Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) leadership named Larry McGuire a winner of the Outstanding Performance Award during an NAE Air Board video teleconference June 9.

McGuire was recognized for his work as the deputy assistant chief of staff for the NAE. In his role, he was responsible for the launch of a new NAE-focused course for commanding officers, according to the letter of appreciation signed by Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, commander, Naval Air Forces.

"You were the driving force in standing up a full-day course targeting officers in or reporting to major command that provides a full spectrum review of NAE principles, metrics and reporting drumbeat, in addition to an in-depth review of the Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) methodology," Shoemaker wrote. "The first pilot course was held in April 2016 and the feedback was unambiguously positive and cited as critical to a commander's success in their command tour."

In addition, McGuire was recognized for his efforts to work with NAE members from various service branches and organizations to resolve action items and leverage flag and general officer availability.

"Your ability to work closely with stakeholders across the enterprise has enhanced collaboration and transparency among the many organizations in naval aviation," Shoemaker wrote.

According to McGuire, he was not expecting to be recognized with the Outstanding Performance Award, but he was proud to accept it on behalf of his team.

"I was very surprised and honored to receive the NAE Outstanding Performance Award," said McGuire. "I think it really served as recognition to the great NAE executive staff team that I work with on a daily basis to keep the NAE drum beat going."

Launching the NAE-focused course is an effort McGuire is proud of and believes will be helpful for incoming leaders of the NAE.

"This [course] was the culmination of many months of planning by a multitude of NAE and CPI teammates," McGuire said. "The success of the course will be measured by establishing a foundational knowledge of NAE and CPI principles and metrics for incoming commanders as they become the NAE leads for their communities."

If McGuire could share any one thing about the NAE with other members of naval aviation, he would stress that it is not a command, but a team effort of naval aviation stakeholders focused on readiness.

"The NAE is a collaborative partnership that spans all of naval aviation," said McGuire. "We are all working to remove barriers and focus attention on critical issues that impact our ability to execute the NAE mission, to sustain required current readiness and advance future warfighting capabilities at best possible cost."

The NAE Air Board, comprised of leaders partnering to pursue the best interests of naval aviation, recognizes typically one Sailor, Marine, or civilian employee each month for his or her outstanding enterprise-centric contributions to naval aviation. Award winners serve as positive examples of the enterprise approach at work. 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 have distributed the monthly NAE Outstanding Performance Award since 2008 to promote a culture of cost-wise readiness. For a full listing of monthly award winners since 2008, visit http://www.nae.navy.mil/. For more information, contact the NAE at nae@navy.mil.

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