Integrate, test, evaluate, and provide life-cycle engineering and product support for warfare systems. It’s an austere mission, yet it’s one the people of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) strive for on a daily basis. In keeping with this mission, command representatives travel across the globe to ensure the United States Navy is receiving the support it needs to remain combat ready.
The annual visits seek direct customer feedback for areas of responsibility located in Commander Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Fleets to determine if the provided weapons system support and their respective maintenance models are effective.
“We as a command and business organization,” said Coralyn Akers, NSWC PHD Fleet Advocate, “are invested in providing the utmost care to our customers who happen to be the men and women serving this nation. It’s important to us that they receive not only the right tools, but correctly functioning tools, in order for them to be successful and safe at all times. This tour is a great way for us to determine whether those needs are being met, and if they aren’t, figure out how to ensure that they are.”
The first tour began in 2008 with a single trip to Bahrain, Manama, followed in 2010 by a more robust survey that encompassed the current areas of responsibility. Since then, a tour has been conducted yearly, yielding constructive feedback imperative to improving not only NSWC PHD’s overall support to the Navy, but also the support provided from across the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) enterprise.
Specifically, feedback is sought with the intention of improving fleet readiness response for in-service maintenance, training, and product support processes serving a wide range of naval groups and functions, including ballistic missile defense, carrier strike groups, amphibious readiness groups, expeditionary strike groups, Chief of Naval Operations availability support, and forward deployed material.
Participants conducting the tours vary from year to year, depending on the area being visited and the needs of those areas. For the most recent trip, subject matter experts representing NSWC PHD, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program Executive Office, and NSWC Dahlgren traveled to Fifth and Sixth Fleets with stops in Manama, Spain, and Italy. Their efforts unearthed critical focus areas, including—but not limited to—new technology requirements needed for mission execution; current cyber initiatives; and urgent operational needs for the LCS program specific to its theater environment.
According to NSWC PHD’s Chief Logistician, Capt. David Lockney, who recently returned from the 11-day trip, the fleet-facing visits yield significant benefits that simply cannot be quantified. This trip in particular, he noted, proved beneficial with respect to the imminent work needed on behalf of Fifth Fleet.
“We were there to talk LCS,” explained Lockney, “and we asked if there was anything they needed help with. They responded ‘as a matter of fact there is.’” Fifth fleet was preparing to write a document to the program office requesting environment-specific capabilities and relevant support needed.
“The timing was serendipitous,” he added. “We showed up and were able to write that document for them. The return on investment alone was paid in full by being there when they needed it. Without having been there, I’m not sure they would have known to reach out to us. But now they understand what assistance we can provide and can reach out to us in the future.”
At the end of the day, the site visits provide one additional way for NSWC PHD to ensure the men and women deployed overseas receive the best care out there.
“What is unique about PHD, and what the fleet has verbalized to us, is that PHD is the follow-up,” said Lockney. “They appreciate that most—the follow-up that comes after the initial support. They recognize that when an installation is complete, it is not the last time they will see a NAVSEA employee. They know that they will continue to receive support from us, whether it’s through chat or distance support or the fact that we go out and do these fleet-facing visits—and they know that they can come to us at any time.”
NSWC PHD is a field activity of NAVSEA and provides the global United States Navy fleet with integration, test and evaluation, life-cycle logistics, and in-service engineering for today’s and tomorrow’s warfare systems. Located at Naval Base Ventura County, Calif., NSWC PHD employs more than 2,200 personnel.
| Date Taken: |
05.11.2017 |
| Date Posted: |
05.11.2017 18:22 |
| Story ID: |
233571 |
| Location: |
PORT HUENEME, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: |
273 |
| Downloads: |
0 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Overseas fleet visits ensure customers receive critical support, by Nichole Susanka, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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