Courtesy Photo | Capt. Steve Mongold, Director, Submarine Maintenance Operations Center, speaks during...... read more read more
Every year, members of the carrier maintenance community come together for an annual meeting to connect with their fellow teammates from across the naval enterprise, aligning on shared goals and directions for the business, provide networking opportunities, and gathering feedback for continuous improvement. With the recent Executive Orders and travel restrictions across the federal government, Carrier Team One (CT1) sought to adapt by working with partners across the country, setting up a multi-location simulcast meeting Apr. 29 through May 1 that hosted individuals in Norfolk, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Silverdale, Washington; and Coronado, California.
With this annual meeting, team members are able to come together under that central focus, working together to discuss the current state of affairs in carrier capabilities, discover best practices and empowerment opportunities in the field, and developing the best ways forward in delivering on-time, reliable carrier availabilities.
CT1 took on the herculean task of setting up four production teams and finding four event hosts for the event in less than three months. Limited by the time differences between East and West Coasts, the three-day agenda resulted in only having five hours per day versus the previous eight+ hours originally scheduled and other less than ideal conditions. The previous agenda was reworked, cancelling or reducing time of presentations and limiting networking and side meetings that get big returns during normal annual events. The focus and goal narrowed and the effort to plan quadrupled, but the CT1 management was able to provide a successful event aimed to keep the momentum moving forward.
“At our core, our mission is very simple but powerful,” said CT1 Program Director Kelly Souders as she highlighted the wins of the year, the challenges in the carrier maintenance world, as well as the future focus for the team. CT1’s mission is focused on the carrier project teams across the enterprise, working to improve performance on carrier availabilities by strengthening the people, driving collaboration, and providing the best available knowledge to the community. “That mission is really what unites us as one mission – one team. How we live that is through our core values – community focus, customer-centric, cross-organizational collaboration, partnership, problem-solving origins, empowerment and change, and inclusive leadership. To achieve that mission, we look to increase our effectiveness by driving actionable planning and ensuring clear communication; as well as increase influence for change by optimizing our execution and sustaining excellence.”
She continued, “People often ask me how this community is impacting my job today. Is this community really making carrier maintenance easier? When I was on a carrier Drydocking Planned Incremental Availability in my younger years, I struggled a lot with material delays and pretty rough material conditions on the ship. I was frustrated and as a team, we felt like no one was helping us. But the truth of it was, I wasn’t really helping myself either and didn’t even know it. After the availability, I was told to run the material breakout. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. What I realized was that I was part of the solution but didn’t get it yet – I wasn’t providing feedback, wasn’t using the network, wasn’t engaged in the community I was already part of. After that, I changed my entire mindset – I saw what Carrier Team One really was, saw the people and support, joined the conversation and everything began to click. We are part of one community, one team – and together, we can find the solutions we need to succeed. Let’s make sure we communicate and work together for a better tomorrow.”
During this three-day event, multiple speakers were invited to share their insights for the state of carrier maintenance, including Rear Admiral Casey Moton, PEO Carriers Program Manager; Vice Admiral James Downey, NAVSEA00 Commander; Christen Davis, NAVSEA04X Program Analyst; Capt. Jeremy Braud, Commander, CNAP N43; Rear Admiral Gavin Duff, Director of Plans, Policy and Integration, OPNAV N5; Capt. Steve Mongold, Director, Submarine Maintenance Operations Center; Dr. Matt Marge, DARPA Program Manager; Cmdr. Christopher McDonald, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) Strike Operations Officer Habitability Officer; Cmdr. Morgan Dietzel, CVN 69 Assistant Reactor Officer (ARO); Jeff Sauby, Technology Insertion Program Manager, NAVSEA04XT; and Chris Overton, Program Manager, Surface Ship Nuclear Propulsion. In addition to speaking engagements, the various campuses also got to participate in workshops and interactive table discussions on topics such as building team resilience through connection; aligning communication and process; aligning process, performance, and purpose; turning ideas into action across the waterfront; and collaboration that drives excellence and innovation. Participants were also able to recognize their teammates during the Excellence in Carrier Maintenance Awards – highlighting the very best across enterprise when it comes to carrier support.
“I think what we do at Carrier Team One is core to the current administration and we’ll succeed because of all of you. You should all be really proud of the work you’ve put in everyday,” said Rear Adm. Moton as he shared a year in review as well as discussed the current state of carrier maintenance. “As we continue forward, we have to remain focused on our mission and objectives to continue to improve sustainment across the enterprise. We’re going to improve production performance and keep FORD (USS Gerald R. Ford) ready as we go. We continue to be at a high state of readiness, no matter what challenges we face.”
A fan favorite was a presentation from the CVN 69 team on how the condition of the ship affected their deployment and the challenge our maintenance community has to address to ensure our deployed teammates are ready on time and with quality in order for them to complete their mission. Their systems were essential to providing the needed air, electricity and water needed to get the planes in the air in a moment’s notice. It was powerful to know from the folks in the fight about the many attacks the ship defended and the importance of the mission in the Red Sea.
Vice Adm. Downey said, “What you do is very important for the nation and our allies. We have reach across the world and each of you are part of that in keeping these ships maintained and fit to deploy.” He highlighted that one of the Secretary of the Navy’s priorities is to revitalize the Navy’s shipbuilding and industrial bases. “When it comes to the work we do with the shipyards, the Navy, Carrier Team One – it’s not us against them – we’re all one team focused on getting the work done on our carriers. Let’s solve problems and get our ships out on time. Let’s look at the ideas for how to improve and see what can be done overall. We are the force behind the fleet.”
“Community focus and connection is big item for all of us in Carrier Team One and in the carrier maintenance world,” said Souders. “I’m glad we were able to bring everyone together this year through this hybrid initiative and look forward to seeing what our teams can do as we drive forward for excellence.”
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2025 10:14 |
| Story ID: | 501987 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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