Rotor Review Winter 2022 #155

Winter 2022 Number 155

Leadership

Also in this Issue:

and

Culture

Logistics, Not PR, is the Key Mission to Consider for HSC (CVW) The Next Chapter: A Call to Innovate and Integrate Advancing FRS Training through Modern Technology: Get Real, Get Better USS Abraham Lincoln Deploys with First Female Commanding Officer A Retired H-60 Pilot’s Personal Take on the Untapped Potential of the CMV-22B

Marriott Waterside Norfolk,Virgina May 11-13, 2022 Be There

FOCUS: Leadership and Culture Reflections on the 2021 CNAF DEI Summit............................................................................24 LT Eli Sinai, USN Asking the Hard Questions – Suicide Prevention...................................................................26

By LT Erika “Misty” Anderson, USN FY22 NDAA Reforms Sexual Assault Prosecution in the Military LT Sarah Beth Rupp, USN.............................................................................................................28 Sometimes You Just Have to Say “No”.......................................................................................29 CDR Ed Berry, USN (Ret.) / LTM #537

Winter 2022 ISSUE 155

About the Cover U.S. Navy flight deck personnel huddle for motivation prior to a fire drill aboard amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Derek Stroop

Rotor Review (ISSN: 1085-9683) is published quarterly by the Naval Helicopter Association, Inc. (NHA), a California nonprofit 501(c)(6) corporation. NHA is located in Building 654, Rogers Road, NASNI, San Diego, CA 92135. Views expressed in Rotor Review are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies of NHA or United States Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. Rotor Review is printed in the USA. Periodical rate postage is paid at San Diego, CA. Subscription to Rotor Review is included in the NHA or corporate membership fee. A current corporation annual report, prepared in accordance with Section 8321 of the California Corporation Code, is available on the NHA Website at www.navalhelicopterassn.org.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Naval Helicopter Association, P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578.

Rotor Review supports the goals of the association, provides a forum for discussion and exchange of information on topics of interest to the rotary community and keeps membership informed of NHA activities. As necessary, the President of NHA will provide guidance to the Rotor Review Editorial Board to ensure Rotor Review content continues to support this statement of policy as the Naval Helicopter Association adjusts to the expanding and evolving Rotary Wing and Tilt Rotor Communities.

Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

The Heart of Leadership................................................................................................................30 CDR Larry Young, USN (Ret.) Embrace the F-Word......................................................................................................................32 CAPT Roger G. Herbert Jr., USN (Ret.) Empathy Is Not Sympathy..............................................................................................................35 Col Ryan L. Hill, USAF

FEATURES Logistics, Not PR, is the Key Mission to Consider for HSC (CVW)...................................44 LCDR Matthew “Cheeese” Wellens, USN The Next Chapter: A Call to Innovate and Integrate...............................................................46 LT Casey “Casper” O’Brien, USN Advancing FRS Training through Modern Technology: Get Real, Get Better........................................................................................................................49 LT Cort “Freq” Jones, USN and LT Chris “Dewey” Kimbrough, USN USS Abraham Lincoln Deploys with First Female Commanding Officer..........................................52 Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union Tribune Bring Back Virtual HITS..................................................................................................................53 LT Cory “Agnes” Poudrier, USN COVID ALERT: The Challenges of Transferring COVID Patients at Sea..........................................................54 LT Colton Schiefer, USN Building Bridges With Simulated Large Force Exercises...........................................................56 LT Taylor “Stoli” Minor, USN PEP, Part 3: Flying in a Foreign Language.....................................................................................58 LT Randall A. Perkins IV, USN

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DEPARTMENTS Chairman’s Brief ....................................................................................................................6 Executive Director's View.....................................................................................................7 National President's Message...............................................................................................8 J.O. President Message ..........................................................................................................9 Vice President of Membership Report.............................................................................10 In Review...................................................................................................................................12 Scholarship Fund Update .....................................................................................................14 Historical Society....................................................................................................................16 Commodore's Corner..........................................................................................................18 CAPT Ryan Keys, USN - It's the Leadership, Stupid

Editorial Staff EDITOR -IN - CHIEF LT Michael "Bubbles" Short, USN michael.v.short.mil@us.navy.mil michaelshort91@gmail.com MANAGING EDITOR Allyson Darroch rotorreview@navalhelicopterassn.org COPY EDITORS CDR John Ball, USN (Ret.) helopapa71@gmail.com LT Luke "TUC" Vaughn, USN luke.vaughn1@navy.mil

Report from the Rising Sun................................................................................................20 LT Rob "OG" Swain, USN

AIRCREW EDITOR AWR1 Aaron Messner, USN mess.aaron@gmail.com

View from the Labs ..............................................................................................................22 CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.)

COMMUNITY EDITORS

Getting Started Telling Your Stories....................................................................................23 CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.) Industry and Technology Helicopter Preservation Packaging - Protective Packaging Corporation ...............................38 U.S. Marine Corps Supports Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Mission in Haiti with the V-22 - Bell Boeing.................................................40 A Retired H-60 Pilot’s Personal Take on the Untapped Potential of the CMV-22B CAPT Chris Misner, USN (Ret.)...............................................................................................42 Off Duty ..................................................................................................................................61 Radio Check ..........................................................................................................................64 Change of Command ...........................................................................................................66 Engaging Rotors ....................................................................................................................68 Squadron Anniversaries and Reunions ................................................................................71 Signal Charlie .........................................................................................................................72

LT Molly "Deuce" Burns, USN (HM) mkburns16@gmail.com LT John "Gid'r" Dunne, USN (HSC) john.dunne05@gmail.com LT Sarah Beth "MAC" Rupp, USN (HSC) sarahbrupp@gmail.com LT Elisha "Grudge" Clark., USN (HSM) elishasuziclark@gmail.com LT Johnattan "Snow" Gonzale, USN (HSM) johnattang334@gmail.com USMC EDITOR Capt. Nolan "Lean Bean" Vihlen, USMC nolan.vihlen@gmail.com USCG EDITOR LT Marco Tinari, USCG marco.m.tinari@uscg.mil PHOTOGRAPHER Raymond Rivard TECHNICAL ADVISOR LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.) chipplug@hotmail.com

Editors Emeriti Wayne Jensen - John Ball - John Driver Sean Laughlin - Andy Quiett - Mike Curtis Susan Fink - Bill Chase - Tracey Keefe Maureen Palmerino - Bryan Buljat - Gabe Soltero Todd Vorenkamp - Steve Bury - Clay Shane Kristin Ohleger - Scott Lippincott - Allison Fletcher Ash Preston - Emily Lapp - Mallory Decker Caleb Levee - Shane Brenner - Shelby Gillis

©2022 Naval Helicopter Association, Inc., all rights reserved

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Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

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Naval Helicopter Association, Inc. P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578 (619) 435-7139 www.navalhelicopterassn.org Regional Officers

National Officers

Region 1 - San Diego Directors ............................ ..... CAPT Brannon Bickel, USN CAPT Ed Weiler, USN CAPT Sam Bryant USN CAPT Quinton Packard, USN President ...….................................... CDR Mike King, USN

President....................................CDR Emily Stellpflug, USN Vice President ...............................CAPT Ken Colman, USN Executive Director...............CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret.) Business Development..............................Ms. Linda Vydra Managing Editor, Rotor Review .......Ms. Allyson Darroch Retired Affairs ..................CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.) Legal Advisor ..............CDR George Hurley, Jr., USN (Ret.) VP Corp. Membership..........CAPT Tres Dehay, USN (Ret.) VP Awards ..........................................CDR Ian Adams, USN VP Membership ..........................CDR Michael Short, USN LCDR James Teal, USN VP Symposium 2022 ..............CAPT Steven Thomas, USN Secretary.................................................LT Cort Jones, USN Special Projects.................................LT Sinjen Povoli, USN NHA Branding and Gear...............LT Shaun Florance USN Senior HSM Advisor.............AWRCM Nathan Hickey, USN Senior HSC Advisor ......AWSCM Darren Hauptman, USN Senior VRM Advisor........AWFCM Jose Colon-Torres,USN

Region 2 - Washington D.C. Director ....................................................................VACANT President ......................................CDR Richard Haley, USN Co-President................................CDR Pat Jeck, USN (Ret.) Region 3 - Jacksonville Director ..................................CAPT Teague Laguens, USN President ..........................................CDR Justin Banz, USN Region 4 - Norfolk Director .............................................CAPT Ryan Keys, USN President .................................CAPT Steven Thomas, USN

Directors at Large

Chairman...............................RADM Dan Fillion, USN (Ret.) CAPT Gene Ager, USN (Ret.) CAPT Chuck Deitchman, USN (Ret.) CAPT Dennis DuBard, USN (Ret.) CAPT Tony Dzielski, USN (Ret.) CAPT Greg Hoffman, USN (Ret.) CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) CAPT Mario Mifsud, USN (Ret.) CAPT Arne Nelson, USN (Ret.) LT Alden Marton, USN

AWRCM Nathan Hickey, USN

Region 5 - Pensacola Director ..........................................CAPT Jade Lepke, USN President .....................................CDR Patrick O'Neill, USN 2022 Fleet Fly-In Coordinator........LT Chris Murphy, USN

Junior Officers Council

President............................CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) Vice President……...…....CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.) Secretary..........................................LCDR Brian Miller, USN Treasurer..........................CDR Chris Fitzgerald, USN (Ret.) S.D. Air & Space Museum...CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret.) USS Midway Museum....CDR Chris Fitzgerald, USN (Ret.) Webmaster........................CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.)

NHA Scholarship Fund

NHAHS Committee Members

Nat'l Pres / Region .........LT Alden "CaSPR" Marton, USN Region 2 ...................LT Matthew “Cheeese” Wellens, USN Region 3 ................................LT Ed "Rhino" Stephens, USN Region 4 .................................LT Tyler "Kuzco" Bothel, USN Region 5 ................................LT Chris "Pony" Murphy, USN Region 6...........................................LTJG Griffin Burke, USN

Region 6 - OCONUS Director .........................................CAPT Derek Brady, USN President ................................CDR Jonathan Dorsey, USN

NHA Historical Society

President .............................CAPT Arne Nelson, USN (Ret.) Executive VP/ VP Ops ...CAPT Todd Vandegrift, USN (Ret.) VP Plans...............................................CAPT Jon Kline, USN VP Scholarships ..............................Ms. Nancy Ruttenberg VP Finance ..................................CDR Greg Knutson, USN Treasurer ................................................Mr. Jim Rosenberg Webmaster........................CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.) Social Media .............................................................VACANT CFC/Special Projects ...............................................VACANT CAPT A.E. Monahan, USN (Ret.) CAPT Mark R. Starr, USN (Ret.) CAPT A.F. Emig, USN (Ret.) Mr. H. Nachlin

Navy Helicopter Association Founders CDR H.F. McLinden, USN (Ret.) CDR W. Straight, USN (Ret.) CDR P.W. Nicholas, USN (Ret.) 5

CAPT Dennis DuBard, USN (Ret.) CAPT Mike Reber, USN (Ret.) CAPT Arne Nelson, USN (Ret.) CAPT Jim O’Brien, USN (Ret.) LCDR Brian Miller, USN CDR Mike Brattland, USN (Ret.) CDR John Ball, USN (Ret.) CDR Chris Fitzgerald, USN (Ret.) LCDR Drew Hamblen, USN (Ret.) CDR D.J. Hayes, USN (Ret.) CAPT C.B. Smiley, USN (Ret.) CAPT J.M. Purtell, USN (Ret.) CDR H.V. Pepper, USN (Ret.)

www.navalhelicopterassn.org

Chairman’s Brief Be Part of the Team and Build the Team

By RADM D.H. “Dano” Fillion, USN (Ret.)

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ach and every one of you who is part of aviation, and rotary wing aviation in particular, is a member of the “Team” that is rotary wing warfighting aviation. You contribute to the team by virtue of all you do as maintainers, aircrew, squadron support personnel, and aviators. Your families are also part of that team, and their support of your efforts is vital to your operational effectiveness. All of this is goodness for the Navy and the nation. NHA, I offer, is the mechanism by which you can not only be a part of that team, but also build it. NHA is your organization; it’s an organization that is working diligently to be with all members from the time you join until the time you decide to longer be a member. We are comprised of active duty, reservists, corporate America, and all of our retirees.

Attending Symposium is an absolutely great thing to do. But just attending and not being a member, I offer, constitutes being on the team, but not building the team. Think about it..you sort of give a shiitake mushroom once a year, and then not so much the rest of the year! I get it, I truly do. But I want to see if each and every one of you will consider coming back to the “NHA Squadron” and seeing whether you like it better now than you did previously. The leadership orchestrating this year’s Symposium is going full bore to deliver on the input from members across the Navy’s AOR, i.e., the world! I am personally reaching out to every rotary wing Flag Officer and SES: we would love to see you at NHA this year! We’re crafting NHA agenda items in response to direct feedback and input from JOs and Aircrews from both coasts. It will be a very enjoyable and memorable event coming off the heels of last year’s superb Symposium. Our corporate sponsors have always been part of the NHA Team, and have helped build the team every year.

If you accept the challenge, join the organization, and are not satisfied with your NHA, come see me and I will personally reimburse you your membership fees. Then, you are going to help me pay for my kids’ college education!

We are working toward a goal of 3,000 members; we are currently at 2,682 members.

NHA is absolutely your organization. Give membership a chance, studs!

“People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.”

Vince Lombardi Hall of Fame NFL Coach ALWAYS BE PART OF THE TEAM, AND ALWAYS BUILD THE TEAM WHEN ABLE! As always, I am…

V/r and CNJI (Committed not Just Involved), Dano Fillion

RADM Daniel “Dano” Fillion, Director, Warfare Integration,N9I Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, left, participates in a safety brief for his final helicopter flight with CAPT Ross Drenning, right, Commanding Officer of the Airwolves of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 40.

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Executive Director’s View Stepping Out Smartly

By CAPT Jim Gillcrist, USN (Ret.)

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HA is off to a refreshing start in 2022 with new leadership in the hunt to do things a bit differently. The new Chairman, RADM Dan Fillion, and new National President, CDR Emily Stellpflug, who represents the VRM Community, are keen to improve the value proposition for becoming and staying a member as well as embrace innovative approaches. Attracting more JOs, Aircrew, and Maintainers to the organization, offering more fun and camaraderie, providing professional development from winging through an entire career and beyond, and improving the networking and mentoring potential within the organization are all critical elements to raising the value proposition. ◊

Targeting new, younger members involves a concerted effort to attract more JOs, Aircrew, and Maintainers to the organization because we fix, we fly, and we strike as a Rotary Force.

Offering more fun and camaraderie means stimulating more regional events during the year to create greater connection and team

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Delivering professional content, across a career and beyond, that is engaging and valuable requires an appetite to try new things.

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Driving networking and mentorship into the fiber of the organization demands commitment and an understanding that this is who we are.

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Other examples of moving out smartly include: Themes for the Winter Issue of Rotor Review #155 (“Leadership and Culture”) and for the 2022 National Symposium (“The Human Advantage”) aim to address organizational and warfighting challenges that will enable execution of NAVPLAN 2021.

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Returning to print for Rotor Review has begun with printed copies going to the Wings, FRS’s, Fleet Squadrons (two copies per squadron), and Weapons Schools.

NHA Executive Director presents Lifetime Membership (LTM) Challenge Coin #179 to LT Chris “Rudy” Leigh with CDR Tony “P-Rez” Perez (LTM #500) in parade position.

Lastly, increasing overall membership is a strategic priority with a goal to push the organization over 3,000 active members this year. Currently, NHA is at 2,682 members. Membership is the lifeblood of the organization. New members challenge and push the organization to remain vibrant and relevant. Increasing pilot and aircrew nugget membership coming out of production sources (HT & FRS squadrons) as well as at Fleet squadrons will be key drivers to reaching this stretch goal and sustaining our professional organization.

Finally, connecting with expired members remains a team sport. Active members at all levels are in a great position to help drive membership by reaching out to those who have allowed their memberships to expire. For those of you who are on the fence about renewing – just “get to yes” and do it as NHA is your professional organization! ◊ ◊

Please keep your membership profile up to date.

If you should need any assistance at all, give us a call at (619) 435-7139 and we will be happy to help – you will get Linda, Mike, Allyson, or myself.

Warm regards with high hopes, Jim Gillcrist.

“Every Member Counts / Stronger Together” 7

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National President's Message New Year, New Focus

By CDR Emily “ABE” Stellpflug, USN

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irst and foremost, it is an absolute honor to serve as your NHA National President. Thank you to CAPT Will “Easy” Eastham for guiding the organization through a challenging year and a half and hosting a fantastic 2021 Symposium and Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In. I am humbled by this opportunity and energized to lead NHA in its endeavor to provide meaningful content, connections, and opportunities for professional growth to each of the members.

Planning for Symposium 2022 is underway! This year’s theme is “The Human Advantage” and we are laser focused on highlighting the human element of Rotary and Tilt Rotor aviation. Our people give us a distinct advantage over our adversaries in the high-end fight through our ability to innovate, maneuver outside of TTPs, and lead. The Symposium planning team, led by CAPT Steve “StevO” Thomas, is fervently developing events that target individual readiness to enhance warfighter capability. There will also be some great opportunities for members to reconnect and have some fun such as the Members’ Reunion at a local Norfolk brewery and the annual golf tournament at Top Golf. It is shaping up to be a spectacular week, so start making your plans now. I look forward to seeing you all at the Symposium in Norfolk in May! The theme of this Rotor Review issue, Leadership and Culture, is a topic that is at the very core of Naval Aviation. When I consider “culture," my previous squadrons come to mind. Specifically, the connectedness within the organization and the commitment to uphold established standards. As leaders, we are responsible for setting those standards and embodying the culture that we desire. I recently attended the Air Boss’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit, which reinforced for me the importance of healthy culture and inclusion within a squadron. One of my key takeaways was that leadership must cultivate an environment in which its members feel truly included and empowered to speak up and contribute to the mission. This is fundamental for a squadron or flight crew to achieve max performance. This issue aims to explore what Leadership & Culture means to others and open a dialogue that enhances our operational capability. I am encouraged by the NAE’s push to have leadership and culture at the center of our warrior ethos and hope this issue expands each of your horizons.

Happy New Year and Fly Safe!

V/R ABE, NHA Lifetime Member #481

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NHA JO President Update Take a Deep Breath and Focus

By LT Alden "CaSPR" Marton, USN,

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ello, NHA Warriors!

With 2021 in the books, let’s get ready for a solid 2022! LT Casey “Screech” Keilty’s high-energy tenure has finally come to an end, but his impact on this organization has paved the way forward. It makes picking up the reigns an easy transition!

The idea of a fresh start dovetails nicely into this issue’s theme of Leadership and Culture. Reflecting on what makes military leadership different – what culturally molds the leaders in the military – is this idea of home-grown leadership and turnover.

In my short Navy career, I personally have learned, performed, and passed on six distinct jobs – each one I initially felt underqualified for, then passed on as soon as I thought I was getting the hang of it. I think we can all relate to the feeling of “just getting good at my job” before the military directs you on to the next bigger and better shoes to fill, right? But while that’s the sort of scuttlebutt we like to gripe about, I think we also realize the institutional importance of starting over. Somewhere in the stress of “turnover” is the idea of opportunity – opportunity to see programs from a new set of eyes, opportunity to learn how to lead, opportunity to make an impact. But more than that, it’s an opportunity to build experience and to understand the depth of our warfighting organization.

Each one of our leaders has stood in our shoes. OUR shoes. They learned nuances of leadership through the lens of a division officer, legal officer, MWR President, etc. Our senior leaders were molded through Department Head and Joint Tours to the Pentagon so that, one day, they could take up the mantle of XO, Skipper, Commodore, and beyond. As we look upon our leaders and try to understand how they make decisions, I can’t help but picture their careers under the “JO Job Shuffle” or Disassociated Sea Tours. All of those experiences, no matter how small, transformed into decision-making tools to make the absolute, most-informed decisions for our Sailors. In this cultural phenomenon, where we may ultimately chop efficiency for wall-to-wall experience, we breed the most well-rounded leaders of the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE).

So, as we take a deep breath and start 2022, let’s take a moment to reflect on the amazing opportunity we’re given. Get those fresh sets of eyes on current problems. Apply new energy to expand that experience bubble. Find courage to excel. I’m thrilled to be part of the NHA Team and excited to hear everyone’s perspective on Leadership & Culture in this edition of Rotor Review. Thank you all for your wisdom and I’ll see you at this Spring’s NHA Symposium in Norfolk!

Fly Navy!

V/r, CaSPR

Did you know that you can take your copy of Rotor Review anywhere you want to go? Read it on your kindle, nook, tablet or on your phone. Rotor Review is right there when you want it.

Go to your App Store. Search for Issuu. That’s the name of the platform that hosts Rotor Review (there is no charge for you to use this App) Download Issuu’s App Create a login (this doesn’t have to be your NHA Login) – they will send you a verification code – enter it per instructions, Next Enter “Rotor Review” in the search bar on the Issuu App. Click on Rotor Review. Be informed, be entertained, be NHA.

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VP for membership Report We Are Stronger Together

By CDR Michael Short, USN and LCDR Bill Teal, USN

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VERY MEMBER COUNTS AND WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. With that said, I would like to recognize Trident Home Loans for sponsoring $3000.00 towards the 2021 Max Beep Membership Drive. It is almost a Catch 22. Sponsors support strong growing organizations. With their generous contribution NHA can strengthen our membership base and provide value to your membership and attract more sponsors. As I said in my prior article, HSM-75 was able to receive the first-place check of $1500.00 for 100% Ready Room NHA membership and their submission was received first. But here is the thing. They were the only squadron that submitted 100% Max Beep Spreadsheet. That meant that $1500.00 was not awarded to two other commands for submissions to the 2021 Max Beep. That $1,500 will role over into next year’s Max Beep.

Max Beep.

We want to encourage Ready Rooms to experience NHA as a team. The NHA staff has earmarked $1,500.00 more to add to the rollover from 2021 to bring Max Beep back to $3,000.00 for 2022.

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1st Place Prize = $1500.00 to your Ready Room 2nd Place Prize = $1000.00 to your Ready Room 3rd Place Prize = $500.00 to your Ready Room

Your NHA Rep needs to email membership@navalhelicopterassn.org to get the NHA Max Beep Form. Once instructions are followed, email back the form and your entry will be logged as submitted. Awards will be given to the FIRST three Ready Rooms with 100% membership. Tie Breaker will be number of enlisted members reported. Have your NHA Reps direct all questions to the email above. The Max Beep Window will open 21 February and go until 20 April. This is for all regions!

Wolfpack Max Beep Winners at the World Famous I-Bar

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This is my farewell article. I am in the process of turning over with LCDR Bill "WYLD Bill" Teal. WYLD Bill has a lot of great ideas and has a passion for NHA. Cradle to grave support is his mantra. I know that with him at the stick, NHA will be just fine and will continue to grow. Hopefully with him working at Whiting Field we can strengthen our Nugget membership ranks.

I took on this role in June of 2019. We had just completed the first successful Symposium at Viejas Casino and Resort and was asked to step into a gapped role and help build our organization. I knew this was a big task. I say our organization because I heard a lot of JOs say that NHA was meant for O-4s and above. For career minded helo pilots…..lifers. Look at the way your career path is structured if you get out at the end of your MSR you should be an O-4, so that again means NHA is for everyone. Once you stand on that stage and pin on those Wings of Gold you will always be a part of Naval Helicopter history. You may choose to walk away after your MSR, or stay till they kick you out, but you will always be a rotor head.

I am proud of a few things that I helped push past the goal line. One is the establishment of the Lifetime Membership Program. I will always be a member of NHA and I will always be Lifetime Member #1. Today we have over 580 Lifetime Members. The program has members in every rank, officer and enlisted. Cradle to Grave!

