The Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced April 12, that Rear Adm. Roy "Trigger" Kelley will be appointed as the director, Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Fleet Integration.

Kelley will direct the Department of the Navy's (DON) Joint Strike Fighter Fleet Integration Office (FIO), establishing unity of command and effort for the integration of the F-35 into the fleet.

As director of Joint Strike Fighter Fleet Integration, Kelley will coordinate with the joint program office, other services, partner nations and industry to ensure Department of the Navy equities are represented and meet initial operational capability (IOC) requirements and milestones.

"The fifth-generation Navy variant stealth fighter, F-35C Lightning II, will bring tremendous capability to the carrier strike group's (CSG) integrated warfighting package with stealth advantages that allow it to penetrate threat envelopes and deliver payloads, the ability to detect and fuse information from many sources and link that fused picture to other CSG aircraft, ships and decision-makers," said Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, Commander, Naval Aviation Forces. "Under Rear Adm. Kelley's leadership, the FIO will be instrumental in ensuring that these technologies are seamlessly integrated as we prepare for IOC in 2018."

The FIO will be responsible for developmental, operational and sustainment lines of effort across the DON as the Navy moves toward bringing this remarkable new aircraft into its combat inventory.

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