 12. Those in attendance included the Deputy Commandant of Aviation Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle, the commander of Naval Air Forces Vice Adm. David Buss, and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Commanding General Maj. Gen. Robert Hedelund. The goal of the Boots on the Ground program is to improve upon current practices across Naval Aviation by taking the best solutions to difficult challenges and spreading them across the Navy and Marine Corps. “It’s an opportunity for the folks that work with problems in Naval Aviation, whether it’s maintenance or operations or supply, to express directly to the leadership of Naval Aviation Enterprise some of the challenges they have, but also the successes that they have,” said Hedelund. The series of visits at multiple installations focuses not only on challenges and successes, but also on finding innovative ways to increase efficiency throughout Naval aviation. “[Vice Adm. Buss] has been able to see several versions of [Boots on the Ground] and see places where innovation has made a difference, but also share with the rest of Naval Aviation Enterprise what he has seen here,” said Hedelund. “So he can go back and say, ‘I saw Marines at MALS-31 fix this problem or have an impact on this problem through innovative thinking and work-
ing with the resources that they have.’” Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31 has had success increasing efficiency in part due to their Continuous Process Improvement program. The CPI program trains Marines to look at their daily process and find ways to decrease wasted time and increase efficiency. “Trying to get the leanest process in every maintenance or supply action we perform involves continuous process improvement,” said Lt. Col. Willie Stansell III, the commanding officer of MALS-31. “It’s a common sense approach to solving problems.” One example of a problem solved is the frequency of damage to Heads Up Display Combiner Glass. Marine Aircraft Group 31 had eight damaged heads up displays in 2012, a small six percent of the $4.5 million spent by the Navy on HUD combiner glass replacement. MALS-31 solved the issue locally by decreasing the number of times the part was handled, as well as producing covers to protect the fragile glass during transport. They have since decreased the frequency of damage to the HUDs. “If [a solution to a problem] works great here for MALS-31, MAG-31 and our squadrons on the flight line, then it should be shared with Naval Aviation as a whole and benefit not just our Marines, but all of Naval Aviation,” said Stansell. The solution, now backed with the weight of Naval Aviation Enterprise leadership, is waiting for funding approval and expected to become standard practice. “I know that this took a lot of work see
BOg, Page 8
Photos by Cpl. Aneshea Yee
Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle, deputy commandant of naval aviation, and Vice Adm. David Buss, commander of Naval Air Forces, talk to Marines during Boots on the Ground, Dec. 12. Boots on the Ground opens a dialogue across all ranks in Naval Aviation to help improve the readiness and cost-savings within Naval Aviation.
Sgt. Barney Chambers gives a briefing during Boots on the Ground aboard Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Dec. 12. Naval Aviation Enterprise leaders will use the information to improve practices across Naval Aviation and resolve difficult challenges with efficiency and innovation.