Engineering Teams: SSP Chief Engineers Embrace Get Real, Get Better

09 August 2024

From Shelby Thompson

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fl. - Chief Engineers from each of Strategic Systems Programs’ (SSP) field activities and program management offices (PMO) gathered at Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) for a Chief Engineer Offsite on 9 July.

Download

The offsite brought together the organization’s chief engineers to hold focused meetings with their counterparts at other sites, enabling them to work through common issues and identify future needs for the fleet ballistic missile (FBM) program.

Bringing the team together for in-person workshopping was a key goal for Dr. Steve Van Dyk, chief engineer for SSP, and provided an opportunity to implement Navy Get Real, Get Better priorities.

“We needed to bring SSP headquarters, our PMOs, and our field activities closer together,” said Dr. Van Dyk, who used Get Real, Get Better tools as a framework for driving discussion.

Get Real, Get Better is a call to action for every leader to strengthen the Navy team through self-assessment, self-correction, learning, and innovation. Advancing a culture of empowerment and transparency starts from the top, and was something Dr. Van Dyk and his fellow chief engineers were ready to embrace head on during their offsite.

Common areas of concern and leveraging lessons learned from each site were at the top of the agenda for attendees, including Mike Brookhart, chief engineer for NOTU. Brookhart, who is new to the chief engineer role, appreciated the opportunity to hear from veterans in the position as well as ideas from newly appointed chief engineers and their deputies.

“Most of us are having the same issues,” Brookhart said. Working as a cohesive leadership team is something Brookhart and his colleagues are expecting will translate into wins across the program.

Dr. Van Dyk agreed with the power of teams bolstering “efficiency and effectiveness” in the program. He further pointed out that a culture of technical rigor and clearly defined processes are necessary for success at every site, especially as SSP steps into a future of parallel sustainment and development of the sea-based strategic weapons system (SWS).

Each of SSP’s field activities and PMOs are crucial to maintaining the nation’s sea-based strategic deterrent, today and well into the future. NOTU, in particular, plays a vital role in the sustainment of the current system, as well as in future development and testing.
NOTU’s primary mission is to provide integrated testing, evaluation, and research and development solutions for the nation’s sea-based strategic weapon systems, while also operating Port Canaveral to support Atlantic Fleet operations of US and allied navies and assisting other federal agencies for missions of national interest.

Starting in the 2030s, NOTU will support future platform flight tests for the Trident II D5 Life Extension II (D5LE2) SWS, something Brookhart and his fellow engineers at the site are already preparing for.

“All of this work is going to happen in and around our facilities,” said Brookhart.

“NOTU touches every aspect of the weapons system and will become a focal point of the program. The field activities need to take this time to learn from each other so that each chief engineer doesn’t have to recreate fire, because someone else has probably already done it,” he added.
Teamwork, leveraging experiences and insights, and efficient communication are all Get Real, Get Better building blocks SSP’s chief engineers are relying on.

“I appreciated the opportunity to get the six SSP Chief Engineers and their Deputies together to discuss the technical foundations of our program, where we need to improve, and how we can assist each other to make those improvements,” said Tammy Branch, the Technical Department head and chief engineer at SSP’s Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic.

The Chief Engineer team is committed to push back against the inertia of the status quo to stay on track in support of long-term sustainment and modernization efforts. As part of the offsite actions to meet that goal, the team scheduled the next offsite date and planned to hold three offsites annually.

Dr. Van Dyk believes the event outcomes are a sign of a healthy culture within the program.

“Culture plus process will equal a desired result,” he said.

For SSP and the nation’s sea based strategic deterrent, the equation looks promising.

SSP is the Navy command that provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support for the sea-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. This includes training, systems, equipment, facilities and personnel responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nation’s Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) Trident II (D5LE) Strategic Weapon System.

SLBMs are one leg of the nation’s strategic nuclear deterrent Triad that also includes the U.S. Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and nuclear-capable bombers. Each part of the Triad provides unique capabilities and advantages.

SLBMs make up the majority – approximately 70 percent – of the U.S.’s deployed strategic nuclear deterrent Triad. The SLBM is the most survivable, provides persistent presence, and allows flexible concept of operations.

Google Translation Disclaimer

Search News

Engineering Teams: SSP Chief Engineers Embrace Get Real, Get Better

From Shelby Thompson