By the time this report appears in print, I will have turned the reins of Naval Aviation over to a great aviator and officer, RADM Tom “Killer” Kilcline. After an outstanding career in the Tomcat community, Killer performed superbly in OpNav as N780 before leaving for his recent strike group command. You can rest assured that Naval Aviation will be well served in his capable hands.
The Naval Aviation enterprise has achieved much in the last few years due to the leadership of VADM Mike Malone, Commander, Naval Air Forces, and VADM Wally Massenburg, Commander, Naval Air Systems Command.
Tactical aviation (TacAir) integration, the most dynamic and transformational change that Naval Aviation has undergone since the end of the Cold War, is now being implemented throughout the Navy and Marine Corps aviation communities. The strengths of both services rest in our ability to project, sustain and surge power ashore from our forward-deployed forces. The around-the-clock precision strike operations carried out by our aircraft carriers during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom are truly the shape of things to come. TacAir integration, with new operational concepts, solidifies our respective contributions to joint warfighting capabilities through a common doctrine to support both the carrier strike group (CSG) and the expeditionary strike group (ESG). Through the cost-conscious planning of TacAir integration, we can meet our goals of fully funded readiness accounts to maintain flying hours as well as support equipment. The payoff is increased readiness, and we will be able to modernize our remaining legacy aircraft with the additions of key equipment upgrades.
Reserve Integration — Key Part of the Plan
With the success of TacAir integration, it is important also to align our Reserve Force to be more fully integrated with the active-duty units they support. Active-Reserve Integration (ARI) will be implemented in FY ’05 as Reserve Strike Fighter Squadron 204 and Strike Fighter Composite Squadron 12 transition to Fleet Response Units (FRUs). Moreover, Reserve P-3 and helo units will be placed under the operational control of their active-duty type wing commanders to provide an additional surge capability for the Fleet Response Plan. Of course, ARI will impact all aspects of Naval Aviation, including strike, maritime patrol, helo, airborne early warning and electronic warfare. Stated another way, the Reserves will be closely integrated across the entire spectrum of Naval Aviation.
In addition to the changes for VFA-204 and VFC-12, a permanent VFC-13 det of F-5 adversary aircraft will be established at NAS Key West to reduce the need for transit flights there to support Red air commitments. Navy Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) will assume operational control of VFC-13 and unite all the Red air providers under one command there to provide better air wing training and adversary scheduling. Long overdue, ARI will ensure we utilize our Reserves as the surge asset of choice.
The Helicopter Master Plan aligns our helo squadrons under a strike-group concept. The armed Naval helicopter is a vital component of both the CSG and ESG. We are reducing the numbers of helicopter type-model-series in the force from seven to three: the MH-60S, MH-60R and the MH-53E. When in the CSG, squadrons flying both the Romeo that will equip maritime strike squadrons (HSM) and the Sierra that will equip the helicopter sea combat squadrons (HSC) will report to the air wing commander. This plan will capitalize on efficiencies of a single maintenance, logistics and training pipeline while satisfying the needs of both active and Reserve forces.
At the same time, we will modernize our helo force weapon systems by adding an Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR), an advanced dipping Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS), Hellfire missiles and Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR). Also to be added is a new mission of organic airborne mine countermeasures with five new-generation sensors (RAMICS, OASIS, AMNS, AQS-20A and ALMDS). The amazing flexibility of the rotary wing community to take on missions ranging from anti-submarine warfare to the War on Terror is what makes helos a core component of Naval Aviation, one that is at the forefront of Navy transformation.
Our Sea Base for the next century is CVN-21, designed to enable both Sea Shield and Sea Strike operations to ensure the long-term success of the Navy’s “SeaPower 21” operational concept. The most significant feature of CVN-21 is the large electrical power generation capacity that will allow the addition of technological advances throughout its service life. CVN-21 will incorporate new reactor technology and a Zonal Electrical Distribution System (ZEDS) that will generate three times the electrical power of today’s Nimitz-class carriers. Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System, or EMALS, will replace traditional steam catapults. Electric auxiliaries will help restore weight and stability margins lacking in the Nimitz class during its lengthy service. Having excess electrical power and space will permit the addition of new technologies as they evolve. Moreover, a “smart deck” on the 03 level will allow the addition of modular command centers to quickly respond to the Joint fight.
The Sea Strike Weapons road map has matured and will provide the warfighter with the best tools to accomplish future missions. The Joint Common Missile, an Army-led Joint program to be introduced in FY ’09, will provide a state-of-the-art weapon for use from fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. It will feature a tri-mode seeker and minimum-smoke rocket motor against an expanded range of targets to include those moving in adverse weather conditions. Additionally, a new variant of the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) will enter the fleet in FY ’05. The JSOW-C will employ a penetrator warhead to increase its kill capability and terminal guidance for increased accuracy. Other weapons initiatives include the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS), weapons data link network, and Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM). We continue to procure the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits and will expand the arsenal by adding the 500-lb. kit to the inventory in FY ’05. These initiatives will mean dramatic increases in flexibility and effectiveness of strike operations against fixed, fleeting and time-sensitive targets.
Many are aware that the winner of our Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) competition was announced last month, with the contract going to the Boeing Company. The MMA, using the Boeing 737 commercial airframe, will give us the first new maritime patrol aircraft in more than 40 years. Currently, a force of 108 aircraft will begin to be delivered in FY 2013. MMA will incorporate state-of-the-art acoustic and non-acoustic sensors into a high-speed platform with extended time on station. MMA will work in concert with sea, subsurface and land-based units to ensure maritime battlespace dominance. In addition to our plan to recapitalize the Maritime Patrol Force, a robust sustainment/modernization plan is under way to maintain a viable P-3 force until MMA reaches the fleet. The P-3 portion of the Fleet Response Plan aims at preserving resources, balancing risk in sustaining warfighting requirements through a capability surge concept, and lowering their fatigue life expenditure rates.
Of course nothing we accomplish in the Pentagon happens in a vacuum. The entire Naval Aviation enterprise is committed to modernization and transformation with new aircraft (F/A-18E/F, JSF, MMA, EA-18G, Advanced Hawkeye), ships (CVN-76, -77, and -21) and weapons (Joint Common Missile, AIM-9X, JSOW) that play a major role in the nation’s security as the War on Terror continues.
As I depart, I thank the great people at N78 and OpNav for making this a wonderful tour. I was fortunate to have a superb staff of dedicated aviators, civilians and contractors whose tireless efforts gained for Naval Aviation the high ground in budgetary debates that take place daily. The ready-room atmosphere in a place so far from the fleet keeps us motivated and reminds us that we are trying to make the best Navy in the world even better!
Ed. Note: In a recent announcement, RADM Fitzgerald has been selected for promotion to vice admiral and command of the U.S. 2nd Fleet. We are grateful for his strong support of the Tailhook Association during his tour as Director of Naval Air Warfare (N78) and wish him success in his new assignment.