Striker Trident program sends USAF missileers to work with Navy

by 1st Lt. Christopher Mesnard
Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs

11/22/2014 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE La. -- U.S. Air Force Capts. John Mayer and Patrick McAfee, recently completed various training programs, spread over the course of three months, in preparation for their final destination: assignments with the Navy.

The new assignments are part of the dual-service exchange program between the Air Force and Navy, dubbed Striker Trident by Air Force Global Strike Command. The program serves as an opportunity for greater facilitation of process and idea interchange between the two services, specifically in regard to the nuclear enterprise.

"At this juncture, I think they've done a great job [preparing us]," McAfee said. "The proof will really be six months to a year from now, where we see how what we've learned applies to our new job. I know I've learned more about this enterprise in the past three months than the years before this!"

Some courses have focused on teaching advanced nuclear and deterrence strategies as well as preparing the two for inception into their respective Navy staffs.

"We know we can learn a ton, and I'm sure there are some areas we can teach and share what the Air Force does well," Mayer said. "There are a lot of commonalities; the weapons themselves are similar, there are a lot of DOD-wide programs like PRP that we have in common."

With an expanded view of nuclear deterrence, the participants will have increased awareness of how the DOD conducts nuclear operations throughout the entire triad.

"Pat and John represent two of our best in the field, and they're going to work with the Navy for the next couple of years to enhance the nuclear triad as a whole," said Maj. Gen. Michael Fortney, AFGSC Director of Operations. "This is the first inter-service exchange program for the missile community. We're excited to make it a lasting program, enhancing our capabilities across the nuclear enterprise."

During a recent speech at the Technology and Innovation Symposium at Global Strike Challenge 2014, Vice Adm. Michael Connor, commander of Submarine Force Atlantic, outlined the benefits both services could expect to see from the interchange program.

"We've been doing these complementary missions in stovepipes, more or less, and it's very likely that there are things that we're both very good at," Connor said. "There are tactics, techniques and procedures that have developed throughout our nuclear force. I have no reason to believe we have all the best ideas, therefore I'm looking for a forum where we can share our best thoughts so that we're both better than before."

Currently, Mayer is scheduled to report to Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia, to work for the Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic and McAfee will report to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to work for the Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet. McAfee graduated from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, and Mayer is an alumni of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.

SEWIP Block Upgrade Program Evaluated for LCS

By Program Executive Officer Integrated Warfare Systems Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy is evaluating a scaled-down version of the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) system for potential incorporation on future Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), Naval Sea Systems Command announced, Nov. 20.

SEWIP is an evolutionary development block upgrade program for the SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare (EW) System and will be designated as AN/SLQ-32C(V)6. Still in the early stages of development, its purpose is to provide LCS with an improved electronic warfare suite to improve the ship's defense capabilities.

"This system is another example of the close partnerships to deliver a tremendous improvement in warfighting capability to our Sailors," said Capt. Doug Small, major program manager for Above Water Sensors (PEO IWS 2.0). "By maintaining commonality with SEWIP Block 2, we are able to simultaneously reduce life-cycle sustainment costs for the fleet."

Upgrades to the antenna, receiver and combat system interface allow the SEWIP system to pace new threats; improve signal detection, measurement accuracies and classification, and mitigate electromagnetic interference.

AN/SLQ-32(V)6 provides enhanced electronic support capability that allows better detection of current threats. The SEWIP Block 3 will include improvements for the electronic attack by providing integrated countermeasures against radio frequency-guided threats and extending frequency range coverage. The Block 3 will be installed on surface combatants that have the existing active version of the SLQ-32.

An at-sea demonstration to test the effectiveness of the system's capabilities on LCS is scheduled for December 2014 aboard USS Freedom (LCS 1) off the coast of San Diego.

Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems manages surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems, and coordinates Navy enterprise solutions across ship platforms.

Program Executive Office for Littoral Combat Ships provides a single program executive responsible for acquiring and sustaining mission capabilities of the LCS class from procurement through fleet employment and sustainment.

Listening to Sailors Provides the Help He Needs

By Mass Communication Specialist Senior Chief Steve Bansbach, Recruit Training Command Public Affairs

GREAT LAKES, Ill. (NNS) -- Rear Admiral Rick P. Snyder, Director, Twenty-First Century Sailor Office hosted an all hands call for commands at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, November 20.

