SSC Charleston’s deployed secret to success..... 32 Electronic invoicing success story..... 35 Identity theft is preventable..... 38 How long should you keep records

The ChronicleSpring 2007 1

SSC Charleston’sMobileNet connects

deployed warfighters

SSC Charleston’sMobileNet connects

deployed warfighters

The ChronicleSpring 2007 3The Chronicle2 Spring 2007

Captain’s Call .................................... 4From the Executive Director ............... 5MTAPP marks milestone ..................... 16CASREP Crusaders strike again ........ 18McCann earns Copernicus Award ..... 20Maritime intercept ops go wireless .... 27Marathoner runs 50 states ................. 28Toastmasters’ secret to success ...... 32Electronic invoicing success story ..... 35Identity theft is preventable ............. 38How long should you keep records? .... 41The final word ................................ 46

10 Building honors ‘true patriot’SSC Charleston’s Bldg. 3146 dedicated toMikolajcik

13 Facilities improvements afootFrom Germany to Tidewater to theLowcountry, SSC Charleston is upgradingfacilities.

30 Innovation summitSSC Charleston hosts 2007 ThinkTECHomeland Security Innovation Conference.

On the cover

SSC Charleston’sMobileNet and cybercafés give warfightersa communicationscapability unprec-edented in the historyof warfare. See storieson pages 23 to 26.Photo by HaroldSenn.

Spring 2007 Vol. 13, No. 2

ChronicleChronicle

Loy Stewart congratulates friend Tom Mikolajcikafter the Bldg. 3146 dedication ceremony.

Page 10

InsideInside

Commanding Officer .. Captain Red HooverExecutive Director ................ James Ward

The Chronicle is a quarterly publication de-signed for SPAWAR Systems Center, Charles-ton employees. Its purpose is to inform, educate,entertain and generate new ideas. An official pub-lication, The Chronicle is printed using appro-priated funds in compliance with Document Au-tomation and Production Service regulations.Contents of The Chronicle are not necessarilythe official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S.Government, the Department of Defense, theU.S. Navy or SSC Charleston.

To view The Chronicle online, visitwww.sscc.spawar.navy.mil and click “AboutUs.”

P.O. Box 190022North Charleston, SC 29419-9022

TheThe

ChronicleChronicle

SSC Charleston’s MissionTo provide knowledge superiority to naval and

joint warfighters and peacekeepers through the de-velopment, acquisition and life cycle support of effec-tive, integrated Command, Control, Communications,Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Recon-naissance (C4ISR) systems.

Editor ................................ Susan PiedfortPhotographer ........................ Harold Senn

ThinkTEC showcases SSC Charleston’s capabilities.See story on page 30.

ThinkTEC showcases SSC Charleston’s capabilities.See story on page 30.


From the desk of

James D. WardExecutive Director

Continued on next page

Our command needs some storytellers. The first thoughtthat will pop in your mind as you read my challenge mightbe: Writing has never been easy for me, or where could Ifind the time? If you are a contributor to this work effortand can tell us about it, I’ll help you with those concerns.

Four years ago we set out to strengthen our commandculture of efficiency, effectiveness and support to thewarfighter, and to better equip every member of the SSCCharleston team for future technical and business challenges.To do this, we aligned our training programs to four majorfuture curve competencies: efficient business operations,technology, academics and warfightersupport. We’ve come a long way in fouryears.

We’ve seen our training budget growfrom $2.4 million to more than $8 mil-lion – a huge investment in our mostimportant and only appreciable asset –our people. We’ve used EVM, perfor-mance-based contracts, Lean SixSigma, CMMI, activity based costing,Balanced Scorecard and many othertools to improve our business compe-tency. We’ve aggressively pursued ourDefense Acquisition Workforce Im-provement Act (DAWIA) goals, rais-ing the professionalism of our acquisi-tion workforce through education andtraining, experience and career management.

Many of our employees have embarked on or continuedacademic study related to their jobs, and the command hassupported them by paying 100 percent of their tuition andbooks as long as they maintain good grades. We have ahighly educated workforce. Fifty-seven percent of ouremployees hold bachelor’s degrees or higher, (as opposedto 41 percent in the entire federal sector, according to theOffice of Personnel Management,) and we have 14 em-ployees with doctorate degrees, 18 with post-master’s de-grees, 260 with master’s degrees and 54 with postbachelor’s training.

Telling our storyWe’ve increased our competencies in service-oriented

architectures, systems engineering, wireless technology,knowledge management and many other important tech-nology and business areas. We send our folks out to sea onships in the Scientists to Sea program – what better way tolearn about your primary customers than to rub elbowswith them in their environment?

My goal for us is to have and maintain the most compe-tent and credentialed workforce, one that is the benchmarkfor government and industry to be measured by. The in-

vestment we have made in training andeducation for our professionals hasgreatly increased our innovative capi-tal. We’ve aligned our individual devel-opment activities to the overall goals ofthe Navy and joint leadership. We’veincreased our competencies and ensuredour significance to the warfighter as theend user of our services.

Now we need to tell our story to ourprofessional peers in the worlds of sci-ence, technology, engineering andbusiness. We need to include our vitalwork in the flow of scholarly and pro-fessional communication – specializedjournals, peer-reviewed publications andconference proceedings. We havestarted an Innovation Program that is

composed of two innovation tracks, business and engineer-ing excellence. We are providing funding grants from$10,000 to $99,999 for innovation in the business and engi-neering areas.

While the Innovation Program is driving innovation andexperimentation to become part of our culture, we need tomake “telling our story” an additional part of that culture.We already possess the necessary critical mass of partici-pants – our competent and credentialed workforce. We al-ready have the success stories to tell – cutting edge con-

“While theInnovation Program

is driving innovationand experimentation to

become part of ourculture, we need to

make ‘telling our story’an additional part of

that culture.”

Continued on page 6

All, just in case you have not heard, the Chief of NavalOperations (CNO) Guidance for 2007 was released lastmonth. Our CNO continues to emphasize the need to stay“Focused on Execution” by “following through — rapidlyexecute — on every plan, budget decision, strategy andpolicy to better defend the American people and our nationalinterests.” His Top Five objectives for the Navy are: (1)Provide a Total Naval Workforce capable and optimized tosupport the national defense strategy; (2) Use the Navy-Marine Corps Team to aggressively prosecute the GlobalWar on Terrorism (GWOT); (3) Build the Navy-Marine Corpsforce for tomorrow; (4) Emphasize safety by managing riskto improve mission effectiveness and to safeguard the peopleand resources of the Navy-Marine Corps Team; and (5)Reinforce ethics as a foundation of exemplary conduct withinthe Department of Navy.

Furthermore, COMSPAWARSYSCOM Rear Adm. MichaelBachmann has released his Commander’s Guidance for2007. They include (1) Execute NNFE chief operating of-ficer (COO) responsibilities in support of fleet, joint andcoalition C4ISR and business information technology (IT)objectives; (2) Implement the Competency Aligned Organi-zation – Integrated Product Team (CAO-IPT) organizationalconstruct throughout Team SPAWAR; (3) Institute a sys-tems engineering (SE) technical review process; (4) Ex-ecute technical authority (TA) roles, responsibilities and pro-cesses; (5) Implement the National Security Personnel Sys-tem (NSPS); (6) Implement the Navy Enterprise ResourcePlanning (Navy ERP); (7) Implement Lean Six Sigma (LSS);and (8) Develop Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as an overallperformance management framework.

Most of you have completed your NSPS training duringthe past few months, and the departments have developedtheir BSCs and are reporting their results to be rolled up toour command BSC. Several LSS events are ongoing tostreamline our processes and realize efficiencies. Our NavyERP Team is conducting town hall meetings for our pro-jected “go-live” in April 2008, and we have selected our Tier2 competency coordinators to work alongside their compe-

tency leads at headquarters. At the same time we are mak-ing preparations for the standup of SSC Atlantic. Alongthat line, SPAWAR Vice Commander Rear Adm. Charles“Grunt” Smith has placed his flag in the Norfolk Tidewa-ter area. It’s great to have senior SPAWAR leadership onthe East Coast in the middle of our largest fleet concentra-tion.

We made great progress in February in the In-ServiceEngineering Agent (ISEA) area. Representatives fromSPAWAR Headquarters (04C), SSC San Diego and SSCCharleston met in San Diego Feb. 6-8 to update theSPAWAR ISEA strategy. This planning was conducted us-ing the Lean Six Sigma framework, included Black Beltmentoring, and resulted in a formal charter to develop spe-cific, measurable, time-phased goals and a manageableaction plan. This planning will help SPAWAR ISEAs pro-vide the right readiness at the right cost. Specifically it will:(1) formalize ISEA roles and responsibilities in their emergingrole of end-to-end life-cycle management (2) mature ISEAmetrics to better link readiness to cost, (3) standardize andinstitutionalize common processes across the claimancy,and (4) help Team SPAWAR satisfy system command(SYSCOM) oversight responsibilities outlined inSECNAVINST 5400.15B. Additionally, the ISEA Next Teamis facilitating the alignment of SPAWAR ISEA tasks withemerging Naval NETWAR FORCEnet Enterprise (NNFE)and Surface Warfare Enterprise (SWE) initiatives.

Another area in which we are showing great progress isin our facilities. While it’s been hard NOT to see (and some-times hear) the progress of the new engineering buildingwe recently dedicated to Brig. Gen. Tom Mikolajcik (seestory on page 10), there are other changes in the worksthat are not quite so apparent which will affect a greatnumber of our folks in the coming year.

We’ll be moving many of our Code 50 employees intothe new facility, Bldg. 3146, and we will vacate many ofthe trailers so they can ultimately be demolished. The present

SSC Charleston is moving forward


SPAWARCOM commanderrevisits SSC Charleston

Chris All, electronics engineer in Code 541, has beenchosen Top Navy Engineer of the Year by the AssistantSecretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acqui-sition) for his inflatable satellite antenna innovation.

After learning of the operating ground forces’ need for alightweight and easily transportable satellite antenna, All con-ceived, designed, developed, tested, documented and be-gan limited production of an inflatable satellite antenna whichmeets operational requirements. All’s antenna, which was aproject in last year’s SSC Charleston innovation program,provides the deployed ground warrior a low-profile antennathat is lightweight, highly portable and can even be used asa pillow when not needed operationally. All is undertakingPhase 2 of the project during this year’s innovation pro-gram. (See story on next page.)

All and his innovation team conceived the idea, analyzedalternatives, built and tested prototypes and determined thatinflatable antennas with appropriately shaped and config-ured conductive cloth inside were the most portable, du-rable and affordable solution to replace the more bulky andrelatively high-profile satellite antenna currently in use.

All introduced the new an-tenna to Joint Forces Com-mand (JFCOM) and the Spe-cial Operations Commandwarfighting communities latelast year, and JFCOM demon-strated it at the NATO andMultinational Concept, Devel-opment and Experimentation(CDE) conference. All pro-vided prototypes to operationalcommands in February for ex-perimentation, feedback andultimately acquisition.

The award citation notedAll’s innovative spirit, creativemind, determination to succeed and resourceful tactics. Aslead test and evaluation engineer on the Joint Tactical RadioSystem (JTRS) Airborne Maritime Fixed (AMF) domain,All is responsible for planning and executing testing onpreproduction and production systems.

All named Top Navy Engineer of the YearAntenna answers warfighter need

Commander of the Space and Naval Warfare SystemsCommand Rear Adm. Michael Bachmann visited SSCCharleston recently for a series of briefs, demonstrationsand tours. Bachmann also spoke to the Lowcountry chap-ter of the Armed Forces Communications and ElectronicsAssociation (AFCEA). At right, the admiral throws thefirst pitch for the Charleston RiverDogs in their April 11win over the Asheville Tourists at Joseph P. Riley Jr., Park.Pictured below, Bachmann presents the Assistant Secre-tary of the Navy Financial Management and Comptroller(FM&C) award in accounting to Gary Kaasa (see story onpage 35).

Photo by Susan Piedfort Charleston RiverDogs photo

Captain HooverContinued from page 4

cepts and processes across various business and engineer-ing disciplines.

As a next step, we are forming a team to help you docu-ment your success by writing papers for publication in schol-arly and professional journals. The Publish It! Program willutilize the successful Innovation Program model and giveyou the time, money and assistance you will need to re-search and draft your papers for publication. This team willrun alongside and assist throughout the process, beginningat the author’s keyboard and ending in publication. We’llprovide the professional expertise needed with editorial as-pects, peer review, technical relevance and legal disclaim-ers.

Why write papers for professional journals? The pub-lishing of papers in academic and professional journals isthe most common way that professionals formally com-municate with each other concerning their current thinkingon new and innovative ideas. Publishing also helps to estab-lish the individual and the command in the professional com-munity, and adds to a career of significance.

You might have a concept paper or abstract, but don’tknow how to navigate the path to publication. The PublishIt! Program will help you refine your idea, write and formata paper and develop a publication strategy. We’ll providethe command resources you need. Don’t have the time? Ifyou take the interest, we will ensure that you are given thetime you need to develop ideas and put them to paper in afinished, publishable format.

Many of you have already written research papers, whitepapers, conference or professional society presentations,master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. There are count-less projects underway involving research, development andtesting that would lend themselves to discussion in a paper.

Executive Director

The program is not limited to technical or academic sub-jects; it is for everyone. It can involve a process improve-ment, budget, contracting or logistics. Ask yourself: Whathave I learned in the last four years that I can use to makea difference in the safety or enablement of the warfighter?There is no limit to the number and breadth of issues thatcan be addressed.

The global exposure and resulting dialogue and collabo-ration generated by the publishing of papers will greatlyenhance our relevance in the marketplace. Marketing ouraccomplishments in publishing outlets that have been un-tapped will spur further research by readers and help usharness new technologies and business processes.

We are fostering a culture of excellence through ourInnovation Program, industry partnerships, academic part-ners in FlightLink, research and development alliances withDARPA, ONR, etc., and participation in conferences andevents such as ThinkTEC.

If we overlook the importance of communicating ourcompetencies in our scientific, technology, engineering andbusiness environments, we are missing a great opportunityto show the successful investment we have made in ourworkforce.

Let’s start documenting these efforts to the outside worldin highly regarded business and technical journals. Whatprofessional journals are you and your peers reading? Let’starget those publications. We want to recognize you andyour work. By telling our stories of success, we illustrateour competency stock — as well as the return on our train-ing investment.

You’ll be hearing more about this effort in the near fu-ture. Let’s start thinking, and writing, about our accom-plishments now.

Continued from page 5

occupants of those trailers will move to several areas withinour complex, as well as to the Defense Finance and Ac-counting Services (DFAS) building on the old Naval Base.Changes are afoot in our SSC Charleston locations in Nor-folk, Va., and Stuttgart, Germany as well. Code 80 employ-ees will see more changes as improvements to V-53 onNorfolk Naval Base continue. We have renovated approxi-mately 15,000 square feet of the building to make it morehabitable for the short term. As a result of BRAC actions,more permanent infrastructure improvements are nowscheduled to start in FY09 or FY10. (See story on page13.)

Late last year Code 57 personnel moved up from thebasement of Bldg. 3315 to the top two newly renovatedfloors of Bldg. 3314 on the U.S. Army Garrison in Stuttgart,

and they are currently enjoying the difference in their newand improved work spaces. (See story on page 14.)

While I realize that office moves are not really fun foranyone, I ask those of you who are affected to be patient aswe make these facilities changes to accommodate our ex-panding programs and better align our employees. By col-locating some operations that are now somewhat frag-mented, we will be aligning ourselves for more efficiencyand effectiveness, enabling the SSC Charleston team forfuture success.

As usual, we have a lot going on, much more than whatI’ve mentioned in this article. This is also a great year forbringing in New Professionals fresh out of college. So ifyou see a new face that might look a little lost, please takethe time to be friendly and help mentor our workforce oftomorrow.

Chris All

Photo by Harold Senn


One of the 13 original 2006 SSC Charleston innovationprojects, the chip scale atomic clock (CSAC)/Next Gen-eration IFS, has received follow-on funding from LockheedMartin.

A Navy Cooperative Research and Development Agree-ment (CRADA) has been approved and put in place to con-tinue the initial innovation project. Principal investigator Rob-ert W. Miller of Code 60 and his team are adapting thistechnology for the Trident submarine program.

This program of record is in the process of a redesignfor all the navigation equipment to move to the Missile Con-trol Center. The program is evaluating the possibility ofadapting Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA) CSAC program elements into the Next Genera-tion time standard.

