Naval Aviation Enterprise leadership named Stuart Paul as the winner of the Outstanding Performance Award during the NAE Air Board video teleconference Dec. 15.

Paul serves as the deputy branch head, Aviation Readiness Branch (OPNAV N832), and in that role contributes to numerous current and future readiness successes within the NAE. According to the letter of appreciation signed by Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander, Naval Air Forces, Paul has been selected personally to serve in several Marine Corps Integrated Readiness Reviews and has provided expertise in identifying readiness vulnerabilities. He also guided the Aviation Depot Level Repair 250 Team through a bottom-up scrub of core maintenance data management systems such as the Individual Component Repair Lists, according to his award letter.

Additionally, Shoemaker wrote Paul "took action to improve aviation readiness as a whole. Finally, your satirical messaging via 'Stu-toons' is both engaging and effective in communicating real-time challenges to the NAE ... Your vision and personal efforts have been responsible for elevating OPNAV N83 to the next level of enterprise behavior."

Paul's Stu-toons are a carryover from traditional aircraft carrier "Air Plans" cartoons which communicated serious points across the whole ship/air wing team in a humorous way. Paul spent 28 years in uniform with the Navy before transitioning to civil service. His first job was at Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers. He moved to the Pentagon in 2008, working on Operations and Maintenance, Navy budgets related to Aviation Fleet Readiness because he thought it would be a place where he could make a difference.

Making a difference and being part of something bigger have been key motivators for Paul his entire government career.

"It's always nice to receive personal recognition; however, as I first learned after entering the Navy in 1975, this is a team sport and a high 'team score' enables every accomplishment," Paul said about winning his award.

Being part of the NAE allows him to participate in a large enterprise which succeeds through partners collaborating to improve Naval Aviation readiness.

"The NAE enables and strives to improve cross-command communication and focus," Paul explained. "It's not a substitute for command responsibility, authority or accountability. Rather, it's a network for naval aviation to get a better team score and achieve more cost-wise readiness. After more than 40 years of being a naval aviation 'green shirt,' I still appreciate the importance of helping to generate readiness so our aviators can fly-fight-win."

Green Shirts are one of seven groupings of personnel designated by the color of their shirts on aircraft carrier flight decks. Learn more at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/rainbow.asp]

In his current role, Paul's main focus is to do whatever it takes to change the ratio of aircraft ready for missions (up) and those that need work of some type (down). At the end of December, the Navy had more than 200 more aircraft down than up. Paul said he is excited to help groups across the NAE to improve up aircraft numbers and to generate readiness.

"In 2017, I look forward to working with all of today's green shirts, supply officers, engineers, logisticians, BFMs and all the other NAE people -- who are the best I've ever seen -- to help get naval aviation to where it needs to be with the resources we manage to obtain," he added.

The NAE is a cooperative partnership of Naval Aviation stakeholders focused on sustaining required current readiness and advancing future warfighting capabilities at best possible cost. It is comprised of Sailors, Marines, civilians and contractors from across service branches and organizations, working together to identify and resolve readiness barriers and warfighting degraders.

Naval aviation leaders have distributed the monthly NAE Outstanding Performance Award since 2008 to promote a culture of costwise readiness. For more information, contact the NAE at nae@navy.mil.

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