Dec. 2, 2013
Vol. 2 Issue 152
DAILY DIGEST
SAILORS OF RADIO CENTRAL
KEEP NIMITZ CONNECTED Story by MC3 Linda S. Swearingen
T
here’s a space on board Nimitz that is so secret the Sailors who work there have their own slogan. “We have a saying in radio: ‘They may talk about us, but they can’t talk without us,’” said Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Rickie W. Arnold, of Houston. There are 28 Information Systems Technicians (IT) that currently work in radio central on board. “There are ITs who work in radio, CS2 information assurance and EKMS [electronic key management systems] that deal with [communication] materials and issue gear and keys to us every month,” said Arnold. “The ITs who work in IA [information assurance] make sure no one is hacking into our internet.” Radio is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week by at least two ITs at a time, whether
or not Nimitz is out to sea or in its homeport of Everett, Wash. “We work 12-hour shifts and there are at least two people at all times in radio because of the integrity with the top secret material we have, and everyone has a top secret clearance,” said Arnold. The main job of the ITs who work in radio is to handle all the communication that goes off the ship or is sent to the ship. “Through the circuits we can communicate with other ships or shore stations,” said Arnold.
“We’re the internet service provider [ISP] on board. We handle all the message traffic on board. Anytime a message is sent regarding a RAS [replenishmentat-sea], pulling into port or incidents that happen on board we handle it.” A typical day working in radio can range from being calm and quiet to being very hectic. “Working in radio consists of maintaining tactical voice and data communication circuits, I.P. [Internet Protocol] connectivity and process incoming and Continued on page 3
Commanding Officer
Executive Officer
Command Master Chief
Public Affairs Officer
Capt. Jeff Ruth
Capt. J.J. Cummings
CMDCM Teri McIntyre
Lt. Cmdr. Karin Burzynski
Editor MC3 (SW) George J. Penney III
Lead Designer MC2 (SW) Raul Moreno Jr.
Nimitz News accepts submissions in writing. All submissions are subject to review and screening. “Nimitz News� is an authorized publication for the members of the military services and their families. Its content does not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Navy, or the Marine Corps and does not imply endorsement thereby.
2
Continued from page 1
outgoing message traffic,” said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Chad Palmer, of Latham, N.Y. Radio supplies all the communication circuits for all the plans, all the circuits for CDC [Combat Direction Center], CATCC [Carrier Air Traffic Control Center], PRIFLY [Primary Flight Control], battle watch and the TAO [Tactical Actions Officer]. “Nothing happens without communications,” said Palmer. “If aircraft cannot coordinate or communicate with warfare commanders, the mission cannot be achieved. All I.P. services, voice and data communications start with us.” The ITs in radio work closely with the Electronics Technicians (ET) to get damaged equipment fixed on board. “Sometimes radios will stop working and we have to go troubleshoot the problem,” said Arnold. “We work with the ETs to get the things fixed.” In addition to working with ETs, the ITs in radio work closely out to sea with service members from other branches. “Out to sea we deal mostly with the Army because they handle a lot of our services on land, especially in 5th Fleet,” said Arnold. Being an IT working in radio can prove to be chaotic at
“Nothing happens without communications.”
- Palmer
times if the communications go down. “When we have flight ops it can be very hectic because things will break and we have to fix things quickly,” said Arnold. Arnold said the most challenging part of his job is trying to figure out why broken or damaged equipment on board doesn’t work and what has recently changed to make it suddenly stop working. “If one of the [communications] are broken, a work order chit is put in and we take a look at all the different angles and do tests on the equipment,” said Arnold. “If it’s something we can’t fix ourselves, we call the ETs and they are all trained on how to fix certain systems on the ship. The ETs will then take apart the broken equipment and fix it to get it working again.” Working in radio in port sometimes creates challenges the ITs that work there don’t experience while out to sea such as performing maintenance in very hard to reach places. “The hardest part of our job is performing maintenance on 3
the antennas,” said Arnold. “When we pull into a port we do all our work aloft. We can’t go aloft when we’re out to sea and we can’t take down the circuits unless we’re in port because it would affect the communication on the ship.” Despite the challenges of getting work done out to sea versus in port, Palmer said he enjoys his job working in radio. “I enjoy my job,” said Palmer. “It is very challenging at times, but knowing the services we provide enhance mission readiness and morale is rewarding.” Arnold echoes Palmer’s sentiments about his job working in radio and helping Nimitz remain mission ready. “If the CO or the Admiral needs to talk to another ship halfway around the world we can make that happen,” said Arnold. This ability to control and ensure the vital operation of communication systems, enhance missions readiness and boost moral on board Nimitz, would not be possible without the hard working cast and crew of radio central.
