SysAdmin, Author at Second Line of Defense

ATTC : The First “One-Stop Shop” For USCG Aviation Assets Maintenance Training

Posted on May 7, 2010 | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment

05/07/2010

How the USCG Addresses Aviation Training and Support: The Case of the ATTC in Elizabeth City, North Carolina

In mid-March, SLD discussed the U.S. Coast Guard’s evolving approach to training technicians and to shaping an effective maintenance enterprise with the retiring (but only in the separation from service meaning of the word) Captain Joe Mihelic, Commanding Officer of the Aviation Technical Training Center (ATTC). Also contributing significantly to our understanding of the role of the ATTC was the ex to the unit, LCDR Daniel Leary.

For a non-coastie, what is immediately noticeable is that the ATTC is co-located with the Aviation Logistics Center for the entire USCG. And in the course of visiting both facilities, it was clear that the USCG benefits from synergy between the two.

According to the website of the ATTC:

The primary mission of ATTC is the safe and effective maintenance of the Coast Guard’s aviation fleet. The quality of our graduates directly impacts the performance of our aviation resources today, tomorrow, and years into the future. This is a tremendous challenge to which we remain rigidly committed. To meet that challenge, we strive to ensure that each graduate meets the extensive requirements expected by the twenty-five U.S. Coast Guard aviation units across the country.

[slidepress gallery=’uscg-attc’]

SLD: Could you explain the role of ATTC?

Captain Mihelic: The purpose of the ATTC is to provide journeymen level and advanced maintenance aviation enlisted maintenance technicians to the field units. Obviously, we have a very short period of time to take people who are green and get them out to the field, and give them the basic traits they need to perform out to the operational Coast Guard.

SLD: How long is the training set?

Captain Mihelic: For basic A-school where we teach to the journeyman level, it takes:

18 weeks for ASTs or Aviation Survival Technicians,
20 weeks for our AMTs or Aviation Maintenance Technicians
and 20 weeks for our AETs, which are our Avionics Electrical Technicians.

So those are the three aviation rates that we have in the Coast Guard.

Right now, everybody who goes into Coast Guard aviation, from a maintenance perspective, enlisted side, comes through ATTC. It’s one-stop shopping. We are a small service : if you think about the 45,000 people in the Coast Guard, about 2,800 of those billets are in aviation, with 800 pilots and about 2,000 enlisted.

SLD: So, this facility trains for the whole Coast Guard?

Captain Mihelic: This facility teaches all the aviation enlisted maintenance A-schools for the entire Coast Guard. Historically, at the advanced level or C-school level, the Coast Guard has focused primarily on rotary wing training and have done most of our investment in those training aids. Over the last 10 to 15 years, as the model for ALC [Aviation Logistics Center] has changed to take on the depot level work for all aviation assets, it’s been a challenge to catch up and try to develop a fixed wing training capability — a proper fixed wing training capability with the same type of training aids that reflect the current fixed wing assets we have in the field.

SLD: So, that’s the C130?

Captain Mihelic: That’s the C130, the Casa, and the Falcon jet. Obviously, with acquisition reform there’s been a renewed emphasis on writing the requirements and getting the acquisition plans updated, to get those types of training aids in the budget. Specifically on the Casa side of the house, we’ve done a lot of work in that regard to document those requirements and to get that acquisition plan updated.

These are long-term initiatives– nothing short-term, but in the long run, it will prevent us from having to do death by PowerPoint, and then working and taking C-schools down to ALC to physically look at an aircraft that’s going through the depot facility. That’s what we’re trying to avoid.

SLD: How is training changing with the Casa aircraft coming in or the HC130-J coming in? Are there changes to how you’re doing business?

Captain Mihelic: There’s really two pieces to classroom training. You have initial theory and procedural training. Historically, here at ATTC we’ve presented a lot of material using PowerPoint. So we’re trying to look at programs like Engrain and computer-based training that allows a 3D modeling perspective that is more interactive and much more realistic.

For the courses we currently teach, training is presented in the classroom; everybody comes to ATTC and the entire course is taught here.But the wave of the future may be to take a one-week course prior to getting here with a good computer-based e-learning type environment to get prepped to come to school and then get into the meat of the course subjects.

SLD: One aspect of the MPAs and the new Js is that you have more sophisticated, more complicated mission capabilities in both aircraft. How does that affect training?

Captain Mihelic: If you look at CG Modernization, it links all the training centers. There’s a fine line between maintenance training and operator training. You see that in more of the mission system pallet and the avionics type gear. Our maintainers are our operators and they need an understanding of both troubleshooting/repair and operation.

