Also referred to as the Security “S”, the Navy’s highest flight security award is bestowed upon Navy and Marine Corps instructions which have demonstrated distinctive and sustained security excellence.
This achievement relies upon plane flight mishap charges, forex of security packages, the variety of plane being flown, and the period of time the plane spent supporting deployed operations.
”The security award is actually a manifestation of the standard, protected, skilled operations, each flying the plane, in addition to the maintainers doing an unimaginable job with sustaining the platforms that now we have,” stated Whitesell. “Our enterprise is inherently harmful, and it’s the professionalism of the maintainers and aircrew that allow us to offer confidence to the mothers and dads that ship you out into the world to defend your nation. I can’t do this myself; it’s you all that do this.”
Regardless of the distinctive challenges of an immensely giant and various squadron, HSC-3 spearheaded COVID-19 operational threat controls, together with distance studying and COVID affected person switch protocols, enabling the execution of 11,031 flight hours to qualify future warfighters within the MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, in addition to MQ-8B/C Firescout unmanned aerial automobiles. The squadron additionally carried out firefighting operations in assist of California Hearth and Federal Hearth, flying 56 hours and dropping 166 “Bambi Buckets” of water in assist of the shore bombardment space (SHOBA) hearth and the Corey Iverson Wildland train. HSC-3’s proactive participation and suggestions within the Security Methods Working Group, Naval Air Coaching and Working Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) Program Supervisor Summit, and Mine Warfare Enchancment Program (MIWIP) helped allow protected and accountable operations inside the neighborhood.
HSC-4 executed 2,959 complete flight hours whereas sustaining eight mission-capable plane whereas embarked aboard the Nimitz-class plane service USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE-11), in addition to detachments to Naval Air Station Fallon and Naval Air Facility El Centro. Total, the squadron has flown greater than 69,128 hours with no Class A mishap.
The “Titans” acquired ten further plane and supported two deployments, together with the inaugural deployment of three CMV-22B plane as a part of the Carl Vinson Service Strike Group. VRM-30 efficiently deployed one detachment, carried out impartial operations, and supported VRM-50, the Navy’s CMV-22B Fleet Alternative Squadron (FRS), throughout their Protected-for-Flight certification. The Titans flew 1,022 sorties totaling 2,039 flight hours, together with 520 evening hours, with no aviation mishaps.
“There is no such thing as a differentiation between our security efficiency and our operational efficiency,” stated Whitesell. “You could have each on the identical time. A protected squadron can also be an operationally efficient squadron.”