The project involves integrating advances from theDARPA initiative into an existing Trident program’s Inter-nal Frequency Standard (IFS) and also leveraging its re-sults into other areas in the Department of Defense (DoD).“We are innovatively trying to merge both cutting edge tech-nology with mature and reliably proven circuits and designtechniques to get the same system level performance witha fraction of the cost,” Miller said. “All while we are achiev-ing a more robust design for the warfighter.

“We hope to prove that our innovative goal can beachieved and that we can leverage this technology to otherprograms to give our warfighter a supreme advantage inthe war against terror,” Miller added.

Inflatable MUOS and UHF SATCOM Antenna for usewith Handheld and Small Form Factor Radios - Phase 2;Principal Investigator: Chris All.

DoD Evaluation of MANET Operational Networks -DEMON Tactical Wireless Network Technology: Het-erogeneous Mobile ad hoc NETwork (MANET) Test &Analysis; Principal Investigator: Jamin Barnett.

Assessing Sailor-System Interfaces of the CommonSystem Functions Employed Within FORCEnet Engage-ment Packs; Principal Investigator: Kevin Charlow.

Virtual Interactive Cryptologic-Knowledge IntelligenceExpert (VICKIE); Principal Investigator: David Coldren.

Project-Based Situational Awareness; Principal Inves-tigator: Scott Crellin.

Modeling SOA Service Discovery Technologies at theTactical Edge; Principal Investigator: Bradley Crosby.

Service-Oriented Desperado Architecture (SODA);Principal Investigator: John Cutter.

Metal Plate Lens Antenna for SATCOM; Principal In-vestigator: Andrew Fulford.

Distributed Alerts Dissemination Backbone; Princi-pal Investigator: Derik L. Pack.

An Acoustic Data Processing Accelerator ExploitingSound Indexed Databases to Advance the Automation ofAcoustic Analysis Using a Modified “Query by Hum-ming;” Principal Investigator: Robert Regal.

Multi-Touch Collaboration and Battlespace Visualiza-tion Environment; Principal Investigator: Robert Regal.

Dynamic Federated Identity; Principal Investigator:Michael A. Ramirez.

Research and Testing of the Implementation of IPv6over a Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e) Wireless Net-work; Principal Investigator: Andrew Tash.

Monitoring and Measurement Research, Analysis andRecommendations for SPAWAR Services/Projects; Prin-cipal Investigator: Peter Ward.

Advancements in current time standard technology, es-pecially in solid state and miniaturization, have made it pos-sible to shrink a cesium beam tube physics package from afull size rack mounted standard, comparable to the size of alarge thermos, down to the size of a pencil eraser. DARPAhas taken on management responsibilities for the researchand development of this miniature, low power, timing ref-erence.

Precision time is important in the Trident submarineworld because of the inherent nature of submarines’ mis-sion. The Trident is required to go long periods of timeunderwater without external fixes from GPS time tics. Thisis also related to the accuracy of the nuclear weapon sys-tem. Reliability is also a very important component of thisprogram due to its tactical nature.

Currently, the team is also investigating other emergentatomic time standard technologies as well as advanced ana-lytical mathematic techniques to improve overall accuracyand reliability. They have also looked into other areas foradditional program elements/requirements, including tim-ing distribution and requirements for Trident D5 backfit,atomic standards investigated, cesium fountains, hydrogenmasers, cesium, rubidium, crystal oscillators, mercury ionstandards, ultra-high stability microwave oscillators, chipscale atomic clocks, frequency converters and amplifiers,hydrogen maser and cesium stability performance, rubidiumstability performance and formulating innovative conceptsto establish lower life cycle cost.

‘06 innovation receives follow-on funding

And the new innovators, projects are ...

‘07 Innovation Program gets underway

SSC Charleston 2007 Innovation Program teams gather inthe command briefing theater with Program Manager Al

Photo by Harold Senn

Emondi, far left, second row, following announcement ofthis year’s awardees.

After a highly successful inaugural year, the 2007 Inno-vation Program kicked off with the recent announcementof 13 new or follow-on SSC Charleston projects.

“This program is adding a dimension to this commandwhich has been lacking for a while,” said SSC CharlestonExecutive Director James Ward when announcing the 2007awardees. “This is what the end user of our services needs,”he said.

Part of the command’s Balanced Scorecard initiative,the Innovation Program is answering the strategic objec-tive of accelerating innovation and experimentation withinSSC Charleston.

“We pay you to do your job, but not for your ideas,”Ward said. “You have to volunteer and be willing to sharethose, and that’s what our innovators are doing. You aredoing something here that is really making a difference.”

Ward praised the efforts of Al Emondi, chief scientist/CTO in Code 50E, in getting the program off the groundlast year and continuing its success in 2007.

“We are just beginning to exploit the capabilities of theInnovation Program,” Emondi said. “And we learned les-sons last year which we rolled into this year’s program. Wechanged the application format to guide applicants to pro-vide critical information that was missing in last year’s pro-posals, the criteria for evaluation has changed to become

more objective and measured, and the overall applicationguidelines were updated to reflect our recent thinking,” heexplained.

The Innovation Program encourages the values of re-search, exploration, invention and originality which are cen-tral to SSC Charleston and its engineering and business de-velopment. It is designed to fuel the creative juices of theSSC Charleston workforce and ultimately result in improvedsupport to the warfighters.

“In the next few years I envision a significant increasein our engineering excellence and an improvement to howwe socialize that work with our peers both within and out-side our organization, ” Emondi said. “To me the Innova-tion Program is part of the fuel that helps us build the big-ger picture that we are striving for.”

Fifty-nine proposals in the business excellence and engi-neering excellence innovation tracks were reviewed by theSystems Engineering Group (SEG)/ Science and Technol-ogy Group (STG). The SSC Charleston Management Steer-ing Group (MSG) then recommended the Business Boardissue grants for selected projects, and the Business Boardawarded funding ranging from $10,000 to $99,000. All fundsawarded in this year’s program must be expended by Sept.30, 2007. The SEG/STG monitors the innovation effortand reports progress to the MSG.


special thanks to Hoover and Ward. “Everything SPAWARdoes is leading edge and first class, and that’s attributed tothe leadership of Captain Hoover and James Ward,” he said.

Noting the presence of U.S. Navy Band Southeast fromJacksonville, Fla., and the long-standing traditions of navalceremonies, Mikolajcik said he was thrilled to be “pipedaboard” for the first time. After thanking the dignitariespresent, Mikolajcik had a special message to the neighbors,friends and family who havesupported him since his ALSdiagnosis. “It is hard to ex-press in words what yourfriendship and support havemeant to me through all thechallenges we have faced,” hesaid.

Acknowledging his friendLoy Stewart, he said, “We areboth members of an elite clubneither of us ever wanted tojoin: we both have ALS. Wecan’t play golf,” he said toStewart, “but we can watchit, and we can reminisce aboutplaying golf. We’ve told many,many golfing stories. We’ve been on the Ravenel Bridge inour wheelchairs. I wanted Loy to race me across it, but hesaid it wouldn’t look good for an ex-Navy enlisted guy tobeat a retired general,” he said, adding, “But he beat meanyway. Loy says never, never, never give up, and wewon’t.”

To the men and women of SSC Charleston Mikolajciksaid, “You have an enormous challenge in enabling ourwarfighters engaged in the global war on terrorism. You doit better, and more cost effectively than any other engineer-

ing facility in the world. That’s why your customers comeback again and again and again,” he said.

Lastly, Mikolajcik turned to his family. He noted the joyof being with his seven grandchildren, two of whom wereborn in the last year. “When I found out there were twomore ‘in the hangar,’ I didn’t know if I would be here tosee them when they were born,” he said, “but praise God,I was. I cherish every moment we have.”

He thanked his three chil-dren for “shouldering theheavy burdens of this relent-less disease with compassionand dignity. I couldn’t ask forthree better children or twobetter sons-in-law,” he said.

To his wife Carmen hesaid, “You have put up withme for nearly 30 years, plustwo years we courted.

“When I first retired,” hetold the audience, “she said Iwas staying home too much.She said she married me forbetter or worse, but not forlunch.

“I cherish and love every moment I have with you,” headded, as his wife was presented a dozen roses signifyingtheir seven grandchildren, three children and two sons-in-law.

A 1969 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy,Mikolajcik served on active duty 27 years, logging morethan 4,000 flight hours, visiting 70 countries and flying aC-141 transport plane during the Cold War. He flew mis-sions in Vietnam, commanded a C-130 wing in Rhein Main,Germany during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and was


“The men and women of SSCCharleston are pushed to new heightsof excellence on a continuous basis.Our government agencies are betterequipped and our warfighters are farbetter equipped than their enemies inthe global war on terrorism thanks toyour efforts.”

- Brig. Gen. Tom MikolajcikUSAF, Retired

At left, Mikolajcik chats with former U.S. Sen. Ernest “Fritz”Hollings before the ceremony. Below, the general watchesand SSC Commanding Officer Red Hoover applauds as twoof the Mikolajcik grandchildren cut the cake.

Bldg. 3146 dedicated to MikolajcikThe Mikolajcik Engineering Laboratory Center was dedi-

cated March 16 in honor of Brig. Gen. Tom Mikolajcik(USAF, Ret.), a son of Polish immigrants who has beendescribed as “a true patriot in every sense of the word.”

More than 400 friends, colleagues and admirers gath-ered in what will be an administrative area of the facilitycurrently under construction by Sauer Inc., to mark theofficial dedication of the 57,625-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility. On hand were elected officials, flag officers,community leaders, Charleston area military commanders,dignitaries and SSC Charleston employees. In addition toMikolajcik and his wife Carmen, attendees included theirgrown children Julia, Christina and John, two sons-in-lawand seven grandchildren; former U.S. Sen. Ernest Frederick“Fritz” Hollings; S.C. Governor Mark Sanford; U.S. Sen.Jim DeMint (R-S.C.); Gen. Duncan McNabb, commanderof the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command; SSC Charles-ton Commanding Officer Capt. Red Hoover and SSCCharleston Executive Director James Ward.

“This building will replace 10 modular buildings and housemore than 200 people. It represents a powerful enhance-ment of our capability to put tools in the hands of thewarfighter,” Hoover said.

“This building is not so much about brick and mortarbut about honoring a great leader,” said Ward. “GeneralMikolajcik’s optimism is contagious. He is the kind of per-son you want to be around. I have learned so much fromhim, and I want to say thank you to a great ‘boss’ and agreat friend.”

DeMint recalled meeting with Mikolajcik before he be-came a U.S. senator. “Gen. Tom insisted I come to SSCCharleston and learn everything I could about what you dohere. He was totally nonpartisan; he just wanted to makesure that if I won the election, I would know what I neededto know. He has made me a better senator, and he’s madeCharleston and South Carolina a better place to live,” DeMintsaid. “He represents the core values of the U.S. Air Force:integrity first, service before self and excellence in all wedo.”

McNabb noted that Mikolajcik was wing commander atCharleston when the C-17 aircraft was brought in. The C-17 — with its large carrying capacity and operational flex-ibility — has been praised as a critical weapon in the war onglobal terrorism. “He saw the future and made things hap-pen,” said McNabb. “Who else but Tom Mikolajcik, an AirForce guy, would have a building dedicated to him on aNavy base?”

Not originally scheduled to be a part of the ceremony,Sanford made a special trip to SSC Charleston to honorMikolajcik. Noting that his father died of amyotrophic lat-eral sclerosis (ALS), Sanford praised not only Mikolajcik’smany contributions as a patriot, but his personal exampleof courage and dignity since his ALS diagnosis. “Thankyou for the way you are living your life, thank you for theway you are an inspiration to all of us to live as coura-geously as you do,” Sanford said.

Taking his turn to speak, Mikolajcik said he was deeplyhonored and humbled by the ceremony, and extended a

Milolajcik surveys the scene from the podium as he prepares to speak at the dedication ceremony. Photos by Harold Senn


From Tom Calogrides, Code 823SPAWAR’s presence on Naval Base

Norfolk is going through a major trans-formation to improve the efficiency andeffectiveness of its workforce and up-grade the professional image of TeamSPAWAR.

As noted by SSC Charleston Execu-tive Director James Ward “the qualityof our facilities and work environmentare indicative of the quality of the workthat we can be expected to perform.”Building V-53 is a vintage building whichwas built in the early 1940’s as a ware-house to support the Naval Air Station,Naval Air Rework Facility and Depot.This extremely sturdy historical build-ing has a great deal of charm as wellas significant deficiencies that weresorely in need of correction.

SSC Charleston’s Code 80 occupiespersonnel spaces on the second andthird floors, with Forcenet ComposableEnvironment (FnCE) on the third floor;laboratories, integration, test andcheck-out facilities and server roomson the third floor; and training roomson the second and third floors. NavalNetwork Warfare Command’s(NNWC) Trident Warrior ExecutionCenter is also located on the third floor.

The dispersion of personnel, equip-ment and technical facilities through-out the building significantly reducesproductivity as well as opportunities forinteraction and collaboration betweendiverse technical team members. Theneed to alleviate many of these defi-ciencies and to create Advanced Col-laborative Engineering (ACE) environ-ments set the foundation for the trans-formation of Team SPAWAR in V-53.

In an effort to inject greater effi-ciency and productivity into SPAWARteam members, and to improve thecommand’s professional image in theVirginia Tidewater area, Code 80 De-partment Head Jennifer Watson initi-ated an ambitious upgrade project toremedy the most serious deficiencies.The funds were received in late sum-mer with the mandate that the contracts

needed to be awarded andthe work had to be startedby Sept 30. Frank Fenderand I undertook an intenseeffort to meet those con-straints. The $550,000project was awarded Sept.27 and demolition workstarted Sept. 28.

The major project ob-jectives specified byWatson included consoli-dating SSC CharlestonCode 80 personnel in thebuilding to the third floor,collocating all branchmembers and their super-visors in close proximityon the same floor, and im-proving quality of life is-sues such as open planoffice configuration, light-ing, HVAC, daylight har-vesting, human factors is-sues, removal of hazard-ous materials and noise re-duction. Watson alsoaimed to develop state-of-the-art labo-ratories, a server room, and systemsintegration facilities to showcase thecode’s technical expertise and to de-velop advanced collaborative multifunc-tional engineering spaces to support ex-perimentation, naval exercises andtechnology demonstrations.

Renovations for the first two phases(CPP-1 and CPP-2) were completedin early January and personnel havetransitioned into the new spaces. Theconstruction phase required multipletemporary moves for some employees,but the benefits are now greatly appre-ciated. The new spaces are laid out toprovide greater efficient use of the areaand to enable greater flexibility to sup-port emergent or surge mission require-ment. The first advanced collaborativeengineering environment (CPP-2) wasturned over Sept. 26 and supports theDECA program, navigation systemsand experimentation. Each workstation/cubicle is equipped with an extremely

Norfolk Bldg. V-53 transformation in progress

flexible cable plant to support multipledata and telephone drops as well as col-laborative work surfaces to elicit tech-nical interactions.

The final phases of the project (CPP-3) include three areas that are criticalfor projecting advanced technical ca-pabilities (i.e. Advanced CollaborativeEngineering (ACE) laboratory; systemsintegration, test and checkout center;and the leading edge experimentation,fleet exercise support and advancedconcept technical demonstration(ACTD) center.) Phase 3 demolitionwork started March 5 with a period ofperformance of 60 days.

The project has been managed andexecuted primarily on a “self help” ba-sis due to the limited facility fundingand the restrictions of CPP funding uti-lization. In addition to Frank Fenderand myself, key members of the ex-ecution team include Dale Foster, ToddWells, John Luttrell and Rick Simmons.

Excerpts ...“The true measure of a man or

woman is not how they react whentimes are good, but how they reactwhen times are tough. From that per-spective General Tom Mikolajcik isa huge inspiration.”

- S.C. Governor Mark Sanford

“When I first started to run forthe Senate, everyone kept telling meI needed to ‘go see General Tom.’ Iheard that so much, I thought his lastname was ‘Tom.’ When we finallymet, he set about to make sure I knewwhat had to be done, what thestrengths of our military complexwere, and all the infrastructure that was already inplace. He wanted to make sure I knew everything Ineeded to know. When he walked around CharlestonAir Force Base, it was clearly his base. Everyone treatedhim like he was still the guy in charge, not a retiredformer commander.”

- U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)

“We owe a special honor to thoselike General Mikolajcik who take thelead. He is a great American and atrue hero. He has approached hisbattle with ALS with the same energyand optimism for which he has longbeen admired.”

