FRC-E/ASD earns 'Outstanding' in Supply Management Inspection

Published April 3, 2013
By 2nd Lt. David J. Murphy
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs Office

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The Fleet Readiness Center East and Aviation Support Detachment here earned an overall grade of "Outstanding" in their Supply Management Inspection March 25, 2013.

The FRC-E/ASD received the results from the Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) during an inspection that concluded Feb. 1.

The inspection team consisted of logistical experts from both CNAF and CNAF Reserve. The team graded areas related to part-issue response time; inventory accuracy; tracking and reporting of retrograde as well as training and security.

Parts-issue response time deals with speed at which a unit is able to respond to a part request. High-priority items require a one-hour response time.

Inventory accuracy requires units to have 100 percent accountability for every item in their inventory, either by having it physically present or signed for. This item is considered the "bread and butter" of logisticians, said Lt. Cmdr. Juan D. Cabral, FRC-E/ASD assistant officer in charge.

Tracking and reporting of retrograde involves the refurbishment of expensive aircraft parts by an outside agency. The FRC-E/ASD must track parts from here to their final destination and back.
"We have to track every single part from 'cradle to grave' that is aviation-depot-level repairable," said Cabral, a Tampa, Fla., native.

The inspection of the training program involves ensuring a weekly training program is in place.

"We actually revamped our program in January 2012, implementing the new program which actually scored very high during the SMI," Cabral said.

Security involves the storage of classified and expensive items. The inspector ensures the building has proper fencing, security cameras and signs.

The FRC-E/ASD earned an overall "Outstanding" despite one "Excellent" rating for the supply readiness section."

"The strong leadership and expertise provided by senior personnel combined with the enthusiasm and dedication of subordinate personnel greatly contributed to the success of the aviation supply support operations," according to the CNAF Supply Management Inspection Team Leader Memorandum.

The unit was subjected to 304 inspectable items, many of which had multiple graded sub-items. Each inspector was assigned to a work center representative who they shadowed throughout the inspection.

"The inspectors observe how you do your day-to-day operations and at the same time they are going through the checklist," said Cabral. "So what I tell the folks here is that the inspection is not over until the inspection team departs."

The SMI put the FRC-E/ASD to the test but members didn't feel overwhelmed.

"It wasn't really easy and it wasn't really tough, but they did ask good questions; they made you think," said Katherine Taylor, FRC-E/ASD supervisory inventory management specialist and North Wales, Pa., native.

Taylor is 26-year detachment veteran and has been through a few inspections, but for some members this was their first SMI experience.

"It was a learning experience," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Kaylne Goodson, FRC-E/ASD supply response section program management unit expeditor who hails from Colorado Springs, Colo. "The inspectors worked with us. Even when we got hit on something, they would explain why we got hit and tell us some ways how not to get hit. I feel better-educated and more comfortable about going through another one."

The unit created a Plan of Action and Milestone and a preparation plan stating the different phases to prepare for the inspection. The unit started by familiarizing the most-junior individuals in the detachment with the checklist and worked their way up the chain of command.

"We wanted to empower our most junior folks on what the checklists entail and help them understand how we can grade ourselves at a given time based on those items to be assessed," said Cabral. "We also conducted a full audit of ourselves and completed a wall-to-wall inventory, meaning a complete inventory of the consumables and AVDLRs. With all these things in place, we knew were setting ourselves up for success."

The "Outstanding" is just one of many accolades FRC-E/ASD achieved throughout 2012. The unit's other accomplishments include integration of the Navy Enterprise Resource Planning system; the first Navy-wide, wall-to-wall inventory under N-ERP; the highest Aviation Maintenance Inspection score fleet-wide for any FRC; the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Unit Safety Office of the Year Award; and the Retention Excellence Award.

"Every single program did very well and I'm really proud to serve with these outstanding warriors," stated Cmdr. Frank Seguin FRC-E/ASD officer in charge.

The FRC-E/ASD commemorated its second year here since the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission brought the unit from Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove, Pa.
The unit's organizational structure consists of 146 Sailors, Marines and civilian personnel providing maintenance and logistics support to C-130 Hercules aircraft from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 64, CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 772, UH-1N Huey and AH-1W Cobra helicopters from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 Detachment B.