Fly Fight Lead
... TERM, WE ARE ALIGNING ALL OUR PILOT/NFO PRODUCTION REQUIREMENTS UNDER ONE COMMANDER-CNATRA. HE, AND HIS STAFF, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PULLING STUDENTS OUT OF API INTO THE TRAINING COMMAND, THEN PUSHING NEWLY WINGED OFFICERS TO THE FRS TO ENSURE THE PRODUCTION AND TIME TO TRAIN REQUIREMENT ARE MET. FRS CO'S NOW REPORT "TACON FOR TRAINING" TO CNATRA ON THEIR PRODUCTION PROGRESS. CNATRA THEN REPORTS TO CNAF ON THE TOTAL TRAINING EXECUTION AND THE REQUIREMENTS TO PRODUCE THE BEST AVIATORS IN THE WORLD. THESE MEN AND WOMEN ARE OUR "SEED CORN". WE ARE COMMITTED TO A PROCESS THAT PROTECTS THE FUTURE OF NAVAL AVIATION. 3. FIGHT - OUR NAVY CANNOT COMPLETE ITS MISSION OF WINNING AT WAR WITHOUT COMBAT SKILLS INHERENT IN ITS AIR ARM. TO DEVELOP OUR COMBAT SKILLS WE RELY ON MANY INTERRELATED COMPONENTS-T&R MATRIX, THE FLYING HOUR PROGRAM, NCEA, ARP, WTI'S, JTFEX, THE FALLON DEPLOYMENT-YOU GET THE POINT. DOING THIS CAUSES NAVAL AVIATION TO CONSUME A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE TOTAL NAVY BUDGET EACH YEAR. WHAT IS ALSO CLEAR IS CNO'S COMMITMENT TO OUR WARFIGHTING WHOLENESS AND HIS EXPECTATIONS OF US. I WOULD DESCRIBE THESE EXPECTATIONS AS DEMONSTRATING READINESS LEVELS TO SUSTAIN, AT A MINIMUM, A SAFE AND COMPETENT AIR FORCE AND PROFICIENCY IN A SQUADRON'S PRIMARY MISSION AREAS. BECAUSE OF HOW WE HAVE BEEN FISCALLY SUPPORTED THESE PAST TWO YEARS, OUR AVIATION LEADERSHIP, PARTICULARLY THE AIR WING AND SQUADRON COMMANDERS HAVE BEEN DOING JUST THAT. OUR DEPLOYED READINESS IS GOOD AND OUR EFFORTS IN THIS WAR REFLECT IT. OUR NON-DEPLOYED READINESS IS NOT AS GOOD AS IT COULD BE. WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE IT BETTER? FIRST, I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THERE MUST BE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR UNIT LEVEL TRAINING (ULT), WHICH CULMINATES IN THE COMMUNITY'S ADVANCED READINESS PHASE AND THE FINAL, INTEGRATED FORCE THAT WE SEND ON DEPLOYMENT. THIS FORCE COULD BE OUR EXPEDITIONARY SQUADRONS, DETACHMENTS OR A FORCE PACKAGE CAPABLE AIRWING AND CARRIER. THE OVERSIGHT AND LEADERSHIP OF THIS WARFIGHTING WHOLENESS IS ALIGNED UNDER NSAWC AND ITS COMMANDER. TYPEWING WEAPONS SCHOOLS/UNITS ARE RESPONSIBLE TO THE COMMODORES BUT ALSO REPORT TACON FOR TRAINING TO NSAWC TO ENSURE WE HAVE A TRUE AIR COMBAT TRAINING CONTINUUM. COMMANDING OFFICERS ARE EXPECTED TO OPTIMIZE READINESS BASED ON A PHASED FHP THAT GENERATES TIERED BUT RELATIVELY HIGH READINESS LEVELS AT THE END OF THE IDTC. THE FHP IS ALSO SHAPED TO SUSTAIN THESE READINESS LEVELS WHILE DEPLOYED. WE HAVE MADE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES IN THE IDTC TO SUSTAIN ULT COMBAT SKILLS THROUGH JTFEX. WE ARE DOING COMPELLING WORK IN ALIGNING THE T&R MATRIX TO SUPPORT READINESS TRAINING FLEXIBILITY AT THE SQUADRON COMMAND LEVEL WHILE ACHIEVING A HIGH FIDELITY OF READINESS TO THE FHP. THIS INCLUDES MUCH WORK ON NCEA, SORTS REPORTING, A SIMULATOR PLAN TO SUPPLEMENT AND COMPLEMENT READINESS LEVELS; AND YES, AN IT SYSTEM TO REPORT IT