Naval Aviation Enterprise leadership recognized an Integrated Product Team Leader (IPT) at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) for his outstanding performance June 6.

Bruce Crooke, IPT lead for F/A-18 Hornets at FRCSE, was singled out during a Boots on Ground event in Jacksonville, for his outstanding efforts implementing the tenets of the Naval Sustainment System (NSS) and having a positive impact on Naval Aviation readiness.

Vice Adm. Dean Peters, commander, Naval Air Systems Command, praised Crooke for his performance while temporarily assigned to Naval Air Station Lemoore’s FRC West detachment, saying that his efforts directly contributed to a higher readiness level of Navy’s F/A-18 E/F aircraft.

“Your outstanding effort was responsible for elevating FRC West to the next level of NSS implementation, resulting in an increased throughput of Super Hornets,” said Peters.

NSS involves continuous improvement, standardized work, change management, process discipline and life-cycle management; the goals of the NSS are to achieve the highest quality, best possible cost and shortest cycle-time toward a return to readiness.

Crooke, a four-year veteran of the Air Force, said that having hands-on human interaction is the best way to solve problems.

“It’s a culture change,” said Crooke. “We had gotten away from human solutions, and now our entire management staff is out there on the floor solving problems, NSS is a smart move,” continued Crooke. “If we align the standards, then everybody wins.”

Since NSS began in November, Naval Aviation has seen a more than 20% increase in MC aircraft and is trending in the right direction to meet the goal of 80% mission capable Super Hornets.

Naval Aviation leaders have distributed the monthly NAE Outstanding Performance Award since 2008 to promote a culture of cost-wise readiness.

For more news from Naval Aviation Enterprise, visit www.navy.mil/local/NAE and www.navy.mil/local/NSS .

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For more news from Naval Aviation Enterprise, visit www.navy.mil/.