Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) leadership recognized Senior Chief Aviation Maintenance Administrationman Chad Young with its Outstanding Performance Award during an NAE Air Board video teleconference May 1.

Young currently serves as the petty officer first class through master chief petty officer and lead detailer for the Aviation Maintenance Administrationman rating at Enlisted Aviation Assignment (PERS-404) in Millington, Tennessee. His actions in this role led to the establishment of Sea Duty Incentive Pay (SDIP) for enlisted Sailors extending a current tour, or negotiating a follow-on tour at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore.

During the 2018 Career Development Symposium, Young saw the need for SDIP and took action. According to the letter of appreciation signed by Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller III, commander, Naval Air Forces, Young has ensured positive impacts to manning and retention at NAS Lemoore, thereby gaining higher level advocacy for this initiative.

“Your commitment to supporting Sailors highlighted the effectiveness of senior enlisted deck plate leadership and will lead to increased trust with Sailors that "leadership is listening," Miller said.

Young’s efforts to impact operational readiness in the Strike Fighter Community as NAS Lemoore align with the Naval Sustainment System (NSS) approach to improving the wellness of the F/A-18 E/F fleet.

“After I took over as the SDIP coordinator, I noticed that we were giving SDIP to platforms and locations that didn’t warrant the pay, based on the number of applications we would receive during a given Career Management System-Interactive Detailing (CMSID) cycle,” said Young. “After identifying Lemoore as our target for incentivized pay, we submitted a package for AIP/SDIP to the Distribution Incentives Board (DIB) for approval. ,After multiple attempts and different approaches the DIB formally approved our request in late March. My proudest accomplishment is getting SDIP for Lemoore VFA [strike fighter] squadrons approved, because we were finally able to reward those hard working Sailors for taking the hard-to-fill jobs at sea.”

Comprised of leaders partnering to pursue the best interests of Naval Aviation, the NAE Air Board typically recognizes one Sailor, Marine or civilian employee each month for their outstanding Enterprise-centric contributions to Naval Aviation. Award winners serve as positive examples of the enterprise approach. They routinely illustrate a commitment to the NAE principles of process improvement, a willingness to challenge assumptions, a focus on effectiveness and efficiency and a commitment to the greater good of naval aviation.

Naval Aviation leaders distribute the monthly NAE Outstanding Performance Award to promote a culture of cost-wise readiness.

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