We really want ATC Mobile to be the lead and train on how to use the equipment from an operational standpoint and be very proficient in that. When the operators have problems though, it’s those same people that will troubleshoot and try to repair the equipment or work with contractors to swap boxes and resolve the software integration problems.

So collectively, we need to be linked closely with ATC Mobile. If they’re giving operator training and they’re seeing a specific type of problem, we have to incorporate that type of problem into our maintenance troubleshooting so that they’re prepped to handle that when they see it out on an operational mission.

SLD: What is your core focus within the training effort?

Captain Mihelic: We really focus on the maintenance aspect here at ATTC. The operational training would then be ATC Mobile. The one rate where we really cross boundaries is the AST rate, providing initial Rescue Swimmer training. We teach the basic technical skills necessary to perform a water rescue, which is really operational type training that we’re doing here for the rate.

We instruct through scenario-based training. We give them the basic skills both physical and mental, and provide a lot of training in the pool. The real test is a three-man scenario of a life-saving predicament where we have a member — in a parachute, another person in a raft, and another person floating in the water. Can that rescue swimmer properly think and triage the situation, and go for the person first that’s floating facedown in the water. Then can he get the guy out of the parachute that’s potentially entangled. And then can he handle the raft victim.

So, we give them a very challenging situation with three different people in different situations, and the goal is to save them all. This really is an operational scenario but we limit our operational training.

SLD: So, the technical training is embedded in the real operational scenarios?

Captain Mihelic: Correct. Now on the flipside, ATC Mobile owns the Standardization Team for the Rescue Swimmer Program. They’re the ones that would go out and perform annual Stan Checks at our 25 operational air stations.

So, if there’s a Rescue Swimmer assigned, they’ll be evaluated and given pointers on how to refine their skills and to make sure they’re executing the mission and integrating with the rest of the crew and the pilots. ATC Mobile gets direct operational feedback to enhance their training. Any technical issues identified gets referred back to us for review and potential response.

SLD: You’re close to retiring, and one question that comes naturally to mind is: what’s the difference between the training that you got as a young aviator and a new aviator today?

Captain Mihelic: I started learning to fly in 1984. We did a lot of studying from books and then we jumped in an airplane. We did get some crude simulator time, but the advances in computer technology and computer-based training is light-years ahead of what we had to learn systems and practice flight scenarios. Today, we have tools to make flight handbooks come alive. In the old days, you just read and studied a lot.

At ATC Mobile, there have been tremendous advances in their simulator capabilities, especially visual simulation, it’s much more realistic. We may not yet match some of the advanced simulation capabilities that some of the airlines have where they can get people certified to land jets without actually flying in an aircraft, but we have made tremendous advances in that regard.

SLD: You had mentioned earlier that in the acquisition reform, there’s been an effort to highlight actual expenditures for training?

Captain Mihelic: Right. I’m more of a logistician. If you look at the 10 elements of logistics, training is an essential piece. I think we’re doing a better job of documenting the actual requirements and the benefits of training and incorporating that into the budget cycle. It’s easy to buy an aircraft and put it out in the fleet. It’s another thing to make sure all the logistical support is there.

SLD: You have better recognition in logistics and maintenance. Both are an essential part of readiness which enables operational capability.

Captain Mihelic: Definitely.

SLD: And so you need training to have readiness. It’s part of the cycle?

Captain Mihelic: You have to have a full logistics complement to make the asset work and sustain it so that we can effectively put steel on target.

SLD: Final question: what investments would make important improvements on how the Coast Guard could operate more effectively?

Captain Mihelic: If we want to properly invest in training, we have to look at the current list of assets that we have out there operationally. We have to either invest in the infrastructure and the training aids to support those assets or we have to potentially partner with either DOD or civilians, to provide that training. The C-130J may be the best example.

We may never take J training in-house, as long as there’s a pipeline available to provide maintenance training. There is a multinational type of training arrangement that’s contractor based. In this case, it may not be cost effective to pull that training in-house.

But if we’re the sole user and there isn’t any cost-effective commercial provider, we need to develop that organic capability. The Casa may be a good example. We’re implementing new CASA courses in-house, as we operate a unique configuration of the airplane with the glass cockpit that we have. We need to invest in those types of training aids and infrastructure, so that we impact operational missions by trying to teach maintenance procedures on an operational asset.

***

In addition to the interview above, Captain Mihelic and LCDR Leary highlighted several aspects of the ATTC process during a walking tour of the facility. Several of these highlights are captured in the four videos below, which underscore different aspects of the approach of the ATTC.

Video # 1

This first video provides a snapshot of how the co-location of the ATTC with the ALC plays to each other’s advantage. In this video, Captain Mihelic explains that “from an acquisition process point of view, we call this the gold standard. It was one of the brainchild’s of program manager at Aviation Logistics Center. The benefits greatly exceed being a training aid, (… ) for it can function as a test bed (as well).”

