With eight installations across three continents, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA) continuously executes missions to support fleet operations in a dynamic area of the world.

Ensuring sound communication and understanding between the shore and fleet operations is a critical component to mission success, and in this respect, Rear Adm. Rick Williamson, commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia describes Region as a translator.

"Within Navy Installations Command, we often speak programmatically, which is different from the fleet," Williamson said. "For the fleet to understand us, we must communicate with the fleet through terms that resonate with operations. When we speak in program language, we are talking about is what is required to secure resources. When we speak air operations, the fleet understands that as runways, the lighting, the air traffic controllers, the hangars, and the ability for maintenance on the ground on the airplane. All those things are critical to the fleet. That's the mission language."

Thinking in terms of mission is a vital focus that Williamson has brought to Region EURAFSWA, said Cmdr. Werner Rauchenstein, Region EURAFSWA's Airfield Operations Program director. When deciphering between the two languages in the case of air operations, Rauchenstein explains that airfield operations is the program, and air operations is the mission.

"Our mission has been redefined recently to support 6th Fleet aviation operations in support of combat readiness and optimization to achieve the combative commander's objectives," said Rauchenstein. "That is a very different thing than 'make sure the runway is clean'. Those aren't really missions, those functions are putting in time, we're doing a job; 'it's just a job'. When you have a mission: 'do whatever it takes to support the commander's objectives,' then we're doing what we joined the military for. Mission focus is important."

As the Navy operates at sea there is a high demand for parts for the ships to sustain their operations. Rauchenstein states that requires an air capability to deliver those parts at a moment's notice and the shore provides that capability. The Region has specific logistics aircraft allocation, he added. Bahrain, Naples, and Sigonella, Sicily, directly support the fleet with such aircraft, which are used to deliver parts to locations where ships can pick them up. This is important because using typical methods of delivery may not be cost effective when delivering a small part. Another problem with other methods of delivery is their dependence on regular time schedules for efficiency, which will not help in cases where parts are needed immediately.

"When you have a multimillion dollar platform that can't do its job, even if it's for a 10-cent screw, it's worth the cost overall to get that screw to the ship," said Rauchenstein.

A Region is a different concept in the Navy, says Rauchenstein. For example, the EURAFSWA Region air operations program supports air operations as a mission. As a program, however, Region supports the installations and fleet commander through policy guidance and resource management including manpower. Basically, Region air operations supply the leadership and materials that serve the fleet.

"What Region air operations provides is an overarching perspective on how those installations in the aggregate support the fleet commander's overall mission," said Rauchenstein. "We coordinate directly with the fleet commander's staff so that we can provide specific direction and guidance to the individual installations to support the overall mission. It's as much a coordination function and a resource balancing function as anything else."

The area of responsibility within Region EURAFSWA extends over three continents, and the majority of the installations reside in a different country, which leads to many differences between the installations.

"[At] an airfield in the continental United States, things are largely the same, procedures and policies are very similar," Rauchenstein said. "Here, we're subject to host nation agreements, massively different policies and procedures. In some places we operate at commercial airports. In other places we operate at host nation military fields. So, there are a lot of differences historically, but within the program, we can standardize how we handle specific parts of that operation. It's always part of the long term goal of really pulling everybody together from these diverse locations and situations so that we can help each other out and speak a common language."

Region continuously works as a "translator" between the program language that is spoken at CNIC, and the mission language that is spoken throughout the fleet added Rauchenstein. Ultimately, Region EURAFSWA conducts operations ashore that enable U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed and when they are needed for the security and stability in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia, visit www.navy.mil/.