- Gen. Duncan McNabb, USAF

“When I served on the appropria-tions committee there was a big pushto cancel the C-17 program. We de-cided to ask then-Secretary of De-fense Bill Perry to come to Charles-ton to check out the C-17s. Perry gotinto the cockpit with Tom Mikolajcik,and I got in the navigator’s seat. Wetook off, and all the while Tom is telling him the C-17is the finest plane in the Air Force. He let Perry bankthe plane and steer it so he could see for himself howfacile the C-17 is. By the time we left the base thatday, Perry’s mind was made up. We never heard onemore argument against the C-17 program.”

- Former U.S. Sen. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings

commander of the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air ForceBase from 1991 to 1994, when the C-17 aircraft was broughtto the base. His final active duty assignment was as direc-tor of transportation for the Office of the Deputy Chief ofStaff, Headquarters Air Force, Washington, D.C.

Retiring to Charleston in 1996, Mikolajcik served as anadvisor to the Charleston Metro Chamber of CommerceMilitary Relations Policy Council, and led the chamber’sDefense Issues Task Force during the 2005 round of BaseRealignment and Closure (BRAC) deliberations. Despite re-ceiving a diagnosis of ALS in 2003, Mikolajcik worked tire-lessly from 2003 to 2005 to promote and protect the uniquecapabilities of Charleston’s military complex. His effortshave been described as instrumental in avoiding major BRACcuts to South Carolina military facilities in 2005.

Since announcing his ALS diagnosis publicly in 2005,Mikolajcik has devoted much of his attention to raisingawareness of the disease and improving the quality of lifeof those stricken with ALS and their families. Thanks to hisefforts a new ALS chapter was formed in South Carolina,and a new MUSC Interdisciplinary ALS clinic established inCharleston, the only of its kind in the state.

Despite the changes in his life brought on by the diseasein the last few years, Mikolajcik has remained deeply in-volved in community and military activities, and still livesby a creed he acquired in the military: “You lead, you fol-low, or you get out of the way.” As Sanford has observed,Mikolajcik is leading “a true life of service before self.”

Work conducted by SSC Charleston scientists and engi-neers in the structure that bears Mikolajcik’s name will fo-cus on meeting the needs of the warfighter as well as thedemands of our country’s national response mission. Thenew building will allow consolidation of several engineeringdivisions currently spread out across the SSC Charlestoncampus. The facility will provide more flexible office andlab space and will enable efficient teaming by collocatinglike work together.

- Susan Piedfort, Chronicle Editor

The Milolajcik family and dignitaries gather around theplaque unveiled in the March 16 ceremony.


V-53 was built in the early 1940s as a warehouse.Photo by Harold Senn


Change is ongoing all around SSC Charleston. In ad-dition to Navy Enterprise Resources Plan (ERP), Com-petency Aligned Organization (CAO), and the NationalSecurity Personnel System (NSPS), a series of facilitiesmoves are also in the works.

The moves require thinking into the future, workingtogether to maintain customer commitments and thephysical task of packing and relocating. The series ofmoves planned over the next two years will benefit SSCCharleston by providing the capacity and capabilityneeded to continue providing agile, responsive supportto the warfighter well into the future. These moves willenable teaming between branches, divisions and depart-ments by collocating like work together.Code 50

Future moves will allow Code 50 to make a giant leapahead to the future state by combining submarine com-munications, network engineering and RF communica-tions programs into large, adaptable spaces. Personneland labs supporting common functions and programswill be moved into larger, more flexible office and labspaces.

Consolidation into Bldg. 3112 will merge submarine/VLF communications work from five current locationsinto one building, including bringing a lab from Annapo-lis, Md., to Charleston. This will allow the collocation ofsubmarine equipment with submarine mock-ups.

Personnel who support the Submarine Communica-tions Support System (SCSS) and Common SubmarineRadio Room (CSRR) in five separate buildings acrossthe Charleston campus, plus the submarine communi-cations lab facility, will be consolidated into the building.This will better align personnel who accomplish alter-ation and installation work for Code 532 and those whoaccomplish technically-based tasking through In-Ser-vice Engineering in Code 531. The end result will be amore knowledgeable work force to support the fleet’sneeds.

The future lab efforts for CSRR involve the designand construction of a reconfigurable radio room whichwould mimic the various platform variants. Althoughthe equipment for CSRR is common across submarineclasses, specific mission requirements necessitate slightvariation among classes. Building 3112 allows the con-solidation of lab facilities to maximize the efficiency ofassets such as personnel, test equipment, antennae andfacilities. In addition, the lab facilities will allow almostimmediate simulation of shipboard conditions to pro-mote efficient resolution of problems a warfighter mayexperience while underway. The lab facilities would alsoprovide an environment to allow integration and testingof future submarine radio room systems.

Code 50 will also consolidate networks engineeringdivision work from eight different locations to Bldg. 3146,while maintaining two smaller satellite labs to supportunique testing requirements. This consolidation collo-cates Code 70’s information assurance (IA) and com-puter networks defense (CND) lab capabilities.

This move also allows SSC Charleston to integratevarious network systems and related programs in orderto build the “equipment strings” representative of thesystems of systems that are currently located on boardU.S. ships, submarines and shore stations. The lab alsocontains networks used for coalition and joint opera-tions. The integrated lab facility allows rapid re-con-figuration of systems to accurately represent anyship class or shore configuration currently used in thefleet.

As the Navy and DoD seek reduced manpower andoverall costs, SSC Charleston’s network systems labwill be instrumental in the test and evaluation of emerg-ing technologies being developed by industry or othergovernment labs. The rapid integration and testing ofthese new capabilities is essential to providing “speed tocapability” in a cost effective environment.

Facilities upgrades+ personnel moves

speed to capabilityto the warfighter

Continued on page 17

=

When SSC Charleston personnelworking at the U.S. Army Garrison inStuttgart, Germany needed to move outof the basement of Bldg. 3315 they werehappy. A command review had identi-fied unpleasant odors, there was waterleakage, poor circulation and the officeshad no windows.

When the third and fourth floors of Bldg. 3314 wereidentified as the new spaces for the approximately 40 gov-ernment and contractor workers, they were not happy. The“new” spaces needed new carpet, walls, air conditioning,doors, furniture, phones and paint.

But thanks to the efforts of the SSC Charleston facilitiesoffice, they moved into their newly renovated spaces inearly December last year, and they are happy again. After avisit by SSC Charleston Facilities Manager Wayne Pannullo,

Out of thebasementand intonew spaces

estimates were made for the renovations and in July Capt.Red Hoover gave the go-ahead for the work. Five monthslater they were settling in their “new” building, and thingsare working out great.

“I know I speak for everyone here,” wrote Code 571Branch Head Matthew Drobnik to Hoover, “when I thankyou for moving us out of our basement confines and intothe light of day.”

Third floor hallway to offices,before (above) and after (right)

Kitchen area, before (above)and after (right)

Conference room before (above left) and after (above right) Fourth floor before (above left) and after (above right)

Bldg. 3314 on board the U.S. Army Garrison in Stuttgart, Germany is the newhome of SSC Charleston personnel, who inhabit the third and fourth floors of thebuilding.

Photos by Matthew Drobnik

Around the WorldAround the World


The Manufacturing Technical Assis-tance Production Program - The NextGeneration (MTAPP-TNG) is managedand administered by SSC Charlestonwith the mission to support DoD ini-tiatives by developing a national net-work of technically competent smallbusinesses.

To accomplish this, MTAPP-TNGprovides technical assistance, trainingresources and skilled personnel to en-hance and improve the manufacturingand operational processes and proce-dures of small businesses. Building

The lab move will provide connectivity to all SSCCharleston lab facilities in Charleston; Tampa, Fla.; Nor-folk, Va.; Washington, D.C.; and Patuxent River, Md.;allowing leading edge network systems to be tested withexisting and developmental applications and radio sys-tems. This connectivity extends past SSC Charleston,via wide area networks (WANs), to SPAWAR HQ, PEOC4I, SSC San Diego, NAVSEA Systems Centers, NAVAIRwarfare centers and joint centers. These capabilities makesupport for end-to-end (E2E) testing a reality and thepreferred method of testing in the future.

Future moves will continue Code 50’s consolidationof RF communications efforts into Complex D. Code 60

Facilities moves in the next two years open a range ofpossibilities for the the Command and Control (C2) Sys-tems Department.

The Tactical C2 Engineering Division, Code 61, willsee the biggest changes, with most personnel movingfrom “project-specific” small buildings into Bldg. 198,currently occupied by the Defense Finance and Account-ing Service (DFAS) on the old naval base. This new en-vironment will provide the lab footprint needed for criti-cal engineering and product support efforts for Navy,Marine Corps and other government sponsors. Adminis-trative space for divisional personnel will allow interac-tion as a single group. Marine Corps efforts in Codes 61and 71 will be integrated and located in this new build-ing.

The Enterprise C2 Engineering Division, Code 63, willgain much needed lab space in the Enterprise C2 lab

planned for Bldg. 3112. This will bring capabilities inapplication development and support, service-oriented ar-chitectures, video-display and command centers into onecohesive environment. SSC Charleston’s FBI support willbe enhanced by relocating lab efforts from Bldg. 237 onthe old naval base to a larger, more capable environmentin Bldg. 198. Efforts supporting the medical health com-munity will be collocated with similar Code 70 efforts inBldg. 3113, allowing teaming and improving the level ofservice across the board for the medical community.

The Aviation C2 Engineering Division, Code 66, willcomplete its expansion into the remainder of the build-ings on Complex E, moving into Bldg. 3440. This in-creases capabilities to support U.S. Central CommandAir Forces (CENTAF) in its critical warfighting mission.The move will also relieve some of the administrativespace needed to respond to rapid personnel growth inCode 66.Code 70

Continued growth in Code 70 has exceeded the cur-rent facility capacity. Future moves will increase capac-ity for administrative seating due to an increase of per-sonnel, and will increase lab capacity for exponentialgrowth in network and information assurance require-ments and for expeditionary work with key industry part-ners.

It will also increase lab capacity for Antiterrorism andForce Protection (ATFP) and Department of HomelandSecurity (DHS) work, increase capacity for informationwarfare and exploitation lab space, and collocate majorprograms such as medical health systems and expedi-tionary vehicle work. It will collocate major programsby functionality (crypto) and by capability (medicalhealth.)

- from staff reports

capabilities that drive business value isthe focus of these technical assistanceefforts.

MTAPP-TNG helps small busi-nesses become viable suppliers with theappropriate infrastructure and pro-cesses needed to integrate into supplychains supporting the DoD. This in-cludes helping small businesses imple-ment best manufacturing industry prac-tices, review and improve financialsystems, access Web-based trainingcourses to enhance manufacturing ca-pabilities, focus on adding value to their

manufacturing and operations systemsand enhance response to customerneeds. Participating small businessesundergo a comprehensive assessmentof current manufacturing and businessoperations and undertake a detailed 24-month continuous improvement plan.

MTAPP-TNG helps prime contrac-tors and government buyers accessstrategically important small businesssuppliers and subcontractors who havebeen prequalified, thereby reducing thegovernment’s cost of doing businesswith small manufacturers.


Facilities improvements

MTAPP-TNG: Helping small business

A Hanahan, S.C.-based small busi-ness was honored recently as the firstto complete SSC Charleston’s Manu-facturing Technical Assistance Produc-tion Program-The Next Generation(MTAPP-TNG).

MTAPP-TNG was chartered by theNavy to provide technical assistanceand expertise to manufacturing-relatedsmall businesses, with the goal of mak-ing them more successful in biddingon government contracts and morecompetitive in the global marketplace.SSC Charleston was awarded $1.9million to execute the federally-fundedprogram in 2004, and partnered withSAGE Systems Technologies, LLC, inthe effort.

UEC Electronics, LLC, the firstMTAPP-TNG participant in SSCCharleston’s program, was honoredrecently as the first “graduate.”

Teri Lesicko, SAGE program man-ager who was a mentor to UEC OwnerRebecca Ufkes under MTAPP-TNG,called the experience beneficial and re-warding for all. She praised the numer-ous accomplishments of Ufkes and theUEC team during the last two years.

UEC became 8(a)-certified in sixweeks, Lesicko said, adding that sheknows of no one who has received this

MTAPP celebrates first ‘graduate’SSC Charleston mentors, assists local manufacturing firm in Navy program

certification so rapidly. “8(a)” refers toa section of the Small Business Act andis a Small Business Administration pro-gram created to help small, disadvan-taged businesses compete in the Ameri-can economy and access the federalprocurement market.

The UEC team also successfullycompleted training to become a C4contractor and became a prime con-tractor. UEC is entering into a protégéagreement with Raytheon, won a solesource contract from Warner RobinsAir Force Base and underwent a LeanSix Sigma manufacturing exercise. Inaddition, their accounting system wasapproved by the Defense Contract Au-dit Agency (DCAA), but the icing onthe cake for UEC, Lesicko said, wasthe recent award of a $3 million indefi-nite-delivery, indefinite-quantity(IDIQ) contract with SSC Charleston’sCode 71.

“I am very proud of Rebecca andher team,” Lesicko said. “In less thantwo years she went from just thinkingabout the program to winning a $3million contract. MTAPP-TNG willsustain and grow her company for thefuture.”

Ufkes noted that while UEC had 10

years of success as a commercial sup-plier, she knew there were opportuni-ties for growth as a government sup-plier. Unfortunately, learning how tobreak into in the federal procurementmarket, she said, was overwhelming.

“MTAPP has been a phenomenalexperience, showing us how to setgoals and strategies for success. Wedid it step by step,” Ufkes said. “It’sbeen an incredible two years, and theexperience has completely energizedmy team.”

Ufkes said UEC’s accomplishmentsin the last two years would not havebeen possible without MTAPP-TNG.“It’s been a pleasure to work withSPAWAR and the SAGE team,” sheadded. “It has made all the differencefor this company. We will continue tobuild on our success.”

“Charleston was the right place todo this,” said SSC Charleston Execu-tive Director James Ward, “because wehave a business model that promotesagility, cost effectiveness and capabil-ity to the warfighter. This program al-lows us to connect small business dif-ferently than in the past, based on ca-pacity, capability and the expertise thatexists,” he said


From left, Joe Nitz of SSCCharleston Code 63B, TeriLesicko of SAGE SystemsTechnologies, UEC OwnerRebecca Ufkes, ExecutiveDirector James Ward andMarc Pipkin of Code 633gather following a recentaward ceremony honoringUfkes.

Photo by Susan Piedfort


LSS improves personnel action process

CASREP Crusaders

CASREP Crusaders

strikeagain


Thanks to the efforts of an SSCCharleston team’s Lean Six Sigma(LSS) event, personnel hiring ac-tions are now completed using amore streamlined, cost effectiveprocess.

The Personnel Actions LSSEvent 1 Team reduced the timerequired for processing person-nel hiring actions and identified apossible annual savings of$976,000.

The personnel action processhas grown over time to include a la-borious combination of administrativeand operational requirements placedupon hiring managers. Workforce de-velopment has become a major focusarea of SSC Charleston’s Human Capi-tal Management Strategy (HCMS) out-lined in SPAWAR’s Enterprise Strate-gic Plan 2005-2010 and of the SSCCharleston Commander’s Intent aspart of the command’s overall businessstrategy. The goal of hiring the rightpeople with the right skills to do theright work at the right time touchesnearly every aspect of the new gov-ernment service culture.

A 14-person team led by Lisa Passand Pamela Bell and composed ofEleanor Aldrich, Renee Boltin, AshleyBrown, Donna Buckler, SherryChamberlin, Kathleen Howard,Gertrude Lawrence, Stacy McClain,David Monahan, Zoe Rhorer, PauletteShiell and Nadine Wilson was formedto examine the personnel actions pro-cess.

The team identified a two-fold chal-lenge: to fully understand the currentamount of documentation required to

execute a hiring action and the review/approval actions deemed necessary, andto eliminate redundant information andprocesses while enhancing the knowl-edge of the hiring managers.

The LSS event was held June 3-7,2005, with a cross-functional team ofadministrative officers, administrativespecialists, personnel management ad-visors and assistants, and the head ofthe Workforce Development Branch.The mission was to increase the effi-ciency of processing personnel actionssubmitted to the Civilian Personnel Sup-port Division (CPSD). The problem/opportunity presented was to providea single method for preparing and pro-cessing personnel actions submitted tothe CPSD by hiring managers.

The team identified a full range ofprocesses and value streams and re-duced the list of process steps to threevalue-added steps. First, they identifiedthe requirement -- a hiring manager orproject manager’s hiring need and

preparation of the list of duties andknowledge/skills/abilities (KSAs)required. Then, the hiring manageror project manager identification of

recruitment source(s) from which acertificate of viable candidates may beobtained by the Human Resources Ser-vice Center-Southeast (HRSC-SE), theOffice of Personnel Management(OPM), or in-house resources. Lastly,the hiring action is executed and theCPSD brings the qualified candidate onboard in a timely manner. This last pro-cess will be investigated further in afollow-on LSS event.