ALL-AIR COMBAT ON-LINE. MANY OF YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THESE CHANGES AND WE HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE CNO AND THE FLEET CINCS TO MOVE RAPIDLY WITH THESE KEY PIECES. NON-DEPLOYED AIRCRAFT READINESS - WE ARE ALSO MOVING OVERTLY TO IMPROVE THIS TOUGH, COMPLEX CHALLENGE. WE DIDN'T GET INTO A DEEPER BATHTUB BY CHANCE AND WE WON'T GET OUT UNLESS WE ACT STRONGLY AND STEADILY. NAVAL AVIATION LEADERSHIP HAS COMMITTED TO AND HAS ALIGNED AROUND A NAPPI-LIKE EFFORT FOR READINESS. IT'S CALLED NAVAL AVIATION READINESS INTEGRATED IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (NAVRIIP). THIS INCLUDES DIRECT SUPPORT FROM NAVSUPP, NAVICP, NAVAIR, OPNAV (N78/43), AND THE TYCOMS. THE PRODUCT IS MEANT TO SUPPORT THE TYPEWING COMMANDER IN IMPROVING THE READINESS OF THEIR COMMUNITIES IN THE IDTC WHILE ALSO ENSURING WE PROGRAM, BUDGET AND BALANCE ILS ELEMENTS FOR AIRCRAFT NEAR-TERM READINESS SUSTAINMENT. MUCH IS TO BE DONE, A TRUE WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT WE ARE MOVING AGGRESSIVELY AND WITH INPUT FROM THE AVIATION FORCE. EFFORTS BY AIRWARCOM TO BALANCE DEPLOYED AND ASHORE ASSETS IS KEY TO THIS NEAR TERM EFFORT AND I EXPECT THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS SOON. 4. LEAD - LEAD IS FOUNDED ON AND SHOULD COMPLEMENT THE CNO'S COVENANT LEADERSHIP. IN ADDITION TO THE CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP CONTINUUM OF BOLTC, IOLTC, AOLTC AND CO/XO COURSES, THIS COMPETENCY COMMITS US TO BRINGING ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF OUR AVIATORS AS NAVAL OFFICERS EVERYDAY, IN AND OUT OF THE COCKPIT. LET ME BASELINE FIRST, AND THEN OUTLINE SOME TENANTS OF LEAD. WE HAVE SIGNIFICANT MANNING CHALLENGES IN NAVAL AVIATION "T" NOTCH WOULD BE OUR TOUGHEST EXAMPLE. IF WE ARE TO IMPROVE OUR OPPORTUNITIES, WE MUST REDUCE THIS CHALLENGE. SINCE WE ARE NOT ABOUT TO INSTANTLY GROW SOME 1800 AVIATORS TO MAKE UP FOR OUR SHORTFALLS WE MUST BE AGGRESSIVE AND SMART IN VALIDATING AND ELIMINATING SOME BILLET REQUIREMENTS PARTICULARLY FOR 1ST SHORE/2ND SEA DUTY TOURS. THIS WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN PART BY PERS 4/43 COORDINATING WITH MANY OTHER COMMUNITY MANAGERS AND ENHANCING CPO LEADERSHIP WHENEVER PRACTICAL. CNARF HAS SUPPORTED SOME 70 PLUS SELECTED RESERVE FILLS FOR TRAINING COMMAND INSTRUCTOR SLOTS. NOT ONLY WILL THIS REDUCE SHORE BILLET REQUIREMENTS BUT ALSO SUPPORTS A REDUCTION IN IUT REQUIREMENTS BECAUSE OF REDUCED INSTRUCTOR TURNOVER. CNP IS VALIDATING SHORE JOINT TOUR BILLETS. THESE MEASURES WILL PROVIDE BILLET RELIEF. WE CAN DO MUCH OURSELVES. FIRST AND FOREMOST, COMMANDING OFFICERS ARE INTERVENING TO ENSURE OUR PEOPLE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE. WE HAVE SEEN MUCH IMPROVED RETENTION OF OUR ENLISTED MEN AND WOMEN AND MANY OF OUR AVIATORS HAVE BEEN PULLING THEIR RESIGNATION AND RETIREMENT LETTERS. WE ARE TRANSITIONING THE FIGHTER, HELICOPTER AND SEA CONTROL WINGS TO NEW AIRCRAFT OR TO NEW COMMUNITIES. WE WILL PUSH TO CONSOLIDATE WING AND WEAPON ...