Video # 2

In the second and third videos, Captain Mihelic and LCDR Leary explain how the training of maintainers benefits from experienced operates training the new technicians.

Video # 3

Video # 4

In the final video, LCDR Leary explains how a helo assembled from parts from various disabled helicopters allows the trainers to work with confidence that their skill levels will not damage an operational helo. This training test bed helo was built for 12 ½ million dollars from parts provided by the co-located ALC facility.

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*** Posted on May 7th, 2010

homepage oil spill response

Posted on May 7, 2010 | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment

A burning issue

Photo credit: Monica Leftwitch, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 21st, 2010

“Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon April 21, 2010. A Coast Guard MH-65C dolphin rescue helicopter and crew document the fire aboard the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, while searching for survivors April 21. Multiple Coast Guard helicopters, planes and cutters responded to rescue the Deepwater Horizon’s 126 person crew.”

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***Posted on May 7th, 2010

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Builds Causeway in Afghanistan

Posted on May 6, 2010 | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment

05/06/2010

This slideshow highlights the role of Naval engineers in supporting ground operations in Afghanistan.

[slidepress gallery=’naval-mobile-construction-battalion-builds-causeway-in-afghanistan’]

Credit: US Navy, Forward Operating Base Payne, Afghanistan, March 15th, 2010

In the first photo, Petty Officer 3rd Class Richard Gaines, equipment operator, dumps clay from a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement dump to form a road that that will serve as a causeway used to cross the Helmand River, while Petty Officer 3rd Class Jared Salvini, equipment operator (right), and Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Durcholz, construction mechanic, set HESCO barriers in place to line the causeway.

In the second photo, Petty Officer 3rd Class Jared Salvini, equipment operator, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74, Detail Payne, uses an excavator to fill HESCO barriers to line a causeway being constructed along the Helmand River, while Soldiers from the 502nd Bridging Unit patrol the river providing security for the project. The causeway will allow U.S. Marines and Afghani national army forces a way to transit the Helmand River in order to continue operations further south.

The third photo shows Petty Officer 3rd Class Jared Salvini, equipment operator, assigned to Mobile Construction Battalion 74, Detail Payne, using an excavator to fill HESCO barriers to line the road for a 300 foot long by 80 foot wide causeway along the Helmand River, while Seabees assigned to NMCB 74 discuss construction plans for the causeway with U.S. Marine 2nd Lt. Collin Bell (center), assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion.

The fourth photo shows Petty Officer 2nd Class John Black, equipment operator, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74, Detail Payne, spreading gravel with a D7 bulldozer to form the sub-base for a 300 foot long by 80 foot wide causeway

The fifth photo shows Petty Officer 1st Class Aaron Nagel, equipment operator (right), dumping gravel along the bank of the Helmand River using a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement dump, while Petty Officer 2nd Class John Black, equipment operator, spreads the gravel using a D7 bulldozer.

The sixth photo shows Petty Officer 3rd Class Darnell Baker, equipment operator, assigned to Mobile Construction Battalion 74, Detail Payne, transporting fill to the Helmand River bank with a front-end loader in order to fill HESCOs for a causeway.

The seventh photo shows Soldiers assigned to the 502nd Bridging Unit ferrying U.S. Marines and Afghani National Army Soldiers across the Helmand River from a causeway recently constructed by Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74, Detail Payne, using an Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) raft.

The final photo shows U.S. Marines assigned to 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance (4th LAR) and Afghanistan National Army Soldiers setting out on a patrol of Southern Afghanistan using a causeway recently constructed by Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74, Detail Payne.

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***Posted May 6th, 2010

The USCG 8th District Faces the Future: Meeting the Challenges of Security in the Gulf

Posted on May 6, 2010 | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment

In early April 2010, SLD discussed the challenges facing the USCG 8^th district in managing, safety and security in the Gulf region.

As the slide show accompanying this interview shows, the scope and size of the territory facing the men and woman of the USCG serving in the 8^th district is immense.

The district covers all or part of 26 states. Although a single district, it has three distinct regions, from the Gulf to the Midwest.

Of course, the offshore oil drilling efforts of the Gulf operate within this district as well.

There is no need to tell the readers of this website that the challenges associated with oil drilling are going up not down.

This is especially so because the new offshore efforts will be further and deeper than the current offshore activities.

It will be more akin to the North Sea than to current Gulf offshore drilling.

And the USCG will need additional resources for inspections, helos and ships to monitor and to ensure compliance with the national effort to shape a deep sea offshore oil and gas enterprise.