Last is a project I have not fully completed and that is a civilian job portal. Again, NHA members who have crossed the blue line can post the opportunities that they used or even opportunities that are available. Sooner or later, you must leave the canoe club. It may be at your MSR around the 10year mark or like me somewhere around the 28-year mark.

I enlisted in 1995. In 1996, I became a Naval Aircrewmen and have enjoyed the Naval Helicopter community ever since.

But I did not do it without help and mentors. When I hang up my flight suit for the last time, I will be reaching out to some of those mentors and I will be looking for guidance and help with the transition. We are stronger together………and every member counts! Hope to see you at the 2022 NHA Symposium.

Bill you have the controls.

Thanks Bus, I’m excited to be part of the team. I often tell new advanced helicopter students that they need to drop the “single seat mentality.” In rotary aviation, we work together as a crew. It is those efforts, everyone working together, that allow us to accomplish the mission. I look forward to working with our entire NHA Crew to grow our organization in size, strength and value. Until then, keep beating the air into submission.

Second is the Mentorship Portal. Value added to your membership. Old guys like me can list our past jobs and if you see a job, location, or even community that interests you, you are free to reach out and ask questions.

Did You Know?

When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon. com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society.or the Scholarship Fund.

Sign-up today! It does not cost you anything and a percentage of your purchase price is donated to NHAHS or NHASF!

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From the Editor-in-Chief Leadership and Culture

By LT Mike "Bubbles" Short, USN steemed Readership,

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The Editor-in-Chief position at Rotor Review is a collateral duty of mine. At my “day job,” I serve as an Instructor Pilot (IP) and the Tactics Officer at HSC-2, the MH-60S Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) in Norfolk, VA. I’ve found that the highest level of professional fulfillment, for me, is realized when the two jobs come in contact with one another.

As Editor-in-Chief, I function first as a content curator. Once our staff decides on an issue’s theme, I’ll identify individuals across our community who I suspect will have something thematically valuable and pertinent to contribute to our publication.

For this issue of Rotor Review, themed “Leadership & Culture,” I had to look no further than my own workplace for would-be contributors.

The HSC-2 “Fleet Angel” Wardroom is full of remarkable people. As an IP there, I’m surrounded by exceptional professionals who sincerely care not only about providing great instruction to Fleet Replacement Pilots (FRPs), but also about making the organization they occupy a better place to be. My peers pull this off not as robotic “company men/women” who are simply competing for advancement, but as thoughtful and emotionally intelligent leaders with real personality who are working for the genuine betterment of our squadron, community, and Navy. If this sounds like a verbose version of an award written up for all of my squadron’s Junior Officers, that’s not my intention. It’s simply the truth. I am consistently blown away by the professionalism, ownership, and creativity of my colleagues at HSC-2.

RR 155’s first three Focus articles come from three fellow Fleet Angel IPs, and three close friends: •

LT Eli “Ham” Sinai served as our squadron’s Quality Assurance Officer (QAO). He is departing HSC-2 this winter to serve as the Aide to VADM Daniel Dwyer, Commander, JFC Norfolk and U.S. 2nd Fleet. Eli and I attended the CNAF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Conference together in November of last year. In his article, LT Sinai reflects on his own experience at the event, and discusses the importance of identifying and correcting both the overt and latent effects of racism, sexism, and other destructive biases in U.S. Naval Aviation.

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LT Erika “Misty” Anderson is HSC-2’s Student Control (STUCON) Officer and Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC).

When she departs, she’ll be serving as the Aide to RDML John Menoni, Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Two (ESG-2). In her article, “Asking the Hard Questions: Suicide Prevention,” LT Anderson draws on personal experience to highlight the immense seriousness of the suicide issue in our Armed Forces.

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LT Sarah Beth “MAC” Rupp is the Commander Naval Air Force Atlantic (CNAL) MH-60S NATOPS Evaluator. She’s been selected to represent the U.S. Navy in Toulon, France through the Personnel Exchange Program (PEP) after her time at HSC-2 ends. She’s also pursuing a Masters in Writing (Nonfiction Concentration) at Johns Hopkins University, and serves as Community Editor on this magazine’s editorial staff. In her article on sexual assault prosecution reform, LT Rupp advocates for an increased level of accountability and cultural awareness amongst military leaders when taking a critical look at behavior and attitudes within their organizations.

See what I mean? I’m proud of my squadron, and I’m proud of this issue of Rotor Review. These are submissions from impressive and passionate people about the things that really matter.

We’re in the military. Combat effectiveness is the ultimate goal. It is my belief that a force cannot achieve combat effectiveness without a level of self awareness that allows its individuals to assess and correct the areas in which the organization falls short.

Leadership, to me, is constantly calibrating and re-calibrating that self awareness. It’s recognizing organizational and personal failures, and taking accountability for both. It’s doing the work to solve these problems, even when the root causes seem too complex or institutionally ingrained to even know where to start.

Please enjoy this issue of Rotor Review. And as you’re reading, consider the ways in which you think this magazine could be better. What themes would you like to see us tackle over the next year? Who do you want to hear from? What perspectives do you believe are missing? I want your feedback! Thank you, as always, for your support of the magazine. See you in the Spring!

Very respectfully,, LT Mike “Bubbles” Short Editor-in-Chief, Rotor Review Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

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Letters to the Editors It is always great to hear from our membership! We need your input to ensure that Rotor Review keeps you informed, connected and entertained. We maintain many open channels to contact the magazine staff for feedback, suggestions, praise, complaints or publishing corrections. Please advise us if you do not wish to have your input published in the magazine. Your anonymity will be respected. Post comments on the NHA Facebook page or send an email to the Editor-in-Chief; his email is michaelshort91@gmail.com or the Managing Editor; rotorreview@navalhelicopterassn.org. You can use snail mail too. Rotor Review’s mailing address is: Letters to the Editor, c/o Naval Helicopter Association, Inc. P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578.

RADIO CHECK Tell Us What You Think!

The theme for Rotor Review #156, and for NHA Symposium 2022, is “The Human Advantage.” Our greatest advantage in rotary wing aviation is the “Weapons System with a Heart,” namely our people and our families who support them.

With this theme in mind, we want to hear from you!

Military careers can be unbelievably rewarding and fulfilling for service members and families alike.

At the same time, this line of work presents us with a litany of challenges that test the strength of our relationships.

Through the stress of deployments, Permanent Changes of Station (PCS), occupational risk, and irregular working hours, what makes a family cohesive? What are the characteristics of a strong and successful military family? What advice do you have for the young family who is just beginning its journey in Naval Aviation?

We want to hear from you! Please send your responses to the Rotor Review Editor-in-Chief at the email address listed below.

V/r, LT Mike “Bubbles” Short Editor-in-Chief, Rotor Review michael.v.short.mil@us.navy.mil

Articles and news items are welcomed from NHA’s general membership and corporate associates. Articles should be of general interest to the readership and geared toward current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard affairs, technical advances in the rotary wing / tilt rotor industry or of historical interest.

Humorous articles are encouraged.

Rotor Review and Website Submission Guidelines

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2.

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Articles: MS Word documents for text. Do not embed your images within the document. Send as a separate attachment.

Photos and Vector Images: Should be as high a resolution as possible and sent as a separate file from the article. Please include a suggested caption that has the following information: date, names, ranks or titles, location and credit the photographer or source of your image.

Videos: Must be in a mp4, mov, wmv or avi format.

• With your submission, please include the title and caption of all media, photographer’s name, command and the length of the video.

• Verify the media does not display any classified information.

• Ensure all maneuvers comply with NATOPS procedures.

• All submissions shall be tasteful and in keeping with good order and discipline.

• All submissions should portray the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard and individual units in a positive light.

All submissions can be sent via email to your community editor, the Editor-in-Chief (michael.v.short.mil@us.navy.mil), or the Managing Editor (rotorreview@navalhelicopterassn.org). You can also use the USPS mail. Our mailing address is Naval Helicopter Association Attn: Rotor Review P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578

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Naval Helicopter Association Scholarship Fund Your NHA Scholarship Fund at Work Awarding at Least 15 $3500 Scholarships in May 2022.

By CAPT Arne Nelson, USN (Ret.) President (NHA LTM #4 / RW#13762)

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stablished in 1993, the NHA Scholarship Fund provides scholarship opportunities for Naval Rotary Wing affiliated service members and their families (Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard). Defraying the cost of college education for our members and their families remains at the heart of our request. From NHA members, some linking back to the earliest days of the NHA, I request your support to continue to grow our scholarship fund.

Since inception, the Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships to more than 400 recipients. In 2021, we had 60 highly qualified candidates apply, and awarded 21 scholarships ($54,000 total), including three active duty enlisted scholarships. Our fund sources were split between individual, corporate, and investment accounts. Here are some recent results and our plan going forward:

By the 2025 award year, our goal is to triple the number of qualified scholarship applicants and increase the scholarship award level to $5,000 per recipient. Your donation can support the current year scholarship winners and allow us to continue to build our investment portfolio to ensure growth and long-term sustainment.

This year. Donations. Initial reports are in from the 2021 4th Quarter fundraising, and it looks like, between the generous individual donations, corporate contributions, and memorial and legacy gifts, we have met our goal to fund 15 $3,500 scholarships in 2022. Our investment portfolio is equally healthy and will allow us additional flexibility in making our annual awards.

As you reflect on donating, please consider giving to or establishing a memorial or legacy fund to preserve the legacy of our communities and its heroes with either an annual “pass-through scholarship” designating a gift to NHA’s general memorial fund or to the HS-5 Night Dipper/Bill Roop Memorial or to establishing a sustained scholarship (like our Ream Family, Kaman and Raytheon Scholarships). Or, consider establishing a fund, like an H-53/Big Iron Legacy, or an H46 1,000 Pallet Lift Legacy, as an example.

Applications. Our applications are steadily growing and should exceed previous years as we process the final prescreen and tally the number of complete applications by 31 January. In each category, odds look good for winning an award, with strong entries from military spouses, graduate school students, and active-duty officer and enlisted applicants enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs. Thanks to MCPOs Hickey and Hauptman for getting the word out on the flightline and in the hangar. Good luck to all applicants.

We’ll shift into the selection stage in mid-February as we rack and stack the regional and functional categories to select our scholarship winners and announce them in the Spring Rotor Review and at the annual Symposium.

Also, consider rejoining or extending your current membership in the NHA as a new Lifetime Member. Some will say, “Wait, I paid my dollar and got my card in the 80’s…” like I did. But those were different times. Perhaps that membership drive was to increase awareness of the NHA. Today, it’s about growing and sustaining the association.

I look forward to announcing the 2022 scholarship rounds at the next NHA National Symposium 11-13 May 2022 at the Waterside Marriott, Norfolk, VA! See you there!

The NHA Scholarship Fund is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit charitable California corporation: TAX ID # 33-0513766.

NHA Scholarship Fund P.O Box 180578 Coronado, California 92178-0578 (619) 435-7139 Office (619) 607-0800 Cell / www.nhascholarshipfund.org Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

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Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society Helo on a Stick - Update

By CAPT Bill Personius, USN (Ret.) LTM-#46 / R-16213 President

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n my last NHA Historical Society (NHAHS) article for Rotor Review, I said that our next project was to help coordinate a Base Community Service Project with the Chief Selects to wash the aircraft at Flag Circle on NAS North Island (NASNI). This work is linked to the Lassen SH-60F display “aircraft on a stick” and is part of an ongoing agreement with the base. The USS Midway Museum and NHA (specifically NHAHS) will assist with the upkeep and maintenance of the existing aircraft on base “in kind consideration” for the SH-60F’s special placement at the Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale Gate. While USS Midway and NHA are both NonFederal Entities (NFE), this support was viewed as an opportunity for both organizations to give back to the base for providing NHA with office space, and in Midway’s case, Hangar 805, which functions as the museum’s rework and restoration facility.

The first cooperative community service wash job was a success, completed on Saturday, November 13 by 130 Chiefs and Chief Petty Officer Selects. It was a beautiful day with warm weather, so those who got wet dried off quickly. The group started off in the morning with coffee and doughnut holes at 0800 and finished up just after lunch time. The USS Midway Hangar Restoration Team provided a wash cart complete with two power washers, as well as soap, wash pads, buckets, and manpower.

Volunteers came from the Helicopter and VRM Wings along with a few other commands on the base that offered to help out.

The NHA Historical Society and Scholarship Fund (NHASF), along with some NHA National Staff, sponsored the lunch and served hotdogs, chips, and sodas. All-in-all, it was a successful event and everyone involved had a good time.

We continue to work the details involved with getting the Lassen SH-60F Medal of Honor aircraft to NASNI to start the restoration process in the USS Midway Hangar 805 Facility. An IPT has been formed by NASNI’s XO, CAPT Newt “Bomb” McKissick, who is chairing the group to work through the process and get to “yes” so the aircraft can be brought to the base from Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ, where the aircraft is currently being stored. We expect the fundraising campaign to start in earnest once the initial planning and questions have been answered. In the meantime, however, many of you have already made a donation, as we just surpassed $10K collected to date. The total of the funding needs to come from the helicopter community.

We can use your support, as the expected cost of the aircraft restoration and mounting is expected to exceed $150K. Donations can be made by following the instructions on the adjacent page. We are accepting donations via credit card, but we would prefer that you mail or drop off a check at the NHA Office.

Keep your turns up!

Regards, CAPT P (Ret.)

Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

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PayPal Donation Link

Computer Rendition of NASNI Stockdale Entrance with SH-60F on a Pedestal

Mail checks to: Naval Helicopter Association Historical Society, Inc. (NHAHS) NASNI SH-60F Project

P.O. Box 180578, Coronado, CA 92178-0578 To donate with PayPay visit https://www.nhahistoricalsociety.org/indexphp/donations/ and click on the PayPal icon or copy and paste this link in your browser https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=dUz7iSsDDUkFxuXCIsSpZE5lRrmAZ7M5diK1LRJ315ULqrsnyvU3nuz4WHPu0z4ZBCW7xiw34NubTIs 17

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Commodore's Corner It's the Leadership, Stupid

By CAPT Ryan Keys, Commodore, HSCWL Part 1

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he key to accomplishing the mission, with regards to your people, is trust.

I’m sure most would agree with that; but to take it to the next step, how do you build trust? I’ve come to rely on two actions/ mindsets to build the level of trust needed between leaders and followers. (I don’t just mean trust between officers and enlisted, or between a Skipper and DHs, but trust within any organization that is trying to accomplish the mission at all levels.) It’s not rocket science, it just takes commitment.

1. Lead by example (the adjective “good” is assumed) • Be the person who listens to their Sailors for their input.

• Be the person who prepares for, and actually tries hard on the PRT. CAPT Ryan Keys,Commodore, Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic, • Be the person who doesn’t drink to speaks during a change of command ceremony for Helicopter Sea Combat excess.

Squadron (HSC) 22 onboard Naval Station Norfolk. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sam Jenkins.

• Be the person who picks up the trash in the hangar instead of walking by.

• Be the person who treats everyone as an adult (until they gave you a reason not to).

• Be the person who’s always on time.

• Be the person who says sorry when needed, or thank you (and don’t forget the “you’re welcome”).

• Be the person who’s best at their skill.

• Be the person who’s honest with someone’s performance, as well as your own.

• Be the person who represents the U.S. Navy well.

• Be the person who…

Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “It’s always the right time to do what is right.” So do it.

2. Practice ownership.

Retired Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Jocko Willink did an outstanding job of describing ownership (read his book, Extreme Ownership, and listen to/watch his podcasts – shameless plug), but the concept has been around since the birth of leadership. To put it simply, accept responsibility and don’t make excuses.

Question: are you the kind of aircrew who writes their own gripes after the flight, or do you just tell the Maintenance Desk Chief about the gripe and walk away? You, especially the HAC, need to own that task. You just used a piece of equipment that needs to be repaired, and instead of making it better for the technicians (and maybe providing them with some additional information to fix the issue) and the next crew, you just walked away – no, no, no.

Pre-Jocko, the best example for ownership I can think of is passing down orders like they are your own. I admit, I have a hard time with this. It’s much easier to shake my fist and curse at “them” (the Pentagon, the Admirals, the bureaucracy, etc.), rather than look internally on how to overcome the obstacle with all means in my control (check out Marcus Aurelius the stoic – shameless plug). This takes time and effort, not just lip service.

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Part 2 My friends have implored me to watch “Ted Lasso” on Apple TV for years now, mainly because it’s a show about English football (I’m a Liverpool fan – “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – shameless plug). I watched the two Saturday Night Live sketches from a few years ago that were hilarious, so I relented, bought the subscription, and began the journey. After watching the two seasons, I can honestly say that the show is about leadership, with football as the vehicle through which Ted Lasso imparts his wisdom and lessons.

As one of my previous Skippers told me, “Meat, life is about relationships," which is what makes Ted Lasso work. The relationships he builds with particular players in their own individual ways is his key to success: he listens to Nate’s ideas, even if he’s only the gear manager; he imparts confidence in Sam by seeing his hidden talent; he humbles Jamie by benching him; he builds an ally in Trent Crimm through mutual respect; and the examples continue throughout the show.

Finally, Ted’s key trait to leading his team is his humility and transparency. Self-deprecation lightens the mood and shows his people that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Ted’s struggle with anxiety incapacitates him during a historic match and he struggles with how to handle it within the team and coaching staff. He eventually tells all of them, a brave move when living among alpha personalities, but the message is that it can happen to anyone, and don’t suffer in silence.

Take the time, pay the money, watch the show.

Part 3.

Leadership has been studied for millennia. I’m sure a thousand books have been penned on the subject. Read them all.

Acquire ideas from others’ experiences. But ultimately, YOU have to put it into action in your life, with your people. Leadership isn’t hard, it’s just hard to do.

NHA Symposium 2022 The Human Advantage May 11-13

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ymposium 2022 will be in Norfolk this year at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel We have a limited number of rooms available as a room block at the per diem rate, so book your reservations now. Visit the NHA Symposium information page to make your reservation (https:/Or you can click on this link on the hotel's website: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link. mi?id=1641404611829&key=GRP&app=resvlink The theme this year is “The Human Advantage.” Our greatest advantage in Rotary Wing Aviation is the “Weapons System with a Heart,” namely our people and their families who support them.

We will explore how leadership and investment in this advantage will ensure that Rotary Wing delivers the competitive edge required to succeed in combat. The next conflict will be like nothing we have seen in the past. The requirement for all units to be ready to support strategic deterrence, when required, to deliver a decisive response and always be combat ready will be the mission of every “Weapons System with a Heart.” Our ability to deliver these capabilities is solely dependent on our members and their families; this is our “Human Advantage.”

Harnessing, supporting, and nurturing our people as integral to combat power is the discussion we are having at the 2022 NHA Symposium.

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Report from the Rising Sun Learn the Supported Language: A Lesson for Supporting Assets

By LT Rob “OG” Swain, USN

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kaerinasai ( ) Naval Helicopter Association to the Report from the Rising Sun! Checking in after retrograding back to CVW-5 headquarters from Camp Zama in Kanagawa Prefecture. We recently participated in Yama Sakura 81 – the largest U.S./Japanese bilateral and joint command exercise between the Japan Ground Self Defense Force and the U.S. Army. Alongside Navy representatives from Seventh Fleet, Submarine Group Seven, and Carrier Air Wing Five, I provided subject matter expertise on Joint Force Maritime Component Command operations to the training audience from the Army’s 25th Infantry Division and their supporting units.

Prior to my arrival on Camp Zama, the exercise coordinator informed me that I would fill the role of liaison to the JFMCC at HICOM. My reply to his email revealed my wholly unfamiliar grasp of Army terminology: “What is HICOM?” After the coordinator explained that the Geographic Combatant Commander (INDOPACOM) represents High Command (HICOM), I understood my responsibility as a maritime component representative to the Joint Force Commander. Excellent - question answered and first language hurdle cleared.

I arrived at 0800 on Day 1 to a whirlwind of active duty, reserve, and retired Army officers in a frenzy of D-Day activities; energizing the war effort against multiple synthetic adversaries. Since the Navy and Air Force were left out of the crawl and walk stages of Yama Sakura, “there I was” fielding the first two requests for information for the JFMCC from an Army fires officer fully engulfed and running through the simulated fog of war: “Has the Navy established a FSCL in the Sea of Japan?”

“How is the JMSDF shaping the JFEO?” Followed by an RFI from the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force officer-in-charge: Quote: To say I was overwhelmed in the first two hours of my time on the Joint Operations Center floor would be a dramatic understatement. I faced two language barriers: Japanese and U.S. Army. This presented a valuable lesson for me with application to Navy rotary-wing operations: learn the language.

Rotary-wing aviation satisfies an enabling role for all Navy objectives. Whether you’re conducting SSC in an MH-60R to support the Sea Combat Commander’s recognized maritime picture, flying AMCM in an MH-53E to support the Mine Warfare Commander by surveying Q-routes, or standing alerts for maritime PR in an MH-60S to support the Strike Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

Warfare Commander with contingency response, as rotarywing aviators we are supporting a multitude of customers to achieve collaborative mission success.

Who provides the best customer support? The agency who functions isolated with their own processes, procedures, and brevity or the organization who immerses themselves in the language of the supported entity so that they understand both the mission details and the operational risks? This requires diligent, pre-planned, and engaged relationship building from us and the supported entity. It does not matter how well we plan in a vacuum or how well we fly the aircraft if we fail to develop TACADMIN plans compatible with the customer’s language. Understanding the supported entity’s discourse alleviates confusion and builds trust. As the Navy continues to discern the rotary-wing force’s multi-mission role in support of Great Power Competition, the ability to communicate across an increasingly networked and interoperable joint and coalition force shifts from “technique only” to an operational necessity.

Evolving demand signals for Navy rotary-wing employment across the joint force increases the need for our personnel to study professional language. Expeditionary Basing Operations may require HSM and HSC to integrate with joint and allied ground forces to a degree not experienced by conventional Navy rotary wing since HSC-5’s PR detachment to Iraq.

HM passing on the torch of AMCM responsibility to HSC requires the HSC Community to familiarize themselves with the operational vernacular and communication methodology entirely unique to Mine Warfare. The necessity of signals and emissions control in conflict will demand joint forces to speak less but say more while maintaining an accurate common operational picture within a contested EM spectrum. Future conflict and the associated threats will preclude our forward deployed pilots and aircrewmen from saturating comm nets with ORM-friendly “plain English '' when confusion surfaces in the cockpit or cabin.

Taking the time to educate ourselves on the professional language of the units we support across every service will lead to more efficient and more effective Navy rotary-wing employment. For us, the aviators, the dividend equates to more enjoyable and rewarding experiences working alongside and building trust with warfighters from dissimilar backgrounds and domains. Stand by for updates in future Reports from the Rising Sun and Fly Navy!

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View from the Labs Fly, Fight, Win

By CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.)

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he theme for this issue of Rotor Review is Leadership and Culture. Great pick.

There are lots of ways to come at this subject. For me, it starts at the top, and that naturally brings me to our capstone publication, Naval Aviation Vision 2030-2035. It is our guide to how our aviation community contributes to the defense of our Nation. Here is how this Vision begins: The Air Boss’s vision lays out three key elements—delivering capability and capacity to win in the Great Power Competition (GPC); generating future readiness across the force; and achieving revolutionary training—to form the framework of Navy Aviation’s future.

The fiscal environment is expected to remain constrained, placing wholeness at risk, so Navy Aviation’s ability to responsibly manage its resources available to organize, man, train, and equip the aviation Fleet across its full range of missions will be central to ensuring maritime air superiority.

There is a wealth of focused information in this short (28-page) document: from identifying the challenging strategic environment, to a look at future technologies, to balancing capability and capacity, to ensuring future readiness, to achieving revolutionary training, and more. Those who are in flight suits or coveralls or on supporting staffs would be well-served to understand the culture our leaders are establishing with this Vision.

