Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) Adm. Bill Lescher visited several commands during a trip to Norfolk July 31, engaging with leaders in areas critical to accelerating recent improvement trends in generating operational readiness.

Lescher discussed shipyard maintenance and force employment with Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, Submarine Forces, and the imperative to drive disciplined execution and rapidly share best practices with Naval Safety Center leadership.

“It’s critical that we work together to enforce and reward high safety standards,” said Lescher. “Key elements are transparency, courageous communication, and the imperative to fix issues at each level or elevate them with accountability.”

Lescher also had the opportunity to observe the Maintenance Operation Center (MOC) Aircraft-on-Ground (AOG) Cell at Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic (CNAL). The MOC/AOG was the largest driver in Navy surpassing its goal of achieving 341 mission capable strike fighter aircraft. Naval aviation is now expanding the MOC/AOG to include additional airframes.

Capt. Jeff Chown, Director, Aviation Materiel Readiness at CNAL, explained the role of MOC/AOG to the naval aviation enterprise.

“As we further expand our scope, we will provide that same focus to other platforms, continuing to improve the lethality of Naval Aviation as a whole with continuous improvements to the entire chain. This runs from the supply and logistics channels, to component repair, and down to squadron level maintenance activities,” said Chown.

Lescher also explored how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting personnel at each of the commands and thanked the staffs for their hard work and efforts to ensure workforce safety.