[slidepress gallery=’uscg-8th-district-presentation’]

“The 8th covers all or parts of 26 states from Mexicoup to Canada and from the Rockies to the Appalachians.

Roughly 35 percent of the US population or a 100 million

people reside within the boundaries of the 8th District.

SLD: Could you describe the size and nature of the 8^th district?

Captain Arenstam: The 8th covers all or parts of 26 states from Mexico up to Canada and from the Rockies to the Appalachians. Roughly 35 percent of the US population or a 100 million people reside within the boundaries of the 8th District. Our workforce here includes 4,000 active duty and reserve military forces, 300 civilian employees, and 6,000 auxiliaries. Unlike any of the other Coast Guard districts, the 8th District has three distinct geographic regions. To the north is the part of the 8th District we refer to as the Western Rivers or the Old 2nd District. This The region covers all or part of 20 states and contains over 10,000 miles of waterways including the Mississippi, Missouri, the Illinois, the Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas rivers, and all their tributaries. Up in this region there are three sectors: Sector Ohio Valley, Sector Upper Mississippi River, and Sector Lower Mississippi River. There are 10 MSUs, 18 river tenders, and two aids-to-navigation teams.

So if you think about going all the way up to the North Dakota floods, going all the way over to Pittsburg, we got Pendleton, West Virginia, that whole river system there. So basically if it flows to the Gulf of Mexico, it’s ours.

SLD: Not only do you have a big swath of territory, there are also a number of game changers coming into your waterways, ranging from the large liquid natural gas ships to the larger container ships coming through the enlarged Panama Canal.

Admiral Landry: These are major challenges and part of how this challenge is being viewed is through the eyes of the major ports in the region. All the major ports are trying to sort through how to be able to meet the challenges and to remain competitive as shipping companies look at the best ports through which to operate.

The other major challenge is the deep offshore oil and gas enterprise. The companies are going to be drilling and working so much farther offshore and deeper; the offshore energy sector is a huge game changer field technology-wise and what they’re doing now it pales in comparison two years ago. They’re not only going 10,000 feet deep; they’re also drilling deeper than before.

Captain Arenstam: The next zone I will talk about is the coastal zone, which I call the traditional zone here on the coast. It includes all or part of six states and contains more than 8,000 miles of coastline and nearly 1,300 miles of the intercoastal waterway. The 8th District ports in this region receive approximately 26,000 deep-draft vessels annually, which equates roughly to 27 percent of US deep-draft arrivals and nearly 90,000 towing vessel transits per year. In New Orleans alone in 2008, there were 46,000 towing vessel transits.

The 8th District coastal region is divided into four sectors: To the west there is Sector Corpus Christi and Sector Houston Galveston. Together they have six small boat stations. Air station Corpus Christi operates as an integral part of Sector Corpus Christi while air station Houston operates under the Operational Control (OPCON) of D8.

To the east, there is Sector New Orleans and Sector Mobile. Together they have nine small boat stations. Air Station New Orleans operates under the OPCON of D8. Aviation Training Center (ATC) Mobile, which is a Coast Guard Headquarters unit but provides direct aviation support to D8. Collectively among the four coastal sectors, there are 17 patrol boats, 9 aids-to-navigation cutters and 13 ANTS (aids to navigation teams).

Finally, the unique feature of the 8th District is the offshore sector. It captures the intercontinental shelf, oil and natural gas industry. Within this region there is 6,500 oil and gas wells; 4,000 oil or gas production platforms and over 800 of which have full-time crew support.

There are 116 Mobile offshore drilling units 51 of which are stacked, some which are crude and some are not. There are 30,000 workers offshore on any given day. This infrastructure accounts for 30 percent of our domestically produced oil and 23 percent of our domestically produced natural gas.

Admiral Landry: This is the only district in the country where there is offshore zone, the district commander services, the federal maritime security coordinator post 9/11, the FMSC role that you see in sectors, federal maritime security coordinator under the MTSA 2002, this is the only one that the offshore sector is handled from the district. We are concerned with the security of the LOOP.

SLD: What is the LOOP?

Admiral Landry: The Louisiana Offshore Oil Platform, which is a mooring for, imported crude that gets pipelined to the US.

SLD: How do you address security in the offshore zone? I frankly think that it is a challenge beyond the resources of the USCG and perhaps the US Government?

Admiral Landry: First with regard to search and rescue, it is absolutely a partnership with the offshore oil and gas industry. The private sectors have to have a certain inherent capability themselves on the offshore platforms, but they also allow us to use their helo ports on some of these larger platforms. If we’re flying a search and rescue mission from the air stations offshore to rescue somebody whether it’s on the platform itself or if it’s a commercial fisherman in the area or a recreational boater, we can refuel on their fuel ports and we can continue on with their mission. So it’s a very much a cooperative effort in terms of the safety piece.