Here is how the Vision wraps up, and it should inspire all of us in the naval rotary wing community to achieve great things: As Navy Aviation looks to the future, it is evident we are facing a rapidly evolving threat requiring substantial force modernization. Leadership must take bold action and make difficult choices to generate the change required to win across the spectrum of conflict. This will require a renewed focus on the capabilities, capacity, readiness, and training the Navy needs to improve and sustain our warfighting advantage.

Navy Aviation must be able to deliver precision effects on any target with next generation aircraft at longer ranges and with greater speed. If we maintain this vision, Navy Aviation will be able to integrate sea-based and land-based aircraft— manned and unmanned—to provide a persistent, agile, tailorable force with the flexibility and responsiveness to provide a stabilizing presence, de-escalate regional tensions, or use force to impose cost on our adversaries.

Throughout its history, Navy Aviation has been on the cutting edge of tactical, operational, and strategic innovation in naval warfare. The Air Boss’s vision continues that tradition and preserves the warfighting advantages that Navy Aviation brings to our nation.

Need a bit of inspiration to get you through a challenging day? Read Naval Aviation Vision 2030-2035. You’ll be glad that you did.

Editor's Note: Naval Aviation Vision 2030-2035 can be downloaded from the link below, courtesy of USNI. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21095460-navyaviation-vision-2030-2035_fnl?responsive=1&title=1

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Get Started Telling Your Stories

By CAPT George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.)

Taking Your Writing To The Next Level

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ver the last several writing columns we have taken a deep dive into the basics of writing a novel, focusing on plot (things like the Log Line and Freytag Pyramid) and characterization (creating memorable characters your readers love to be with and don’t forget), and on putting the pieces together to create a successful novel.

One thing that we haven’t talked about is the third leg of the three-legged stool that all novels must have to go along with a strong plot and memorable characters. That aspect is action and there is a reason we haven’t covered it in detail.

Here is how Tom Clancy addressed putting action into your story: “I do not over-intellectualize the production process. I try to keep it simple: Tell the damn story.”

Action is tricky, and as Mr. Clancy said, you can’t force it.

Action evolves naturally from the plot. There is no “formula” for having action in your novel. That said, here are some things to consider: Different kinds of novels lend themselves to more or less action. If you have riveting, hold-your-breath action anywhere, have it up front in your novel.

With that, I want to move on to a bit more nuance, to get into your head a bit and ask: Where are you coming from when you write fiction? This is important – even crucial – because it helps define where you begin your journey, what you are likely naturally good at, and what you probably need to work on a bit.

We have talked a great deal about plot, characterization and action, and by now, many of you are likely asking: What is more important, plot or characterization. It is a fair – and common – question. Here is one way to look at it. You have to have a plot to make the reader turn the pages, but people are the story and the whole story.

Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

Confused? Let’s deconstruct it this way. Plot has the entertainment value to pull the reader along. The characters are the vehicle, the tools through which you tell your story.

Readers want you to tell them a story, and it is dialogue that brings your characters to life. If there is a better definition of a symbiotic relationship than the one between plot and characterization, we can’t think of one.

Still a bit adrift as to plot and characterization and which one intrigues you the most? Here is the inside baseball. While successful writers hit their marks with plot, characterization and action, when it comes to where they start, most writers tend to lean into either an outward or inward focus.

A situation idea is outward focused. Your situation idea focuses on a plot and a problem. A character idea is inward focused. Your character idea focuses on character and intent.

Clearly, the key to success is to have your novel do both, but our point is that for our group of Braveship Books writers, we each tend to begin with either a situation idea or a character idea and then embrace the other aspect as we evolve the story.

If this is still a bit opaque, let’s be more on-point. While there are many examples that we could use to help define a situation or character idea, for many us there are two longrunning television shows that we have used for this purpose repeatedly over the years in writing seminars that we conduct.

They are the plot-driven police procedural Law and Order, and the character-driven situation comedy, Seinfeld.

When Dick Wolf created the original Law and Order (a show so popular that it ran for twenty seasons and spawned a bevy of spinoffs), he did his due diligence regarding police procedurals of this type. His analysis showed that most popular series were hot for a while, but as their primary protagonists and antagonists gained attention they left to pursue other, often more lucrative pursuits, hot turned to warm, and then cold.

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As these actors who had somewhat endeared themselves to audiences departed, viewers lost interest and the shows entered a slow—or sometimes rapid—death spiral. Dick Wolf was determined to have a long-running and financially lucrative series (and did he!) so he created a show that was completely plot driven.

The show was so plot driven that even casual viewers knew the overarching plot formula in advance: The first half of the hour-long program, which is set in New York City, focuses on the police as they investigate a crime—often inspired by reallife news stories—while the second part of the show centers on the prosecution of those accused of that crime.

With the plots more-or-less set in concrete, and with Wolf and his associates wanting viewers to be untroubled when one or another of the primary protagonists and antagonists left the show, the characters were little more than flat performers about who we knew next-to-nothing. We didn’t know if they had significant others, voted Republican or Democratic, had hobbies, liked or disliked kids, dogs or anything else. They were all largely blank slates.

Over the course of twenty years no original actor or actress stayed, but the show remained wildly popular. While Law and Order is, admittedly, an extreme example of a case where the creators set out purposely to create characters you could never really know (and therefore not care about), we think you take our point regarding plot-driven.

At the other end of this wide spectrum is the wildly popular situation comedy, Seinfeld. Created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, this show ran for nine seasons (180 episodes!) between 1989 and 1998 and garnered impressive Neilson ratings, finishing in the top three shows each year between 1993 and 1997.

Even a one-time viewer can likely recall the four primary characters: Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), Cosmo (Michael Richards) and George (Jason Alexander).

Viewers loved these characters and enjoyed being with them week-after-week.

We felt like they were our personal friends.

We cheered for them, laughed with them and cared about them.

Said another way, what would be the reaction of most viewers, if, at the end of the 1995, a number one Neilsonrating season for Seinfeld, the producers posted a note as the final credits rolled that said: “This is the final episode for Jerry, Elaine, Cosmo and George. Next season will feature all new actors." How many viewers would likely continue watching the show? We think not many would.

How did the show’s creators make this so character-driven?

They accomplished this by not focusing on plot, in fact, having virtually no plot at all. As Jerry Seinfeld so artfully put it: “Seinfeld is a show about nothing.” We could not say it better. By having essentially no plot, but rather focusing on the minutiae of daily life, Seinfeld instigated our loveaffair with its characters. Indeed, this show became an iconic cultural phenomenon and remains one today. Just ask the millions who watch Seinfeld reruns today or who can still quote memorable lines from many episodes.

While these are extreme examples, we use them to make an important point for those who embark on writing a novel.

Somewhere deep inside our DNA, most of us have a natural inclination to look at things from a situation/plot perspective or from a character perspective. This is natural. However, the more you can craft your novel to artfully blend a strong plot with memorable characters, the higher your chances of commercial success.

Perhaps enough for now. If your curiosity has kicked in and you don’t want to wait for the next issue of Rotor Review, try this link to my website: https://www.georgegaldorisi. com/. Other than writing thrillers, I like nothing more than connecting with readers. You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and learn more about my books, blogs and other writing on my website. For those of you trying to up your game regarding any kind of writing, check out my “Writing Tips,” which offer useful advice for all writers, from established authors to future best-selling writers.

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Focus - Leadership and Culture Reflections on the 2021 CNAF DEI Summit

By LT Eli "Ham" Sinai, USN

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couple months ago, I attended the inaugural Naval Aviation Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Summit in San Diego, California alongside our faithful Rotor Review Editor-in-Chief, LT Mike “Bubbles” Short, and nearly 300 other volunteer aviators representing the full spectrum of the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE). After the release of NAVADMIN 188/20, I found myself eager to learn how the NAE planned to tackle our own diversity and inclusion issues, and hoped that the CNAF DEI Summit would provide clarity on the solutions our leadership intended to pursue. Though I felt as though the CNO’s directives, the establishment of Task Force One Navy (TF1N), and the Summit all indicated positive momentum and unity of effort to confront issues related to diversity, racism, and equity, I still reserved skepticism about whether these milestones were more politically motivated than authentic plans for action.

Basically, I was unsure if our leaders were prepared to put their money where their mouths were.

The CNAF DEI Summit exceeded my expectations. I was surprised by personal accounts of Naval Aviators, both former and current, who have experienced acts of racism, sexism, or bigotry in their professional careers. I was challenged to consider perspectives, other than my own, as well as barriers to equity that still exist in our policies and our culture. Lastly, I was confronted by the work I need to do on myself as a leader in order to better respond to the needs of the people I serve.

The CNAF DEI Summit included keynote speakers, a flag panel, and a town hall meeting with the Air Boss in order to address specific barriers faced by minority aviators and to provide leadership development opportunities through educational seminars. I was impressed by the tone senior leadership set for the Summit. Rear Admiral Alvin Holsey, the former Director of Task Force One Navy (TF1N) and Commander, Navy Personnel Command (NPC), kicked off the first morning of events by detailing the findings and nearly sixty recommendations of the Task Force’s 142-page report “meant to enhance the Navy’s overall diversity and ensure that a culture of inclusivity is evident at every command.” TF1N has already provided the framework to confront the gaps in our diversity and is actively implementing its measures to ensure future representation that reflects our society. If you have not yet read the report, I urge you to do so now and finish this article when you’re done!

Though the discussion of TF1N and future plans reassured the Summit’s audience of the Navy’s plans for DEI progress, the Summit’s leadership sought to further facilitate tough conversations about the present issues we face within our ranks. On the first day of the CNAF DEI Summit, we were cautioned by the CNAF DEI Team’s Director, Commander

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Chris “Frozone” Williams, that the intent for the Summit was to get uncomfortable while identifying the challenges faced by our diverse naval aviators. The Summit laid out the following objectives: • Identify and address minority issues • Give voice to diverse naval aviators • Educate – develop awareness/take leadership into the workplace • Promote mentorship for diverse aviators We were asked to listen to the lived, firsthand experiences of fellow Naval Aviators who have experienced discrimination, to reflect on our own leadership challenges, and to acknowledge the areas in which we as a fighting force fall short in supporting our people.

On the first morning of the two-day long Summit, I had the pleasure of meeting CDR Lin Walton, USN (Ret.). Lin strode up to my friends and me to thank us simply for participating in the conference, and then proceeded to share a brief story of his background. Lin was one of the first 30 or fewer AfricanAmerican Pilots in the Navy, and is a fellow rotary-wing aviator from the HSL Community. He majored in Physics at Norfolk State University, a historically black college (HBCU), and made his way to Pensacola in 1966 for AOCS where, at the time, African-Americans still could not go to restaurants, bars, or even the beach. Despite the prejudice, inequity, and injustice he witnessed and endured firsthand throughout his time in service, Lin achieved extraordinary success in Naval Aviation and now, as a pillar of the community, continues to advocate and pave the way for the next generation of minority pilots and STEM students by investing in their education. Lin is a living example of the triumph of character and resilience in the face of adversity.

Lin and I quickly realized that we shared a lot in common.

We both played rugby, though he played on the US National team and was far more successful than I ever was, and we were both QAOs at an East Coast FRS. While we share many similarities, there is a clear disparity between our professional experiences due to the colors of our skin and the eras in which we served. I’m a straight white male living in the 21st Century. I’ve never been prohibited from restaurants or bars, discriminated against while applying for housing, been the only service member in an O-Club to have my ID randomly checked, nor barred from staying in motels on my various PCSs across the country. Obviously much has changed over the last several decades, but Lin explained to me that to this day, his white counterparts just would not understand the nuance of the discrimination he has experienced while serving his country. As someone who has never endured similar prejudice, I was left considering some of the overlooked experiences my fellow Aviators still have to overcome while

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Attendees pose for a group photo during the Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit (DEI) Summit in Coronado, California, Nov. 1, 2021. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Winter Griffith

simultaneously taking on the everyday challenges of our profession. And as evidenced by the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the state of civil unrest, our work to both develop awareness for and address these overlooked minority issues is still ongoing.

Lieutenant Lizzy Elrod, an NFO from the VFA community, shared another powerful lived experience, bravely reading a letter she wrote to her former self, cautioning Ensign Elrod about the various instances of discrimination she would have to endure as a queer woman over the course of her career.

Her account compelled us, as her audience, to reflect on our own allyship and whether we have adequately supported our LGBTQ+ colleagues who might feel voiceless and unwelcome in a Wardroom, the group of people we rely on in rigorous operational environments.

The CNAF DEI Summit was admittedly the first time in my career that I was challenged to think critically about the inequities that minority aviators face on a daily basis.

On the second day of events, we were divided into male and female breakout rooms, though we were encouraged to join either group. In the spirit of getting uncomfortable and acknowledging the below-the-surface struggles that my colleagues endure, I opted to attend the female session. The breakout room included a Female Leadership Panel, policy and aeromedical updates, and discussion of fertility management.

I gained heightened appreciation (that I should have already had) for the struggles that women face in our profession– struggles of which we, as leaders, must take ownership in order to create a more equitable force. Prior to attending these breakout sessions, I had spent very little time considering the ways detailing policies and career progression interfere with family planning and female health considerations. Though I’m now ashamed to admit it, I felt that issues my female peers ran into as a result of unpredictable operational tempo and scheduling should have been expected, because “we all know what we signed up for.” After realizing how the lack of resources relating to fertility and family planning coupled

with operational inflexibility affects my female counterparts, I now recognize the flaw of my previous logic and feel better equipped to advocate for my colleagues and subordinates. If we want to retain top talent, we cannot continue to put Naval Aviators in the position of choosing between their careers or family planning.

In summary, I think the CNAF DEI Summit accomplished its objectives, but the participants in the days’ events represented only a fraction of Naval Aviation, and I am uncertain about how the discussions from the Summit will find their way into future training, mentorship, and leadership development. Recently, Commander Walton informed me that the morning I met him, the quote of the day provided by his Calm App for meditation was, “expect nothing, for one shall never be disappointed”. After decades of witnessing racism in the ranks, the quote reminded him to be realistic about how much an event like the DEI Summit could accomplish. Following the Summit, Lin informed me that he was cautiously optimistic about the direction Naval Aviation is taking for DEI-related issues. I share his cautious optimism, and believe that we will only have true progress if everyone buys in, which is up to us as leaders to facilitate.

At the end of these events, I asked myself why this was the first time I felt so challenged to think about these issues. For one, they have never directly affected me, and while I may have felt empathy for my colleagues experiencing hardship related to inequity, I have had the privilege to not have to think about DEI. I benefited greatly from simply being in the room, and believe that if all of us had the opportunity to engage in the requisite DEI training, we would emerge more resilient, cohesive, and thought-diverse. Such growth will make us a more formidable military team.

The report may be read and downloaded here: https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jan/26/2002570959/1/-1/1/TASK%20FORCE%20ONE%20NAVY%20 FINAL%20REPORT.PDF 25

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Focus - Leadership and Culture

Asking the Hard Questions – Suicide Prevention

By LT Erika “Misty” Anderson, USN

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was on holiday leave back in 2017 when I got a call from a friend in my Fleet squadron. I had just walked out of a Kona Coffee on Maui and took the call without thinking, assuming it was just a funny story from a night out, or a question about workups. The last thing I expected to hear was, “Misty…he killed himself.” The green cliffs in front of me slid out of focus and I heard a buzzing in my ears. My stomach dropped, and the humid air suddenly felt cold. All I could get out was, “…What? No, he didn’t.”

My friend had called to inform me that our fellow former squadron Junior Officer had committed suicide. In the days, weeks, and months afterward, my mourning squadron couldn’t make sense of it. With every crack of the 21-gun salute in the USS Midway’s hangar bay, the location of the memorial service, things seemed to add up less and less. .

How could someone so vibrant, so personable, so alive, just simply not be here anymore? An HSC FRS instructor, mentor, friend, brother, and son, he was dedicated to his job and had made plans for the future. No one saw it coming.

But…should we have?

Anyone who has been in the Navy for more than one tour has most likely been around suicide, whether it be ideations, plans, or actions. I have been to many suicide prevention trainings in which the briefer has asked us to raise our hands if we’ve been affected by suicide while in the service. Nearly every hand goes up, every time. In fact, a study on suicide conducted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) last year yielded some alarming results: in a breakdown of both men and women, and those who are civilians or Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

veterans/active duty service members, the study found that veteran/active duty males are nearly two times more likely to contemplate, attempt, or succeed in suiciding than are their civilian counterparts. For veteran/active duty females, that number is almost five times greater than that of civilian women.

But why?

While I saw fewer cases of suicidal ideations and attempts at my Fleet squadron, I have had quite a different experience on my shore tour at HSC-2 as an Instructor Pilot with the collateral duty of Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC).

While the FRS is a much larger command that’s staffed with a significant number of non-deploying personnel, I think a bigger difference is that I really started paying more attention.

As the SPC, I generate a SITREP every time one of our Sailors is admitted to the psychiatric ward at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth – after my fifth or sixth SITREP since accepting the job, I did some digging.

Suicide and military service have lead an embattled coexistence since the conception of an organized fighting force. While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was only just accepted by the American Psychological Association as an actual mental health disorder in 1981, it has run rampant across the ranks for decades, the first documented cases of “shell shock” appearing in World War I medical journals for both American and British fighters. While PTSD has been mistakenly referred to exclusively as a “soldier’s disease,” we now know that only about 10 percent of modern cases of 26

PTSD are combat related, and that the condition can actually originate from many other sources. The VA’s aforementioned study on veteran suicide cited many causal factors of PTSD while in military service, most notably longer times at war or on deployments, more severe deployment conditions, brain or head trauma, and life-lasting physical injuries. For every SITREP I have filed for a suicidal Sailor, one or more of these causal factors have been present in any particular situation and exacerbated by continued service. Reflecting upon the two past unconventional years our fighting force has experienced due to COVID, deployments have certainly changed, toughened, and lengthened. Multiple unplanned months at sea, coupled with an absence of port calls, has compounded the severity of these factors across the Navy and led to a record high of suicidal ideations and attempts in Fiscal Years 20 and 21.

People are typically familiar with the most common signs of suicidality: talking or writing about wanting to die, harboring feelings of hopelessness or having no reason to live, losing interest in activities, increasing the use of alcohol or drugs, sleeping too much or too little, and giving away possessions. But sometimes, the signs can be…nothing at all.

Thoughts or words of “I had no idea” or “I never would have imagined this” are common sentiments in these cases. When I’m approached by a suicidal Sailor’s division officer, or Chief, or friend, it reminds me that it is often difficult for people to ask the questions no one wants to hear: “Are you thinking of hurting yourself? Have you thought about suicide?” But after 21 SITREPs written, I am eternally grateful that the program seems to be working. Because while I was initially frustrated with the sheer volume of cases, doubting that we were helping anyone at all, my Skipper so eloquently put it: “Misty, the ‘P’ in SPC is working – prevention. We just need to think about the ‘P.’” I will write one million more SITREPs for ideations in order to get people the help they need if that means I never have to activate a CACO due to a successful suicide attempt.

I believe things can get better. Aside from SERE school, the Navy’s ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) course has been the best military training I’ve ever received.

I’ve had multiple Sailors, Fleet Replacement Pilots, and even fellow Instructor Pilots approach me about mental health resources, or come to me to tell me that the counseling they’ve been pursuing is really helping them. This makes me feel so hopeful for the future. I am glad that my generation and younger ones are so much more open to the idea that mental health is equal to physical health in terms of its legitimacy in warranting medical attention. In my nearly nine years of service, I’ve noticed a huge shift from an outdated dichotomy that’s told us a strong leader is only strong if they approach their charge with stoicism, and without emotion.

In contrast, I believe the ability to empathize with peers and subordinates is part of what makes a leader strong. Asking for help isn’t a weakness. Asking for help won’t get your wings or qualifications pulled. And asking for help certainly won’t make me see any of my Sailors or peers as “less than.” In fact,

I feel great relief every time I can refer someone to Military OneSource or Fleet and Family Services, because progress, no matter how small, is being made. I tell my students that they can’t expect to fly well if their head isn’t in the right place, and I wouldn’t expect my Sailors to perform at their best if their mental health took a backseat to all of their other tasks and responsibilities. While it has taken years to get to this place, we are finally accepting that mental health IS physical health, and that we will be better individuals, and a better Navy, for it.

I implore everyone to ask the hard questions. Pay attention to the signs, or, as I sometimes refer to them, the “not signs.”

While it may feel incredibly intrusive, be the steward that your Sailors, your peers, and your friends need you to be, even if they don’t ask for it. It could save a life. And while we, as mere pilots or aircrewmen, are not medical professionals, it does not take a medical professional to care about this danger that lurks in the dark corners of another extended deployment, or a stressful home life, or a seemingly hopeless situation.

Caring is free. Having empathy costs nothing. Attempting to understand the battles of others, even the silent ones, is not a weakness. It is the pillar of commonality I have found in all the leaders I have loved serving under, and for whom I would drop everything to work for again.

They all understood and demonstrated, time and time again, that our most precious asset needs protecting – not helicopters, ships, or equipment, but people.

I think often of the friend I used to know. His name was Alec and he was a wonderful human being. While my time knowing him was brief, I remember him as kind, caring, and empathetic. Every time I talked to him, he listened like I was the only person in the room. He told me he was considering applying for the Career Intermission Program to pursue medical school, and he told me he was so happy to have me in the Wardroom. While I did not get the opportunity to know him as well as I would have liked, those who knew him best spoke endlessly of his selflessness and care for others. His loss is still so very deeply felt, even these years later.

It poured on the day of Alec’s memorial, and anyone who has lived in San Diego can tell you what a rarity that is. I watched the rain come down in sheets as we all struggled to the Midway in our SDBs, thinking it was no coincidence that the day we remembered an extraordinary person was the same day the skies decided to open above us. Afterward, we all waded our way down the street to The Waterfront, Alec’s favorite bar.

His framed picture still hangs there to this day, right under our squadron plaque. My last visit there, I noticed a spider web crack in the glass of the frame, and was immediately upset that someone had done that – until the bartender told me that a group of his friends had come in and had raised a glass, and apparently toasted him with a little too much enthusiasm, causing both the beer glass and picture frame to shatter.

I like to think he would have laughed at that.

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Focus - Leadership and Culture FY22 NDAA Reforms Sexual Assault Prosecution in the Military

By LT Sarah Beth Rupp, USN

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otor Review’s Winter 2022 theme of “Leadership and Culture” is incomplete without the conversation concerning sexual assault in the military. This ongoing problem continues to plague the United States Navy, impacting readiness, morale, and the ability to create a cohesive warfighting force that values its servicemembers. As members and leaders of helicopter squadrons, it’s imperative we care about eliminating this trend.

20,000 service members were sexually assaulted in 2018, when sexual assault prevalence in the military increased by 44%. Only 8,000 service members that year reported an assault, according to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) own annual surveys. The sexual harassment numbers are even worse, one in every four women in the service having experienced sexual harassment in 2018. These startling numbers led to the 2021 creation of President Biden’s Independent Review Commission (IRC) that conducted an “independent and impartial assessment” of the military’s current treatment of sexual harassment and sexual assault. Out of this 90-day effort, the main finding was a theme of broken trust. There is a large disparity in what commanders believe is happening and what service members actually experience. To correct this core issue, the IRC put forward more than 80 recommendations covering four lines of effort: victim support, prevention, command climate and culture, and accountability. The most notable recommendation out of the 80 came from the accountability line of effort, recommending the creation of The Office of the Special Victim Prosecution, an independent civilian-led office detached from the chain of command that would report directly to the Service Secretaries. Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs) in this office would replace commanders in deciding whether to charge a suspect in a crime for court martial. Renamed as the Special Trial Counsel, this recommendation will make it into this year’s National Defense and Authorization Act (NDAA), a landmark decision for the military legal system.