P-8A Aircraft Program Achieves Initial Operational Capability
Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 Commanding Officer Cmdr. Bill Pennington Jr. takes off on a P-8A Poseidon No. 429 aircraft from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Nov. 29. The take-off represents the squadron’s historic first operational deployment of the Poseidon within the Navy’s maritime patrol and reconnaissance community.
T
he Navy’s newest maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, has achieved initial operational capability (IOC) after the first two P-8A Poseidons departed for deployment Nov. 29. This announcement comes weeks after the completion of the Operational Readiness
Evaluation of the first deploying P-8A Poseidon squadron and the commander of Patrol and Reconnaissance Group officially declaring the first P-8A squadron, Patrol Squadron 16 (VP-16), “prepared for deployment” Nov. 4. “This IOC declaration is the culmination of years of careful planning and coordinated effort by the fleet, resource 4
sponsor, acquisition community, and industry,” said Capt. Scott Dillon, program manager for Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office (PMA-290). By achieving IOC, the Navy can effectively deploy the P-8A for operational missions and continue to successfully transition from the aging P-3C. The Poseidon program
By Clark Pierce
Story by LaToya T. Graddy, Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office (PMA-290) Public Affairs
“There has never been a greater need for a new patrol and reconnaissance aircraft now that the aging P-3 is nearing the end of its life cycle.” -Rear Adm. Matt Carter
is on track for completing the remaining preparations for the first operational deployment of a P-8A squadron. “With the P-3 to P-8 transition well underway at Jacksonville, VP-16 is executing an Inter-Deployment Readiness Cycle and is on track to be the first P-8 squadron to deploy. VP-5 has completed their P-8 transition, and VP-45 has commenced P-8 transition after returning from deployment this past summer. In addition to leading the fleet transition process, VP-30 is also producing P-8 qualified replacement personnel for direct accession into P-8 qualified squadrons,” said Rear Adm. Matt Carter, Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Group. “There has never been a greater need for a new patrol and reconnaissance aircraft now that the aging P-3 is nearing the end of its life cycle. The P-8 is a true multi-mission platform, which will continue to provide us invaluable capabilities.” “The number of submarines in the world is increasing rapidly. Other countries are either building or purchasing advanced, quiet, and extremely hard to find submarines and we need to be able to match that technology to be able to detect them. The P-8, along with the Triton, will strengthen the maritime mission and provide greater situational 5
awareness,” Carter added. This year was filled with crucial programmatic milestones for the program office, including the successful completion of Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and the on-going delivery of initial production aircraft in support of the first three P-3 to P-8 squadron transitions. To date, 12 low rate initial production aircraft were delivered to the fleet, and the final aircraft in the second production lot is on-track to deliver ahead of schedule and prior to the end of the year. The program office along with the P-8 Fleet Integration Team in Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Fla., is continuing to support the transitioning squadrons with training by also using the P-8A Integrated Training Center (ITC). The ITC is meeting training requirements of the Fleet Replacement Squadron, VP-30, and the transitioning squadrons. “We are pleased the P-8A has been, and continues to be, on cost and on schedule,” Dillon said. “The program office is continuing to support the needs of the fleet and deliver an aircraft that recapitalizes and improves upon the capabilities of its predecessor; greatly enhancing the effectiveness of the Navy’s forward deployed squadrons.”
ABHAN Rachel Kramer pulls in a hose after participating in an aircraft firefighting drill on the flight deck.
AT3 Sierra Hartsgrove and AT1 Joseph Hamilton, assigned to HSC-6, install a radar processor into an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter.
6
By MC3 (SW) Siobhana R. McEwen
Sailors participate in an aircraft firefighting drill on the flight deck.
By MCSA (SW) Kelly M. Agee
By MC3 Eric M. Butler
By MC3 (SW) Siobhana R. McEwen
An MH-60S Seahawk, assigned to HSC-6, lands on the flight deck.
0800/2000
1000/2200
1200/0000
CHANNEL 5
CHANNEL 6
CHANNEL 7
CHANNEL 29
CHANNEL 30
50/50
ANONYMOUS
TRANSFORMERS
21 JUMP STREET
2 FAST 2 FURIOUS
TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD
DRIVING ME CRAZY
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS
BATMAN BEGINS
TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN
J. EDGAR
THE APPARITION
THE BREAKFAST CLUB
TV
THE GUILT TRIP
02 - AFN News 03 - AFN Xtra 04 - AFN Sports
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
05 - 8MM Movies 06 - 8MM Movies 07 - 8MM Movies
1400/0200
IMMORTALS
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
THE MUPPETS
CHASING MAVERICKS
THE INCREDIBLES
1600/0400
300
GHOST RIDER
MYSTIC RIVER
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
JACK THE GIANT SLAYER
1800/0600
ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED
HAPPY FEET 2
NEW YEARS EVE
EPIC
K-19
08 - Roller 09 - NTV 10 - Flight Deck 11 - ESPN 29 - DVD Movies 30 - DVD Movies