That’s one aspect, the other aspect obviously is the safety after storms, hurricanes, things like that, the safety of the platform itself; and we work with them. We do so through a Mineral Management Service or MMS protocol for that effort.

If it’s security, it’s the same thing. It’s integrated; it’s absolutely the inherent self-security that they provide because they’re required after 9/11 as a facility to have a security plan. Then the security we provide is for high threat scenarios. And frankly, it would take the whole government to do the work if we had a threat against the offshore including NORTHCOM and DOD assets.

Captain Arenstam: It would be close to impossible to have enough Coast Guard assets to police this entire region given the resources we currently have available. We do not have a current requirement for a 1.0 coverage factor to patrolling this vicinity.

SLD: Could we discuss further the deep-sea offshore oil and gas enterprise concept?

Captain Arenstam: Future oil exploration, as Admiral has mentioned, is well offshore in the very deep water. There is recent discovery activity in the lower tertiary geological formations that extends to 175 miles from the nearest land in water depths greater than 9,000 feet.

Technology is new to the Gulf like the floating production storage and offloading facility, the FPSO are being employed for production. The first one in the United States is here off the coast already. It’s anchored off of Morgan City

SLD: What is an FPSO?

Captain Arenstam: It stands for a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading. It’s common in the North Sea and other parts of the world but the US hasn’t allowed it.

SLD: So this is our first one?

Admiral Landry: The LOOP is just a gas station for importing crude. This is actually going to be, not only an import but also a production facility.

SLD: And this is parked where?

USCG Captain Arenstam, Waterways Management (8th District) — USCG Captain John Arenstam, Waterways Management (8th District)

Captain Arenstam: Well, currently it’s anchored off of the coast of Louisiana but it will be out offshore.

SLD: So this is a new technology that is expanding. What you can say about this region is they continue to bring on new technologies and new systems to support energy both production and importation. So this will be a dramatic increase in the challenge, which you will be facing in the years ahead?

Captain Arenstam: Correct. There are currently 10 additional FPSO’s, which are floating production facilities at various stages of construction headed to the Gulf of Mexico. This will bring the total to 48 by the end of 2010. Discoveries in the Walker Ridge area are thought to be approximate of the crude of Bay Fields as well. This is a whole new game.

SLD: This will be producing and processing facility. In contrast, the LOOP is a floating gas station?

Captain Arenstam: The loop is not really a producer but is the nation’s only deep-water oil port. It’s located 18 miles offshore. It receives roughly 13 percent of the nation’s imported oil, approximately 1.2 million barrels per day. This oil is pumped inland approximately 50 miles and stored in caverns total capacity of 50 million barrels where it connects by pipeline to roughly 50 percent of the US refining capability. The Coast Guard provides several aircraft over flights of the LOOP each week. We do cop on the beat in the air patrols of the loop in the offshore district.

SLD: The Gulf is a crucial contributor to the national economy. Can you give a picture of the contribution?

Captain Arenstam: The Gulf of Mexico itself plays a crucial role regarding the production and import of oil for our nation’s energy needs. Twenty-five percent of the domestic oil production occurs in the Gulf with 18 major platforms accounting for half of that total. The destruction of a single one of these platforms in the Gulf would negatively impact our nation’s economy.

Twenty-five percent of the nation’s oil imports occur in the Gulf through lightering operations off the coast. The lightering zones are established to accommodate the Very Large Crude Carriers and Ultra Large Crude Carriers. There’s four designated lightering zones used by single-hull tankers until 2015 and then there’s six traditional lightering areas by double-hull tankers and the largest and busiest in the US receives 30 percent of the nation’s crude.

SLD: Can the Gulf ports take the new double-hull tankers?

Captain Arenstam: You have ultra large crude oil tankers, which cannot get into US ports. These are drawing 50 to 60 of drag, which are never ever going to get into Houston.

Instead of delivering at a refinery, they have to do it offshore to smaller tankers like a shuttle service of oil. Sometimes, they could put in a pipeline loop that goes through a pipeline but sometimes they lighter the ships and the ships bring them in.

Admiral Landry: It is a new approach to the oil distribution system and if you look at Singapore or ports around the world, they work containers the same way. Huge container ships that offload containers so the offshore becomes a port in itself, a geographic port even though it’s water and that’s how they do it in Asia so just to deal with the lack of land.