Military Occupational Specialty, and the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to address sexual harassment and assault affecting DoD civilians.

But what about those cases that don’t make it to court martial, those cases of “he-said she-said,” those cases of the “court of something happened” that will never make it to trial, only to go to NJP? “The wounding is deep for service members,” says Meghan Tokash, an Assistant U.S. State Attorney who served as a judge advocate in the U.S. Judge Advocate General’s Corps for eight years, has over 15 years of criminal litigation experience as a prosecutor, and served on this year’s Independent Review Commission (IRC).

Tokash admits, “other lines of efforts got overshadowed by this huge historic moment in military legislation.” This landmark portion of the NDAA will hopefully correct bias on a legislative level, but “how do we legislate ourselves out of bias?” How do you regulate and legislate human behavior? To some degree, you can’t. Tokash says, “I think we need to have more focus on the other lines of effort like command climate.

You know, we need to have commanders say, ‘this is not how you treat other people, and it’s not going to be tolerated in my unit, and if I hear it and if I see it, you’re done.’”

As these shifts in sexual assault prosecution are implemented in the coming years, our responsibility as leaders and officers lies in taking a look at our work climate and culture and asking ourselves, “Am I proud of the behavior tolerated here?” Would I actually recognize sexual harassment when it occurs, in all its subtle forms? Would I actually intervene as a bystander, even if it was unpopular? How can I make my Sailors safer, at work, on the ship, in port, and at their barracks? What behavior will I tolerate? As the government attempts to curb the sexual assault and harassment crisis in the military, we own the responsibility in adjusting our cultures to reflect that endeavor.

President Biden signed the FY22 NDAA into law on December 27, 2021, requiring each Service Secretary to establish an Office of Special Trial Counsel and a Lead Special Trial Counsel, independent from the survivor’s chain of command and the accused. Other lines of effort, apart from accountability, also made it into the NDAA. Among those are requirements for the DoD to track allegations of retaliation by victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment, publish an annual agenda for primary prevention research, initiate a study and report on the feasibility of establishing a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator

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Sometimes You Just Have to Say “No”

By CDR Ed Berry, USN (Ret.) / LTM #537

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was slated to be the H2P on a maintenance check ride with the Detachment Officer-in-Charge (OIC) one sunny day in Sigonella, Sicily. As the OIC conducted the brief, he expressed a desire to fly over Mt. Etna. I asked him if he thought that was a particularly good idea, as Etna had recently erupted and smoke was still coming from the volcano.

My query was ignored with a look of disdain, and the rest of the briefing went quickly. After a good preflight, we were ready to go when I broke out a chart that showed Etna to be some 10,800 feet high. The chart was also three years old, and the volcano had erupted often in the interim. So being a good copilot, I informed the HAC that we may not be able to fly that high given the density altitude. This information was met with a look of disbelief. So I took out my NATOPS and checked the current conditions to determine our altitude limitations for the day. Lo and behold, we had a Density Altitude limit of 10,300 feet. I gave this information to my HAC and away we went, making a beeline for the volcano.

As we passed through 10,000 feet it was obvious that Mt Etna had grown enormously since our chart was made. We reached 10,300 feet and the HAC told me that it seemed the collective was stuck. I told him that it was, and would remain so, as we were at our Density Altitude limit. We still had a long way to go to get to the top of the volcano.

A discussion ensued: crew members noted that our aircraft was above 10,000 feet without oxygen support, and that our HAC seemed to plan on flying over a hot volcano caldera while we operated way above the limits of the aircraft. If we succeeded in reaching the caldera the change in air density would send us into a boiling lava pool. I also reminded the HAC that my left arm was much stronger than his.

Lifetime Member CDR Ed Berry, USN (Ret.) is coined by NHA Executive Director, CAPT Jim Gillcrist and Chairman, RADM "Dano" FIllion, at the 2021 Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In

As one might imagine, the rest of the flight was uneventful and quiet. Once we got back to the airport and put the helicopter in the hangar, I was subjected to a bit of a tongue lashing.

My retort: “When it comes to NATOPS, there is no ‘you’re right…but…’”

After our respective egos cooled off, we sat down and had a good discussion about what had transpired. I was on my second deployment and realized that, had I been less experienced, I could have made a fatal mistake by saying nothing.

Most helicopter operations take place at altitudes much lower than what we’d planned on that day. Density Altitude is not something we often check or discuss. So don’t forget to make sure you include it if you decide to do some orographic flying.

Mount Etna ash plume 29

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Focus - Leadership and Culture The Heart of Leadership

By CDR Larry Young, USN (Ret.)

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learned more about moral courage and integrity from a 19-yearold Army Private First Class (PFC) than from any officer I ever knew.

Another holiday season has come and gone. Another birthday, another Christmas and New Year’s celebration, and once again I find myself remembering PFC Aaron J. Ward. I attempt to imagine how difficult this time of year must be for his mother and family. In a quiet moment, I remember her son, and try to understand – but I keep falling short. I think that for many of us who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan – I believe we still carry some guilt about those who were unable to return. Despite the benefit of hindsight and time, I find the contrast between Aaron’s situation and my own as just plain unfair.

Aaron joined the Army right out of high school. I joined the Navy right out of high school. We both found military service as a place where we “fit in.” But the similarities ended there.

PFC Aaron J. Ward., USA

I am certain that PFC Aaron Ward was one of the soldiers who protected me (literally) when I was serving as an electronic warfare officer (EWO) on an individual augmentee deployment in Iraq, 14 years ago. I had occasion to “make the rounds” in the western desert and would sometimes patrol with his unit, the US Army’s 170th MP Co, 504th MP Battalion – deployed to Hit, Iraq.

On May 6, 2008–barely past his 19th birthday–he’d seen less than a year of active duty. He had been in Iraq for just a few short months before a sniper’s bullet found him and took him from this world. One week later, on May 13, I was heading home to be reunited with my wife and kids, after a year-long tour in Anbar Province. It just doesn’t seem fair. Here I was going home, while he had only just arrived in-country. Aaron had been wearing a uniform for less than a year when he was killed. In May of 2008, I had been wearing a uniform for almost 22 years.

In 2007, when Aaron joined the US Army at the age of 18, America was engaged in an increasingly difficult conflict in Iraq – a situation that no one had predicted very well, with another one smoldering in Afghanistan. He had to know that he would end up in harm’s way.

In 1986, when I joined the Navy, America was at peace. Yes, the Cold War was very real. But to an 18-year-old kid looking for opportunities in the service, it was a distant problem. In the course of my career, I was given numerous opportunities: an amazing education (Navy Nuclear Power School, the Naval Academy, Navy flight training, Navy Postgraduate School), many chances to lead (and follow), and the privilege to serve alongside some of the finest people I’ve ever known.

It hardly seems fair. Aaron enlists, and within a year he is serving his country much more tangibly than I ever did. I enlisted, went to school, and travelled all over the world. My 26 years on active duty took me to places in the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic, the Western Pacific, and the Caribbean. Aaron’s eleven months took him to Anbar Province, Iraq. My service pales in comparison to his sacrifice. In the years since his death, Aaron has taught me a valuable lesson.

For the longest time I couldn’t help but wonder if the 18-year-old me would have had the same courage that Aaron had knowing that he was going into harm’s way. I was humbled by his sacrifice then, and remain even more so today.

I used to think I was pretty tough. I could land helicopters on a destroyer’s pitching flight deck in the middle of the ocean on a moonless night. When I was flying, I felt like I was always in control. After my year in Iraq – I realized that I really wasn’t in control, and I wasn’t really very tough. The young Soldiers, Marines, and Sailors in Iraq with whom I had the privilege of patrolling showed me what it really meant to be tough. Every day they would go “outside the wire” in the face of an insidious enemy, sometimes several times a day. Some of them did not return home.

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Aaron laid down his life for others. I believe he volunteered because he wanted to make the world a better place. His message for us is that we have to do the same. We have to find a way to carry that message forward.

As a Naval Academy alum, over the past few years I’ve found myself making the trek to Philadelphia for the Army-Navy football game. Of course, I always cheer for the Navy team, but the real meaning of this annual event surpasses any college allegiance. And ever since 2008, I’ve found some solace in knowing that young men and women – like Aaron – still come forward to serve. Whether that service is manifested as a Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine – the real message to understand is that Americans will allow their sons and daughters to serve as long as they believe in what we do. Aaron’s life demonstrates that this is an awesome responsibility, echoed further by the more than seven thousand Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11.

At the end of the day, I have to ask myself: What have I done to live up to Aaron’s example, and the example of thousands of others like him? I pray that my own children can have the same courage that Aaron personified, up to his last day.

gh The Best Scribe for 2020 Finally Has Her Award

By Rotor Review Staff

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otor Review, published quarterly by the Naval Helicopter Association, is intended to support the goals of the association by providing a forum for discussion, and exchange of information, to the Naval Helicopter Community.

The Best Scribe is awarded annually to the active duty member of the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard whose article, published in Rotor Review during the previous calendar year which addresses the subject of career growth for helicopter pilots in the most original, constructive and informative manner.

Every year, the presentation of the Best Scribe Award has been at the Symposium but in 2020 the pandemic forced a change of plan. The Symposium was canceled and the pandemic restricted travel. Consequently, the Gulf Coast Fleet Fly-In was reimagined and was live streamed from Whiting. The NHA Awards were presented at the Fly-In with video clips from the presenters, the sponsors and the awardees. However, the virtual format often precluded the tangible aspect of the presentation. In other words, no plaque, certificate or trophy could be handed to the honoree. The 2020 Best Scribe was awarded to LT Elisha “Grudge” Clark for her article in Rotor Review 2019 Summer Issue #145 (page 42) for "EQ and CRM: How Emotional Intelligence Relates to the Crew Concept."

Forward deployed at the time, she never received her plaque. This was remedied recently as LT Clark is now an IP at HSM 41. You can read the article online by visiting our digital magazine platform Issuu (https://issuu.com/rotorrev/ docs/rr145.summer.19.digital). If you have the Issuu App you can read it on your phone or tablet. It is a good read, well written, not community specific, and applies to pilots and aircrew alike.

The 2019 NHA Best Scribe Award was presented to LT Elisha “Grudge” Clark in HSM-41 Commanding Officer, CAPT Ken Colman’s office by NHA National President, CDR Emily Stellpflug.

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Focus - Leadership and Culture Embrace the F-Word

By CAPT Roger G. Herbert Jr., USN (Ret.) Originally published in the Leadership Forum of Proceedings , Vol. 148/1/1,427 January 2022. Used with permission. ailure is not an option. Naval leaders—from the day squadron, a numbered fleet, and a Marine expeditionary force they take their oaths—are inculcated with the idea that are all human social systems subject to the same degenerative failure is not tolerated, “not on this ship, not in this squadron, forces that assault mechanical systems. So, if the engineers not in this platoon, and not on my watch.” Failure-is-not-anare right, then no matter how well human social systems are option leadership is a style generally celebrated in U.S. designed or how assertively it is declared that they will not fail, military and corporate cultures. Many believe it inspires they will fail. excellence. The truth is, it probably does not.

Three Pathologies of Never-Fail Culture At best, never-fail leadership institutionalizes mediocrity.

Failure-is-not-an-option leadership spawns a culture that At worst, it stifles creativity, inspires rote adherence to suffers from three pathologies. First, never-fail leadership standardized procedures and timidity, and fosters an discourages innovation. For any tactical or technical problem, environment so dominated by a fear of failure that people there is a standard solution—the way the problem has always may be more willing to compromise their integrity than face been addressed—and a best solution. Ideally, the standard the consequences of honest mistakes. Leaders who do not solution and the best solution are one and the same. Often, embrace the f-word forfeit opportunities to practice graceful however, they are not. The authors of the Navy’s “textbook failure and, as a result, increase the likelihood that inevitable solutions” could not foresee every situation. Furthermore, failures will be catastrophic. adversaries incessantly try to use these standard solutions against us. As a result, the standard solution, while always the The root of this problem is that Sea Service culture regards safest course of action politically, may ultimately be the surest failure with fear and contempt, but mostly fear. Personal path to disaster and defeat. failures will not be tolerated. Subordinate failures will not be accepted. Team failures are unimaginable. Marines and Yet, regardless of whether the standard solution is the best, Sailors cheer the clarion call to perfection. Their bosses rest the safest, or perhaps even dangerous, Sailors and Marines easy at night knowing they will be spared those “Sorry to reach for the textbook solution every time if they fear they wake you, but . . .” phone calls because they know the Sword will be punished for an innovative approach that proves of Damocles is permanently affixed above the skull of each unsuccessful. Innovation is just too risky under never-fail trembling trooper. leadership. Natural innovators under never-fail leaders stick to the “good enough” even when they know it really is not.

Failure-is-not-an-option pronouncements may be stirring, but they also are unachievable and unhealthy. Without Second, failure-is-not-an-option leaders stifle ambition. failure, there can be no success.

The never-fail culture incentivizes mediocrity by introducing disincentives to try anything hard. Individuals and teams that Never-Fail Is Fantasy have been taught to fear failure rarely explore new frontiers.

As a result, they leave vast resources of human and corporate Good engineers are trained to assume failure. Every first- capacity unexploited. Never-fail leadership creates a topyear engineering student knows that any nonequilibrium system—a category that includes all human-engineered systems—will degrade and ultimately fail. Armed with the knowledge that degradation and failure is a matter of when and not if, engineers focus on how. They attempt to forecast the moment of failure and then design their bridges, rockets, and computers so that when they degrade and fail, they will do so gracefully and not catastrophically. Graceful failures are anticipated, controllable, and, most important, they can be recovered from. Catastrophic failures, by contrast, are unmanageable and often disastrous.

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Like engineers, military leaders design and manage nonequilibrium systems. But the systems they are entrusted with are much more complex—and therefore more fragile than anything engineered in the shipyard. The systems they lead are human social systems. A ship’s deck division, a Marine rifle company, a SEAL platoon, a ship, a submarine, a Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

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down fear of attempting hard things and has a chilling effect on ambition and vigor. It stunts personal and organizational growth.

Finally, and most important, a never-fail culture increases the likelihood of catastrophic failures of honor by incentivizing lying, cheating, and stealing. When failure is not an option, personal ethics become negotiable.

U.S. Naval Academy students

A brief thought experiment illustrates how never-fail undermines honor. Imagine you are preparing for a difficult exam, and someone offers to sell you the answers at a reasonable price. Let us also stipulate you know the chance of being caught is essentially zero; only you and your answervendor will know you cheated. Presumably, you still would not purchase the answers. There really is no moral ambiguity here; this is a clear right versus wrong choice.

Would the calculus change if failure meant you would be passed over for promotion? Again, few would accept this as a valid justification to overcome the moral imperative of fair play. But what if this were your last chance? What if failure on this test would result in an early and unwelcome retirement?

And what if you and your family were already living on the margins in a high-unemployment economy? This exam would now threaten the well-being of your family. Would you cheat now?

The U.S. Naval Academy, like many universities and colleges, relies on an honor code—an ethical commitment from the student body. Many schools have found that their students’ commitment to the code is equivocal because they believe the penalties imposed for an ethical failure are too high.

Again, perhaps not; most people guard their integrity fiercely. The point, however, should be clear. As the cost of failure increases, so too does the importance of succeeding, no matter what is required. In the final scenario, the nature of the moral question has fundamentally changed from a simple

test of integrity to a genuine moral dilemma, a question of competing goods and lesser evils. The general moral obligation to play fair is at odds with the special moral obligation to care for one’s family.

A more difficult scenario takes us out of the realm of a thought experiment and into the real world. What if you witnessed a colleague purchasing the answers to the exam?

Would you turn him or her in? The honor concept at the U.S. Naval Academy, and at many of the nation’s top universities, relies on a commitment from the student body to do precisely that. Yet many schools have discovered that their students’ commitment to their honor codes is surprisingly equivocal.

The problem is that students feel the penalties for ethical failure that their institutions impose are too high, too lacking in nuance. They do not, in other words, buy into the school’s failure-is-not-an-option attitude toward honor.

When cheating scandals at service academies, Ivy League schools, and nuclear-missile commands make headlines, the public justifiably questions the character of the cheaters.

But it may also be illuminating to investigate the culture in which the cheating occurs and, particularly, the price of failure in that culture. When service members perceive that the consequences of failure are dire, it is likely they will not fail. Indeed, they will do anything not to fail. They will even compromise their integrity.

Failure Is Feedback Avoiding these pathologies and pitfalls starts with dispelling the myth that the failure-is-not-an-option approach to leadership drives great achievements. The truth is that it produces fewer successes than conventional wisdom suggests, and any achievements it does produce tend to be ephemeral.

What endures is an uninspired workforce that seeks safety in middling accomplishments, fears change, and deals with honest mistakes by concealing them or deflecting blame.

Yet, accepting that failure is inevitable does not sound like an inspiring way to lead. On the surface, it sounds a bit defeatist.

Even worse, it may suggest a degree of tolerance for failure that is counterintuitive—and, given the stakes we play for, dangerous. If leaders learn to embrace failure appropriately, however, the excellence that enables true success will follow.

Consider, for example, the Navy Special Warfare community.

Although “I will not fail” is the final punctuation of the SEAL ethos, any SEAL worth his (and someday soon, hopefully, her) salt has failed many times. The special operations communities in all the services understand better than most that the only way to comprehend the limits of one’s capabilities is to explore them. When special operations units train, they flirt with and routinely cross frontiers of human and systemic failure, so that, like engineers, they can map those frontiers as precisely as possible. Failure is not defeat. It’s feedback. It’s data. It’s good.

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Focus - Leadership and Culture The “I will not fail” declaration in the SEAL ethos is easily misunderstood. SEALs do not deny the inevitability of failure. Instead, they are taught to confront failures, learn from them, and ultimately overcome every failure they might face along the way to success.

Better put, “I will not fail” means “I will not be defeated.”

Fail Gracefully, Succeed Wildly Leaders can take positive measures to rehabilitate a never-fail culture and create one that allows failure, learns from mistakes, and instills an “I will not be defeated” mind-set.

First, leaders should examine the underlying tenor of the dialogue in their units, the corporate body language. Start with instructions and standing orders. They should minimize language such as “I will not East Coast-based Navy SEALs climb a Jacob’s Ladder during “Helo Cast tolerate” or “You will be held accountable and Recovery” training on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, for . . .” Of course, some language like this VA. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Meranda has its place. Clearly, there are behaviors Keller. and outcomes that warrant zero tolerance.

When leaders create such a culture, service members know But leaders should understand this language for what it is: These are threats. And when the “I will not tolerate” list that, regardless of outcome, a well-managed risk will be expands to include lesser mishaps or even honest mistakes, the tolerated—and perhaps even rewarded and celebrated. They unintended and unhealthy consequences discussed above are will approach problem-solving differently, preferring best predictable outcomes. Like profanity, such threats are effective solutions to standard solutions. They will try hard things, only if they are used sparingly. Leaders cannot just talk the gather data from each of their failures, and breach barriers talk of risk tolerance, slinging around slogans such as “Be formerly deemed unbreachable. When people work in failurebold” and “Think outside the box;" they must walk the walk tolerant environments, not only are they more likely to by persistently rewarding attempts to do things that are hard discover the best solutions to persistent problems, but because they are accustomed to working “off script,” they also are or innovative. better prepared, intellectually and culturally, to respond to In addition, leaders should ask how the organization novel threats and opportunities. evaluates its readiness to accomplish its missions. Teams that Leaders who embrace the f-word set conditions for their fear the consequences of failure engineer self-evaluations in which “successful” outcomes are preordained. The Harlem subordinates to fail gracefully and, ultimately, to succeed in Globetrotters win every time because they keep playing ways not previously imagined. teams that get paid to lose. But it will not go well for the Globetrotters on the day the Golden State Warriors show up.

About the Author To overcome a failure-is-not-an-option culture that embraces Captain Herbert retired in 2021 from the U.S. Naval training scenarios and readiness exercises where you always Academy faculty, where he served as the Robert T. Herres win, leaders must demand realistic scenarios that challenge distinguished military professor of ethics. He previously served their teams to accept, understand, incorporate, and account for 26 years as a Naval Special Warfare officer and commanded for potential failures.

SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team Two, Naval Special Warfare Unit Three, and the Naval Special Warfare Center. A 1983 When SEAL and other special operations units train, graduate of Davidson College, he holds a master’s degree they routinely flirt with human and systemic failure so they in national security affairs from the Naval Postgraduate can understand where their challenges are, and where more School, a master’ degree in national security studies from the work needs to be done. They see failure not as defeat, but as National War College, and a PhD in international relations feedback. and political theory from the University of Virginia.

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Empathy Is Not Sympathy

By Col Ryan L. Hill, USAF Originally published in Proceedings, Vol. 147/9/1,423, September 2021. Used with permission.

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mpathy—especially in military circles—is often misunderstood and maligned. Many leaders dismiss the idea because they associate the concept with being soft, overly compassionate, or nice. These connotations prevent leaders from seeing empathy’s true value. Leadership is a people business.

Empathy is the critical people skill that ensures businesses thrive. It enables and enhances the ability to understand, inspire, motivate, and communicate.

Leaders often conflate empathy with sympathy.

Assuming another shares our own thoughts, understanding, and feelings about their own situation is sympathy, not empathy. Sympathy has to do with sharing emotions but is still focused on the individual who is sympathizing, rather than truly seeking to understand another’s perspective. To empathize— to fully understand an individual’s perspective that drives not just what they feel but how they think— requires understanding and development.

Naval Postgraduate students exercise wargaming strategies developed in their capstone class. Empathy can help warfighters put themselves in the shoes of their enemy, which can provide valuable insight during wargaming scenarios. Credit: Naval Post Graduate School (Javier Chagoya)

Developing empathy is much easier said than done. Carl von Clausewitz recognized the difficulty of fully seeing from other people’s perspectives when he wrote that “senses make a more vivid impression on the mind than systematic thought.”1 It is a process of understanding not only an individual’s bare emotions or cold calculus, but also the interplay of these. Thus, the ability to see, feel, and understand another’s perspective is not intuitive; rather, it is a skill that must be developed.

Empathy development is arrested because too many leaders malign empathy as only being emotionally attuned to others.

Psychologists and researchers, however, describe the important differences between emotional and cognitive empathy.

Emotional empathy is the ability to deal with the way others feel. Cognitive empathy, on the other hand, is deciphering the way people think.2 Real empathy requires informed imagination. To step into someone else’s shoes, leaders must seek to be informed by understanding the historical, cultural, and lived context of a person’s experience. Through these lenses, they can use their imaginations to see what others see and feel what others feel.

Good leaders must stretch across the emotional and cognitive domains, incorporating both feeling and thinking. Both domains are required because, while it might seem like people make good decisions based on logic alone—looking at the facts and weighing the pros and cons of a situation—this is not the way humans behave. Logic often is changed by emotions and biases. Straining our imagination gives us a glimpse, however imperfect, into diverse and unique perspectives.

This type of empathy can be applied to solve the most complex problems. It allows leaders to broaden their understanding, expand their options, and increase the quality of their decisions. It is particularly important as today’s Navy leaders are challenged to: 1) lead naval units in a complex environment; 2) integrate fully with the joint team; and 3) plan effectively against the nation’s potential foes.

Overcoming Complexity Empathy is key to leading through the complexity of the current strategic environment, where countless variables interact in unpredictable ways, making outcomes difficult to predict. Advancing technology, globalization, and social media act as amplifiers of this complexity, connecting systems in new and novel ways. At the same time, the U.S. Navy operates in multiple domains in simultaneous operations around the globe and in space. There is no place where an enemy might act that does not affect the Navy in some way.

