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NAVAIR commander visits joint base

  • Published
  • By NAVAIR Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Vice Adm. David Dunaway, Naval Air Systems Command commander, along with members of his staff, visited NAVAIR facilities April 30, 2013, here.

The visit marked Dunaway's first visit to meet JB MDL employees as he recognized their achievements.

Dunaway and his staff visited NAVAIR prototyping and manufacturing in Hangar 1 where employees from 16 buildings assembled for the manufacturing division awards ceremony.

Employees came forward individually or in groups to receive their recognition documents and have their photographs taken as the vice admiral congratulated them. Each had a chance to exchange comments with the vice admiral as their accomplishments were read.

Dunaway called on those present to visualize the many threatening parts of the world and then remember that it's the U.S. Navy's presence, or potential presence, that restrains people with malicious intent from entering U.S. interests.

The NAVAIR commander continued his site visit to the integrated diagnostics and automated test systems lab where he met the team creating new products for advanced aircraft diagnostics and recognized those doing all the innovative work.

The support equipment lab, materials lab, and support equipment & aircraft launch and recovery equipment lab showed Dunaway demonstrations of their capabilities. Dunaway demonstrated prior knowledge about an ongoing materials investigation presented.

Jo Anna McVey, NAVAIR materials engineer, escorted him to an infrared spectrometer in the corner they are using to investigate why polyurethane rollers are failing in a particular Marine Corps item.

"In failure analysis, we don't just ask why something failed but how we can fix the root cause," said David Piatkowski, materials lab head of the work. "We fix future failures before they can happen."

Dunaway met with 70 interns at his request. He told them the world is a crazy place and naval aviation is the one of the only forces stabilizing it. "Many people do not want the U.S. to keep our standard of living. I want us to."

He underscored that 90 percent of all the world's goods are shipped by sea and our carriers are 4.5 acres of mobile U.S. sovereignty.

"We must be more efficient, get rid of waste and not do work that we do not need to do and innovate our war fighting capability," Dunaway said. "We cannot expect future resources to match the growing craziness in the world but I am an optimist and see the cup half full."