The team determined that 1,405 hir-ing packages for FY 2004 through June2005 cost approximately $1.5 millionto create, required at least four weeksto move through the process and en-tailed at least 40 separate forms. Can-celed actions were estimated to costover $120,000, which is included in the$1.5 million above.

The team also established proceduresfor creating quality packages to be sub-mitted to CPSD, done right the firsttime, continuously adding value. Ac-tions were also consolidated to oneauthoritative document, which is theone currently in use at HRSC-SE. Theyestablished and are currently imple-menting a plan to train employees andto update the new and simplified form.In addition they developed a trackingdatabase to show the status of actionsin the review/approval cycle.

Full implementation of the team’srecommendations will reduce the costof actions from $1.5 million to approxi-mately $524,000, a reduction of morethan $976,000.

Ray Womac shows off his new workspace resulting from LSS6S effort.

Photo by Lt. Brian Phillips

“We’re very proud of this accomplishment,” saidBarsaleau. “We not only exceeded our objective, but wehave also helped improve the quality of work here at SSCCharleston. And that translates both into increased employeesatisfaction and improved fleet readiness.

Zen view dual monitorsused in LSS event.

The CASREP Crusaders continued their Lean Six Sigma(LSS) assault on waste and inefficiency with a recentlycompleted effort to upgrade and reorganize the workspaceof Ray Womac, the command CASREP reviewer.

The purpose of this workwas to create and maintainan organized, clean, safeand high-performanceworkplace with a targeted30 percent reduction inCASREP processing time.Based on current laborrates, that reduction trans-lated to a savings goal ofover $30,000 annually.

This project, like otherLSS events, required a char-ter and entry-exit criteria todevelop, document andcommunicate the purposeand parameters. The team,led by Lt. Cmdr. DeanBarsaleau, organized this “Just Do It” endeavor using theDMAIC model (define, measure, analyze, improve and con-trol) and by the Six Sigma (6S) building blocks, sort,straighten, shine, standardize, safety and sustain.

“The use of a structured approach focused around theDMAIC model and 6S really helped us define our objec-tives and build on our previous work,” Barsaleau remarked.“This methodology helped us stay focused and was one ofour keys to success. We already knew that we needed toget Ray better tools to eliminate thewaste we identified in our previ-ous Lean event. We used this 6S toimplement those improvements andthen verify that we achieved thesavings we predicted.” he said.

Workspace improvements in-cluded the upgrade of Womac’stwo computer workstations with morememory, a larger hard drive, improved graph-ics card and dual screen monitors. The un-classified upgrades were all accomplishedwithin the scope of the NMCI technical re-fresh, while the classified upgrades were procured usingnormal procurement procedures. Lt. Brian Phillips, wholed the upgrade effort, said, “We explored several alterna-tive solutions for Ray including GFE procurements, NMCI

contract line item number (CLIN) changes and NMCI tech-nical refresh. After running the numbers, we found that ournew hardware solutions not only vastly improved theCASREP data entry process and Ray’s quality of work,

they also cost much lessover the anticipatedlifecycle than Ray’s oldsuboptimized configura-tion,” Phillips said. “It wasa no-brainer.”

While the team used thehardware upgrades to cap-ture process improve-ments, the team used 6S tooptimize the rest of Wom-ac’s workspace. This me-thodical effort involvedidentifying and removingunneeded items (sort), ar-ranging items to best sup-port the workflow(straighten), cleaning and

dusting (shine), eliminating hazards (safety) and establish-ing consistent steps for work activities (standardize). Tosustain this effort, the team created a radar chart to trackprogress relative to ideal conditions. Throughout the project,the team relied heavily on the preestablished exit criteria tomeasure progress and the counsel of the team’s LSS BlackBelt Karen Brewer, who remarked, “It was amazing watch-ing the 6S transformation of Ray’s workspace and seeingthe impact on his productivity once the right tools and con-

figuration were in place.“Each step in the DMAIC pro-

cess illustrated the benefits of tak-ing a methodical approach to im-proving his whole environment. Theefficiency gained in this effort waswell worth the financial invest-ment,” Brewer said.

So did the CASREP Crusaders succeed intheir quest? The team’s analysis verified that thehardware upgrades, which required initial andrecurring costs totaling $3,518 over a three-yearperiod, cut CASREP processing time by 37 per-

cent and achieved cost avoidance of almost $38,000 annu-ally.

“We’re hopeful that other segments of the commandthat do similar data entry tasks can leverage this work toenhance their productivity as well. In this case, our pro-ductivity gains enabled us to pay off the initial and recur-ring costs after just seven weeks, which makes an attrac-tive return on investment for any manager,” he added.

- from CASREP team reports


Taking the stand that the earth is not the center ofthe universe is an accepted and scientifically proventheory, but it wasn’t always so. Copernicus challengedbeliefs of the time with his forward thinking, and since1997, the U.S. Navy has been honoring those whoshow similar foresight with the annual CopernicusAward.

The awardwas establishedas a result of adiscussion be-tween Air ForceLt. Gen. C.Norman Wood,(Ret.) , thenpresident andCEO of AFCEAInternational,and the late ViceAdm. Ar tC e b r o w s k i ,then Navy N6.The name forthe award camefrom the Copernicus Architecture used as the blue-print for the future C4I structure of the Navy.

The Copernicus Architecture (shifting the centerof the universe) was drafted in December 1990. Itcalled for a modular approach to software with datain a common binary format and open system archi-tectures. It recommended shifting investment awayfrom stove-pipe, vertical, end-to-end systems, in fa-vor of horizontal building block programs and withoff-the-shelf commercial equipment.

Shifting the center of the universeHis current work with

the NCSIPT, which earnedhim the Copernicus award,had its origins in a compari-son he performed betweensix Phase 1 and six Phase 3Aegis-equipped destroyers.“From there it grew into theNCSIPT and we startedstudying USS Iwo Jima(LHD-7),” he explained.

McCann’s success inmodeling shipboard net-works for the NCSIPT waslauded for advancing theNavy’s capability to effec-

tively evaluate onboard network performance. “The mod-eling environment enables the Navy to better analyze andvisualize network architecture changes to support systeminstallation and ensure information is available to thewarfighter,” according to the award citation.

The model focused on the topology of a fielded plat-form, specifically a big-deck amphibious ship, and usednetwork traffic data captured during several at-sea experi-ments. McCann built and used the model to investigate sev-eral excursions or “what-if” conditions relevant to key ar-eas and parameters and generated decision making data thatcan affect acquisition of new platforms.

His efforts in modeling the networks aboard Iwo Jimabroke new ground in performance analysis of onboard ship-board networks, the award citation noted.

McCann noted that the achievement was the result of ateam effort. “It’s too bad the Copernicus award only rec-ognizes individual efforts because I really could not haveachieved what I did without the help of the team of peopleworking on the NCSIPT modeling,” he said.


SSC Charleston’s own Adam J. McCann of Code 635was presented the distinguished Copernicus Award duringthe Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Asso-ciation (AFCEA) West event in San Diego in January.

The Copernicus Award is presented annually to militaryand government service personnel who have made signifi-cant contributions to naval warfare in the disciplines of com-mand, control, communications and computers, informa-tion systems and information warfare. McCann is one of26 winners of this year’s award, selected from the infor-mation technology and electronics community, includingcivilians, officers and enlisted personnel from the Navy andCoast Guard. He was one of only five civilians selected thisyear. The AFCEA and U.S. Naval Institute sponsor theaward.

McCann, a New En-gland native and Collegeof Charleston graduatewith a degree in com-puter science, said hewas surprised to be se-lected for the award.“It’s always nice to berecognized for the workyou do, and I hoped thatthe recognition mighthelp us get even moreof it,” he said.

“Adam is not only anexceptional individual,he was pivotal in devel-oping the process tomodel shipboard net-works,” said SallieScarberry, McCann’ssupervisor. “During oursupport effort to theNetwork ConsolidationStudy Integrated Prod-ucts Team (NCSIPT),Adam was instrumentalin developing this inno-vative process.

McCann earns coveted Navy honor“Adam’s accomplishments will have a significant im-

pact on the Sailor in the future,” she noted. “We see a lot oftalented people who have great ideas, but few have the abil-ity to take it one step further and execute it. This describesAdam,” said Scarberry, who added that McCann’s successillustrates the “importance of innovation that arises fromthe interaction between engineers and Sailors.”

Since joining SSC Charleston in March of 2004, McCannhas done modeling and simulation, primarily network per-formance modeling for Code 635. “One of my first projectswas creating a NETWARS model of the Horizontal FusionQL-1 Demonstration. Since then I’ve done some applica-tion modeling, server performance modeling, and shipboardnetwork modeling, among other things,” he said.

Calvin L. Howard of Code 0216, center, is congratu-lated by Joseph Nitz (Code 63D), left, of the EnterpriseIT Program Office and Kathryn Breitkreutz, right, headof Code 26, after Howard was presented an On-the-Spotaward for his support to the Enterprise IT Program Of-fice. The award, presented during a recent Code 63D allhands meeting, noted Howard’s “superlative support toCode 63D with various contracting actions significantlycontributing to projects supporting the Enterprise ITProgram Office and the global war on terrorism.”

On the spot

Copernicus awardMcCann

Copernicus

From left, Retired Vice Adm. Herb Browne, then-President and CEO of AFCEA International;Adam McCann; Sallie Scarberry; SSC Charleston Commanding Officer Capt. Red Hoover; Re-tired Maj. Gen. Thomas Wilkerson, USMC, CEO and Publisher, U.S. Naval Institute; and AFCEABoard Chairman Duane Andrews pose for a photo at the AFCEA West event in San Diego, Calif.

Photo provided

HonorsHonors


More than 20 midshipmen from TheCitadel’s NROTC Unit visited April 17 tolearn about SSC Charleston’s contributionsto the fleet they will soon enter as juniorofficers.

After being welcomed by Executive Officer Cmdr. PattyGill, the group gathered in the atrium, above right, beforeproceeding to the command briefing theater for a brief byMike Kutch, director of engineering operations (Code 09K).

In the Integrated Products Center (IPC), bottom right,the mids received a brief from Lt. Brian Phillips, STILO/OPSEC program manager, and a brief and demonstrationof a multi-touch, multi-user interface device by Tom Glaab,Code 61D.

In the Air Traffic Control (ATC) Engineering Center, thegroup learned about SSC Charleston’s role in support of airtraffic control operations. Steve Whitbeck of Code 667,showed the midshipmen around a lab and the control tower,at right, and Command Master Chief ACCM Anthony Cor-pus demonstrated the state-of-the-art air traffic controlequipment in the control room, bottom left.

Citadel mids seeSSC Charleston’srole in the fleet

Photos by Susan Piedfort

Since the beginning ofthe Internet café programin 2003, hundreds ofthousands of warfightershave enjoyed instant, low-cost, global communica-tions with family andfriends at more than 300cafés set up in mobiletents throughout Iraq, Ku-wait, Afghanistan, theBalkans and even aboardoil platforms in the PersianGulf. Now, SSC Charles-ton personnel have takenthe Internet café conceptand made it even better,configuring a new designin the form of a conexbox which is more easilytransportable and featuresinstantaneous setup onsite.

“These are remotelydeployable and can betransported by airlift, onships and by truck on a flatbed,” said Stan Rhorer of Code571. “Once they get to the site, it’s basically plug and play.”

SSC Charleston personnel showed off the fourth of thesecontainerized Internet cafés to local media representativesrecently. The portable, wireless unit demonstrated washeaded to the European command. Previous units have beensent to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans.

The containerized Internet cafés offer the same featuresas those in mobile tents. Warfighters can access the Internetand surf the Web, e-mail home and use Voice-over-InternetProtocol (VoIP) phones to call anywhere in the world. Thecafés have Web cam and video teleconferencing capability,and equipment for those who just want to play video gamesor watch movies in a comfortable, air conditioned environ-ment.

Easily deployable, plug and play Internet café

The MWR program has proven to be money well spentto improve troop morale. Previously, most servicemembersin the war theater found communication with loved oneswas virtually impossible. Even those with access to phonesoften found it difficult to reach someone on the other enddue to time zone differences. Many who had not been ableto speak to their spouses or parents for months can nowtalk, e-mail and chat with loved ones, and even see them viadigital video cameras. Just having basic e-mail lets themcommunicate back and forth when they both have the time,despite the time differences.

“It was something the soldiers asked for and wanted,and something SSC Charleston was able to provide,” said


Warfighter SupportPartneringPartnering Warfighter Support

MobileNet is easily deployed and features instantaneous setup on site.Photo by Harold Senn


As a young Marine in Vietnam Stan Rhorer carried theradio for his unit. He would have given anything to be ableto use it to phone home every once in a while.

Now, thanks in great part to SSC Charleston and Rhorer’sefforts to set up Internet cafés, soldiers, Sailors, Marinesand airmen in the Middle East can communicate with loved

ones in a wayunprecedentedin the historyof war fa re .They can e-mail, talk toand see lovedones — evenwitness thebirth of a childor buy a house— from half aworld away.

“When Iwas in Viet-nam, therewere twoways to com-municate withhome. Youcould get mail,which cameonce every 30

days, and if there was an emergency or if you were reallylucky, you could access MARS,” Rhorer said.

Marines who were licensed ham radio operators usedcivilian radio equipment to patch phone calls through theMilitary Affiliate Radio System (MARS) system. It was asomewhat dicey procedure which involved figuring outwhen the peak of the sunspot cycle would ionize the ‘E’layer of the ionosphere, pointing an antenna at the rightspot 100 miles in space at the right time and reflecting ahigh frequency ham radio signal off the ionized layer overthe curve of the earth into a similar station in the U.S.,where a ham operator patched the signal to the family via acollect phone call.

Today’s satellite technology lets SSC Charleston personnelprovide a vastly improved communications capability towarfighters via Internet, or cyber, cafés.

Rhorer considers the cafés the best weapons system pos-sible in this war from a morale standpoint. “This is not awar of real estate … we’re not seizing objectives, we’retrying to maintain peace,” Rhorer said, “and in this type ofconflict the morale of troops is more important than ever.”Internet cafés give today’s warfighter a support link thatstays strong through their tour and eases their transitiononce back home. Rhorer believes the Internet cafés are es-pecially helpful for those returning to the theater of war forthe third or fourth tour.

His own six trips to the Middle East – each for two tofour months at a time – have given Rhorer insights into thequality of life of the modern warfighter and how to im-

Cyber cafés providing troops peace of mind

In this photo from 2003, U.S. Army soldiers from the 101stAirborne Division (Air Assault), line up to use the telephoneand internet services at an Internet café in Kuwait. Today,

thanks to the efforts of SSC Charleston personnel, more than300 Internet cafés that exist in theater make communicationmore accessible for warfighters.

prove it. “It gets really hot; it gets really cold. There is sun,heat and dust. You don’t get any decent sleep. There is noprivacy, you’re just never alone,” he said. Tents and trailershave improved the living conditions somewhat, but alwaysbeing in an alert status — the constant threat of attack —creates a special kind of stress, he observed.

“That environment produces a kind of stress that I thinkhas the biggest impact on the warfighter’s quality of life.How you deal with it, how you cope with it certainly af-fects you,” said the veteran of three wars. Having the cybercafés helps warfighters immensely, he believes.

“For 10 or 15 minutes a guy can actually forget his sur-roundings and be at home with his family,” Rhorer said.This is possible in one of the more than 300 cafés set upand maintained by SSC Charleston personnel. They pro-vide large cafés with 20 computers, eight phones and threeWeb cams; medium cafés with 10 computers, four phonesand a Web cam; and remote cafés, or “café lite,” with fivecomputers and two phones. “The remote cafés are smallerin capability but can be located in less dense areas, which iswhere warfighters really need them,” Rhorer said.

The other value of the Internet cafés is to the peopleback home. “In many ways, the family has it worse,” saidRhorer. “They feel the loss of presence of the warfighter;and many ways the deployment is worse for family thanfor the warfighter. Giving them instant access really helps.”

It helps ease the isolation of soldiers’ lives and the turbu-lence of transitioning when they return home. It helps mili-tary spouses who are often left to make all child-rearing,household and work decisions alone. Families with youngchildren benefit most, many experts agree, because for chil-dren, seeing a person on a screen has more impact than justhearing a voice over a phone.