The challenge this poses for Navy leaders is that they are facing infinite possibilities. Without empathy, a leader is armed only with the finite knowledge and ideas that are stored and generated within his or her own mind. Empathy, however, blows the lid off of this limiting factor. It allows leaders to open their own minds to see and understand the perspectives of others.

The Navy’s focus on increasing diversity and inclusivity, for instance, would be for naught if leaders were not willing to listen to their shipmates. It follows that when a leader has a team with diversity of thought and they are able to empathize 35

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Focus - Leadership and Culture effectively, they broaden their own aperture and take in other possibilities.

The facts and data may not change, but leaders can change the way they perceive them. If leaders strain to think outside the box, they may be able to come up with other ways to see a situation or solve a problem. Empathy ultimately enables leaders to match the complexity of the environment with the broadened perspective of open minds.

Breaking Down Barriers Empathy also is important for Navy leaders to break down barriers that block their teams from fully integrating into the joint environment. Despite the legal and political movements that have forced jointness, there are still several challenges to operating as a joint force.

Wargaming at the Naval War College, c 1940.

Services generally are built around their Image provided by Naval History and Heritage Command domains, be it air, land, or sea. They have their own histories and origin stories and have developed their Knowing One’s Enemies own cultures. Over time, the institutions develop a corporate Though it is not intuitive, empathizing with the nation’s set of beliefs or perspectives to which most of its members potential foes also is imperative. In an era in which technology ascribe.3 Services even maintain their own lexicons, theories of is advancing rapidly, it is easy to focus on capabilities. Since warfare, strategies, and doctrines. These differences can create the end of the Cold War, the United States has had a decisive problems in communication and interoperability. competitive advantage in capabilities, but China is rapidly closing the gap. This makes it easier to focus on technical If this is a complex problem for the services in general, information and to view the threat through capabilities. But it is even more so for the Navy. Unlike the Army and Air just as important as capabilities (what they can do) is intent Force, the Navy operates in multiple domains and has thus (what they want to do). This leads to some important questions: developed communities that specialize in each of them. With What is the enemy thinking? What are they planning to do? primary titles such as naval aviator, surface warfare officer, What motivates them? and submariner, the Navy has promoted a sense of tribalism.

In some ways this allows a sense of esprit de corps and pride Developing empathy deepens the meaning of Sun Tzu’s in one’s job. When it advances to the level of parochialism, sage advice to “know the enemy.”5 It may seem relatively however, tribalism can be detrimental. A recent article easy to understand how the leaders of another nation think, published on The Strategy Bridge looked at past issues with but rational actors do not always use the same criteria for “non-communicating fiefdoms” in the Navy and then asserted rationality. The United States cannot afford to assume another that “it seems like nothing has changed over the past two state will act as the United States would in any given situation. decades.”4 The CIA’s website advises to be wary of “mirror-imaging” because it: leads to dangerous assumptions, because people Embracing empathy will allow the Navy to break down these in other cultures do not think the way we do. . . . The U.S. barriers, first within the service and then within the joint team. perspective on what is in another country’s national interest Just understanding the capabilities of other communities and is usually irrelevant. . . . judgment must be based on how the services is not enough; that understanding is colored with the other country perceives its national interest.6 bias of the leader’s own perspective. The other communities and services understand their capabilities through their It is easy to imagine that other countries think as the own lenses, and it is important that Navy leaders try to see United States does. U.S. policymakers, for example, could these unique perspective as well. Empathy adds objectivity easily assume that China’s buildup of missile defenses and and enables them to encounter new ideas, possibilities, and increased size and capabilities of its blue-water navy parallel options, increasing leaders’ ability to effectively integrate into U.S. motivations for strengthening these capabilities. This the joint force. intuition, however, is limited in perspective and likely overlooks critical nuances that can be gained only by taking the Chinese perspective.

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Empathy can provide valuable insight, but this informed imagination is much more difficult to acquire than mirrorimaging. It does not come naturally and is made difficult by language, culture, history, and religious barriers. Leaders must not be satisfied with substituting their own views for that of others. Rather, they must seek information and be willing to mentally walk in the shoes of their foes as best they can.

This is particularly true of Navy leaders, who have the greatest potential for interaction with potential U.S. foes as the threat picture migrates from land-centric operations in the Middle East to sea-centric operations in the Pacific. Empathy can enable the Navy to see not only what competitors are capable of, but also what they intend to do.7 Practicing Advanced Empathy Empathy is a skill, and like most skills, it comes more naturally for some than for others. Empathy requires training and practice to become proficient. The Naval War College offers an elective that teaches the concept of “perspectivetaking” and then reinforces the concepts with training.

War College students are exposed to a case study each week that is purposefully controversial, one in which they are likely to have a bias toward one side of a case or the other.

Students are then asked to answer a poignant question from the perspective of three different people or organizations from the case. At first, the students tend to analyze and describe the views from their own perspectives, but through weekly

training, they are able to effectively articulate the case from the perspective of each entity.8 The CIA encourages this type of perspective-taking, or “role-playing,” reinforcing that it is only “living the role that breaks an analyst’s normal mental set and permits him or her to relate facts and ideas to each other in ways that differ from habitual patterns.”9 Actors and actresses use it as well in a technique called “method acting,” in which they take on and live within the persona of the character they are portraying to get a better idea of how they would behave.10 In these cases, it comes down to study and practice.

Developing empathy is not limited to school settings.

Opportunities are available everywhere. News stations and even printed news present perspectives on real-world events all the time. We often gravitate toward those sources of news that most align with our own viewpoints, but we can challenge ourselves by watching, listening, or reading the other side of the story. Exercising this empathy may be uncomfortable at first, but it develops the skills that will make it easier to see and even harness opposing views. Initially, it will increase leaders’ emotional intelligence, allowing them to identify with members of their teams, understand how they feel, and communicate with them in a meaningful way. Developing advanced empathy skills will enable Navy leaders to thrive in complexity, integrate fully into the joint environment, and plan more effectively to defeat the nation’s foes.

Footnotes 1. Carl von Clausewitz, On War, trans. and ed. Michael Howard and Peter Paret (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976), 117.

2. “Types of Empathy,” Skills You Need, 22 December 2019.

3. Carl H. Builder, The Masks of War: American Military Styles in Strategy and Analysis (Baltimore: RAND Corp, 1989), 8.

4. Wes Hammond, “Distributed Lethality and the Failure to Break Naval Stovepipes,” The Strategy Bridge, 28 April 2017.

5. Sun Tzu, The Art of War, trans. Lionel Giles (The Project Gutenberg eBook, 2005), III, 18.

6. Richards J. Heuer Jr., “Psychology of Intelligence Analysis,” Central Intelligence Agency, 16 March 2007.

7. Nicole L. Freiner, “What China’s RIMPAC Exclusion Means for U.S. Allies,” The Diplomat, 26 May 2018; Ben Werner, “China’s Atypical Response to U.S. Navy FONOPS May Be a Message to Trump Administration,” USNI News, 3 October 2018.

8. The perspective-taking course described is designed and taught by Dr. Olenda Johnson, a professor at the Naval War College and architect of the Navy’s two-star and Senior Executive Service leadership course.

9. Heuer, “Psychology of Intelligence Analysis.”

10. Alyssa Maio, “How the Best Method Actors Prepare for their Roles,” Studiobinder.com, 31 July 2019.

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Industry and Technology Helicopter Preservation Packaging Control the Environment around Stored Helicopters without a Climate-Controlled Warehouse Submitted by Protective Package Corporation

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s helicopter service companies and airlines around the globe are grounding flights in response to COVID-19 social distancing and other market pressures, they are scrambling for cost effective ways to preserve out of service aircraft. Often, companies are simply parking aircraft on unused runways at airports.

Long-term exposure to the elements when not in use can present problems for aircraft. Moisture can collect causing rust and corrosion in gas tanks, fuel lines, engines, etc. Sunlight can deteriorate tires and damage paint. Pests can make nests in small access points or do damage by chewing through wires and components.

To keep grounded aircraft in good condition, companies turn to a regular, labor-intensive maintenance schedule.

Technicians and pilots check and monitor fluids and fly or reposition helicopters in storage. This reduces the chance that moisture will build up and keeps engines free from corrosion while varying sun exposure and deterring pests.

Another storage option is to park aircraft in a climatecontrolled warehouse; however, warehouse space is costly and limited.

Protective Packaging Corporation offers an alternative: long-term preservation kits that completely enclose helicopters and planes in layers of vacuum-sealed, moisture barrier packaging and heavy duty shrink film with desiccants and humidity indicators. Properly enclosed aircraft can be stored indoors or out. Protective Packaging developed this preservation process for storing a variety of equipment and machinery through years of working with the U.S. military and private companies. Within the last 5 years, the company has customized the process to meet the needs of helicopter and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) companies all over the world to preserve helicopters during transport and storage.

This long-term preservation method is a modern twist on mothballing or cocooning. The process includes unique, flexible moisture barrier films designed to keep even minimal amounts of moisture and humidity from reaching the entire aircraft, its engine, and electrical parts while ensuring no corrosion for a minimum of five years. Vacuum sealing removes most of the moisture and air and aids in completely controlling the environment around each helicopter. This long-term preservation solution is much more cost effective

Step by step process for wrapping a helicopter

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than an expensive climate-controlled environment warehouse or hangar.

Past Projects

Helicopter Company Servicing Offshore Oil Rigs During the oil industry downturn in 2016, Protective Packaging Corporation helped a major worldwide helicopter operator servicing the oil and gas industry store and preserve idle helicopters.

The downturn in the energy industry has idled millions of dollars of oil and gas equipment worldwide, including the nearly a fifth of the helicopters used to ferry workers and equipment to offshore rigs, according to The Wall Street Journal.1

many are stored outdoors on the tarmac, subject to changes in temperature and weather conditions.

To protect and preserve the helicopters, Protective Packaging applied long-term kits and its unique, state-of-the-art storage method. This method completely controls the environment around the aircraft, virtually guaranteeing they won’t be damaged by corrosion or other contaminants. This process involves expertly implementing the kits that are customized to fit each unique model of helicopter.

Protective Packaging gained its experience and expertise with long term storage for the military by providing preservation solutions for aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II.

“Using our experience in helping protect idled U.S. military equipment, vehicles, planes and technology from environmental factors and idleness, we were able to develop and install a complete solution for the helicopter operator,” said Steve Hanna, CEO of Protective Packaging Corporation.

“Our solution is much more cost-efficient than an expensive controlled environment warehouse or hangar. Better yet, this process has been approved by the major helicopter manufacturers.”

“Our long-term preservation concept is designed to adhere to the most rigorous requirements. This is particularly important for military aircraft that must be available in perfect condition at a moment’s notice,” said Steve Hanna, CEO of Protective Packaging. “The preservation kit is a cost effective and proven procedure to protect aircraft against corrosion, mold, mildew, moisture, UV, dirt, birds, and other contaminants in accordance with the manufacturer’s maintenance specifications.”

The helicopter operator, serving offshore rigs in the North Sea, needed to protect its idled aircraft from corrosion, mold, mildew and other environmental factors until current market conditions change. They also needed access to rotate the blades periodically during storage. The company wanted to make sure the helicopters would not require any cleaning or refurbishing when the helicopters were needed for service.

Protective Packaging wrapped one of each model for demonstration and training purposes. After six months in storage, the team unwrapped the aircraft and checked for storage-related damage. All aircraft were perfectly preserved and ready to be put into service. Since then, the Marines have engaged Protective Packaging for several additional preservation projects.

Protective Packaging Corporation implemented its unique packaging process with AirProPak kits to completely control the environment around the helicopters during storage.

Besides oil and gas industry-related customers, Protective Packaging Corporation has provided long-term packaging preservation for many of the top aircraft manufacturers and defense contractors in the world, as well as for the electronics, communication, and transportation industries. Protective Packaging Corporation is a Texas-based, ISO-certified, veteran-owned small business corporation that has been in business over 35 years. For more information, visit www. protectivepackaging.net.

In addition to military aircraft, Protective Packaging has provided preservation solutions for more than 200 commercial offshore helicopters.

Notes 1. http://www.wsj.com/articles/helicopters-areunlikely-victim-of-oil-downturn-1459379211 About Protective Packaging Corporation Protective Packaging Corporation is a leading supplier of moisture barrier bags and military specification packaging solutions to protect against corrosion and damage from electrostatic discharge during shipping and storage. For over 25 years, the company has worked with the U.S. military and commercial companies developing packaging solutions for everything from computer chips to weapons systems. Protective Packaging carries a wide range of U.S. military specification compliant barrier materials available in rolls, sheets, tubing and bags. Whether companies are protecting machinery during shipment or preserving vehicles during long-term storage, Protective Packaging has products to meet their needs.

Protective Packaging also offers packaging consulting, training, and implementation services to ensure their customers receive the right solution.

Marine Corps Preserving Emergency Use Helicopters In 2019, Protective Packaging Corporation used its expertise with military aircraft to assist U.S. Marine Corps aviation in the protection and preservation of Huey, Cobra, and Osprey aircraft with state-of-the-art packaging technology in accordance with the standard operating procedures of the manufacturers.

These aircraft are on call to provide air support at a moment’s notice anywhere in the world. When not in service,

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Industry and Technology U.S. Marine Corps Supports Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Mission in Haiti with the V-22 Submitted by Bell Boeing

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elivering critical resources to victims of natural disasters is one of the most important missions the Bell Boeing V-22 can undertake. Humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations require all of the support available to ensure the people impacted receive the care, food, clothing, and resources they need.

When Bell designed the tiltrotor, our teams were excited not only for the development of this revolutionary technology, but also for the unlimited capability it could offer our nation’s military. The Bell Boeing V-22 continues to be a vital asset as it supports a recent tragedy, the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

On Aug. 28, 2021, the U.S. Marine Corps operated the MV-22 in Jeremie, Haiti, carrying relief supplies to the Haitian citizens. According to an Associated Press article by Ben Fox, “people waved and cheered as a Marine Corps unit from North Carolina descended in a tilt-rotor Osprey with pallets of rice, tarps, and other supplies. Most of the supplies, however, were not destined for Jeremie. They were for distribution to remote Two MV-22 Osprey's attached to Joint Task Force - Haiti mountain communities where landslides destroyed homes and (JTF-Haiti) arrive to pick up humanitarian aid in Port-auPrince International Airport, Haiti Aug. 28, 2021. the small plots of the many subsistence farmers in the area.”

U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Clegg.

With unparalleled range and vertical takeoff and landing capability, the V-22 can seamlessly navigate open ocean and mountainous terrain with a range of more than 860 nautical miles. Fox stated that “two crews took off from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, flew to Port-au-Prince to pick up supplies, and then made multiple trips across the mountainous southern peninsula to deliver their loads. They stopped only to refuel on board the USS Arlington off the coast of Haiti.” The tiltrotor’s unique capabilities make it the ideal aircraft to complete humanitarian and disaster relief missions – especially in a maritime environment.

Time and time again, the V-22 has been used for special operations, combat search and rescue, and logistics and cargo transport missions. The aircraft currently serves the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and the Japan Ground Self Defense Force, amassing more than 600,000 flight hours. Knowing the V-22 is helping communities when they need it most reinforces how valuable this aircraft is to the successful execution of military operations worldwide. It reminds our teams at Bell why we are proud to build dynamic vertical lift products that serve our incredible customers.

Service members with Joint Task Force-Haiti (JTF-Haiti) and members of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) load humanitarian aid onto a MV-22 Osprey in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Aug. 28, 2021.

U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Clegg.

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Industry and Technology A Retired H-60 Pilot’s Personal Take on the Untapped Potential of the CMV-22B

By CAPT Chris “chet” Misner, USN (Ret.)

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hese are my personal views as I ruminate on the potential of the V-22 now that the Navy has acquired these aircraft as well. As an H-60 guy who flew the F and H models, I remember the saying “jack of all trades - expert at none” being tossed around.

Reflecting on that phrase makes me think a lot about where the VRM Community is, is headed, or could be headed. With the deployment of the Fleet Logistics MultiMission Squadron (VRM) 30 Detachment 1 in 2021, and Det 2 this year, the stand-up of the "VRM Community" is well underway.

As VRM begins to project power from the sea, the shore establishment has reached a major milestone. VRM-50, the Navy’s first CMV-22B Osprey Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), has celebrated a significant achievement with its “safe-for-flight” certification.

A CMV-22B Osprey, assigned to the “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30, prepares to land on the flight deck aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Dec. 31, 2021. U.S. Navy photo

The CMV-22B will leverage decades of operational and combat experience by by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Isaiah M. Williams. both the USAF and USMC, including over 600,000 flight hours flown by both services. The Navy variant will be capable of transporting up to 6,000 pounds of cargo and/ or personnel and have a range of over 1,150 nautical miles. The V-22's ability to take off and land vertically like a traditional helicopter, as well as its capability to make short-takeoff-and-landings (STOL), provide the Strike Group Commander with a more versatile and flexible aircraft than the C-2 or the H-60.

Medical personnel carry a simulated patient during a medical transport drill on the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). The drill was the first-ever MEDEVAC by a Navy CMV-22B Osprey aboard an aircraft carrier. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Aaron T. Smith.

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The CNO's Navigation Plan and the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy make it clear that the Navy will be involved in a long-term competition for decades to come. If the Naval Services are going to be primarily concerned with fighting and winning a high-end fight in a distributed maritime and expeditionary operating environment, it is likely that the Navy will have to use the CMV for more than just moving "pax, mail, and cargo," as was the traditional Carrier on Board Delivery (COD) mission of the C-2 Greyhound, the aircraft the CMV replaced. As is the case in the fielding of any new weapon system, there always exists a propensity to undertake a "crawl, walk, run" mentality. We have all lived it, and it makes sense. The question for the both CMV Community and the Navy is this: How long before the

CMV hits its stride and starts running? With a much smaller Program of Record, the Navy will need to act quickly and decisively if it decides it wants or needs more CMVs, due to a potential expansion into additional mission sets–ones that will be required in order to fight and win a near peer competition in the future.

Let’s briefly look at a few potential missions.

Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) The speed and extended coverage of the CMV, coupled with its mobility and ability to concentrate and respond rapidly, could provide Strike Group and Joint Force Commanders the operational reach needed to quickly seize and maintain the initiative. The CMV is far more efficient than a traditional rotary wing aircraft like the MH-60S, and could provide commanders with a faster recovery of injured aircrews, which would significantly increase personnel survivability rate. The aerial refueling capability also increases flexibility and decreases mission complexity, as it would decrease or potentially eliminate surface ship support requirements. The CMV-22’s faster recovery reduces the likelihood that an adversary can “rescue” downed aircrews before friendly forces arrive. The USAF has clearly demonstrated the V-22 effectiveness in this role.

Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) The CMV's speed and endurance for long-range tactical support and dynamic employment capabilities for both land and sea-based operations on short notice could be a

Sailors aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy’s (T-AH 19) tie down an MV-22B Osprey assigned to Air Test and Evaluation (HX) Squadron 21 on the ship’s flight deck for the first time Apr. 14. Mercy is underway off the coast of Southern California completing Dynamic Interface testing, where the ship’s aviation facilities will be evaluated for compatibility with the V-22 Osprey and MH-60 Seahawk, and establish launch and recovery windows in adverse weather conditions. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication

potential game-changer for ASuW Warfare Commanders. (I am suspending wardroom fines for overuse of the term “game changer”) The integration of the CMV into the Navy Tactical Grid would significantly increase the number of contacts.

With its networks and data links, the CMV-22B expands awareness beyond a conventional helicopter’s capability, creating a more informed common operating picture and improving the Navy, and even the Joint Force, Tactical Grid.

The CMV-22 improves economy of force by reducing ship and helicopter support requirements. ASuW missions would be far more successful because of CMV-22 endurance.

Advanced capabilities like the Ford Class CVN, JSF, ESB and EPF-14 are sub-optimized without a fast, long-range, rotary wing aircraft capability.

Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC) The CMV's multi-mission flexibility and ability to be dynamically re-tasked from intra-theater aerial logistics to CASEVAC to long-range patient movement will be unmatched.

It has been decades since the Navy has faced the possibility of a ship being seriously damaged or destroyed at sea, and it is something the Navy Staff surely must consider. The ability to provide en-route care of patients and rapid patient movement will save lives. Casualty evacuations without CMV-22Bs will take days, vice hours, to move the injured from a damaged ship to sea or shore-based hospitals. The CMV-22B provides faster and smoother patient travel compared to ship transit.

The ability to move a critically injured patient off of the CVN can easily be imagined. The C-2 does not normally operate at night and a "CAT-shot" or an arrested landing of a seriously wounded or injured Sailor or Marine is a non-starter.

This basic introduction to future CMV mission sets is by no means an all inclusive list and will require a significant amount of intellectual, operational, and financial resources.

What we do know is this: the CMV-22B is here and here to stay. Strike Group Commanders are only just beginning to understand exactly what the CMV brings to the fight. It is only a matter of time before the Navy, and possibly even Joint Force and Combatant Commanders, realizes exactly what a force multiplier the CMV-22B will be. If the Navy decides that the CMV can do more than just deliver "mail, pax, and cargo," the Navy will need to make sure the CMV Community is not only properly manned, trained, and equipped, but also seamlessly integrated into the Carrier Air Wing. The community, in addition, will need to be provided the training and tactical doctrine required to be successful in any future conflict. If we make them the jack of all trades, let's take this seriously enough to make them experts at all. Because if things get sporty out west, we sure will need these bubbas on the first team.

About the Author CAPT Misner is a retired H-60 pilot who commanded HS-15 and NAS Kingsville.

He is currently a Senior Manager at Bell.

Specialist 3rd Class Jake Greenberg.

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Features Logistics, Not PR, is the Key Mission to Consider for HSC (CVW)

By LCDR Matthew “Cheeese” Wellens, USN

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ith Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Carrier Air Wing (CVW) squadrons facing a significant restructure, there has been much discussion about what the reduction to three MH-60S on the aircraft carrier (CVN) means. For example, in the Fall 2021 Issue #154 of Rotor Review, CDR Tom “Brother” Murray focused on the effect a three aircraft CVN footprint will have on the ability to perform missions such as Personnel Recovery (PR) and contended that more than three MH-60S helicopters on the carrier are necessary to maintain the air wing’s PR capability. However, too little discussion has centered on the more prominent issue: the effect a three aircraft footprint will have on Carrier Strike Group (CSG) logistics.

squadrons accomplish these tasks daily and enable all facets of CSG operations. However, this raises an important question: are three MH-60S on the carrier enough for CSG logistics requirements?

General Eisenhower captured the critical importance of logistics, saying “you will not find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns, and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics.” It follows that naval logistics today are of the utmost importance given the expected operational area of our CSGs in this era of Great Power Competition.

Absolutely not. Any HSC (CVW) pilot or aircrew will tell you three aircraft are not enough to meet their logistics requirements from previous deployments. The decision to embark an air wing that has just three MH-60S on the carrier might brief well since it keeps deck space below the prescribed operational density threshold, but it does not adequately consider the realities of CSG operations. Even with a reduced search and rescue requirement, there will be many painful days on deployment when the carrier is unable to execute logistics tasking due to scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on the MH-60S. One response might be to send in the MH-60R to pinch hit; however, its lack of cabin space and reduced power margins result in an aircraft with much less logistics capability. Furthermore, Romeos are also facing a smaller carrier presence, despite an ever-increasing appetite for their services.