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***Posted May 6th, 2010

For an overview on the Deepwater Horizon challenge and the government’s response see the following:

http://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/index.cfm

USCG 8th District Slideshow

Posted on May 6, 2010 | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment

[slidepress gallery=’uscg-8th-district-presentation’]

A French Forum On Safety At Sea

Posted on May 1, 2010 | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment

05/01/2010

EVENT

On Tuesday, May 11th, 2010, at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in La Villette (Paris, France), the second annual Forum on Safety At Sea is being held by the SNSM (Société Nationale des Sauveteurs en Mer).

The day will be organized in three main workshops:

the first one will draw “on the experience of all players involved to establish an efficient approach to safety for new seafarers, be they professional or amateur“;

the second workshop will aim at “harnessing new technologies to improve sea safety“, e.g. inflatable life jackets and accessories, weather forecasts, navigation, and radio communications;

the third will be attended by French foreign counterparts and will address “Sea rescue: a network of international solidarity involving all seafarers“.

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***Posted May 1st, 2010

The Expeditionary Airfield Capability: A Core USMC Competence for Global Operations

Posted on April 29, 2010 | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment

04/29/2010

The setting up of the expeditionary airfield at Dwyer to support USMC combat operations in Afghanistan has highlighted the expeditionary airfield capability of the USMC. General Walsh, USMC, Commanding General of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Forward deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom and now back at Cherry Point, NC, underscored the synergy between the STOVL aircraft and the expeditionary airfield:

We decided to build a runway called Dwyer 20 miles away from Marjah. We built that thing right in the middle of the enemy’s battle space, right there in the Helmand River Valley and, like I said, right there 20 miles away from where this major operation was going to take place. So by doing that, we put those AV-8s 20 miles away from where the ground combat element was going to be operating right there at Marjah. And it was, again, a Marine Wing Support Squadron that was able to build this austere runway of 4,000 feet, which the Harriers were able to operate out of, in the middle of the enemy’s battle space. Since then, we’ve grown that runway out to 6,000 feet, and low and behold, the enemy is probably watching this thing get built, just like we did in a lot of cases with our FOBs in Iraq, watching this thing get built.

In April 2010, SLD sat down with two experienced USMC MAGTF officers and discussed the USMC approach to expeditionary air basing and the significant demand for their expertise in the austere environment of Afghanistan.

SLD: The USMC approach to expeditionary air basing is rooted in history. Could you comment on this?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Well, if you really want to go back, we’ve been doing it since World War II. The type of systems has changed; that’s the only real difference.

SLD: But how do you actually do an expeditionary airfield now?

Lt. Col. Johnson: As with any military operation, you start with a requirement or the operation may direct the need to establish an expeditionary airfield or a forward arming or refueling point.

SLD: So either a FARP or an airfield?

Lt. Col. Johnson: Correct. The mission analysis will dictate what you would require for expeditionary basing and operations. Our pre-positioning ships house the expeditionary air basing capability for a 30-day operation. That, of course, can be expanded as necessary.

SLD: And so, the whole point is you have an airfield on the maritime prepositioned ships?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Right. And then we keep some in shore bay storage also. And it can either come off a ship; it can be flown in, it takes a lot of shortage, but it can be flown in also. But shipping is the preferred method of transporting, just because of the weight alone.

SLD: It’s a big package. Are we’re talking largely used for fixed wing?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: It’s both; it’s fixed wing and rotary wing, and it just depends on the requirement. If it’s rotary wing, takingOIF as an example, we built a lot of pads to support the V-22s.

SLD: And where did you build it?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: At Al Anbar Province in Iraq, and they’re building in Afghanistan also.

Lt. Col. Johnson: And there’s been various combinations too; Marines have built full-blown expeditionary airfields like Dwyer from scratch. And then there’s been a combination, e.g., if they need an extra parking ramp or taxiways, AM-2 matting can compliment an existing airstrip that’s already there.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Right, and OIF and Desert Storm were perfect examples of that, we just complimented existing airfields in theater.

SLD: So, the kit can be used either for organic capability itself or a complimentary package, basically.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Right.

SLD: How long does it take to set up — obviously, the organic would take longer than the compliment. But what kind of timeframe in principle are we talking about?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Well, usually about 30 to 60 days, but it all depends on the requirement. If you’re supporting a lot of aircraft, then it’s going to take longer to build, because you’ve got to create more parking space.

SLD: So, is it a bit like a Lego block system?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Pretty much. We primarily lay a brickwork pattern. You see bricks laid on a house, they’re staggered. It’s the same concept.

SLD: And what I’m looking at in the pictures of the operation of the Dwyer; what is that made of, so that it can handle the heat and all that?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: It can handle the heat. Harriers have no heat impact on AM-2 matting; we have been doing it for years. Testing for the F-35B is ongoing to see how the current matting stands up to the heat from the new engine. Experts are looking at emerging or new technologies to see whether they can come up with some sort of higher heat-resistant matting that can supplement or complement the existing pads. The AM-2 matting might need modification or we might build special pads for the F-35B to land and then it can taxi on AM-2.

