In January, the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office fielded an urgent call from a squadron in the Red Sea supporting Operation Prosperity Guardian. It wanted to carry more AIM-9X missiles on its Super Hornets to bolster its capability against Houthi attacks on merchant vessels. The program office partnered with multiple other program offices, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) and others to provide a flight clearance in just seven days, a process that—depending on complexity—ordinarily could take weeks or months. In this case, collaboration overcame multiple obstacles.

Capt. Ronnie Harper has spent the entirety of his 35-year naval career improving Naval Aviation through positions held as an enlisted and naval officer assigned in organizational (O-Level) and intermediate (I-Level) maintenance and acquisition assignments. This experience ultimately led to his current role as the Maintenance Operations Center (MOC) Director at Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic (AIRLANT).

Vice Adm. Carl P. Chebi, who came aboard in September 2021 as Commander, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), shares his priorities with Naval Aviation News.