Satellite technology being the way it is today facilitatedmaking the Internet cafés, Rhorer said. The biggest ex-

pense involved is the civilian satellite bandwidth used, notthe equipment, like having a TV and having to buy cable, hesaid.

The big push for Internet cafés started when an infantryunit in Iraq asked for the capability for soldiers to e-mailhome. When a six-month extension in Iraq came for theunit, the Army wanted to answer this communication needto help lessen the hardship of the extension. Once the unitreceived and started using the Internet café, it provided adramatic lesson learned at the joint task force headquarterslevel on how to improve morale for troops all over Iraq,according to Rhorer.

Initially funded by Morale, Welfare and Recreation, thecafés are now underwritten by the Multi-National Corps -Iraq (MNC-I). SSC Charleston personnel are responsiblefor the cafés from cradle to grave, repairing, replenishingand replacing defective components. They train the troopswho will administer the systems, which were designed withsimplicity in mind.

While the Internet cafés have been so well received,Rhorer believes MobileNet is the wave of the future fordeployed forces, since these containerized cafés are betterprotected, quickly deployable and basically plug and playonce on site. They also provide untapped capability, suchas being used as small education centers using their videoequipment.

“MobileNet cafés can go a long way to providing educa-tion centers,” Rhorer said, “especially because you can easilymove them from one unit to another.”

Rhorer and other SSC Charleston personnel were alsoinvolved in the stand up of a network operations center forSPAWAR personnel in Iraq. They cleaned up an existingshelter and divided it into living areas, a kitchen and recre-

Warfighters communicate with loved ones in an Internet café designed and deployed by SSC Charleston personnel.


Stan Rhorer, right, receives an award fromSSC Charleston Commanding OfficerCapt. Red Hoover, left, during Hoover’srecent visit to the Middle East.

Photo provided

Warfighter SupportWarfighter Support


From Suhail Khan, Code 533On March 21, 2006, the Office of Naval Research ap-

proved a PEO C4I, PMW 160 Rapid Technology Transi-tion (RTT) proposal which provided for an 18-month ac-celeration of a new capability for a wireless link betweenthe DDG-51 Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyerand the target vessel in support of Expanded Maritime In-tercept Operations (EMIO).

The system provides a wireless link between the inter-dict vessel and the host Navy ship for transmission of bio-metric data collected from the crew of the interdict vessel.

Because of the fleet’s urgent need, Naval Network War-fare Command (NETWARCOM) funded an interim solu-tion to provide wireless reach back functionality sooner.Recent attention gained by the project has resulted in OPNAVadmirals taking keen interest in funding and immediate de-ployment of the interim solution for use in the global waron terrorism.

From Dec. 4 to Dec. 8, 2006, SSC Charleston personnelconducted security test and evaluation (ST&E) and opera-tional tests at sea on board guided missile destroyer USSCarney (DDG 64). A five-day underway period to conductmission preparedness exercises offered an opportunity forme to get underway on board Carney with support person-nel Tim Schmitz (American Systems) and Ted Douglas (X-Feds Inc.) We departed Mayport, Fla., early Dec. 4.

For the operational test, a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB)posed as the interdicted vessel. As part of the operationaltests biometric files were transferred from the RHIB to thehost ship from four different distances away in less thanthree seconds with no errors. During the test, USS CarneyCommanding Officer Cmdr. Patrick Shea asked for a pic-ture of the ship to be taken from the RHIB and sent backthrough the wireless link. Upon receiving the picture at theMIO platform through the wireless link, Shea sent the phototo his squadron, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 24, via e-mail as an example of the capability of the wireless link.

ST&E and operational tests were performed success-fully by the SSC Charleston team with no detected vulner-abilities. The captain and MIO boarding team were highlyimpressed by the tests and a positive naval message wassent out by DESRON 24.

Suhail Khan mans a laptop in the background as USS CarneyCommanding Officer Cmdr. Patrick Shea, center, is all smilesafter receiving a photo via the wireless link.

A team in the RHIB transfers files to USS Carney duringrecent operational tests.

Maritime intercept ops go wirelessPhotos providedUSS Carney as seen from an “intercepted vessel” during successful tests of the wireless link.

ation room, and installed amenities such as phones andInternet capability. Rhorer is especially proud of that ac-complishment since it allows SSC Charleston to “take careof their own” employees and industry partners deployed intheater.

“They love it. It’s better than the transient quarters there,plus there’s a synergism between us that helps resolve prob-lems and issues we’ve become familiar with over there. Weenable them,” he said. It’s one of many ways SSC Charles-ton personnel are enabling cooperation and efficiency inIraq.

A little more than a year ago when Rhorer was in Iraq hewalked down the street to a field hospital and was sur-prised to see they had no Internet capability. “They hadpurchased equipment locally which was junk they weren’table to use. They really needed an Internet café because forthem, life is just like on ‘MASH.’ Everybody lives and sleepsin the hospital, and they rarely had time to leave the building

much less go find a café. Plus, maybe some of the patientscould use it,” he said.

Working through Internet access and privacy issues forthe staff and patients, Rhorer was able to give them a café.“When Captain Hoover came out, I took him over to thereto see the it. We ran into the colonel who was CO of thehospital, and he insisted on taking us on a tour. He was sothankful for that café,” Rhorer said.

For the SSC Charleston team, job satisfaction goes handin hand with giving warfighters’ new capabilities that savetheir lives or improve the quality of their lives. Right nowthere’s a warfighter shutting out the heat, noise and dangerof their job to spend some time “at home” via an Internetcafé. “It just amazes me what we can do, given the timeand resources,” Rhorer said. “That’s one of the great thingsabout working here. There’s something always good goingon.”


Rhorer. SSC Charles-ton personnel who havetraveled the world in-stalling the mobile tentsin the last four yearshave seen first-handwhat a difference theInternet cafés are mak-ing. Once set up, theyare in use around theclock, every day of theweek. The intangiblebenefits they offer awarfighter – who isalso someone’s mother,father, son, daughter,brother, sister, friend orcolleague – are notq u a n t i f i a b l e .Warfighters say theInternet cafés havebeen the most effectivetool to reduce the sepa-ration anxiety caused by the stress of being so far fromhome.

With a son serving in the war theater, SSC CharlestonCommanding Officer Capt. Red Hoover knows personallythe value of the Internet cafés. During a recent MobileNetdemonstration he said, “My wife told me, ‘Whatever you do, keep putting those systems out there!’ ”

Continued from previous page

Cyber cafés

MobileNetContinued from page 22

MobileNet offers all the communication comforts of home.Photo by Harold Senn

Rear Adm. Charles Smith, SPAWARCOM vice com-mander, has also communicated with his warfighter sonvia an SSC Charleston-provided Internet cafe, and the ad-miral asked to see one when he visited Charleston recently.Smith related that in one of his first e-mails home, his sonnoted proudly the computer he was using had a SPAWARsticker on it.



From: Turner CDR PhilipSent: Monday, January 15, 2007 12:16 PM

Well, it’s finally in the can. We had about 50 brave souls out to run 26 miles yesterdaymorning. Good to be over with the training piece of it -- the base is only 8 miles around,and you can only run past the burning garbage so many times before you get very boredwith it.

Goods: Finishing 5th, with a 3:05-ahead of a bunch of 25-year-old SEALS andRecon Marines-made the sore calves worthwhile! Also won an iPod in the raffle -- theguy ahead of me won shoelaces and was kind of bummed.

Bads: The SEAL lieutenant ahead of me who pulled up at mile 23 with a hip stressfracture. MEDEVAC’d out later that morning .... His SEAL days are probably over -- theguy just survived BUDS (the SEAL Basic Course) and got over here -- ouch!

Strange Things: It rained for three days prior to the race, so entire course was nasty,and the third of the course off the roads was a huge mudbog. The sand here turns intoglue/cement when wet, so running with another pound on each foot is an experience.

Running for two miles behind three M-1 tanks, probably will never get to do thatagain.

Closing thoughts: Many of us were thinking a lot yesterday aboutMaj. Megan McClung, an avid runner and the MEF public affairsofficer, who had set up the Al-Asad Marathon for us in November.She was killed in Ramadi three weeks later, and her death hit a lotof people here hard. A real ball of fire and a great officer, who dieddoing what she wanted to do ... makes you realize the human cost ofwhat we are doing here...

Hope all is well with you ... now it’s back to the salt mine untilturnover. Still looks good for early Feb., keep your fingers crossed.

- PhilMcClung

Cmdr. Phil Turner, who served a tour at SSC Charleston a few years ago and iscurrently assigned to PMW 750, recently completed a year of duty in Iraq. The ac-complished marathon runner returned home to San Diego, Calif., in February.

Many U.S. marathons partner with the military services to hold runs in combatzones, and in January Turner ran a marathon in Fallujah sponsored by the HoustonMarathon. He finished fifth of 50 in the race, and his time of 3:08 in Fallujah wouldhave placed him in the top 200 out of 5,333 finishers on the less difficult HoustonMarathon course. Turner also qualified for the Boston Marathon, the most prestigiousrace in the U.S. The following e-mail he sent to his running friends after the raceillustrates the challenges of running and the dangers of serving in the war zone.

Turner takes on Fallujah marathon

Cmdr. Phil Turner, currentlyassigned to PMW 750, runs theFallujah marathon.

Photo provided

on fruits and vegetables, andhasn’t ruled out the value ofbeer as “a number one train-ing food.” Pass seems toenjoy running marathons somuch that she can almostmake running more than 26miles at one time sound likesomething “fun.”

For her, it is a physical andsocial endeavor. “I generallytalk to other runners duringmost of a marathon,” shesaid. If she hits “the wall,” itwill usually be at mile 16 or17, she said, “when I realizeI still have 10 more miles.

“What keeps me going isthe camaraderie and fun ofthe event. If it takes me 15minutes more for a race, nobig deal. About the last threemiles I listen to music if Iam struggling,” she said.“But most of the time I amtalking.”

Running marathons hasbrought Pass good healthand wonderful friendshipswith people from all over theworld. In fact, seeing manyof the same friendly faces atthe various races has beenone unexpected pleasure.

“Plus we got to see thebiggest ball of twine in Min-nesota!” she added.

After spending the lastfew years targeting specificraces so she can mark thosestates off her marathon list,she’d like to revisit thosestates in the next few yearsat a more leisurely pace. Andthere are always more placesto run, even after complet-ing the marathon in the 50thstate.

“Long term, I would liketo run Antarctica,” she said,“but I am afraid to even talkto my husband about the costof that....”

- Susan PiedfortChronicle Editor

Lisa Pass likes to run.The Director of Business Operations

for the Tactical C2 Engineering Divi-sion (Code 61) first started runningwhen she joined the Army in 1981.Years later, she felt the need to chal-lenge herself more, so she started train-ing for a marathon. Pass ran her firstmarathon in Virginia Beach, Va., in1993, completing the 26.2-mile runwhile pregnant with her son.

Approximately 15 years, 65 mara-thons and 60 pairs of running shoeslater, the SSC Charleston plankownerjoined an elite group of less than 300U.S. runners who have completed amarathon in every state in the union.

The Indiana native decided to runall 50 states in 1999, after she had al-ready had four or five marathons un-der her belt. When she crossed the fin-ish line at the April 15 marathon atWhidbey Island, Wash., it signifiedmore than completing the 50-state chal-lenge.

“I chose the Whidbey Island ‘Wingsof Gold’ marathon as a nod to my hus-band,” said Pass, who is married toRick Pass, also of SSC Charleston. Heis a retired Navy P3 tactical coordina-tor (TACCO), and Whidbey Island is amajor P3 Orion base. In addition to herhusband, there were 30 or 40 familymembers, friends and fellow club run-ners waiting for her at the finish line tohelp celebrate her achievement.

A self-professed “middle to back ofthe packer,” Pass averages between 4½

Marathon womanLisa Pass is seeing the

USA, 26 miles at a time

to five hours to complete a marathon,so she had plenty time to reflect on herexperiences in the 50-state quest.

There was her most difficult mara-thon, through the Kilauea Volcano Wil-derness on Hawaii’s Big Island. “It wasa trail marathon with only 130 to 150runners,” she explained. “I got lost,hopelessly lost. My husband loves totell this story, because they almost hadto launch a park service search to findme. It was pretty embarrassing.”

“She’s not kidding about that,” saidRick, adding that the ranger was aboutto make the call to launch the searchand rescue helicopter when his wifesuddenly showed up at the finish line.

Pass finished the race in 7½ hours. Herworst time ever, she noted.

There was a race in Delaware thatrequired runners to ford two rivers andcross barb wire fences.

There was her most miserable mara-thon, an April run in Cape May, N.J.,where it was 35 degrees, with pouringrain and gale force winds. “I startedcrying at about mile 16,” she recalled.

“Each marathon is unique and allhave something to offer,” Pass said.Most have at least one funny story at-tached. There was the beauty of BigSur, in California. “And Helena, Mon-tana, which was absolutely beautifuland totally surprising for me,” she said.Even with the embarrassment of get-ting lost, the Hawaii run also ranksamong the most beautiful. “The vol-cano is amazing,” she said.

The most rewarding? That was theWhidbey Island run, no question.

While few could argue that Pass’marathon achievement puts her in aselect category, she downplayed herfeat, and said that anyone can run amarathon, adding, “But get goodshoes.”

To prepare for a marathon, she’llwork out in the weight room and run20 to 30 miles a week. The numberone benefit of this activity, she said, is“It gets me out of doing yard work athome.” She eats a healthy diet heavy

Lisa Pass


Photo provided

PeoplePeople


Clockwise from top, attendees gather for a presenta-tion; SSC Charleston Executive Director James Wardwelcomes the crowd; SSC Charleston Commanding Of-ficer Capt. Red Hoover and Ward listen to the keynote

address; The Honorable Jay Cohen, DHS Un-der Secretary for Science and Technologyspeaks on the final day of the conference;and Dave Neumann of Code 715 (right) andShawn Boykin, Code 534, (center) talk to avisitor at SSC Charleston’s Dynamic OpenArchitecture Radio System (DOARS) display.

ThinkTECSpace and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston

hosted more than 400 leaders in business, homeland secu-rity, technology, science, military, government and economicdevelopment for the 2007 ThinkTEC Homeland SecurityInnovation Conference Feb. 21 through 23.

The conference, sponsored by the Charleston MetroChamber of Commerce, featured international, national andregional briefings on suicide terrorism, transportation se-curity, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiatives,Project Seahawk, infrastructure and disaster planning, en-vironmental hazards and recovery methods. Hands-on ex-hibits showcased more than 50 cutting-edge technologies,equipment and vehicles.

The event started with a preconference day of behind-the-scenes VIP tours. Attendees toured Charleston Air ForceBase, and some got a bird’s eye view of Charleston duringa C-17 ride. After a keynote address by U.S. Senator JimDeMint (R-S.C.), conference attendees looked at ballistic-and blast-proof vehicles while touring Force Protection Inc.,in Ladson. The next two days included expert presenta-tions, political leader’s reports, product exhibits and con-siderable networking opportunities.

The Honorable Jay Cohen, a retired Navy rear admiralwho now serves as DHS Under Secretary for Science andTechnology, made the keynote address on the final day ofthe conference. He praised SSC Charleston’s success inthe delivery of enhanced technology capabilities to thewarfighter and DHS. In his discussion of future DHS initia-tives, Cohen stressed the importance of innovation to pro-viding the technological advances necessary to ensure DHSmission success. The former submariner pointed to the H.L.Hunley as an example. “The Hunley started out as a boilerin Mississippi,” he said. “The innovation you bring is oftenborne of necessity.” Noting that terrorists take our technol-ogy and use it against us, Cohen said we must not onlyunderstand the technology but also how it may be abusedand turned against us.

ThinkTEC is an initiative of the Charleston Metro Cham-ber of Commerce designed to accelerate the growth of high-tech and knowledge-based business in the Charleston re-gion. Hosted this year by SSC Charleston, ThinkTEC show-cases the Charleston region as a model community for pub-lic/private partnership initiatives, technological advances andbusiness opportunities for homeland security and businesscontinuity planning. It also provides information on pre-venting, protecting, responding and recovering from natu-ral and man-made disasters.

Innovation summit shows SSC Charleston capabilities

SSC Charleston’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Centerhad one of more than 50 demos featured at ThinkTEC.


Toastmasters was the brainchild of Illinois native RalphC. Smedley. A 1903 graduate of Wesleyan University,Smedley was director of education for the BloomingtonYMCA when he realized young menneeded training in communication. Heformed a speaking club and called it“Toastmasters” because its activitieswere like a banquet with toasts andafter-dinner speakers. Members en-joyed taking turns making speeches,evaluating them and presiding at theweekly meetings. The club flourisheduntil Smedley moved to Freeport, Ill.

