JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As Fleet Readiness Center Southeast rolls into the second quarter of fiscal year 2020, leadership at the depot have narrowed their sights on aligning with COMFRC’s Infrastructure Optimization Plan.
FRCSE sits at an interesting juxtaposition — maintaining many of the Navy’s most modern and advanced aircraft as the facilities age around it. While technology continues to progress in Naval aviation, buildings constructed in the 1940s have become technologically obsolete.
“The Facility and Plant Planning Division has done an incredible job maintaining our aging facilities over the years,” said FRCSE’s Facility Plant Planning Director, Daniel Simon. “At the current pace, the depot is not modernizing fast enough to keep up with our more advanced workload.”
As industrial equipment and facilities continue to age, the ability to meet and exceed warfighter demands become increasingly problematic; thus, challenging the depot’s ability to ensure its commitment to DoD objectives and national security.
In fact, according to FRCSE leadership, infrastructure sustainment and optimization is more imperative than ever, as the average age of depot facilities reaches nearly 60 years old.
“Our mission is to support the warfighter to the best of our abilities. As our facilities age, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with growing demands,” said Col. Fred Schenk, FRCSE’s Commanding Officer. “Many of our buildings are original. It’s a real testament to their construction, but the planned renovations mark an exciting time for our depot. Stepping into a new decade, while breaking ground on state-of-the-art renovations that will support new developments in Naval aviation, puts the depot in a great place to meet whatever challenges we face.”
The New Year has ushered in the beginning of several progressive changes. First up is the overhaul of the administrative section of building 101. This $17.5 million renovation is currently underway, requiring many personnel and the depot’s main entrance to temporarily relocate to trailers. Building 101 will also undergo a separate renovation to its cafeteria.
An additional avionics center is also on the horizon with a recently awarded military construction (MILCON) contract. The MILCON will see the creation of a new integrated sustainment building and a targeting and surveillance system site.
"This new facility will be the cornerstone for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of avionics systems of the future," said Becky Thacker, FRCSE’s Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Production Director. "The capability that this construction project brings to FRCSE is unparalleled, and the additional technology that will reside inside the depot will be used to provide better and faster support to the warfighter.”
A $45 million contract for hangar 101, which supports the F/A-18A-D production line, has also officially been approved. This hangar will continue to support the Legacy Hornets.
While yellow vests and construction hats become gradually more common at the depot, what translates most to civilian and military personnel alike are crowded parking lots, longer routes to the same buildings, new trailers and the closure of things like the cafeteria and the Quarterdeck.
“It has been well over 20 years since our last MILCON project,” Simon said. “Now we have two in execution and another in design. We are investing in our facility infrastructure at four times our normal rate, and we all have a front row seat to witness the transformation. It is truly an exciting time to be at FRCSE.”
For depot personnel, the silver lining is worth the efforts – a renovated facility brimming with state-of-the-art equipment fully capable of sustaining ever-advancing aircraft and other aeronautical equipment.