Lt. Col. Johnson: In current operations, the USMC expertise is in high demand. The air force has AM-2 matting. The army has equivalent square type matting.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: M-19.

Lt. Col. Johnson:They keep an inventory of the matting, but there’s a lot of accessories that go along with it. Locking bars, stakes, etc.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Edge clamps, H-connectors, all to make it connect and configure it the way you need to configure it.

SLD: So, they’ve got the Lego blocks but not the connectors?

Lt. Col. Johnson: Correct. None of the accessories.

Lt. Col. Johnson: Same with the Army; but unlike our rectangle AM-2 matting, the Army has not kept a big inventory of it; they haven’t been replenishing it.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Their M-10 is not produced anymore.

Lt. Col. Johnson: So, by default, Marine Corps 7011s or 7002s are in demand for their expertise.

SLD: What are the 7011s?

Lt. Col. Johnson: The 7011s are the expeditionary airfield military occupational specialty marines. The 7002s are the officers.

Lt. Col. Johnson: Let me give you an example of demand for USMC expertise. Recently in Afghanistan, because there isn’t an airfield infrastructure in place like there was in Iraq, there’s been a high demand for AM-2 matting to create the expeditionary airstrips. The Air Force has AM-2 matting, but they don’t have the accessories to go with it. They primarily use the matting to put down inside their maintenance facilities and/or other working areas. In other words, it’s used only as flooring — a very expensive flooring system for them.

SLD: It’s basically used for support once they’ve established a temporary hangar or whatever. It’s really supporting the maintenance side rather than the ops side?

Lt. Col. Johnson: Yes, sir. And because of that, both the Army and Air Force capability subject matter expertise has atrophied, and really the Marine Corps is the only go-to service right now that has that capability and expertise resident to provide that capability.

SLD: So your 7011s and 7002sare in high demand?

Lt. Col. Johnson: Absolutely. They’re supporting U.S. forces Afghanistan with subject matter expert teams to support our sister services; for installation, design, inspections, maintenance, and training.

SLD: So, basically being advisors on the core competencies necessary to have the capability.

Lt. Col. Johnson: Yes, sir. In turn, there’s almost 8 million square feet of matting in Afghanistan. In contrast, in the height of OIF there was approximately 1 million square feet of AM-2 on the ground. That has taken approximately 70-percent of our on-hand stocks of AM-2 out of the Marine Corps inventory. And that, of course, has exhausted our stocks.

SLD: Who makes this stuff?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: There’s a company in Alabama, it’s called ALFAB, inc. They are the only manufacturers of AM-2 in the world.Also, the coating on AM-2 and that wears out every three to five years. There’s only one guy who actually refurbishes AM-2 and he’s out in El Reno, Oklahoma.

SLD: The USMC is the main customer, largely because you use expeditionary airfields on an ongoing basis?

Lt. Col. Johnson:We have expeditionary airfields or auxiliary airfields all over the world that have AM-2 matting. For a number of USMC facilities, there is a necessity to conduct maintenance actions such as replacement of old AM-2 matting for new, because of the non-skid wearing out. And so, our 7011s go in as part of the Marine Wing Support Squadron and conduct maintenance actions on these sites and ensure that they remain certified.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: The certification program is through NAVAIR. They handle all of our technical engineering and logistics, so we have engineers and logisticians at NAVAIR Lakehurst (New Jersey). That’s all they do; they work for the EF program. From cradle to grave, all aspects of the EF equipment, they handle that for us from an engineering and logistical perspective.

Lt. Col. Johnson: The fact that we have these Marine Wing Support Squadrons resident within the aviation community is crucial to our ACE and MAGTF capabilities. It’s a complimentary activity, because the 7011s, the 7002 Marines could not install their HLZ or airstrips without the assistance of organic engineering capabilities (i.e., with heavy equipment, drafting surveying Marines, et cetera), and, of course, the motor transportation of assets to move the matting from point A to point B.

SLD: So, if we were creating a graphic to depict your approach, the tip of the iceberg or the pyramid is the AV8 or the F35-B. The middle of the iceberg is the expeditionary airfield that enables this to operate. But underlying or providing the base to the iceberg would be the engineering logistics capability that moves the assets.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Yes and all of that aviation ground support would be the base.

SLD: The base that allows you to create the airfield that creates and enables the STOVL aircraft to move closer to the fight. What’s your own background, Lt. Col.?