Smedley organized Toastmastersclubs wherever he moved — Freeportand Rock Island, Ill.; and San Jose, Calif., — but once heleft, the clubs disbanded. A Santa Ana club, however,caught on for good. After the first meeting in the YMCAbasement in 1924, men from neighboring communitiessought out the group. Smedley helped them organize theirown Toastmaster clubs, and united them all in a federationdesigned to coordinate activities with uniform methods.The addition of a British Columbia, Canada, club made itToastmasters International.

While working full time at the YMCA, Smedley was alsoToastmasters’ executive secretary and editor of Toastmas-ter magazine. He resigned from the YMCA to give Toast-masters his undivided attention in 1941. Opening a smalloffice in Santa Ana, Smedley hired a secretary to handlecorrespondence and wrote materials for the club. He wrotethe manuals Basic Training and Beyond Basic Training,and books on public speaking and parliamentary proce-dure.

Toastmasters continued to grow, and by 1962 had 80,000members, 3,500 clubs and a new 27,000-square-foot build-ing in Santa Ana. Smedley was involved in Toastmastersuntil shortly before he died at age 87 in 1965. In 1990 Toast-masters moved into its current headquarters in RanchoSanta Margarita.

Toastmasters International has come a long way sinceits founding in 1924, helping more than four million peopledevelop public speaking skills and become confident com-municators. Today’s clubs meet at military bases, universi-ties, churches and prisons. There are Toastmasters clubsfor senior citizens, professional groups, bilingual groups,singles and visually impaired.

Smedley’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. In1950 Wesleyan University granted him an honorary doc-torate degree. Santa Ana named a junior high school afterhim in 1955. Toastmasters named him honorary presidentand lifetime board member in 1956. The Santa Ana Toast-masters, renamed the Smedley Number One Club in honorof its founder, has perhaps the best tribute. At every meet-ing a photograph of Smedley and the original club charterare placed in an empty chair near the lectern to representhis continuing inspiration.

History of Toastmastersleaders at various organizationallevels. Completion of the ad-vanced communications andleadership tracks earns thedesignation of “Distin-guished Toastmaster.”Meetings open to all

At bi-monthly meetings,Toastmasters learn by speaking toand working with others. Every mem-ber has the opportunity to make goals, gain confidence andachieve objectives. “Each meeting gives members a chanceto give impromptu speeches, present prepared speeches,evaluate others and serve in leadership capacities,” saidOsborne.

Meetings also feature a Table Topics exercise in whichspeakers are chosen at random to give impromptu two-minute speeches on a current issue. “It helps you think onyour feet, put your thoughts together and present them con-cisely,” said Stewart.

Toastmasters teaches speakers to communicate effi-ciently because in any organization, time is money. DuringTable Topics, the two-minute limit is strictly enforced, andspeakers are evaluated on how well they composed andconveyed their thoughts. Evaluators look at the speaker’sposture and count verbal distractions, such as how manytimes “ah,” “a” or “um” are said. To someone already terri-fied of public speaking, this may not sound like fun. But inthe Toastmasters environment, which is like a learning labo-ratory or support group, these techniques have proven tobe amazingly successful.

Theresa Breaux, a charter member of the SSC Charles-ton club and currently its Sergeant-at-Arms, met her initialgoals as a Toastmaster long ago but still enjoys the activi-ties. “You never stop learning,” she said. “Each speaker hastheir own unique style, and through the evaluations,mentoring and leadership roles, you can always find waysto improve yourself.

“Beginners are mentored and nurtured, and good speak-ers are encouraged to get better,” said Breaux. Toastmas-ters learn how to listen, give meaningful feedback, and ac-cept and benefit from criticism – skills that help them suc-ceed in any environment.

“It’s been very rewarding to see individuals who haveworked hard to improve themselves through Toastmasters,”said Breaux. “It’s rewarding to see them progress and meettheir goals, and especially to see them build interpersonaland leadership skills that are helping them in the workplace.

“It’s all about self improvement,” she added.SSC Charleston’s club meets on the second and fourth

Friday each month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in thecommand briefing theater. Visitors are welcome, and arenot required to speak. For more information call Diane Kobs,vice president of membership, at 218-5992.


Ralph C. Smedley

You’ve prepared for weeks for the big presentation, re-hearsing it enough to give it in your sleep. But as you ap-proach the lectern your heart races and you can’t breathe.All at once your palms are sweaty, your mouth is dry andyour stomach is turning. You open your mouth to begin and… your mind goes totally blank.

While some people make giving speeches and presenta-tions look virtually effortless – some even appear to enjoydoing it – in a recent survey reported in The Book of Listsrespondents ranked the fear of public speaking higher thanthe fear of death, by a margin of two to one. Research hasshown that those with strong communication skills, par-ticularly those who speak well in frontof an audience, are more likely to suc-ceed than those who cannot. This isespecially true in fast-paced, techno-logical environments such as SSCCharleston, where employees face anendless exchange of ideas, messagesand information as they deal with oneanother and with customers day afterday. The success – or funding – of aproject can hinge on how well it is pre-sented.

SSC Charleston employees need notfear. SPAWAR Toastmasters Club 8627is here to help.The Toastmasters way

Toastmasters has been around formore than 80 years and offers provenmethods to practice and hone the com-munication and leadership skills of itsmembers. Shelton Stewart of Code513, president of the SSC Charleston club, stressed thatToastmasters is a “learn-by-doing” workshop that allowsspeakers to improve their skills in a comfortable, friendlyatmosphere. “We support each other,” Stewart said. “Wehelp each other reach our goals.”

Seminars offer the jittery speaker all the skill and confi-dence necessary to face an audience – for $1,000 or more.But one-time training is not usually permanently success-ful. Anyone can master public speaking, but as with a sportor a musical instrument, to be good at it one must practiceit often, which is the Toastmasters way.

Improving public speaking andleadership skills in a friendly environment

SSC Charleston is among thousands of business and gov-ernment organizations around the world that have discov-ered Toastmasters is a cost-efficient and effective way tooffer communication training to its people. The commandpays the $20 joining fee and yearly dues of $54 for govern-ment employees who join SSC Charleston’s club, and somecontractors can ask for reimbursement from their spon-soring company.

New members receive training manuals, the magazineToastmaster and other resources offering insights on speak-ing and leadership techniques. They are also assigned to amentor who guides and supports them along the way. The

training manual takes the speakerthrough a series of 10 speaking assign-ments designed to instill a basic foun-dation for public speaking. “When theyare ready, new members give their firstspeech,” said Code 545’s DavidOsborne, vice president of educationfor Toastmasters 8627. “It’s all basedon their comfort level. The first speechis easy, a four-minute ‘ice-breaker’ thattells others about yourself.” Most otherspeeches are five to seven minutes long,which keeps club meetings to an hour.The principles learned, however, canbe applied to a 40-minute address.

The 10 “manual” speeches are com-pleted at the member’s own pace,largely dependent on their workload andtravel requirements. Completing themearns the designation of “CompetentCommunicator.” Toastmasters offers

15 advanced manuals to further develop specific speakingskills such as public relations, technical presentations, speak-ing to inform and persuasive speaking.

“There are two tracks, communication and leadership,”Osborne explained. “In the communication track, you learnhow to develop a speech — organizing, outlining, prepar-ing and delivering it effectively. The leadership track goesthrough listening skills, feedback, time management, orga-nization and delegating.”

Members develop and practice leadership skills by work-ing through the “Competent Leader” manual and serving as

Professional DevelopmentProfessional Development

Joanne Banks gives her icebreakerspeech at a recent SSC CharlestonToastmasters meeting.


A success story at SSC CharlestonWhen Gary Kaasa of Code 0122 first

set out to develop a program tominimize unmatched cash in SSCCharleston’s accounts payable system,he didn’t know it would lead to hisselection for the Assistant Secretary ofthe Navy (ASN) Financial Managementand Comptroller (FM&C) award inaccounting.

The award cites the accountant’scontribution to improving financialmanagement within the Department ofthe Navy’s commands Echelon III andbelow for 2006. It all started whenKaasa developed a program tominimize unmatched cash bydownloading daily Columbus invoicedisbursements from the DefenseFinancial and Accounting Service(DFAS) Standard ContractReconciliation System (SCRT) forloading and costing in the SSCCharleston accounts payable system.Kaasa worked extensively with DFASand other agencies to obtainconnectivity with systems and tablescontaining data to clarify and eradicatedisparities.

Loading and costing the invoicesfrom these daily files eliminates boththe need for hard copy invoices andthe delays caused by late delivery ofhard copy invoices. It also providesan accurate record of the disbursementdata for precise costing and ensuresthat balances on contracts and joborder numbers reflect actual currentconditions.

Before SCRT, Kaasa had discoveredthe Unmatched DisbursementReconciliation System (UDRS) andmade it available to the SSC Charlestonfinance community. When Kaasa’sDFAS contacts advised him that SCRT

Electronic invoicing

would take the place of UDRS,he obtained all the pertinentinformation and scheduledtraining to become a RegisteredContract Reconciliation Agentand qualified user of SCRT.Seeing the importance of thesystem, Kaasa also wrote ajustification for NMCI approval.While acquiring access tofinancial information systemswarehousing data pertinent tothe SSC Charleston mission, hespoke to DFAS and DefenseContract AdministrationServices (DCAS) officials,COBRA personnel, SCRTdevelopers, electronic datainterchange (EDI) and WideArea Work Flow (WAWF)planners about his concerns andgoals.

As a result of this dialogue,DFAS has included the invoice/shipment field for DCAS and thenew field is included in theOctober 2006 program upgrade.Thanks to Kaasa’s efforts this field willalso appear in the COBRAdisbursement histories, and will beavailable to all agencies via the Web-based program. The improvements,which provide the data required forpowerful and massive updates of SSCCharleston’s accounting system, areattributed to Kaasa’s initiative toundertake successful dialogue andalliances with other agencies. Asunexplainable ULOs disappear, thepreviously daunting task of having allcontracts properly and accuratelycosted, becomes a very attainable goal.

The ASN (FM&C) award inaccounting is given annually to the

Navy accountant whose innovativeideas result in new accountingprograms and processes that result incost savings to the Navy and U.S.taxpayer. Kaasa will be recognized forhis accomplishment at the AmericanSociety of Military Comptrollers’national convention at Kansas City,Mo., in May. He has developed otherlabor saving programs that enable cashto be distributed over thousands ofrecords, streamlining work that waspreviously performed manually.

Also an accomplished keyboardist,Kaasa plays his keyboard for variousSSC Charleston events and on Sundaysat his church.

- Lamar Woods

IBFTC achieves milestoneCMMI® Maturity Level 3

“CMMI® has allowed usto cement and expand our

role within the Center for

Information Dominance.”

- Lexine Langley

HonorsHonors

Gary KaasaPhoto by Harold Senn

The Integrated Battle Force Training Center (IBFTC)Project has achieved CMMI® Maturity Level (ML) 3, be-coming the sixth SSC Charleston project to make this stepbefore the formal command-level appraisal.

IBFTC Project Manager Lexine Langley said her teamwas excited by the accomplishment, which cameafter months of preparation.

“We were so thrilled that our effortswere not in vain and that we had ac-complished a goal that was establishedby the senior management of TeamSPAWAR,” she said. “CMMI® has al-lowed us to cement and expand ourrole within the Center for InformationDominance (CID).”

The IBFTC mission is to deliverblended training solutions to meet Inte-grated Battle Force Training requirementsin a fleet concentration area (FCA).

Langley credits CMMI® for many of herteam’s successes, including development of standardprocesses for delivering quality training to the U.S. Navy;efficient implementation of a teaming relationship betweenSSC Charleston and the Center for Information Dominance(CID); and a reduction in the amountof replacement inventory throughstandard configuration managementpractices and tools.

By applying the discipline theylearned in pursuit of ML3 – especiallyrequirements traceability and the useof configuration management tools –the IBFTC team developed a humancapital management model for net-work training specialists. It’s a projectthat will have wide-ranging benefits,Langley said.

“This model tracks human train-ing specialists as a system and catalogs their knowledgeand skills as individual configuration managed objects,” shesaid. “With our strong project planning, using our require-ments traceability and WBS, we were able to insert the properskill set configuration that is housed in a human trainingspecialist at the appropriate time for the appropriate courseof instruction.”

Mike Kutch, director of engineering operations (Code09K) offered his congratulations. “This is a team that hasconquered a lot of challenges, and they are to be com-mended for their hard work,” he said.

To achieve ML3, IBFTC successfully passed an inde-pendent Software Engineering Institute (SEI) for-

mal “Class A” appraisal, the most rigorousappraisal format. The appraisal focused

on measuring the IBFTC project inimplementing practices for projectplanning, project monitoring and con-trol, configuration management, re-quirements management, supplieragreement management, measure-ment and analysis, process andproduct quality assurance (PPQA),

requirements development, technicalsolution, product integration, verifica-

tion, validation, integrated project man-agement, risk management, and decision

analysis and resolution. Additionally, the command’s organizational processes of

organizational process focus, organizational process defi-nition and organizational training were also appraised.

IBFTC team participants were:Senior Manager Jennifer Watson,Program Manager Lexine Langley,Deputy Program Manager DeweyCollier and team members RodgerMoore, Doug Montgomery, RobCamper, Dennis Trout, Jeff Davis,Renee Puzio, Alysia Wimett, AlHamilton, Dave Worley, RobertJessee and Gail Sabato. Providingexternal PPQA support were DonJohnson and Wayne Mitnick.

The team also extended a specialthanks to Pam Bell and Renee Boltin

for their work in organizational training, and to enterpriseprocess group (EntPG) members Bruce Carter, Jerry Suggsand John Foore for involvement in organizational processfocus and organizational process definition.

The team also thanked the Engineering Process Office(EPO) for providing command processes, sample docu-ments, templates, SOPs, mentoring and mini-assessments.

- Beth Meloy, Engineering Process Office


From Fritz Ben Hood, Code 533In an effort to improve commandwide skills and encour-

age career building, Code 50 recently held training classesto prepare Navy engineers in Charleston for the Fundamen-tals of Engineering Exam (FE).

For those not in the know, the FE is a stepping stone forengineers to obtain a professional license. After passing theFE and obtaining their engineer-in-training (EIT) certificate,engineers must work under another licensed professionalengineer for four years before qualifying for the final test,the Principles and Practice in Engineering (PE) exam.

It is only after passing this exam that an engineer re-ceives his or her license and achieves the status of profes-sional engineer. Licensed professional engineers are allowedto legally put their stamp of approval on drawings and de-sign documents to certify them for use.

Candidates must register with both the state in whichthey wish to be licensed and with the National Council ofExaminers for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). Theexam is an eight-hour-long challenge demanding knowl-edge of the engineering specialty and a broad understand-ing of concepts from the entire spectrum of the profession.

The morning section of the exam covers a range of top-ics, but the questions are shorter and require only a formulaor a bit of deductive reasoning to solve. The afternoon sec-tion offers a choice between a set similar to the morning orone that focuses on individual engineering disciplines. Thissection, regardless of topic, has fewer questions and anincreased level of difficulty as many of the problems re-quire solving multiple parts to get to the ultimate solution.

Roy Johnson, branch head in Code 537, and I set up theSSC Charleston class. It was held on Mondays from 4 to6:30 p.m., or on Wednesdays when Monday was a holiday.Dr. Jason Skinner, a professor of engineering at The Cita-del, has worked with the command in the past and was

SSC Charleston classhelps Navy engineersearn EIT certification

contracted to teach the course. Students used an FE helpbook called the FE Review Manual authored by Michael R.Lindeburg, which focused on each subject of the test andincluded problems and solutions. A student handbook alsowas provided at no cost to the students.

“I enjoyed the class very much, although sometimes anMP3 of the discussion would have been helpful in inter-preting the written solution,” said attendee Donald Neal ofCode 631. “I highly recommend this class to anyone want-ing to replace Spock as chief science officer on the USSEnterprise .”

“The FE is hard and I need to study more,” said RobbyTaylor. “The class has given me insight to problems I couldnot have solved on my own.”

Instructor Skinner said, “The fundamentals of engineer-ing examination review class was a refreshing experiencefor someone who normally only sees engineers at the be-ginning of their careers. Teaching this review class to suc-cessful engineers willing to put forth even more effort toenhance their standing within the engineering communityhas been both exciting and rewarding,” he said. “Leadingthese review sessions has been fun and challenging all atthe same time, and I would gladly do it again.”