The venerable MH-60S is one of the few platforms that performs CSG logistics underway. The aircraft is second to none when it comes to myriad logistics tasks such as vertical replenishment (VERTREP), moving Sailors to and from their ships, flying maintainers to the beach after an F/A-18 diverts, conducting emergent medical evacuations, backing up Carrier Onboard Delivery detachments when their aircraft break down, conducting Humanitarian Aid/Disaster Relief, transporting the admiral, and more. Deployed HSC (CVW)

Another potential response could be to use helicopter detachments on Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ships. While they are available during underway replenishment, CLF Dets are often unavailable to assist with tasking from the carrier at other times since they routinely need to resupply in port and replenish other ships. Despite these constraints, CLF helo dets, whether composed of active duty HSC crews or civilian contractor crews, will likely need to assume a larger role as a result of HSC’s smaller carrier presence. Given the decreased

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CVN deck space available for the MH-60S, the potentially larger role of CLF dets, and the Navy’s push for Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), the Navy should strive to place HSC detachments on every CLF ship. HSC crews provide flexibility and capabilities in other mission areas beyond what contract services can provide, a factor that will become increasingly important in the DMO environment.

The HSC Community can help itself by better marketing its vital role in CSG logistics. For example, in a 5 ½ month Western Pacific deployment without a CLF det in 2017, HSC-4 transported approximately 700 passengers and 3 million pounds of cargo over roughly 300 logistics sorties while simultaneously conducting other operational tasking and necessary training. That same deployment with just three MH-60S would not only feature a less capable HSC squadron, but more importantly, it would feature a CSG less ready for combat operations across the board due to insufficient logistics capacity. Advertising the effects of a smaller HSC (CVW) squadron to pervasive missions like logistics is more likely to

resonate with Navy leadership than the effects to narrower missions involving the MH-60S. Logistics isn’t sexy, but it is a critically important and high visibility mission that HSC (CVW) squadrons have an indispensable role in every day. Any case for more than three MH-60S on the carrier needs to start and end with logistics.

This discussion is one that might capture the attention of leaders at fleet commands, type commands, and within the strike group. On the other hand, any argument that centers on long range PR will struggle to gain traction.

About the Author LCDR Matthew “Cheeese” Wellens is an HSC pilot who has experienced three CVN deployments to U.S. 5th and 7th Fleets and is now the Flag Aide to the Naval Inspector General. Please feel free to share your thoughts with him at matthew.t.wellens.mil@us.navy. mil.

An MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, assigned to the "Tridents" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9, lifts supplies from the flight deck of USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) during a vertical replenishment with USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Sawyer Connally.

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Features

The Next Chapter: A Call to Innovate and Integrate

By LT Casey “Casper” O’Brien, USN

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n August 2021, the world observed the final drawback of coalition forces from Afghanistan. A generational war came to an end and the concern of near-peer adversaries intensified. In unison, Navy and Marine Corps leadership formulated and released their guidance in the form of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) NAVPLAN 2021 and the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) Planning Guidance. These documents echoed multiple topics: the near-peer fight, integrated training, and adapting the warfighting force to win. “While America’s need for sea control and power projection hasn’t changed, how we compete and what we fight with has.”1 The message was clear: the way we have been fighting over the last 20 years is not how we will fight in the next 20 years. The CNO has called on us to “…align our exercises, experiments, and education to better understand requirements to defeat the adversary.”2 The time has come to reexamine how we integrate and innovate in order to overcome our nation’s future strategic challenges.

The Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) and Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) Communities’ readiness and qualifications are primarily derived from Air Combat Training Continuum (ACTC) graded events; none of which require integration with entities external to an individual’s own squadron, community, or military branch. The exceptions to this absence of requirement are present in Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 85’s (HSC-85) Dedicated Special Operations Support (DSS) syllabi and HSC’s Seahawk Weapons and Tactics Program (SWTP) syllabi. The SWTP requires two ACTC events involving procedural controls from a qualified Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC).

Typically, the only external integration opportunities HSC/ HSM Aircrew receive come during deployment workups, to include Air Wing Fallon (AWF) and Helicopter Advanced Readiness Program (HARP) events. In short, this training plan does not meet Commander’s Intent and is not maximizing integration.

Integration is a top priority, per CNO; “Joining with the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, we will deliver Integrated All-domain Naval Power to prevail in day-to-day competition, in crisis, and in conflict.”3 Under the current Operational Tempo (OPTEMPO) and HSC/HSM training Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

construct, squadron training departments may find it difficult to meet readiness requirements. With that in mind, requiring integration in ACTC events would put an additional strain on operational squadrons. Without instituting an additional requirement, the onus is now on squadron commanders and training departments to exercise initiative, and leverage opportunities to integrate with forces outside of the HSC/ HSM community. In doing so, the community will be manned by qualified Aircrew who are highly proficient in joint operations fulfilling Commander’s Intent. “We should train the way we expect and intend to fight.”4 There are several opportunities to conduct joint training that pair with HSC/HSM ACTC requirements. To “improve warfighter readiness in support of a Marine Expeditionary Force in a maritime campaign” 3rd Marine Air Wing (3MAW) annually conducts Large Force Exercises (LFE) called WINTER FURY and SUMMER FURY.5 These exercises provide an opportunity to integrate and train to Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Surface Warfare (SUW), Personnel Recovery (PR) and advanced operations utilizing joint Digital Interoperability (DI). SOUTHERN STRIKE (SSTK) is a joint LFE hosted by the Mississippi Air National Guard (ANG) at Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center (CRTC). Events conducted at SSTK include Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), Close Air Support (CAS), Combat Logistics, PR, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).5 Quarterly, Helicopter Sea Combat Weapons School Pacific (HSCWSP) conducts PHOENIX ASSAULT consisting of joint Helicopter Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (HVBSS) training routinely integrating Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force assets. Also quarterly, Helicopter Sea Combat Weapons School Atlantic (HSCWSL) conducts SAVAGE ICE, executing training with Naval Special Warfare (NSW) and Army assets in multiple mission sets including HVBSS, SUW and Special Operations Forces (SOF) support. INTEGRATED TRAINING EXERCISE (ITX) is periodically held at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) in Twentynine Palms, CA, and prepares the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) for deployment through joint training in mission sets such as CAS, Combat Logistics, and SOF support. Most notably, the Air Force’s flag-series exercises focus on multiple mission sets including PR, SOF support, SUW, and CAS. Integration is imperative for our long-term success.

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“We must divest of legacy capabilities that do not meet our future requirements, regardless of their past operational efficacy.” The CNO and CMC have instructed all Naval and Marine Corps forces to adapt and innovate our processes to meet the requirements of the current realities.

“The way we have always done it” no longer meets the bill; the time is now to re-write how we accomplish our missions. As we continue to hone our capabilities in Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), we must assess the feasibility of our time-proven foundational processes. Future mission accomplishment on all levels of execution will rely on these process improvements. A call to focus on a “one team, one fight” mentality requires us to assess how other services conduct operations, to include Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 (HSC-23) and Marine Light maintenance actions. The varying operational Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 (HMLA-267) conduct joint urban environments and requirements have forced operations training at Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Hooper us to develop different procedures despite Heliport in downtown Los Angeles. U.S. Navy Photo operating similar Type, Model, Series (TMS) aircraft. Learning how to operate with other maintenance departments within Naval Aviation and other branches is becoming increasingly important when considering the next generational fight. Innovation must be everyone’s priority.

Helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 (HSC-22), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28 (HSC-28) and 159th Aviation Regiment conduct joint Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) training with SEAL Team 2 (ST-2) during Naval Special Warfare (NSW) TRIDENT EXERCISE. U.S. Navy Photo.

To maintain our current strategy of deterrence through forward presence, the OPTEMPO for the foreseeable future will not slow down. Under this OPTEMPO, the limited time available makes it difficult to participate in integrated training and develop improved maintenance processes.

Finances required to participate in joint training exercises could present a roadblock as well. Despite current OPTEMPO and the financial requirement there are feasible ways forward.

Squadron maintenance departments have successfully experimented with executing maintenance actions with other HSC/ HSM squadrons.

For example, in the fall of 2021, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 (HSC-25), the Guam-based Forward Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) HSC squadron, successfully expended one AGM-114N in a multi-domain remote lasing training evolution with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 Detachment 5 (HSC-21.5) embarked on the USS Tulsa (LCS 16). The HSC21.5 maintenance team uploaded the AGM-114N onto the HSC-25 aircraft and the mixed HSC-25/21 section expended the ordnance on time and simultaneously with a simulated Naval Strike Missile (NSM) launched from LCS-16. Execution of these evolutions is becoming increasingly vital to mission accomplishment. Our next step is to take advantage of learning 47

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Features opportunities on how to complete maintenance actions with the maintenance departments of other branches. These opportunities are available during the periodic joint training exercises previously mentioned (i.e., SUMMER FURY and WINTER FURY).

The most economical way to accomplish integrated training can be through linked simulators, ensuring we exercise the full capability of our training systems. HSC/HSM squadrons routinely conduct Unit Level Training (ULT) detachments; substituting one or multiple ULT detachments with a joint exercise is one method to meet Commander’s Intent of maximizing integrated training. Another viable option is to extend an invitation to external entities to participate in squadron ULT detachments.

Through planning conferences, training departments and external entities can seamlessly align Desired Learning Objectives (DLO) and execute desired events. Most importantly, if there

Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 (HSC-23), Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 (HMLA-267), 26th Weapons Squadron (26th WPS) and Special Boat Team 12 (SBT-12) conduct joint special operations support training at San Clemente Island Range Complex (SCIRC). U.S. Navy Photo.

are barriers to meeting Commander’s Intent, we must continually communicate these barriers up our chain of command and advocate for additional resources.

Integration and innovation must be the foundation of our mindset and strategic action plans.

Historically, HSC and HSM have trained and operated in a vacuum-this must change. Current realities require a mindset shift; rather than meeting minimum readiness requirements we must make ACTC events relevant and meet Commander’s Intent. Now is the HSC-25 and HSC-21 Det. 5 launch an AGM-114 HELLFIRE missile during an time to reinvent how we train and exercise. HSC-25 aircraft landed aboard USS Tulsa (LCS 16) for an underway missileoperate; integration and innovation on load supported by HSC-21 Det. 5 maintenance personnel. Photo Credit: Mass must occur in every phase of Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zachary Grooman execution in order for us to win the next fight.

Footnotes 1.Gilday, Michael M. CNO Navplan 2021. Jan. 2021, Jan. 2021 https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jan/11/2002562551/-1/-1/1/CNO%20NAVPLAN%202021%20-%20FINAL.PDF. Page 4.

2. Gilday, Michael M. CNO Navplan 2021. Jan. 2021, Jan. 2021 https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jan/11/2002562551/-1/-1/1/CNO%20NAVPLAN%202021%20-%20FINAL.PDF. Page 8.

3. Gilday, Michael M. CNO Navplan 2021. Jan. 2021, Jan. 2021 https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jan/11/2002562551/-1/-1/1/CNO%20NAVPLAN%202021%20-%20FINAL.PDF. Page 15.

4. Berger, David H. Commandant's Planning Guidance - United States Marine Corps. 17 July 2019, https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/Commandant's%20Planning%20Guidance_2019. pdf?ver=2019-07-17-090732-937. Pg 17.

5. Berger, David H. Commandant's Planning Guidance - United States Marine Corps. 17 July 2019 https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/Commandant's%20Planning%20Guidance_2019. pdf?ver=2019-07-17-090732-937. Pg 2.

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Advancing FRS Training through Modern Technology: Get Real, Get Better

By LT Cort “Freq” Jones, USN and LT Chris “Dewey” Kimbrough, USN

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uring opening statements at the 2021 Naval Helicopter Association Symposium, Vice Chief of Naval Operations ADM Bill Lescher said, “The future of Naval Lethality is broken down into four individual pieces: the abilities to shoot, maneuver, defend, and supply.” Rotary Wing Naval Aviation is embedded within each of these fundamental pieces and our Fleet aviators must be ready from day one to execute these missions. However, the HSC and HSM syllabi are, by nature, stuck in the archaic training environment of decades past; we simply are not able to achieve this goal.

Over the last decade, the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) has slowly incorporated improved teaching techniques within training commands, but has come up considerably short with respect to harnessing the advancements in training technology.

When speaking to “CAT Other” Fleet Replacement Pilots (FRPs), clicking their way through the FRS syllabus for the second or third time before they begin their Department Head and Executive Officer tours , relatively little has actually changed in our approach to the production of Fleet Naval Aviators. Our FRPs are completing the same courseware, on the same computers, in the same libraries, as they did 10 to 20 years ago. Within the civilian sector, there have been dramatic technological improvements during this same time span. The implementation of these improvements into the FRS curriculum could increase the fidelity of training, shorten time to train (TTT), and ultimately produce more prepared, proficient, and lethal aviators.

In early 2020, Chief of Naval Air Training, Rear Admiral Daniel W. Dwyer initiated Project Avenger, a Navy primary flight training modernization program based on the Air Force’s Pilot Training Next Program. Diverging from the standard book intensive linear training continuum, Project Avenger leverages technological advances commonly seen in the civilian sector and allows Primary Instructor Pilots (IP) to develop new ways of teaching the modern Student Naval Aviator (SNA). In this program, SNAs are given a personal learning device (tablet) that is preloaded with publications, the learning management system (LMS), videos, virtual reality (VR) simulations, and aviation software. In the program, SNAs have 24/7 access to a multitude of videos and courseware to help them absorb the material and see and chair-fly maneuvers hundreds of times, at no cost, before they ever step foot into an aircraft. The plethora of content, covering each of the primary phases from preflight planning through aerobatic and formation flight, elevates the SNA’s knowledge retention from strictly information memorization to information understanding. Project Avenger SNAs immerse themselves in the material, build connections between words and task execution, and add real-world sight pictures to the Primary Contact Flight Training Instruction (FTI) maneuver descriptions and parameters.

Instructor pilot Navy Lt. Paula Register oversees student naval aviators Marine 1st Lt. Andre Demarinis, left, and Navy Ensign Chris Nance as they conduct virtual reality trainer flights during Naval Aviation Training Next - Project Avenger ground school at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi,TX. U.S. Navy photo by LT Michelle Tucker.

With Commander, Naval Air Force’s (CNAF) approval, inaircraft cameras are mounted to capture the pilot’s viewpoint for each maneuver. When compiled and edited, each video demonstrates how to properly execute a maneuver. The IP narrates each step, highlights where the pilot should be scanning, and which cues or visual references are used in order to complete the maneuver. SNAs have the ability to watch, pause, rewind, and re-watch these videos; they can see what the IP is looking at, scan the instruments, and identify their own checkpoints in the aircraft as well as in the pattern.

Via these videos, SNAs are exposed to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Principles of Learning of Exercise and Primacy.1 The principle of exercise states that those things most often repeated are best remembered and that exercise is most meaningful and effective within the context of realworld application; in this case the SNAs see and hear each maneuver performed in the real world by a standardized IP instead of words in the FTI, and they will more easily be able to recall and execute when they have to perform the task in the aircraft. The principle of primacy states that what is learned first often creates a strong, almost unshakable impression, and that the first experience should be positive, functional, and lay the correct foundation for all that is to follow; with this program the SNAs learn the proper, standard way to 49

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Features execute each maneuver from their very first contact with the material. Each video is free from gouge passed between SNAs and individualized Simulator Instructor (SI) or IP technique.

SNAs are given the ability not only to memorize the FTI steps, but also to see and understand the steps being exercised before ever being required to execute the maneuvers themselves. VR headsets are available to the SNAs to review the material as well, combining the benefits of aircraft and maneuver videos with an almost lifelike “in the aircraft” experience. With this technology, the SNA essentially has unrestricted access to a personal 360 degree simulator, hours of instructional simulations, and a dedicated IP at home.

Expounding on the previously mentioned preflight benefits of Project Avenger, additional in-flight and post-flight applications pave the way for higher level learning through flight analysis and error analysis. The SNA’s iPad utilizes applications that track them throughout the entire flight, capturing flight regime and maneuver data not previously accessible for debrief. This tracking not only captures flight parameters but is capable of capturing video of the aircraft throughout the training event. This enables the SNAs to debrief with (and without) their instructors, see their maneuver execution, evaluate performance compared to standard, and correlate the results of the maneuver with what control input was made inside the cockpit. The SNA will be able to review, analyze, and re-fly each maneuver an infinite amount of times after every flight, thus allowing them to identify and understand the root cause for each mistake and ultimately reduce errors in the future. This advancement in training technology can dramatically increase an SNA’s performance and success rate, and reduce overall TTT throughout the pipeline. Data from Project Avenger graduates has already shown a dramatic reduction in TTT. SNAs in the original primary syllabus are allotted 12 contact flights to be eligible for solo; many are completing this milestone in six flights in the Project Avenger syllabus, and some in as few as five.

Primary Flight Training (VTs) and Helicopter Advanced Flight Training (HTs) have begun working with these hardware and software training systems under Project Avenger through CNATRA resources and funding. The VTs started a pilot class operating under a prototype Project Avenger syllabus in September 2020, with the goal of evaluating the effectiveness of the courseware and identifying areas for improvement. Since then, several classes have gone through similar programs, which have continuously been updated to maximize the benefits of the training technology. The focus of the training modernization is: “How can I move things to the left?” and enable SNAs to take control of their own training and progress at their own pace. “Competency based training” was introduced to move students through the syllabus as fast as they are able to grasp the material. This allows high performing SNAs to complete phase checkpoints at an accelerated pace without negatively affecting the SNAs who need more time to master the knowledge and skills. It focuses on milestones rather than simply line items on every flight.

Through the use of VR devices, students are able to actively “chair fly” and apply their skills to learn the scan patterns, and repeatedly practice these skills, which in turn makes the competency based training achievable. Students who have completed Project Avenger and are selected into the jet pipeline, then proceed to Project Hellcat (T-6B continuation syllabus), and then proceed to intermediate, where they are enrolled in Project Corsair (T-45C). Project Hellcat and Corsair operate with the same principles as Project Avenger.

Alternatively, the HTs have begun acceptance of the TH73A Thrasher Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS).

The Thrasher is a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) helicopter, hosting a suite of modern avionics and the latest and greatest aircraft systems. The Navy’s goal for this new training system is to “improve pilot training and skills by using current cockpit technologies and modernized training curriculum that reflects capabilities in current Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard inventory. Using a skills-based approach to training, with just-in-time methodology, incorporating modern technology, AHTS will ensure Rotary Wing Aviators are produced at a higher quality, more efficiently, ready to meet the challenges faced in the fleet.”2 This trainer, coupled with a specialized Project Avenger style program and an updated syllabus capitalizing on the educational benefits of the modern helicopter, will surely increase the training fidelity and ensure Aviators hit the Fleet ready to attack modern problems.

After Rotary Wing Naval Aviators receive their wings, Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) and Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) FRPs report to the FRS to begin training in their Fleet aircraft; the MH-60S Knighthawk and MH-60R Seahawk respectively. Instead of continuing their training pipeline with technologically enhanced training, the HSC and HSM syllabi revert students back to an out-of-date training environment of decades past.

Navy Ensign Michael Hopersberger, a student naval aviator enrolled in Naval Aviation Training Next - Project Avenger, plans a virtual training flight on a tablet during ground school at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, TX. U.S. Navy photo by LT Michelle Tucker.

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Winged VT and HT students turn in their iPads, leave the VR goggles, and say goodbye to the plethora of beneficial learning systems, then arrive at the FRS, where they’ll enjoy little or no access to resources that they’ve been accustomed to using in support of their training progression. These newly reporting FRPs, eager to fly their Fleet aircraft, are now faced with a new challenge: re-learn how to learn. The FRPs leaving the high fidelity training endowment in CNATRA are now at a severe educational disadvantage–now stuck in a curriculum based in paper publications, maneuver description guides (MDG), unendorsed gouge, and limited access to unclassified (and classified) tactical doctrine. This leaves no real way for FRPs to apply their highly refined and systematically tuned learning skills to the MH-60S and MH-60R. This is already a notable issue for HSC and HSM FRPs, and will undoubtedly grow more noticeable with the arrival of the TH-73A. The FRSs need to work towards training modernization and leveraging resources not just for the continuity of learning but also for the continuation of quality of the training.

A Project Avenger-related program at the FRS can lead to a reduction in TTT, and will transform the way FRPs learn their Fleet aircraft and tactics. Comparing FRS TTT reductions to a fraction of those in Project Avenger, an individual FRP’s TTT could be reduced by up to a syllabus week in the first stage of the syllabus alone. This would translate to a FRS flight hour requirement reduction of 261 hours, based on 58 CAT I FRPs graduating the FRS every year. Educationwise, the use of LMS, instructional aides, training videos, and VR simulations, FRPs on their first flight event will have already seen checklist management, course rules, maneuver execution, and emergency procedure application thousands of times. When the FRP does their first normal takeoff, single-engine landing, or autorotation in the aircraft, they will already have developed a sight picture, visual cues, and learned the standardized steps to execute the procedure near perfectly. The project also increases standardization in the material the FRPs are accessing; the videos/VR content they are watching will be the new gold standard. There will no longer be multiple interpretations or individual “techniques, not procedures” that are shared during the initial days when primacy learning is taking shape. They can commit the standard procedure execution to memory; developing connections between the written procedures and procedure execution, allowing students to create this lasting muscle memory. An added benefit of the in-house content creation is that a variety of videos for a single maneuver can be produced in different locations and can introduce maneuver execution free of the bounds and checkpoints of any single outlying field (OLF). Gone are the days in which we train FRPs to be able to execute just at Imperial Beach, Felker, or Newport News.

Emphasizing proper procedure application over technique will ensure maneuver execution is location independent; whether that be Langley Air Force Base, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, a parking lot, or the back of a ship.

Although the VT and HT training programs have been funded, the FRSs are left behind in the purgatory between a syllabus owned by CNATRA and training that’s funded through the respective Wings. With the rapid development and execution of the programs within the training commands, the FRSs have been caught in the training development dust.

In order to remedy this tremendous training deficit the FRSs need to work together to develop a joint prioritized target list and framework to get high fidelity training programs off the ground.

At first look, priorities are as follows: (1) Accept that the FRS is behind in training modernization.

(2) Develop a joint HSC and HSM training modernization team with longevity and little collateral responsibility.

(3) Secure funding for content creation equipment/software and FRP learning devices.

(4) Develop clear program objectives and a desired end state.

(5) Organize a prototype curriculum.

(6) Identify cast members and ensure rigid standard compliance.

(7) Record, edit, and produce training material.

(8) Select small FRP classes to pilot the program.

(9) Continually review, update, and verify accuracy of all modern training materials.

With respect to funding, the squadrons won’t require a massive financial contribution. The FRS requires a light footprint compared to the VTs and HTs. Implementation will require close coordination across the coasts and communities for equipment use, information sharing, program development, and will require a dedicated team of subject matter experts (SMEs), standardization instructors, and editing skills to put these videos and the syllabi together.

It is clear that the FRSs have a lot of catching up to do in regards to leveraging modern technology within the training continuum. The Rotary Wing community needs to take advantage of the drastic strides commercial aviation has made within recent years, and combine these with advancements in aviation educational systems. This is contingent on a dedicated team to create content, implement changes, and advertise this fresh way of learning. By no means will this undertaking be easy; however, using the lessons learned from our peers at CNATRA, the HSC and HSM FRSs can turn the tide in how Rotary Wing Naval Aviators are being trained. The goal should be to get FRPs to their fleet squadrons faster, with a better understanding of aircraft and tactics, and a higher aptitude for safe and efficient aircraft operations. We must recognize that we have fallen behind in education, and we must remediate this deficit immediately. Echoing the VCNOs closing statements at Symposium, we must “GET REAL, [and] GET BETTER!” Footnotes 1. FAA Aviation Instructor’s Handbook (FAA-H-803-9) 2. (https://www.navair.navy.mil/product/TH-73A) 51

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Features USS Abraham Lincoln Deploys with First Female Commanding Officer

By Andrew Dyer, San Diego Union-Tribune

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n aircraft carrier is underway toward the Western Pacific on a routine deployment, and for the first time in Navy history, it’s doing so with a female captain in charge.

