Seven Navy flag officers talked with members of the naval helicopter community during the Naval Helicopter Association (NHA) Symposium flag panel here May 14.

The panel members were Vice Adm. David Dunaway, commander, Naval Air Systems Command; Vice Adm. Paul Grosklags, principal military deputy/assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisitions (ASN(RDA)); Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, commander, Naval Surface Forces/Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander, Naval Air Forces/Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Rear Adm. Michael Manazir, director, Air Warfare (OPNAV N98), Rear Adm. Kevin Scott, vice director J7, Joint Staff; and Rear Adm. Russell Allen, commander, Naval Mine & Anti-Submarine Warfare Command.

During the two-hour panel, the flag officers opened the floor for questions from audience members, which included numerous junior officers (JO) and enlisted personnel.

"To see the level of detail you're talking about [in] the rotary-wing community as our senior leadership, it's just great," said one audience member while asking the panelists his question. "For every JO in the room, if you don't know what you're experiencing right now - it's really good stuff."

The flag panel session addressed a range of issues including the future rotary-wing and tilt-rotor aircraft training platform (the TH-57B/C replacement), the transition from the C-2 to the V-22, integration with the MQ-8 Fire Scout, how the helo community is training and exercising to meet potential threats, the implementation of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan and more.

When asked specifically about the limited number of flight hours available for pilots and aircrews today compared to junior officers in previous decades, Shoemaker, the Navy's "Air Boss," stressed that while the number of flight hours does matter, it also matters that the flight hours are high in quality versus just quantity.

"We're going to make sure you [today's pilots and aircrews] get the best bang for the buck from the flight hours we do have," Shoemaker said. "Compared to when I was starting out in my career, today's young pilots fly higher-quality hours based on more structured curriculum and smarter ways of achieving qualifications."

Several audience members asked the flag officers questions about transitioning platforms and how the Navy plans to employ its warfighting forces, today and in the future. As part of the conversation, Rowden, the Navy's "SWO Boss," brought up the topic of distributed lethality - an operational concept and an organizing principle that describes the use of widely dispersed, often autonomous surface forces against the enemy. Rowden challenged members of the helicopter community to think about that concept and possibly other ways to change the Navy's warfighting calculus.

"As we think about our forces and the budget situation that we're in ... we've got to think differently about how we're going to operate - to change the rules of the game during the middle of the game. By doing that we change the game," Rowden said. "I think you all can be significant drivers in that as we think about our future."

At the end of the flag panel session, Grosklags - whose career has included various tours in the helo community ranging from flying as an SH-2F and SH-60B pilot to serving as program manager for Multi-Mission Helicopters (PMA-299) - expressed thanks to the other flag officers for participating in the NHA Flag Panel.

"I want to really thank -- on behalf of the community -- Admiral Manazir, the Air Boss [Shoemaker] and the Sea Lord [Rowden] for joining us today," Grosklags said, acknowledging that Scott, Allen and Dunaway are all associated with the helicopter community. "It's critically important that you all hear from them and not just folks in your own community. I really want to thank you all for taking the time to be here today."

The NHA Symposium is an annual event that alternates locations between San Diego and Norfolk, Virginia. The NHA is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the professionalism of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard rotary wing aviation. More information about the NHA can be found at its website: www.navalhelicopterassn.org.

The Naval Aviation Enterprise is a partnership of Naval Aviation leaders - from across service branches and commands - committed to working together toward the common goal of cost-wise readiness. The NAE Executive Committee includes three of the NHA Flag Panel members - Shoemaker, Dunaway and Manazir. Naval Aviation's enterprise efforts are focused on advancing and sustaining Naval Aviation warfighting readiness at an affordable cost ... today and in the future. For more information about the NAE, visit its website at www.nae.navy.mil.

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