More information about FE registration can be found at:www.els-examreg.org/south_carolina.php#procedure.

Those interested is attending a future class should callPam Bell at 218-4645.

Pictured above from the April 2 class are, from left, DonaldNeal, Elizabeth Moses, Fritz Hood, Corey Smith, Dr. JasonSkinner, Kerry Loyd, Justin Jackson and Robert Taylor.

Photo by Himanshu Darji

Send names and addresses byemail to [email protected] orU.S. mail to The Chronicle (Code0A5SP), P.O. Box 190022, NorthCharleston, SC 29419, and we’lladd your customers and sponsorsto our mailing list.

Let the world know about your projectThe Chronicle has a worldwide

distribution and can also be viewedat www.sscc.spawar.navy.mil.

Does your sponsor receive TheChronicle? Don’t miss out on valu-able recognition for SSC Charles-ton and our products and services!

The Scientists to Sea (STS) program continues to pro-vide excellent feedback to SPAWARriors from their cus-tomer: the warfighter. Brian Diana and Brian Edwards re-cently returned from an embark on Norfolk, Va.-based guidedmissile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58), and both sawgreat benefits from understanding the Sailor’s way of life.

“In the private sector it is as simple as watching whobuys your product or who purchases your services to knowwho your customer is. You can tailor your product line andservices to directly benefit and ap-peal to the customer,” said BrianDiana of Code 723.

“As a civilian in the Departmentof Navy, it is a bit more challengingto know who the customer is. It be-comes harder to truly know whatproducts they need and how yourwares will affect them,” he added.A powerful solution to this problem,he learned recently, is the STS pro-gram.

“After having participated in thisprogram, I can only begin to describehow enlightening the experience hasbeen,” Diana said. “The crew of USSLaboon demonstrated a vast knowl-edge of their systems and equip-ment. While touring the ship, wewould ask different crew membersabout their systems and equipment. They were so knowl-edgeable that their impromptu briefs could be confused withwell-rehearsed presentations,” he said.

Diana got excellent feedback from crew members abouttheir systems and equipment. Some suggestions were assimple as getting longer wires for peripherals or using opti-cal mice in their limited space. “As we develop our prod-ucts we can strive to make them use less space, more effi-ciently,” Diana said. Direct customer input such as thisoffered great opportunities to improve SSC Charleston’ssupport to the warfighter.

“The Scientist to Sea program has given me a valuableexperience.” Diana said. “Those few days out to sea haveprovided me immense insight into what our Sailors are facedwith. I have a better understanding of where they work,how they work, and what they work on. Although I onlyspent a short time on the Laboon, it has instilled a greaterlevel of respect and understanding for our customer, thewarfighter,” he said.

“I would highly encourage anyone that is interested inseeing how the seagoing Navy operates to participate inthis training. It is an absolutely worthwhile endeavor,” said

Scientists to Sea: Deploying with the customerBrian Edwards of Code 633. “You will leave with a newfoundrespect for our Sailors and an experience you will remem-ber for a lifetime!”

The first day started with reveille at 0600, followed bybreakfast on the mess decks. During a navigation briefingEdwards volunteered to ride in the rubber hulled inflatableboat (RHIB). He was paired with a Laboon officer, boardedthe RHIB and was lowered over the side and into the waterwith a crane. “The crew was armed with an M60, M16,

and two M9 pistols. Our missionwas to keep small craft out of theship’s safety zone,” he said.

“We went ahead of the ship tomeet oncoming traffic, force themto change course to remain about500 yards away from the ship, andthen shadow them past the ship. Wewere out for about 5.5 hours and Iwas driving for about 1.5 hours ofthat time. When we returned to theship, I climbed up a rope ladderover the side to the flight deck thenthe remaining crew and RHIB werehoisted back aboard,” Edwardscontinued.

Edwards stood conning officerwatch with a Laboon junior officerthe first evening. “The Conning Of-ficer has responsibility for steering

the ship (via voice commands to the helm), identifying andavoiding traffic, and preventing collisions with traffic orwater hazards.

On the second day, the visiting SPAWARriors watchedman overboard drills and maneauvering trials. They sawSPAWAR equipment in action during tours of the radio room,where all signals are transmitted and received by the ship,and the combat area where targets are identified, trackedand engaged. They also saw sonar, where Sailors identifyand track all traffic with a detectable sound signature.

Wednesday saw the scientists in navigation, where theylearned how ship position is determined and verified andhow the ship’s course is plotted.

“During navigation training the General Quarters alarmwas sounded,” Edwards said, and “the ship immediatelybecame a hive of activity as Sailors reported to ‘battle sta-tions,’ secured all hatches, donned fire fighting equipmentand battle gear, and set all valves for combat conditions.This was all accomplished in less than seven minutes,” hesaid.


Laboon gets underway from Norfolk, Va.U.S. Navy photo

Send names and addresses byemail to [email protected] orU.S. mail to The Chronicle (Code0A5SP), P.O. Box 190022, NorthCharleston, SC 29419, and we’lladd your customers and sponsorsto our mailing list.

Let the world know about your projectThe Chronicle has a worldwide

distribution and can also be viewedat www.sscc.spawar.navy.mil.

Does your sponsor receive TheChronicle? Don’t miss out on valu-able recognition for SSC Charles-ton and our products and services!


It can be dug out of trash cans and dumpsters, known as“dumpster diving,” memorized or copied by sales clerksand waiters. Your personal information can be removed fromyour mailbox (in the form of tax notices, financial accountstatements and other bills) and you may never realize theyare missing. Your information can be removed from youremployer’s files, either secretly or with the help of an in-side accomplice, or from hospital records, usually with thehelp of an inside accomplice.

Your personal information can be removed from yourfinancial lender’s or your landlord’s files. It can be pur-chased (or found free) in online (or offline) databases orcollected from “cloned” Web sites -- sites recreated fromlegitimate merchant Web sites in order capture your per-sonal and credit card information when you place an order.It can be collected from “cloned” chat rooms that includelinks to outside Web sites that offer services or productsbut are not real merchants, simply gatherers of your infor-mation which criminals will use to make purchases else-where. It can be stolen from a merchant database throughcomputer hacking, or stolen by hacking into commercialWeb sites or your personal computer and using software tomirror keystrokes to capture credit card account informa-tion

Basically, anywhere you’ve provided that information canbe a target. Often employees who have access to the infor-mation are bribed or offered a cut of the profits in exchangefor personal information about others. The more sophisti-cated the perpetrator, the more money is stolen and themore people scammed. Clerks can even put “skimmers” oncredit card machines that will record credit card informa-tion for later use. Temporary employees seem to be morefrequently involved in identity theft scandals than perma-nent employees, simply because fewer background checksare made on them.

What about all of the publicly available information some-one can access about you? Public records are open forpublic inspection and include driver’s license information,real estate records, business records, vehicle information,certain types of professional certifications and licensing in-formation and any other types of data collected by publicentities. Non-government information that is publicly avail-able -- in newspaper classified advertisements and reports,and in phone book entries -- can be accessed. Open-sourceinformation can also be found about you in periodicals andon Web sites.

While some information about your life is pretty wellprotected, such as medical, financial and academic records,other identifying information (social security number, homeaddress, etc) is not so protected. One scary statistic: Ac-cording to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 200019 percent (as opposed to 13 percent in 2001) of all victimsof identity theft had a personal relationship with the thief;10 percent of the thieves were family members.

Protecting yourself fromidentity theft takes proactiveeffort. You can’t simply as-sume it’s not going to happen to you and go on aboutyour life — it can happen to anyone. It even happens tocelebrities. Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Robert DeNiro and Martha Stewart have had their identities sto-len. While you can’t totally protect yourself from thesethieves, you can make yourself less attractive as a vic-tim by making it more difficult for them to access yourinformation. Here are some things you can do to pro-tect yourself:

DON’T give out your Social Security number un-less it is absolutely necessary. Many companies collectmore information than they really need. Make sure thatit’s something they require and make sure they’ll pro-tect your privacy.

DESTROY unwanted credit card offers. Rip, shred,or burn the pre-approved offers that come almost daily.

DON’T put any other information besides your nameand address on your checks, and keep a close watchon your checkbook both when you’re writing checksand when it is lying around. Someone can memorizeyour name, address and phone number during the shorttime it takes you to write a check.

SHRED (cross-cut) any sensitive documents beforethrowing them in the trash. This may seem like an ex-treme measure, but dumpster diving happens all thetime and turns up a lot more personal information thanyou may realize.

DON’T carry your Social Security card, passportor birth certificate in your wallet or purse. Carry onlythe credit cards that are absolutely necessary. Photo-copy everything in your wallet to make canceling thingseasier if the wallet is stolen.

REVIEW your credit report every year to make surethere are no new credit cards or other accounts issued(to someone other than you) and no inquiries by peopleyou haven’t initiated business with.

NEVER give out personal information on the phoneto someone you don’t know who initiated the call. Scamartists often phone unsuspecting victims pretending torepresent their financial services company and request-ing information, usually to “update records” or sell a


How toProtectYourself

Identitytheft

From Lt. Brian PhillipsSSC Charleston STILO/OPSECProgram Manager

You work hard every day to make aliving and support yourself and your fam-ily. What happens, though, when you findout that someone has used your name to get acredit card and has run up thousands of dollars incharges that you are now going to have to convince thecredit card company you are not responsible for?

What if they opened bank accounts in your name, com-mitted crimes using your name, or worse?! Innocent peopleare being arrested because someone is committing crimesusing their names. Can you prevent this from happening?Can you protect yourself from these white collar crimi-nals? What is law enforcement doing about it?

We will look into the dark world of identity theft in whichwe can all fall victims. We’ll find out how others can getaccess to your personal identification information, how youcan protect yourself, and what to do if you become a vic-tim.Types of identity theft

Identity theft can enter into many areas of our lives. Itinvolves any instance where a person uses someone else’sidentification documents or other identifiers in order to im-personate that person for whatever reason. According to aSeptember 2003 survey conducted by the Federal TradeCommission, an estimated 10 million people in the UnitedStates found out they were victims of identity theft in theprevious year. More appropriately titled “identity fraud,”your identity might be stolen in order for someone to com-mit:

Financial fraud - This type of identity theft includesbank fraud, credit card fraud, computer and telecommuni-cations fraud, social program fraud, tax refund fraud, mailfraud and several more. A total of 25 types of financialidentity fraud are investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.While financial identity theft is the most prevalent (of theapproximately 10,000 financial crime arrests Secret Ser-vice agents made in 1997, 94 percent involved identity theft),it certainly isn’t the only type. Other types of identity theft,however, usually involve a financial element as well — typi-cally to fund some sort of criminal enterprise.

Criminal activities - This type of identity fraud involves

taking on someone else’s identity in or-der to commit a crime, enter a country,

get special permits, hide one’s own iden-tity or commit acts of terrorism. These crimi-

nal activities can include computer and cybercrimes, organized crime, drug trafficking, alien

smuggling and money laundering.Credit card fraud - This is identity theft in its most

simple and common form. It can be accomplished eitherthrough a scenario mentioned above, or when your pre-approved credit card offers fall into the wrong hands. All aperson has to do is get these out of your mailbox (or trashcan), mail them in with a change of address request andstart spending. Someone can easily apply for a credit cardin your name if they have the right information. You won’tknow about it until the credit card company tracks youdown and demands payment for purchases “you” rackedup.

With a person’s name, social security number and dateof birth, someone can get loans, access the person’s exist-ing bank accounts, open new bank accounts, lease or buycars, get insurance, you name it. Think about the thingsyou throw in the trash. Do you throw your pay stubs awayonce you’ve recorded the amount in your checkbook? Takea look at some of the information on that seemingly unim-portant piece of paper: Your full name, address, social se-curity number, bank account number (if you have directdeposit), employer’s name and address, rate of pay.

Think about the types of information you have to pro-vide in order to get a credit card or a loan or lease a car.There is very little additional information that is needed. Irecently got a home equity loan and did all but the finalsigning of the documents over the phone, and faxed all ofmy financial information directly to the loan officer. It wouldnot have been that difficult to “create” those documentsusing someone else’s social security number, bank accountnumbers and other personal information. That’s a scarythought! Imagine finding out that someone had gotten amortgage in your name. Clearing that up with the bank andgetting it off of your credit history would be quite a battle.You are the one left with the time-consuming task of re-pairing your credit and getting your finances back on track.Accessing personal information

Your personal information can be found in many places.

OPSEC CornerOPSEC Corner


From the SSC Charleston Legal OfficeDo you know you have a duty to keep “records?”The concept of “federal records” is defined by statute as

“all books, papers, maps, photographs, machine readablematerials or other documentary materials -- regardless ofphysical form or characteristics -- made or received by anagency of the United States government under federal lawor in connection with the transaction of public businessand preserved or appropriated for preservation by that agencyor its legitimate successor as evidence of the organization,functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations orother activities of the government orbecause of the informational valueof data in them.”

As seen from the definition of a“federal record,” all SSC Charlestonemployees create records whichthey may be legally obligated to main-tain.

Federal employees have a duty topreserve records, including e-mailsand “soft” documents that relate tothe performance of their duties.SECNAV M-5210.1 of December2005 contains a table that specifieshow long various types of recordsshould be maintained. Frequently,when litigation is likely, legal officepersonnel ask employees to search and preserve varioustypes of documents, including e-mail or other electronicrecords. The Department of the Navy and its employeesare legally and ethically required to take immediate steps tomake certain that all paper and electronic records whichcould conceivably be relevant to litigation or prospectivelitigation are maintained. We refer to this request as a “Liti-gation Hold” notice since it advises that litigation exists, oris foreseeable, and a duty to preserve records is present.

This responsibility is one which the courts take veryseriously, and the loss of records may be construed againstthe party who lost or cannot locate them. Failure to safe-guard and produce records can result in significant sanc-tions against both the Navy, and possibly individual em-ployees.

Navy attorneys are required to take active, thorough andaggressive action to ensure that the Navy meets its legal

responsibility to locate, retain and produce all documentsor things that may be relevant to an actual or reasonablyforeseeable case. Traditionally, this has meant locating, re-taining and producing paper documents. However in today’senvironment, we communicate and retain records electroni-cally with computers, BlackBerry devices and handheld dataassistants. The use of computer systems and our NMCIcomputer network make electronic discovery issues sig-nificantly more complex. Since there is often no “hard”paper file, we will need your help in meeting the require-ments to safeguard and make available the electronic “files.”

Please note that e-mail backups per-formed by system administrators areoften not adequate for litigation. Em-ployees must retain pertinent recordsthemselves.

While there are well-developed sys-tems for paper records, the infrastruc-ture for the management of electronicrecords is poorly developed, threat-ening accountability and good gover-nance. If litigation is a possibility, wemust take steps to make certain thatall electronic documents, includingbackup tapes, disks, etc., which maybe relevant in any way are identified,retained and produced in response todiscovery requests or court orders.

The challenge of this electronic discovery lies not onlyin the volume and format of discoverable information withthe potential for mismanagement and destruction of data(spoilation), but also in the ability to determine the extent ofthe electronic records (who has the material and where isthe material that is relevant.) This complexity exposes boththe Navy and its employee to significant sanctions, if propersafeguarding does not occur.

Document discovery is one of the most critical parts ofpreparing a case for trial. Cases are frequently won or lostbased on the documents. Indeed, in extreme cases, thiscould mean the difference between the command succeed-ing or failing in the litigation.

Please recognize the significance of the “records” youreceive/create, and retain them appropriately. For additionalinformation, please call the legal office at (843) 218-4029or DSN 588-4029.

Record keepingand retention

What if you get a phone call from a creditor, a visit fromthe police, or discover in your credit report that your iden-tity has been stolen? First, report the crime to police andget a copy of the police report or case number. Most creditcard companies, banks and others will ask you for it toensure a crime has actually occurred.

Then immediately contact your credit card issuers,close existing accounts and get replacement cards with newaccount numbers. Request the accounts reflect they were“closed at consumer’s request” forcredit report purposes. Follow upyour phone calls with letters to thecredit card companies summarizingyour request in writing.

Close accounts the thief openedin your name. If you open new ac-counts yourself, request passwordson those accounts, and make surethe password is not obvious to oth-ers. Your mother’s maiden name orthe last four digits of your social se-curity number are too obvious.

Next, call the fraud units of thethree credit reporting bureauslisted at right to report the theft ofyour credit cards and/or numbers. Ask that your accountsbe flagged with a “fraud alert,” which will stop anyonefrom setting up new accounts in your name without thecreditor calling you. Verify this with the credit bureau rep-resentative and give them a number at which you can bereached. You won’t be able to get “instant credit” at depart-ment stores but this flag, known as a “victim’s statement,”is the best way to prevent unauthorized accounts.