For the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln ( CVN 72), which left its berth at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego Bay on Monday morning, the deployment marks the culmination of nine months of training and work-ups. It is also the first carrier deployment for a Marine Corps F-35C fighter squadron.

CAPT Amy Bauernschmidt took command of the ship in August, becoming the first woman to command a Navy aircraft carrier.

The carrier’s deployment comes amid increasingly hostile rhetoric between China and Taiwan. RADM Jeffrey Anderson, the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group commander, did not comment specifically on the matter during a news conference Monday but said the strike group is ready to accomplish its mission, whatever that might be. “We’re trained and certified for global deployment,” Anderson said. “Our mission is to provide combat capability and ready naval forces so that we can work alongside our allies and partners to be able to deter aggression and also counter malign influence.”

CAPT Bauernschmidt said that her crew performed exceptionally during deployment work-ups and that she was humbled to be entrusted with their safety.

“This is an amazing day,” she said. “They are going to do exceptional work out there, and I just can’t wait to watch them succeed.”

CAPT Amy Bauernschmidt, Commanding Officer of Nimitzclass aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), speaks with local media during a press conference before the ship gets underway for a regularly-scheduled deployment. Photo

by Petty Officer 1st Class Kelby Sanders, USN.

Five sailors were killed during those work-ups in September when their helicopter crashed into the carrier’s flight deck and tumbled into the sea. CAPT Bauernschmidt, who came up through the ranks flying helicopters, had been in command for 12 days when the crash occurred. She offered condolences to the families of those killed and talked about the effect the crash had on the crew.

“It is always a tough experience and no one is prepared for something like that — everyone deals with it in their own way,” she said. “It was a tough day that none of us will ever forget.”

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Bring Back Virtual HITS

By LT Cory “AGNES” Poudrier, USN

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t the start of COVID, HSM and HSC Wings Pacific were posed an interesting problem: how do we continue providing essential instrument training to pilots while adhering to social distancing regulations and COVID-19 mitigation controls? Out of this problem, a brilliant solution was born.

Virtual HITS (Helicopter Instrument Training School).

Provided via Microsoft Teams video meetings, the program simultaneously answered the question and improved upon the standing product. Easy to schedule, easy to attend, and easily modified for changes to policy, it was, pardon the pun, a hit.

HSC-21 Squadron Photo

So where did it go?

Virtual HITS provided arguably the most adaptive and forward-leaning example of a virtual classroom in the rotary wing community. Sign-ups were virtual, class rosters collected digitally, and CNAF-mandated open and closed book exams administered in a secure manner that met the intent of the training. Aircrew and operations departments saved time and headache by allowing attendees to take part in training from anywhere. NATOPS departments experienced less concern about early scheduling driven by class size restrictions. An all-around win, some might say.

When COVID mitigations started to ease, the Fleet saw the return of “in-person” HITS Classes. It was a bold reminder of why sometimes the old ways are not always the best. Attendance is again limited by class size, and requests are relegated again to the antiquated Outlook HSC-3 Folder, driving rosters to be released there and only there. The book bags in the classroom, full of expired and outdated publications that do not support the current teaching material highlight the shift to digital publications.

The instructors focus on paper charts; a stark contrast to the use of web and device-based planning applications that have been authorized for flight planning for years.

Rather than hold on to the older format, HSC-3 and the Fleet at large should embrace a virtual and more flexible option that has already been proven. Virtual HITS provides an incredible venue to teach instrument navigation and flying at the pace of innovation: publication libraries, with baked in digital links to references, and video tutorials for digital interfaces can be added to lectures in the Office 365 family of products with ease. Because the syllabus is tightly maintained, changes to content can take a day or two and reach far more pilots through digital notifications than the slow trickle of learning that occurs through in-person HITS. Even more revolutionary, HITS could provide a test case and proving ground for automated paperwork for other DoD classes and programs. Having students fill out an online form upon checking in to the lectures can automatically fill a HITS completion roster, and that document can be released after exam results. That concept, once established, would likely build well into the countless other similar repetitive paperwork in all T/M/S programs.

It would be a great shame to ignore this opportunity as a rotary wing community and let a more effective model of instruction disintegrate into history. The constant messaging from Fleet users to reduce administrative burden and ease scheduling requirements was very neatly answered through this innovation; to forgo its long-term use would be to take some very serious steps backward.

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Features COVID ALERT: The Challenges of Transferring COVID Patients at Sea

By LT Colton Schiefer, USN

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OVID-19 had already been declared a pandemic for half a a year by the time Detachment 4 of Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) Squadron 26 began pre-deployment work up cycles with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWO ARG). The virus, despite being microscopic, was the most visible threat of daily operations for Sailors underway. The IWO ARG had the complex challenge of meeting the predeployment exercise’s requirements while keeping a novel and indifferent virus at bay. One key concern was how the ship would operate while bringing thousands of Sailors and Marines together from multiple bases along the country’s eastern seaboard.

All personnel were required to wear face masks, following the CDC and Navy/Marine Corps guidelines, to mitigate spread of the virus in the event it made its way onboard.

Chad Obermeyer, left, assigned to Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 6, explains how the COVID-19 vaccine works to Operations Specialist Seaman Kevin Howard in the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima's (LHD 7) Medical Ward.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brenton Poyser.

Sailors and Marines quickly became accustomed to wearing the masks day after day at all times–aside from while eating, sleeping, or showering. Breathing while conducting labor intensive tasks on the ship became a strenuous activity, and prioritizing health over comfort became a common goal.

Continual masking incited supply deficits which, in turn, led to service members’ repeated use of worn and dirty masks, a new logistical dilemma of the COVID era. Eventually, it was mandated that cloth and standard blue surgical masks did not offer enough of a barrier to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Everyone on the ship, therefore, was required to wear N-95 masks. The initial mandate came in the middle of a work up; consequently, the ship had to supply all of the masks, leading to increased scarcity of approved masks on board. Any occurrence of a new confirmed COVID case would reignite the gravity of donning the mask. The ship had judicious quarantine procedures in place to keep COVID patients from spreading the virus throughout the spaces, and ensured rigorous contact tracing for all confirmed cases. Beyond the short-term solution of quarantine practices existed the longterm concern of getting COVID positive individuals off of the ship.

HSC-26’s MH-60S Knighthawks were the primary asset for answering the call of disembarkation of COVID patients during these crucial work up evolutions. The MH-60S, Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

an extremely versatile airframe manned by crews trained in combat logistics, is perfect for this mission set. Crews were identified and annotated on the flight schedule and air plan for transporting patients from the ships to shore facilities for treatment and prevention of further spread at sea. This process was not immune to growing pains. Initially, the guidance required a downing period for both crews and aircraft involved in the transport of these exposed patients. The crews were prohibited from flying for the remainder of the day and the following day, and the aircraft was to be cleaned and left untouched for 72 hours. During the earliest days of the protocol, the aircrewmen were instructed to quarantine within a designated area of the medical department for two days.

While flying, the crews donned N-95 masks, surgical gloves beneath flight gloves, and sanitized flight gear. Upon return from the flight, crews were corralled into decontamination rooms where they left all flight gear to be sanitized before being escorted to the medical showers. In-flight mitigations included the following practices: keeping doors and windows open to facilitate airflow; placing patient(s) in the aft-most row of passenger seats facing the auxiliary tank to maximize distance between patients and crew; and restricting superfluous carry-on equipment thereby limiting contamination of gear.

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Protocols were adapted for continued adherence to NAVADMIN requirements, yet adjusted to overcome the limitations of a detachment manned by only 11 pilots and 9 aircrewmen–all while still meeting mission requirements for remaining air operations. Crews were limited to just one aircrewman in order to reduce potential exposure and leave more personnel for air plan execution. Once detachment members were able to obtain vaccinations, and after some negotiation between our detachment officer in charge (OIC) and IWO’s medical department, the aircrewmen quarantine protocol was lifted. Aircraft cleanings were modified to internal spraying of sanitizing solvent only, with aircraft declared “up” once the cleaning solution had dried. These adaptations were imperative for continued timely mission accomplishment, as the initial guidelines crippled the availability of both aircraft and crew for longer than was necessary.

In flight the greatest hazard was the limitation imposed on communication between the crewmembers. Wearing an N-95 mask while trying to speak–either using ICS or attempting to transmit over the radios–proved near impossible. The roar of the rotor blades paired with the muffling effect of the thick mask rendered the noise being picked up by the helmet microphones indiscernible. Voices raised to a shout produced somewhat effective communication. By sacrificing a complete seal on the mask to place the microphones inside, crews were able to talk with one another and safely operate the aircraft while coordinating with outside agencies for ATC transmissions.

Receiving parties at shore-based hospitals were oftentimes not prepared for the arrival of the patients. Each visit would present a different challenge when it came to transfer of custody. Responses ranged from an absence of receiving personnel at the hospitals (due to apparent unawareness of a pending arrival), to an absence of a plan for what to do with the patients once they did arrive. These inconsistencies were results of insufficient information sharing from one interaction to another, and of growing pains during first-time delivery of patients to new facilities.

Our detachment and squadron were diligent in expressing what went well, and what did not go well, and to address inefficiencies observed during COVID patient transfers. Such input was essential for adjustments, which created a more fluid system of transfers. Most of the fliers were able to participate in at least one of these events, and consequently understood that mission planning and restrictions called for an all-hands effort.

Embarking for deployment after completion of work ups put most of the requirements for COVID transfers behind us, due to new quarantining requirements of embarked personnel and a transfer of tasking from HSC to VMM (USMC MV-22 assets). The USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) 2021 deployment was a success, characterized by little-to-no complications. Our naval force’s emphasis on the execution of safe, COVID-mitigated work up evolutions prior to this deployment played a major role in this feat.

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Features Building Bridges with Simulated Large Force Exercises

By LT Taylor “Stoli” Minor, USN Thesis: The HSC Community would greatly benefit from putting more emphasis on LFEs (Large Force Exercises) in simulators, reducing the burden on the squadrons and advertising the capabilities of the platform.

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very aviator is well acquainted with "the sim." Since the start of flight school, aviators spend hours inside simulators to learn basic muscle movements, re-punch currencies, and practice tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that would otherwise be difficult to accomplish in the aircraft. As technology develops, so do the capabilities of simulators. Better fidelity, ease of use, and interconnectivity on a local network and beyond have all expanded the ways in which we utilize simulators. With a shift in focus to Great Power Competition (GPC) comes expanded mission requirements and a multitude of weapons suite; the completion of quality readiness training thus becomes more and more expensive and man-hour intensive. In an effort to create a high-fidelity training environment without the cost of executing in the aircraft, the United States Navy has looked increasingly towards bolstering simulator infrastructure. Over the last decade, NAWDC has invested heavily in the Live Virtual Construct (LVC) model of training. With several dozen simulators for different assets in the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) package, from F/A-18s and E-2Ds to AEGIS cruisers, these players can work a battle problem without ever breaking deck or getting underway.

Additionally, the Air Force has leaned forward in developing architecture to combine virtual and constructive simulations across the service branches. The 705th Combat Training Squadron at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM hosts the Distributed Mission Operations Center (DMOC), a hub for integrating numerous warfighting communities to tackle realistic battle problems from within the compound itself and from networked simulators around the world. At the DMOC, the 705th hosts quarterly exercises, VIRTUAL FLAG, with representatives across all four branches from a large swath of communities: land, air, and sea. Over the course of a few weeks, these players have to overcome not only the challenges of the battle problem, but the barriers in communication and sheer misunderstandings between communities. The VIRTUAL FLAG events serve to highlight the fundamental communication problems with Large Force Exercises (LFEs) and give players a no-threat environment to practice how they want to play together with cohesive contract building and language standardization.

For a typical junior officer in a HSC squadron, the opportunity to work with other units is limited to, at most, a couple of Air Wing Fallon (AWF) events or COMPTUEX (C2X) before “doing it live” on a deployment. This lack of experience in the junior ranks requires squadrons and detachments to put only the most qualified pilots on events; this process exacerbates the void of understanding in how a Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

large force exercise or operation is executed. A major obstacle in integrating communities together is the inherent lack of familiarity with the full capabilities each community has to offer, compounded by the minimal large force exercises to allow for opportunity to arrive at a common understanding.

For example: many air controllers, whether air or surface based, see the MH-60S as a purely logistical aircraft with a Search and Rescue capability. This mentality and lack of understanding overlooks the utility of the aircraft and its aircrew who are required to train to and operationally provide capabilities such as Personnel Recovery, Special Operations Forces Support, and attack in both the maritime and overland environment.

Currently, the HSC Community underutilizes the available simulator architecture at its fingertips and relegates its TOFTs to simple emergency procedure machines for FRS students, or a way to gain instrument approaches before a check ride.

Part of the community’s problem is purely scheduling. Many of these DMOC events or higher end simulator LFEs require Initial Planning Conferences (IPCs) and Final Planning Conferences (FPCs) to ensure the maximization of training objective completion, and to tailor the scenarios to the specific squadrons. Ultimately, if the squadrons don’t participate in the planning, they’re precluding themselves from shaping the training narrative. Additionally, to expand the ability of the simulators, the Navy needs to consider funding dedicated teams on the sea walls to run both the simulator architecture and the LFE scenarios. This would reduce the burden on individual squadron instructors by allowing them to focus more on learning objectives and less on fighting the sim.

The rewards for the HSC Community’s embrace of the LVC concept are numerous. Squadrons in the maintenance phase of the Fleet Readiness Training Plan (FRTP) are often at the mercy of limited aircraft availability. Simulator availability, however, is much more predictable across the FRTP and can field an LFE at a fraction of the cost of an exercise involving live aircraft. Additionally, in many cases, simulators can provide even higher fidelity training than can be presented in actual aircraft events, which require huge coordination efforts and sophisticated OPFOR/Red Air presentations. Because of HSC’s limited participation in LFEs, our community continuously struggles to advertise the versatility of the MH60S. No other platform has the flexibility to easily conduct a Maritime Strike and immediately re-roll into a self-escorted Personnel Recovery mission to pick up U.S. forces in the dirt or at sea in the dark of night. By bringing in other entities from air, land, and sea, both within the U.S. Navy and from other branches, the community advertises its multi-mission 56

capabilities and shows a reliable presence that can reach inland like no other platform can. Internal to the MH60S community, the ACTC progression would improve exponentially. Currently, higher end graded events are limited to Monday mornings in TOFT 7 and 8 on North Island. But dedicating a week to LVC events on a quarterly basis would open up ACTC advancement across each squadron on both coasts. Externally, the average Level II TACAIR pilot has a greater LFE experience than the average Level II HSC pilot due to their extensive participation in multi-section and division flights. By participating in simulated LFEs, junior HSC pilots could obtain a leg up on the “Admin and TacAdmin” process unique to large events.

Ultimately, the community needs to look at embracing the Air Force’s VIRTUAL FLAG Program or creating its own.

VIRTUAL FLAG generally hosts LNOs from each community to travel to Albuquerque during the exercise; for the sea walls, the value gained is well worth this travel expense; participants obtain experience with a prebuilt battle problem, with all other players already integrated into the fight. By setting aside a recurring (quarterly) block of simulators, dedicated to the accomplishment of an overarching battle problem, the HSC Community could easily leverage existing technology to create

its own Virtual Flag as a replacement for or supplement to the Air Force version. Coordination with other assets (F/A-18s in Lemoore and A-10s in Missouri) could be handled at the HSC Weapons School level. Individual crews from the operational squadrons would be tested in their ability to cohesively mission plan in a disaggregated environment. To reduce burden at the squadron level, the civilians at Navy Aviation Distributed Training Center (NADTC) in Point Loma could handle the OPFOR task in addition to playing the role of entities not able to represent themselves.

By embracing the assets already available and dedicating a concerted effort to exploiting their full potential, the HSC Community can grow by leaps and bounds. No longer will we be fighting for a seat at the table. With a fully integrated and respected platform, we’ll already be there.

Sources

https://news.usni.org/2015/07/21/manazir-navy-preparing-formassive-simulated-training-center-in-fallon-nas https://news.usni.org/2020/09/14/navy-harnessing-newtechnology-to-restructure-aviation-training

A U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Operator assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing provides medical care to a simulated casualty as a U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron Nine prepares to move casualties to a follow on medical treatment center during a personnel recovery training mission for Emerald Warrior 21.1, Feb. 25, 2021, at the Eglin Range Complex, Florida. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jason Robertson/Released)

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PEP, Part 3: Flying in a Foreign Language

By LT Randall A. Perkins IV, USN

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n “PEP, Parts 1 and 2,” I spoke to the background of the Personnel Exchange Program (PEP), covered the initial requirements for a PEP tour, and introduced the AS-365 Dauphin. In PEP Part 3, we will begin to discuss what it is like to fly and operate in a foreign language. In U.S. Naval Aviation, when a pilot is overwhelmed in the cockpit due to the combination of flying, radio calls, emergency procedures, and/or the mission at hand, we call this a “helmet fire." Often the pilot is being tested, trained, or simply has too much on their plate at that specific moment in time. French Naval Aviation has the same idea, referred to colloquially as "tempête sous un crâne" which literally means “storm in a skull.”

Imagine, for a second: you’re a pilot experiencing a case of “helmet fire” and we decide to pour JP-8 on that “helmet fire.” Imagine all of the information that’s burning through your brain being presented to you in French. Now, you’ve got a good initial idea of what piloting in a foreign language can be like.

English as the Language of the Sky The rules that establish “English as the language of the sky” for the United States are contained in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, Title 14 CFR. The publication states that, to hold an FAA certificate as a pilot, engineer, air traffic controller, or UAV remote operator, the applicant must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language. The minimum required level of English proficiency, per the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is referred to as Language Proficiency Operational Level 4. ICAO opted to standardize the language of aviation largely in response to a number of accidents which cited individuals’ lack of English proficiency as a contributing factor.

Rules and regulations concerning this standard have developed over time–from ICAO’s inception in 1944, to its March 2003 acceptance of the amendment that established “Level 4” as the minimum acceptable level of English proficiency for those performing flight-related duties. Though English has long been used as the primary language of aviation, a concerted So far, I have spent approximately eight months operating emphasis has been placed on proficiency with the language in a foreign language, day in and day out. From morning only since the beginning of the 21sr Century. squadron meetings to group lunches, from basic radio calls to IFR approaches, and from small talk with French Admirals So where does English come into play within France? to ordering a morning baguette. Living in a foreign language, As France falls under the regulations of the European and more so flying in a foreign language, is just as romantic Aviation Safety Association (EASA), and furthermore, the as one might think. But it’s also equally as challenging and DGAC (French Civil Aviation Authority), each French Naval frustrating as you could ever guess.

Pilot must pass an exam, titled the FLC55, that tests English language proficiency. Pilots continue their practice of English during their initial flight training. Imagine learning how to fly while simultaneously being required to make radio calls in a foreign language!

English is such a large part of French aviation that, inside the building of the French Helicopter Squadron (the 35F), there even exists an English classroom where French aviation maintainers can build their knowledge of the language and eventually pass an English technical aviation exam.

AS-365 Dauphin F post-landing for public static display at “Les Invalides” military museum near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

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Many U.S. military members (and citizens) might grow up taking a few semesters of Spanish or French in high school, but ultimately fail to reach a level that’s anywhere close to proficiency or fluency in a second language. This is normally a by-product of need. Not only is English the language of the sky; it has also become the unofficial “default” language of the world, thus reducing or eliminating Americans’ need for a second language. When traveling abroad, many of us will fall back on technology to translate, or hope that the person across the counter speaks English. Europeans travel differently. Here, there is a higher chance that, when visiting a neighboring country the “foreigner”–a German traveling to France, for example–might speak a bit of the native tongue due to the countries’ proximity. But there is always a chance that both the German visitor and the French host will need to resort to English to communicate. Here in France, and specifically within a French Naval Aviation unit, the level of English proficiency exhibited by many of the pilots and aircrew has far surpassed my expectations; sometimes, their English language proficiency even rivals that of their native tongue.

High levels of English proficiency are even more thoroughly perceptible amongst the French Navy’s fighter community.

Most of these pilots conducted their Advanced training and Carrier Qualifications (CQ) training in the United States, and therefore, their English language base is incredibly strong. This allows for long discussions comparing French and American Naval Aviation, and even the occasional Flora-Bama or Seville Quarter story…

Through growing up flying in two languages, the French Dauphin instructors are usually quite comfortable switching between French and English. Such proficiency allows for the U.S. exchange pilot who took a rapid-fire nine-month French course to ask the occasional question in English if he

or she is experiencing a small tempête sous un crâne. While operating at the 35F, French is the default language in and out of the cockpit. However, when dealing with a foreign entity, participating in a joint military exercise, or executing a tactical training event, English becomes the main language. Not only is English the language of the sky and the language of the world, but it also happens to be the language to which we default within our militaries.

French in the Cockpit While the first part of this piece might imply that knowing the French language in the cockpit isn’t completely necessary, I’m here to tell you that this is the sole barrier between you and your success as an exchange pilot in a foreign country.

As I previously stated, English is a requirement for French Naval Aviators, and as dictated by ICAO/EASA, for stations serving an international role. But when you’re flying a native aircraft, and talking to a native controller or flying to a native naval vessel, you’d better believe it’s French all the way. During flight operations, English might be spoken at random times, but 99% of communications (ATIS, taxi/takeoff clearances, arrival/departure instructions, etc.) will be conducted in French.

Since exchange pilots are required to be completely immersed in the language, there exists a Copilot/Aircraft Commander training syllabus that’s conducted completely in French. Once you’ve got your feet under you with the basics, up next is the entirety of a deployment onboard a French Naval vessel, where everything is conducted in the foreign language.

While, at times, you can rely on your experience, which will facilitate a general understanding of the flow of each mission, you must essentially start at “ground zero,” re-learning tons of terminology and phraseology. The experience is humbling, trying, and completely eye-opening. It is both the recipe for a Crew Resource Management (CRM) disaster, and at the same time, the perfect developer of CRM and Operational Risk Management (ORM) skills.

A 4-aircraft formation flight of 2xAS565 Panthers & 2xAS365 Dauphins as the 35F reprised their role of coastal SAR for the south of France.

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As a foreign pilot you can be and will be the limiting factor in the cockpit due to your inability to fully express yourself.

The greater your proficiency in the foreign language, the more effectively you can present the real levels of knowledge and experience you’re bringing over from U.S. Naval Aviation. If your proficiency is low, you’re stuck operating at a reduced level of effectiveness. As a pilot with likely hundreds or thousands of flight hours, this can be quite frustrating. If you happen to forget the word for “rescue hoist” or “survivor,” or are unable to make a radio call correctly, you can certainly create a CRM barrier. More often, however, these circumstances will spark a www.navalhelicopterassn.org

sense of self-frustration as you are challenged with tasks that once seemed so simple in your native tongue. To avoid such situations, it is necessary to brief phraseology and vocabulary, chair-flying the event beforehand in order to reduce risk, implement controls, and ensure everyone understands their in-flight responsibilities.

Your situational awareness needs to be on high alert because you’ll often fail to understand a radio call or the next procedural step as briefed in flight by the aircraft commander. This will often be followed by a test of your communication skills as you create, generate, and correctly order the words of a question to your aircraft commander in the foreign language. This internal process obviously detracts from your ability to perform in the moment.

The brainpower requirement for thinking and piloting in a foreign language is an order of magnitude higher than piloting in your native tongue. The potential inability to express your desires will leave you frustrated and beaten down. Whether you’re experiencing a misunderstanding on the radio or difficulty stating that the landing gear is down and locked, you must be comfortable with the uncomfortable. You will be wrong often, and you will be corrected often. At some point, it won’t faze you. It is at that point–the point at which you can simply accept correction or criticism without emotion–where you can and will succeed.