The all hands call was a chance for Snyder to speak to sailors about the assistance the Department of the Navy offers to its combat force.

The programs that are managed by the 21st Century Sailor's office include Bystander Intervention, Equal Opportunity, Life-Work Balance, Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Navy Nutrition, Operational Stress Control, Total Sailor Fitness, Physical Readiness, Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, Suicide Prevention and Transition Assistance Program.

By talking about these programs, Snyder was able to achieve his other reason for his visit. He could listen. "I need to hear from [the sailors] what is working and not working," said Snyder. "Their feedback is the most important thing."

Snyder conducted two all hands calls, one for the Chief's mess and one for E-6 and below. The message for both audiences was the same. "Our goal is to make them better sailors," said Snyder. "We recognize there are challenges in the fleet. We know how busy sailors are; they have work they have to do, but sailors need to know these programs exist."

And Snyder knows improvements need to be made. "We know there are problems and we are working on it," said Snyder. "Our goal is to get the most efficiency out of the programs. We need to recognize those common elements that support those destructive behaviors and the common elements that build resiliency. We need to work on those common elements instead of working on one problem at a time."

Snyder also made time after the all hands call to talk one-on-one with sailors to make sure every sailor had a chance to ask a question. "I've found the time after an all hands call is valuable," said Snyder. "If a sailor isn't comfortable talking about something in public they can come up and ask their question privately. I always build that time in."

Snyder's all hands call wasn't all about the programs his office offers, but to thank his audience for building sailors. "The sailors that you have trained are mission ready," said Snyder. "They are all over the news getting the job done."

The 21st Century Sailor Office provides Sailors and families with the support network, programs, resources, training, and skills needed to overcome adversity and thrive. The 21st Century Sailor promotes resiliency in all service members and Navy families, as well as collaboration and synergy across a spectrum of wellness that maximizes total force fitness.

RTC is primarily responsible for conducting the initial Navy orientation and training of new recruits. The command is commonly referred to as "boot camp" or "recruit training".

Boot camp is approximately eight weeks, and all enlistees into the United States Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms familiarization, firefighting and shipboard damage control, lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. Since the closure of RTCs in Orlando and San Diego in 1994, RTC Great Lakes is, today, the Navy's only basic training location, and is known as "The Quarterdeck of the Navy." Today, approximately 37,000 recruits graduate annually from RTC and begin their Navy careers.

RTC is overseen by Rear Adm. Rich A. Brown, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), headquartered in Building 1; the historic clock tower building on Naval Station Great Lakes, NSTC oversees 98 percent of initial officer and enlisted accessions training for the Navy. NSTC also oversees the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) at more than 160 colleges and universities, Officer Training Command at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, and Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) citizenship development programs at more than 600 high schools worldwide

AEGIS Baseline 9 Destroyer Scores Historic Flight Test Mission

By Program Executive Officer Integrated Warfare Systems Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Sailors aboard guided-missile destroyer USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) in partnership with U.S. Pacific Command and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully executed Flight Test Standard Missile-25 (FTM-25), announced Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS), Nov. 20.

This was the first live-fire event in the integrated air and missile defense radar priority mode to engage a ballistic missile target and a raid of cruise missile targets with its AEGIS Combat System.

John Paul Jones engaged three successful near-simultaneous target shots over the Pacific Ocean by the Aegis Baseline 9.C1 (BMD 5.0 Capability Upgrade) Weapon System. One short-range ballistic missile target was intercepted by a Standard Missile-3 Block IB guided missile, while two low-flying cruise missile targets were engaged by Standard Missile-2 Block IIIA guided missiles.

"The capability that the USS John Paul Jones demonstrated during FTM-25 is the culmination of years of tough engineering across the Navy's technical community and our industry partners," said Rear Adm. Jon A. Hill, PEO IWS. "The technology displayed during FTM-25 will be a critical addition to the fleet and their ability to stay prepared."

PEO IWS spearheaded the FTM-25 as part of a developmental test/operational test sequence of events. Other test participants included discriminating sensors flown on two MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles and sensor systems ashore, command and control, battle management and Communications (C2BMC) Enterprise Sensors Lab, C2BMC Experimentation Lab, and the AEGIS Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex located at the Pacific Missile Range Facility.

Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems manages surface ship and submarine combat technologies and systems and coordinates Navy enterprise solutions across ship platforms.