Lt. Col. Johnson: I’m a combat engineer. I am the Marine who would prep the ground, and work the sub-grade, sub-base and base course in preparation to lay the matting. Of course, for the matting, there are strict requirements that are levied upon us by NAVAIR in order to get the airfield certified.

The drafting Marines are vital to ensuring that we are meeting the specifications when we’re working the earthwork in preparation to lay the matting. Then NAVAIRprovides their expertise and conducts the certification to make sure that the airfield can be declared operational.

SLD: How re-usable is your kit?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: We basically recoup everything that we install. And it goes back into the recycle for refurbishment and then back on the shelf. And whenever OEF is complete, we’re going to recoup as much as that AM-2 as we can; we’ll put it back through this refurb cycle out in Oklahoma and put it back on the shelf.

SLD: And what’s your background?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: I’m a 7002.

SLD: Where do you get the training for this?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Now the training is conducted at Pensacola. When I came in, years ago, it was done in Lakehurst, New Jersey. It’s migrated from New Jersey to Memphis and now down at Pensacola with the other aviation schools.

SLD: How long you been doing this?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Twenty-six years.

SLD: In this specialty?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: Yes.

SLD: For 26 years? So you obviously know what you’re doing.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier:I have seen a little bit.

SLD: You’ve seen a little bit. And how long have you been a combat engineer?

Lt. Col. Johnson: About 20 years.

SLD: What modifications have you had to make for the Osprey operations?

Lt. Col. Johnson: In Iraq, the Marines would place 120X120 HLZs to support the MV-22. When the V22 was first introduced into theatre, we had to replace the 96X96 HLZ landing pads and make them 120X120s in order to facilitate the V22.

SLD: Because of the size difference?

Lt. Col. Johnson: Yes. And at the same time, depending on how the battle space changes and shifts, depending on what you’re trying to do to the enemy, we were pulling up HLZs that had matting and moving them to another location. So, it’s movable. I mean, you can go in, you can pull it out, and move it to a different location. Put it down, get it certified and use it for further operations.

SLD: The operation of the V22 and the larger HLZ matting, have you had to change the composition of the top of the matting because of heat of the V22?

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: No, it’s the same non-skid. We are looking at the possibility that it erodes a little faster with the V-22.

SLD: It’s the same ballpark.

Chief Warrant Officer Collier: It’s the same non-skid. Nothing’s changed in the actual composition of the AM-2 or the non-skid.

Lt. Col. Johnson: Dwyer is an outstanding achievement in expeditionary airfield construction. When I say that, it’s one of the largest expeditionary airfields we’ve built. It was initially installed with the assistance of Red Horse, which is the Air Force’s engineering capability.The Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS)installed the matting and shortly began generating sorties. Operations started up utilizing the airstrip for nearly a 1,000 sorties over the first 5-6 weeks.

The broader point is that the expeditionary basing capability is integral to what we do as Aviation Ground Support Marines in support of the ACE and MAGTF Commander.

Looming Gaps Facing the USCG

Posted on April 28, 2010 | by SysAdmin | Leave a Comment

04/28/2010

The USCG plays a central role in securing ocean-going commerce globally. The transit of goods from Asia to the US to Europe shapes a virtual conveyer belt of goods, which define a central part of the lifeblood of “globalization.” The opening up of the Arctic and the coming emergence of transit of goods by a Northern Route will reshape this transit in areas entering the inland waterways of North America. The transit of goods from the Atlantic to North America via the waterways of the Great Lakes is yet another significant transit point. This week we are publishing an interview with one key area which provides for maritime safety and security for the transit of goods, namely the Great Lakes.

The USCG role is central in doing inspections, coping with environmental degradation or threats of such degradation and of providing for the security of such commerce against what used to be called terrorists but now is called “man caused disasters.”

The challenge for the USCG is the need for personnel, ships, aircraft and related tool sets to do the job. It is no secret that the recapitalization pressures, the steady-state level of USCG personnel, and the budget downturn, all make this harder to do. Put bluntly, the USCG needs more resources in a timely manner. This is the opinion of the SLD team and is a conclusion drawn from a series of interview with USCG personnel dealing with the challenges facing the USCG.

The USCG is an amazing service; the men and woman of the service are among the finest serving the United States and working worldwide with allies and partners. They don’t complain about their resources but just do with what they have. But the fact is clear: resource constraints lead to coverage gaps, and to inability to deal with globalization pressures. There is no magic wand that allows folks to intercept drugs, deal with maritime safety and security, global maritime commerce, inland waterway security and safety issues without the necessary assets. Bluntly put, the USCG does not have neither the trained personnel nor the equipment necessary to do the job being required by the Congress and the Administration. We are at a turning point.

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***Posted April 28th, 2010