Obviously there are comical moments that occur while your comprehension of the foreign language is still developing. For instance: the French words for “above” and “below” (dessus and dessous) sound nearly identical to the American ear. This can lead to problems if your aircrew member is trying to tell you that you are too low with a VERTREP load, or too high during a hoisting evolution.

Another example: imagine you’re conducting a night hoisting flight. The aircraft is coupled up at 60 feet, and the aircrew member asks you to “come right two” (a droite deux).

Well, the word for two (deux) and the word for soft (doux), again, have similar pronunciations. And if no unit of measure is used…well, you can expect that exchange pilot to continue going right until someone asks him what the hell he’s doing!

The most dangerous aspect of flying in a foreign language is handling emergency procedures (EPs). Whether it be an EP training flight or a real-life EP, your knowledge of the foreign language is crucial. You must be clear and succinct with your commands and/or questions. This isn’t always easy, as your brain will likely need to go through a translation process before you can say exactly what you mean. Giving an order in French while handling an actual EP is done in the imperative tense, while when simulating an EP, you’ll utilize the conditional or past conditional tense (discussing what you would do, or would have done). Each of these tenses requires a different grammatical structure, conjugation, and pronunciation. Do you think about what grammar tense you need to use when Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

Dauphin F landing at sunset on the French Aircraft Carrier “Charles de Gaulle”.

speaking in English in the cockpit? You probably don’t.

Knowledge of how to utilize the foreign language can either be a CRM barrier, or a path to success.

French on the Boat Embarking and deploying in a foreign language is a world of its own. The immersion is fantastic for a person’s development of foreign language proficiency. Additionally, and specifically on the French aircraft carrier R91 Charles de Gaulle (“CDG”), it is a chance to interact with fellow Englishspeaking comrades. Onboard CDG there are normally four English speaking naval officers–a Navy O-5 serving on the Admiral’s staff, an arresting gear officer, an NFO with the E-2C unit onboard, and the helicopter pilot of the 35F. In addition, on the Admiral’s staff there can be several other foreign English-speaking officers. Their presence can be a welcome reprieve from the French language, and also an opportunity to compare experiences.

Coming from U.S. Naval Aviation with a deployment or two under your belt, you understand how “boat life” functions.

But again, your experience or “know how” is often held back on a French vessel, as you must rediscover the terminology and flow to each flight evolution. Every interaction you have–from receiving a weather brief, to creating the flight schedule, to asking for directions to the gym–will occur in a foreign language. This will force your skill with the language to grow out of necessity. You need it in order to not only live your everyday life, but also to succeed and perform.

As always, I hope “PEP, Part 3,” has given you a deeper understanding and insight into the world of PEP. If any other PEP aviators have corrections, additions, or questions, please contact me at randyperkinsIV@gmail.com.

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Off Duty Hell in a Very Small Place by Bernard Fall Reviewed by Capt. Nolan Vihlen, USMC

B

ernard Fall’s Hell in a Very Small Place provides detailed insight into the siege of Dien Bien Phu during the last days of French colonial rule in southeast Asia. By late 1953, French control was increasingly fleeting and the army had only narrowly disengaged itself from successive battles with the Viet-Minh. As a result, French leaders in Hanoi were only too willing to rely on the hope for a decisive battle to reestablish their tenuous position in Vietnam. This epic tragedy examines the failings of French logistics, chronicles the enduring fighting spirit of the defenders, and ponders the potential of an American air intervention that never materialized.

The battle of Dien Bien Phu serves as a tragic reminder of the importance of detailed logistical planning. The lack of a coherent raison d’être for the base at Dien Bien Phu ensured that the French only perceived logistical throughput requirements well after the first paratrooper landed in a drop zone.

While planning had identified exact tonnage to construct adequate defensive positions, paratroopers unsuited to the static nature of a siege were slow to establish appropriate defenses with the limited materials available. Detailed logistical planning rarely evokes a stirring romantic view of warfare, but the Viet-Minh’s fanatical single mindedness pervaded a logistical emphasis that played a central role in driving the French from Vietnam.

Hell in a Very Small Place describes the daily sacrifice and élan of individual French soldiers, subjected to the maddening inflexibility of leaders incapable of making the difficult decisions required to extricate their forces from the dilemma they had created. Despite the horrific account of the doomed French garrison, Fall does not completely disparage the former colonial power. As locally raised indigenous auxiliaries and colonial forces evaporated in the face of overwhelming Viet-Minh artillery, French paratroopers and legionnaires steadfastly defended their crumbling positions as the Communist vice strangled any hope of victory. The central role of Marcel Bigeard in Fall’s telling of the battle offers a rare example of competence among the senior officers present. This intimate profile not only examines the contribution of a principal character in the battle but personifies the enduring martial spirit among the remnants of colonial French prestige.

Fall’s eagerness to shift blame for French failure to American policy makers represents a flawed emphasis on air power in counterinsurgency. The responsibility for the ultimate failure of Dien Bien Phu lies squarely on the shoulders of senior planners in Hanoi. The author fails to appreciate the obstacles to American involvement that made overt intervention untenable.

After supplying American-made aircraft and augmenting cargo airlift capacity with civilian aircrew, there was little more the Americans were willing to contribute to a conflict that they still perceived through the lens of colonial antagonism. It is true that exponentially more air power enabled the isolated American firebase at Khe Sanh to outlast a similar Communist onslaught fourteen years later, but that tactical success was in no way indicative of the impact of air power at the strategic level. Had the author survived to witness the fall of Saigon, he would have understood the foreign policy failure of an overreliance on repeated strategic bombing campaigns.

The battle of Dien Bien Phu would have been compelling enough as told by most other authors, but the impartial approach of the book's narrative style will leave a lasting impression on his audience. The meticulously researched failure of French logistical planners, the sacrifice of a garrison fighting for an increasingly apathetic Metropole, and the obsessive fixation with the role of strategic airpower make Hell in a Very Small Place the definitive account of the downfall of French rule in Indochina. Unfortunately, the lessons of this work went largely unheeded as the United States launched headlong into the quagmire vacated by the French.

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The Guardian

Reviewed by LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.)

I

chose this movie for a number of reasons. Whenever I walk into the NHA and NHAHS offices I go down passageways lined with hundreds of squadron and detachment plaques filled with thousands of names of pilots, aircrew, mechs, riggers and yeomen. When I walk into the training building at HSC-3 I walk down a passageway lined with pictures and paintings of the aircraft, aircrew and in particular the rescue swimmer in action. And, every few weeks I observe the graduation ceremony of a new class of Navy Rescue Aircrew men and women getting their "gold wings." I think that a movie dedicated to them is appropriate. Rescue Swimmer in both the Navy and the Coast Guard is actually a collateral duty with the aircrew much more involved in other things than this film portrays.

Let’s put that aside for now and just look at The Guardian movie.

The movie starts off with a quote about the legend of “The Guardian” as someone who lives beneath the sea and is the last hope for all who have been left behind. The action moves us into the cabin and cockpit of an HH-60J Jayhawk rescue operation in progress in heavy seas. The mission is successful, albeit, with some minor complications and returns to homebase, CGAS Kodiak, Alaska. Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) Ben Randall, played by Kevin Costner, goes home to disgruntled wife, Helen (Sela Ward), who is in the process of moving out. Ben’s dedication to his military duties has led to Helen filing for divorce. SCPO Randall’s day worsens when he is called in for a night rescue to a sinking fishing boat. The crew abandons ship before the rescue helo can get there. By the time they arrive on station, nothing is left but a debris field and the bodies of the crew dead by hypothermia. One of them pops a flare and Ben is jumped into the raging seas.

The rescue basket is lowered and the victim loaded into it.

However, before they can hoist him up a debris laden wave hits the tail rotor with the Jayhawk going into the water. It quickly sinks with the only one making it out being the crew chief, and Ben’s best friend, Carl. A C-130 drops them a raft but another helo can’t get there for three hours. Carl dies before they can be rescued.

Ben is transferred to Louisiana to be an instructor at the Rescue Swimmer “A” School where he can spend time recovering while training new recruits. This is where most of the rest of the movie takes place. Besides a lack of aviation and rescue missions, it concentrates on the Coast Guard training techniques. It’s also where we meet some key instructors and newbies. Chief among these are Chief Aviation Survival Technician CPO Jack Skinner (Neal McDonough), and recruits AN Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher) and PO3 Billy Hodge (Brian Geraghty). We also meet the base CO, CAPT Frank Larson (John Heard). Ben takes over the position of lead instructor. He has a reputation of legend among the Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

rescue swimmers and is looked upon with awe by the recruits.

Ben, however, is suffering from PTSD as a result of his last mission where the aircraft and whole crew except for himself were lost. Despite the PTSD which keeps cropping up, SCPO Randall launches into training the recruits with a passion and vigor often exceeding the bounds of the established training program. Two special cases among the recruits are Jake and Billy. Jake has attitude problems and Billy is going through for the third time. These two get extra attention from the instructors, especially CPO Skinner and the Senior Chief. The recruits develop personal relationships among themselves and with some of the locals which are key to their completing the school. Things come to a head for both Randall and Skinner with Jake and Billy. Everything works out and they graduate, getting their aircrew wings. Starting with a class of 50, only 11 complete. Along with their wings, they get their orders.

Jake goes to Kodiak, which is also where Ben goes back to following his tour as lead instructor.

Kodiak, with Ben and Jake as fellow rescue swimmers, is where the rest of the action takes place. That action is hot and heavy and I’m not going to tell you what it is or how things resolve. Suffice it to say that it is rewarding and worth sticking through the middle of the movie. The film is supported by a strong cast under excellent direction with amazing cinematography. Director Andrew Davis, with seven Academy Award nominations, has brought together a cast of seasoned actors with Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Winner, Kevin Costner (Field of Dreams, Wyatt 62

Earp, Yellowstone), Obie and Emmy Winner, John Heard (Gladiator, Justice League, Sharknado), Emmy and Golden Globe Winner, Sela Ward (The Fugitive, Westworld, FBI), Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Award Winner, Neal McDonough (Resident Evil, Yellowstone) as well as relative new comers in Ashton Kutcher (That 70’s Show, Two and a Half Men) and Brian Geraghty (Jarhead, Flight, Big Sky). The cinematography is crisp and colorful, Director Davis started as a cameraman and cinematographer, with the aerial and water sequences especially realistic and graphic.

The Guardian was generally panned and given bad reviews when it came out, probably because of its length at 2.5 hours and central training sequences and romantic aspects. For me, as an aviator, this is undeserved. I find it interesting and informative in its training sequences, the romantic aspects are not bad, and all is more than made up for by the exceptional aviation aspects. The movie used a host of Coast Guard advisors, including pilots, aircrew and actual instructors who were used as supporting cast throughout the

filming. It was filmed at more than a dozen Coast Guard air stations and facilities, including Kodiak and San Diego using actual Jayhawks, cutters and fishing boats and trawlers so any CGI was kept to a minimum. They even constructed huge wave pools where the ships and actors could be staged using bluescreen tech. Also of note is what I learned after the fact. A Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer is actually an Aviation Survival Technician (AST) whose “A” School is 24 months vice 18 and their training continues for over a year afterwards until they are finally designated as AST. Wrapping it all up, The Guardian gets two thumbs up from this SAR pilot. I consider it a fitting tribute to those Coast Guard and Navy Aircrew who go into sea to save others; the film ending with the dedication “To the men and women of the United States Coast Guard … so others may live.” By the way, stay for the closing credits, a pictorial history of Coast Guard rescue ops from earliest days to current SAR, rescue and relief operations.

Sit back, pop some corn; and enjoy this flick, you won’t be disappointed.

Rick Holden Trilogy: The Coronado Conspiracy, For Duty and Honor and Fire and Ice by George Galdorisi Reviewed by CAPT Bill Erickson, USN (Ret.) Originally published in SNA SITREP, Fall 2021

For most of the last century, national security policymakers were sanguine that the U.S. military had an intact process for envisioning future warfare. Over the last few decades that process has shown stress, and now the Pentagon looks outside the lifelines – often to military fiction – to get a better sense of how wars might evolve and be fought years hence. This process has been institutionalized as a number of U.S. military commands and think tanks now sponsor fiction writing contests to tease out potential future warfighting scenarios.

This has spawned a new genre of military-themed works of fiction. Labeled FICINT – imagining future warfare scenarios based on the realities of high-end combat and real-world intelligence, not fantasy. The U.S. national security community has now embraced this genre as a useful instrument to intuit how tomorrow’s wars will be fought. Two well-known books in this genre are P.W. Singer and August Cole’s Ghost Fleet and Elliot Ackerman and Admiral Jim Stavridis’ 2034 (reviewed in the previous issue of Surface SITREP).

This brings me to a recent entry in the FICINT genre – actually a trilogy of entries – Captain (USN – retired) George Galdorisi’s Rick Holden thrillers, The Coronado Conspiracy, For Duty and Honor and Fire and Ice. Each is a good read by itself, and even better if read in the order presented here. The chief protagonist, Rick Holden, is a former CIA operative, now undercover as a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer.

In all three thrillers, Galdorisi not only provides us with a picture of future warfare but examines what could go awry with issues like civilian control of the military, near-absolute power in the hands of senior military officers, and the ability of rogue nations to hold allies hostage. I believe you will enjoy this trilogy, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next Rick Holden thriller

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Radio Check The theme of Rotor Review 155 (Winter 2022) is “Leadership & Culture.”

In Admiral Bill Lescher’s keynote address at NHA Symposium, he emphasized our Navy’s need for accountable leaders to carry us forward.

Fleet Master Chief (FLTCM) April Beldo embodies accountable leadership every day when she looks in the mirror in the morning and asks herself the following: “Do I have integrity? Credibility? Humility?”

What does accountable leadership look like to you? What are the characteristics of accountable leaders you’ve encountered in your careers? What is an example of a moment in which you, as a leader, have had to look in the mirror and perform an accountability check?

From CAPT Patrick J. Murphy, USN

A

n accountable leader is someone who gives the glory to their team, but then accepts the team’s mistakes and failures as their own. They take those mistakes or failures and turn them into lessons learned in order to make their team better.

An accountable leader understands missions and goals, and shapes their team to ensure the success of both their team and the teams around them.The leader must realize that they are accountable up and down the chain of command. They are selfless, lead by example, and they do not ask their team to do anything they are not willing to do themselves. As a leader I struggled with the delicate balance of being accountable to my boss for mission accomplishment, but then being accountable to my team to ensure they were afforded the opportunity to train for their next advancement exam, or get some time away from work to relax and be with their friends and families. The work-life balance is always a challenge.

From RADM Gary R. Jones, USN (Ret.)

L

eadership is at the heart of what makes any organization or team efficient and effective – obvious, and no great revelation.

With six command tours, I never stopped learning how to improve or be a better leader–to include reading and studying successful (and not so successful) leaders. I made it a point to always learn from my mistakes as a leader, and I made plenty. I took to heart the ol’ saying “…no one is useless, if nothing else they can serve as a bad example…” I believe to this day that no one joins the Navy to fail, so if/when there were shortcomings, mistakes, failures on my watch, I had to look in the mirror and ask what role I played in the failure. Where did I fail the Sailors who were serving alongside me? I never met a Sailor (all the way up to Flag Rank) who woke up and their first thought of the day was “what can I screw up today?”

Cadillac, BMW, Bose, Rolex – all brand names that denote quality and a “culture” of excellence. The Navy is a brand, and Sailors want/expect/desire to have pride in that Navy brand. That is where leadership can and must make the difference in crafting a culture of mission success and commitment to Shipmates, unit, and self. It’s a commitment to the highest professional standards, to a culture where the norm is to look after Shipmates, and to the readiness of the team. Standards are often set by what leaders DO NOT do. It’s never an option to walk by or ignore a problem or substandard performance. Part of crafting a culture of mission success and commitment is to not be afraid of making mistakes as a leader – no one is perfect, so admit mistakes, and learn from them. Have the courage to act when action is required, and then have the courage to be accountable for those actions.

Finally, always maintain and expect a sense of honor in all that you and your team do. As a leader, never forget that your every action reflects on and represents not only you, but your family, our Navy, and our country.

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From Ray Coleman

T

his discussion will always be critical to developing men and women of character with the grit and determination to honorably win personal and team battles. In the words of Admiral Stockdale (derived from Heraclitus), “Character is Destiny.” With SECNAV’s ever-increasing challenges of China, Culture, Climate Change, and COVID defined, our leadership at every level must aggressively and persistently expose Sailors and Marines to this theme of “Accountable Leadership.” The Navy and Marines experimented with various leadership development programs in the 20th Century, and history should be leveraged for teachable examples of failed leadership–that which spans from the small unit-level (Ribbon Creek Incident of 1956 and the 1989 death of LCpl Jason Rother) to service-level leadership failures (USS Indianapolis, USS Pueblo, Marine Barracks Beirut, and Tailhook). For U.S. Marines, “History is a Religion.” We learn from the past in order to improve and lessen mistakes. The U.S. Naval Service’s duty to our nation and the Constitution demands that, from time to time, our force leads the nation toward social and humane progress. We have experienced, in the 1950s and 1960s, in Vietnam, and throughout the Cold War, unthinkable turbulence and leadership obstacles. Not to worry, our leaders today are still action-oriented, expeditionary in nature, and culturally reared in GySgt Highway’s values of “improvise, overcome, and adapt.” Open-mindness, innovativeness, and diversity have not only led to success in battle but also contributed to individual happiness and social prosperity.

Coach Lombardi said, “Winning is a Habit.” Therefore, how we do anything is how we do everything. The teaching of this mindset and development of this culture can’t singularly come from powerpoints or books, but must be combined with practical application of doing the little things over and over again, and augmented with sea stories, experiences, and life. As leaders, we are the paternal/maternal coaches, teachers, and mentors. Our success as an organization depends on the success of our beloved Sailors and Marines we lead. Measuring success is difficult, but success can be defined with a simple answer to a question: “Did you and your unit live, flourish and work today with Honor, Courage, and Commitment?”

Leaders are not born; they are made. This is why we must always have the United States Naval Academy, why every Marine Officer attends The Basic School, why we invest in the newly founded United States Naval Community College, and why we rebranded the Marine Corps University’s Enlisted College. Sailors and Marines will grow and flourish through a crucible that begins at places called Great Lakes, Parris Island, MCRD San Diego, Newport, Quantico, and Annapolis but is matured with the lessons and experiences of the Corporals and Petty Officers Third Class. Like a West African Griot, Marine NCOs, Navy Petty Officers, SNCOs, CPOs and JOs dominate the “sphere of influence” for the 18-19 year old majority, inculcating them with the values and virtues necessary to excel, in uniform and out.

Ownership must be practiced and displayed by all naval leaders at work, at play, and at home. The accountability “mirror” is simple and for everyone. President Harry S. Truman displayed ownership with his desk sign, “THE BUCK STOPS HERE,” leaving no doubt who was answerable. The sign was his “mirror,” his way of crushing any personal imposter syndrome, or any doubts by others of his burden. Asking yourself daily if you are worthy is a good start. Leaders of all ranks in the Department of the Navy must embrace the idea of being a “PRO” at our trade, being a “PRO” as an educator, being a “PRO” as leader, and ultimately being a “PRO” as a parent, shipmate, spouse, and friend. As Aviators and Aircrew within the Navy and the Marines, it is just not good enough to be a good pilot, aircrewman, or mechanic. First and foremost, be a GOOD person with GOOD Intentions. Sailors and Marines control their own destiny, leaders can and should help them improve their character, and in so doing, their future. But it starts with leaders first looking in that mirror.

NEXT QUESTION PLEASE The theme for Rotor Review 156, and for NHA Symposium 2022, is “The Human Advantage.” Our greatest advantage in Rotary Wing Aviation is the “Weapons System with a Heart,” namely our people and our families who support them. With this theme in mind, we want to hear from you!

Military careers can be unbelievably rewarding and fulfilling for service members and families alike. At the same time, this line of work presents us with a litany of challenges that test the strength of our relationships.

Through the stress of deployments, Permanent Changes of Station (PCS), occupational risk, and irregular working hours, what makes a family cohesive? What are the characteristics of a strong and successful military family? What advice do you have for the young family who is just beginning its journey in Naval Aviation?

We want to hear from you! Please send your responses to the Rotor Review Editor-in-Chief at the email address listed below.

LT Mike “Bubbles” Short Editor-in-Chief, Rotor Review michael.v.short.mil@us.navy.mil 65

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Change of Command HSMWINGLANT

HSC-6 Indians

HSC-14 Chargers CAPT Teague R. Laguens, USN relieved CAPT Richard Whitfield, USN December 9, 2021

CDR Brian Truong, USN relieved CDR Tony Perez, USN December 9, 2021

HSM-73 Battlecats

CDR Jameel McDaniel, USN will relieve CDR Richard M. Christoff, USN February 18, 2022 Rotor Review #155 Winter '22

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CDR Christopher Whitehouse, USN relieved CDR Charles Chmielak, USN October 01, 2021

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Engaging Rotors Congratulations to the next generation of Naval Aviation warfighters who received their "Wings of Gold" at NAS Whiting Field. These aviators will move to the Fleet to learn their designated platforms. Special thanks to the Naval Helicopter Association for donating their first set of gold wings. Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) Training Air Wing FIVE. See you in the skies!

Congratulations to the New Naval Aviators January 14, 2022

Congratulations to the New Naval Aviators December 17, 2021

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Congratulations to the New Naval Aviators December 3, 2021

Congratulations to the New Naval Aviators November 19, 2021

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Engaging Rotors Congratulations to the New Naval Aviators October 29, 2021

Congratulations to the New Naval Aviators October 15, 2021

Photo credits: ENS Wallis Lawrence, USN, NAS Whiting Field Public Affairs Office

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2021 Naval Helicopter Anniversaries Source, original research done by CAPT Tom Ford, USN (Ret.)

NHA Retired/Former Events and Reunions Check the NHA website www.navalhelicopterassn.org for the most current information on anniversaries and reunions or contact retiredreunionmgr@navalhelicopterassn.org

HS-1-70th Year (1951)

HM-12 50th Year (1971)

HS-5/HSC-5 65th Year (1956)

HAL-4/HCS-4/HSC-84 40th Year (1976)

HS-6-HSC-6-65th Year (1956)

HM-18 35th Year (1976)

HS-8/HSC-8 65th Year-Date 1956

HSL-44/HSM-74 35th Year (1976)

HS-9 65th Year (1956)

HSL-45/HSM-75 35th Year (1986)

HS-15/HSC-15 50th Year (1971)

HSL-51/HSM-51 30th Year (1990)

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Signal Charlie CAPT Dick Catone, USN (Ret.) following a memorial service for a fellow helicopter pilot, is credited with the following statement: “I guess we are all in starboard delta waiting for Signal Charlie.” Starboard Delta is the holding pattern for the airborne Search and Rescue helicopters on the starboard (right) side of the aircraft carrier. They fly at a low altitude so as not to interfere with the fixed-wing aircraft recovery pattern, and only land when the last fixed-wing aircraft is safe on board. When tower calls the helicopter to pass “Charlie” to a landing spot, the crew knows the fixed-wing recovery is complete, all is well, and it is time to come back. Hence, the statement appears appropriate that someday we will receive our own “Signal Charlie” and will be called home for a final landing.

Signal Charlie has been created to inform our membership and honor the passing of fellow unrestricted aviators. It is only as good as the information we receive. If you have an obituary or other information that you would like to provide concerning the passing of a shipmate, co-worker, or friend of the community, please contact the NHA National Office at signalcharlie@navalhelicopterassn.org and we will get the word out.

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YO U R M E M B E R S H I P H E L P S YO U R M E M B E R S H I P H E L P S

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JOIN US Now is an excit ing t im e t o become a NHA M em b er !

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