Keep a log of all conversations with authorities and fi-nancial entities, and keep copies of any documentation yougive them. If your social security number has been used,notify the Social Security Administration’s Office of In-spector General.

File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) by contacting the FTC Consumer Response Centerat 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW; Washington, DC 20580; Toll-free 877-FTC-HELP (382-4357); www.ftc.gov/ftc/

complaint.htm. The FTC is the fed-eral clearinghouse for complaints byvictims of identity theft. The FTCdoes not have the authority to bringcriminal cases, but it does assist vic-tims by providing information to helpresolve the financial and other prob-lems resulting from identity theft. TheFTC can refer victim complaints toother government agencies and pri-vate organizations for further action.

Identity theft is a crime that af-fects millions of people annually,causing millions of dollars in lostwages and time, often taking up tothree years to resolve. As your

OPSEC officer the last thing I want anyone on the SSCCharleston team to deal with is a messy identity theft prob-lem.

Follow this advice and for more training, there is a courseoffered on Navy Knowledge Online. Stay vigilant and ifyou ever need any assistance please do not hesitate to callme at (843) 218-3983.

- Lt. Brian Phillips

Continued from page 37Identity theft

product. Get the name, phone number and address of thecaller, then call the number printed on your statements.

REVIEW monthly credit card statements to make surethere are no charges that aren’t yours. Also, make sureyou receive a monthly statement. If it is late, call the creditcard company. Someone may have turned in a change-of-address form so they could continue purchases onyour credit card without you noticing.

DON’T mail bills or documents that contain personaldata (like tax forms or checks) from your personal mailbox. Take them directly to the post office or an officialpostal service mailbox. It’s too easy for someone to takemail out of your mailbox on the street. They can dip your

checks in special chemicals to remove the ink and thenrewrite them to themselves!

If you’re ever denied credit, FIND OUT WHY, espe-cially if you haven’t reviewed your credit report lately.This may be the first indication that someone has stolenyour identity and is racking up charges in your name.

REACT QUICKLY if a creditor or merchant calls youabout charges you didn’t make. This too may be the firsttip that someone has stolen your identity. Get as muchinformation as you can and investigate immediately.

GUARD deposit slips as closely as you do checks.Not only do they have your personal information printedon them, but they can also be used to withdraw money.All a thief has to do is write a bad check, deposit it intoyour account and use the “less cash received” line towithdraw your money.

Who to callEquifax Consumer Fraud Division -

P.O. Box 105496; Atlanta, Georgia30348-5496; Tel: (800) 997-2493;www.equifax.com.

Experian - P.O. Box 2104; Allen,Texas 75013-2104; Tel: (888) 397-3742; www.experian.com.

TransUnion Fraud Victim AssistanceDepartment - P.O. Box 390; Springfield,PA 19064-0390; Tel: (800) 680-7289;www.transunion.com.

What to do in the event of identity theft


Some SSC Charleston employees were well ac-quainted with the new National Museum of the MarineCorps before it opened last November at a 135-acresite near the U.S. Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Va.

Code 74 designed, procured and installed an elec-tronic security system for the museum. The beginningproject totaled approximately $862,000, and follow-onwork has totaled more than $640,000.

The new museum, the centerpiece of the MarineCorps Heritage Center, includes aircraft, tanks, landingvehicles and artillery pieces. The collections held in trustat the museum document more than 230 years of Ma-rine Corps history. The more than 60,000 uniforms,weapons, vehicles, medals, flags, aircraft, works of artand other artifacts in the museum’s collections tracethe history of the Marine Corps from 1775 to the present.

Unusual items in the care of the museum include acoat worn by Marine Captain Levi Twiggs during hisservice in the Indian Wars, a presentation baton givento John Philip Sousa on his departure as director of theMarine Corps Band, and an Oscar awarded to the Ma-rine Corps for the World War II documentary “Tarawa.”Perhaps the most symbolically important artifact in theMuseum’s collection is the second American flag raisedover Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi.

Thanks to the efforts of SSC Charleston Code 74personnel, these treasures will be secure for genera-tions to come.


Scientists to Sea

SSC Charleston ensuresMarine museum secure

The National Museum of the Marine Corps at its open-ing in November.

In the early afternoon they watched a countermeasureswash down and toured the supply areas. After supper in theChief’s Mess, they toured the engineering spaces.

The last day on board started with breakfast in the ward-room, followed by another navigation briefing and RHIBlaunches. After small boat preplanned response drills to re-pel small craft attack, Laboon returned to the pier, withSTS members watching from the bridge.

Shipboard lifeFrom Brian Edwards’ trip log

Racks: They are called “coffin racks” for a reason: theyare small. I could touch the bottom of the rack above mewith my elbow by rolling my shoulder forward an inch ortwo. They seem like they would make you claustrophobicbut once you were in, which is a bit of a trick, they weregreat. In fact in rough seas they were very comforting asyou were rocked to sleep. They come with a curtain forprivacy and straps to make sure you don’t roll out.

Chow: The food was excellent. There was typically aselection of two meats, salad, fruit and dessert. Everyoneeats the same food, the only difference is the presentation.One STS member thought he’d gained weight on the trip.There is breakfast, dinner, supper, and mid-rats (midnightrations), traditionally at 2330. You won’t go hungry.

We experienced all the eating arrangements on the ship,from the mess decks where enlisted E6 and below eat, tothe chief’s mess to the wardroom. On the mess decks youcarry a tray and they serve your food, then you find a seat,fix your drink and clean up after yourself. The chief pettyofficer’s mess is a separate room (called “the goat locker”)where chiefs eat. It is also buffet-style; you serve yourself,find a seat and fix your drink. Junior Sailors clean up.

Officers eat in the wardroom. Upon entering you askpermission of the senior officer at the table to join the meal.After filling out a menu card your food is served as in a nicerestaurant, hands-down the best meal presentation on theship. The service was excellent and the atmosphere some-what relaxed and very friendly.

Rough seas: STS members were hoping to experiencerough seas and we got our wish. As the ship headed toCape Hatteras the waters were rough from Tuesday after-noon until Thursday morning, with waves crashing overthe bow and spray hitting the bridge windows at times. Inengineering, I watched the clinometer measure 17 degreesroll from vertical, with estimated wave height of eight to 12feet. Some Sailors got sick but not STS members, thanksto motion sickness medication. Drinks were spilled due torolls, and binders and unsecured objects were tossed offshelves and tables. The CO, XO and officers steered theship to ensure that the ride was as comfortable as possible.

White House photo by Paul Morse

Dressing professionally in the workplaceFrom Detra Armstrong, Code 0282

Spring is in the air; what better time to examine our ward-robe and see what necessary changes we need to make.Fashion is a great feeling, and so is the fresh aroma ofspring.

Looking professional should be important to everyone inthe workforce. Let’s take time and start fresh with ourfashion decisions.

Seasons change four times a year.We should do the same. When youlook good, you feel good. Work eth-ics are even better. Looking profes-sional says a lot about you as an indi-vidual. Are we dressing to impress?First of all, let’s look professional for ourselves. The appre-ciation starts with you. Your style of dress says a lot aboutyou.

Be organized with your wardrobe. Know what you aregoing to wear the night before. Itwouldn’t hurt to try your outfit onin advance, or at least visualizeyourself in it. This can save youso much time and avoid guesswork in the morning. You can sleepwith peace of mind knowing youwon’t have to struggle with thisdecision in the morning.

First, one must organize his orher closet. Know what you have

in your closet and what pieces you have to work with. Weall have organization skills that we use daily at work. Orga-nization should follow you. If you are organized at home,you should be organized at work.

Hang all shirts/blouses together. Hang all skirts togethergrouped by length. Hang all dresses together. Hang all slackstogether. Suits that you know you will wear together, youshould hang together. Your shoes should be organized sothat you can easily choose the right color to coordinatewith your outfit.

Once your closet is organized itwill be much easier to pick outyour fashions. Having an organizedcloset is a MUST for today’s pro-fessional. Some people think theydon’t have the best taste in cloth-ing. Let’s embrace change. Wehave been embracing change foryears in our jobs. Look around youroffice/building. There are probablyat least three to four people that youthink look professional daily. Watch how they coordinatetheir fashions. You can do the same.

You do not have to spend a lot of money to look great atwork, but you have to purchase the right items. If you arejust starting out in the workforce, set a goal to purchaseeight suits in the colors of black, brown, gray, beige, cream,Navy blue and red, with coordinating blouses. These col-ors work well together. Now you have enough suits to wearevery day for week one. This is great for the worker whoprefers suits. The second week of work wear the remain-

ing three suits, then coordinate the rest ofthe week.

This really works. You will wearthe skirt or slacks with the best

matched jacket. If you choose towear the skirt and or slacks witha blouse only, this will look nice

as well. Remember, the smartshopper knows what looks are becoming in the office. Noone will notice that you are interchanging or mixing andmatching; it will look as if your ward-robe is very large because you are asmart shopper.

Women can set another goal: Pur-chase three dresses. Dresses can beworn alone or with the jackets of thepreviously purchased suits.

Men, you really have it easy. If youset a goal of having at least 10 ties, youcan coordinate with various shirts, evenif you choose to wear a white shirtevery day. There are a variety of styles and many colorsavailable to you. Make sure your ties are visible when youenter your closet.

When you look good, you feel good. I see a runwaywith SSC Charleston employees walking swiftly in style.When you look this wonderful Monday through Thursday,it is sometimes hard to dress down on Fridays. Dress downFriday means taking your fashion sense down a notch. Westill have a job but go to work just a bit casual and always

neat. We should still look appro-priate. We never know who wemight see. I have seen two U.S.Presidents who visited the navalbase in the last 20 years. It was agreat feeling to wave with suchjoy. I had visualized what I wasgoing to wear the night before.Many times, appearances do mat-ter.

Remember, your style of dressis the investment you as a worker

put into yourself. So here’s to a new season of fashionswith the best of styles fashioned by all.


SSC Charleston hosted Marine Lance Cpl. Justin Morrisand his father, former submariner Todd Morris, for a briefand tour of the center March 7. The younger Morris re-cently returned from Iraq, where he is a communicationsexpert. While home on leave awaiting training, Morriswanted to see who is responsible for providing his commsequipment, and the SSC Charleston team was more thanwilling to comply. After a brief by Dr. Stephen Jarrett,Chief Technologist, Code 70, the Morrises looked at up-armored Humvees which are being outfitted with C4I

VisitorsVisitors

equipment by Code 60 personnel. After touring SSCCharleston, the Morrises and an SSC Charleston contin-gent toured Force Protection Inc., in Ladson. Picturedabove with a Force Protection vehicle are, from left, BobMiller, Code 613; Lt. Brian Phillips, Code 70; Todd Mor-ris; Justin Morris; Erick Fry, Code 713; and Jarrett. The19-year-old Morris thanked the SSC Charleston team forall they are doing to enable the warfighter. He will returnto Iraq after training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Twenty-nine Palms, Calif.

More than 40 Hanahan Middle School(HMS) faculty and staff members spent March12 getting to know the capabilities of theirpartner in education, SSC Charleston. Theschool visitors received an overview brief onSSC Charleston, and learned about humanresources, satellite communications, air traf-fic control and systems engineering at SSCCharleston. They also toured the SATCOMlab and Air Traffic Control tower. The pur-pose of the visit was to foster a cooperativerelationship with the school, illustrate theimportance of math and science to middleschool students, and highlight future careeropportunities for students.At left, the visi-tors pose in the atrium of Bldg. 3147 withtheir host, Odette Foore, Code 70, far left.

Visiting Marine thanks SSC Charleston

HMS learns about C4ISR

TransitionsTransitions

Moving up ...Congratulations to the following re-

cently promoted employees:

Gerry Allen, Code 75, Charleston, S.C.Mark Auza, Code 821, Suffolk, Va.Reco Baker, Code 721, CharlestonAmy Bare, Code 0E, CharlestonJamin Barnett, Code 541, CharlestonPamela Bell, Code 09W2, CharlestonAaron Blair, Code 724, CharlestonKendra Boykin, Code 742, CharlestonAdolphus Burrow, Code 726, CharlestonPhilip Butler, Code 632, CharlestonXavier Calderon, Code 822, Suffolk, Va.Jerry Caldwell, Code 09A22, CharlestonKelly Cannady, Code 025, CharlestonDarryl Carter, Code 841, Mayport, Fla.David Cassidy, Code 753, CharlestonAdrian Cheagle, Code 668, CharlestonRyan Collier, Code 662, CharlestonRandy Corbitt, Code 663, CharlestonJohn Coville, Code 743, CharlestonDiane Crosby, Code 0281, CharlestonDonna Dotson, Code 72, CharlestonAntoine Etchene, Code 821, Suffolk, Va.Shawn Evans, Code 535, CharlestonDerrick Fleming, Code 821, Suffolk, Va.Kristopher Fogle, Code 632, CharlestonGwendolyn Gay, Code 831, Portsmouth, Va.Carolyn Gokey, Code 0232, CharlestonRyan Gunst, Code 633, CharlestonMelisse Henry, Code 753, CharlestonJesse Howard, Code 63D, CharlestonDaniel Hursey, Code 742, CharlestonGertrude Johnson, Code 523, CharlestonKen Johnson, Code 0125, CharlestonPatrick Johnson, Code 744, CharlestonJared Judy, Code 822, Suffolk, Va.Ryan Krcelic, Code 523, CharlestonDean L’Hoste, Code 842, Portsmouth, Va.Anderson Lambert, Code 541, CharlestonPaula Laquaglia, Code 025, Charleston,

Dear Friends and Coworkers,It is difficult to find the words to express

my family’s gratitude for the great out-pouring of support we received from theSSC Charleston family on the recent pass-ing of our son, Charles Edward Adams II.The cards, letters, phone and email messages,prayers, and visits meant a great deal to usas we struggled with ourheartbreaking loss.

Please know that I amtouched deeply by your generosityand thoughtfulness. Knowing that wewere not alone helped us bear our griefand sadness.

With sincere thanks,Charlie Adams

Thank you

In MemoriamIn Memoriam

Bradley Larson, Code 522, CharlestonKerry Loyd, Code 50E, CharlestonChristine Madden, Code 543, CharlestonBenjamin Maiden, Code 542, CharlestonRobert Meddick, Code 0AL, CharlestonSharon Morgan, Code 57, Naples, ItalyMarilyn Morrow, Code 0125, CharlestonDonald Neal, Code 631, CharlestonJoseph O’Connell, Code 661, CharlestonEmmanuel Oliver, Code 616, CharlestonXuong On, Code 541, CharlestonJozen Orbase, Code 724, CharlestonBrooks Osteen, Code 615, CharlestonChristopher Outlaw, Code 762, Washington,D.C.Michael Payne, Code 663, CharlestonDavid Peterson, Code 70E, CharlestonCheryll Porter, Code 667, CharlestonCrystal Potts, Code 02A, CharlestonTanzeel Rana, Code 662, Charleston.James Ratcliff, Code 617, CharlestonNicholas Ringwall, Code 744, CharlestonPetra Robinson, Code 615, CharlestonGlen Rose, Code 522, CharlestonAlbert Sabet, Code 744, CharlestonJason Sellars, Code 542, CharlestonFrancesco Smyth, Code 71, CharlestonArliene Sports, Code 0A5, CharlestonMiroslav Stamenkovich, Code 832, LittleCreek, Va.Latasha Stith, Code 822, Suffolk, Va.

Moving on ...Fair winds and following seas to

the SSC Charleston employeesretiring recently:

Joe E. BeckhamDaniel T. BlackwellMary G. M. BrownKathy L. DeatonNancy E. EdsonRonnie K. HewittSharon M. KeatingWilliam K. Melcolm Jr.Robert S. MoyerRonald E. PriceMarshall K. RhodesWarren W. SappSarah J. SullivanNadine B. Wilson

Brian Tamburello, Code 822, Norfolk, Va.Lukky Tchang, Code 09C2, CharlestonBrian Thomas, Code 744, Washington, DCJohn Thomas, Code 542, CharlestonCharles Turner, Code 0AE, CharlestonHarlen Wood Jr., Code 663, CharlestonJaime Wood, Code 533, Charleston

Frank Allen (Al) Nusom Jr.1948-2007

Engineer, Code 533Lieutenant Commander,

USN (Ret.)

Frank Allen (Al) Nusom Jr.1948-2007

Engineer, Code 533Lieutenant Commander,

USN (Ret.)


The Final WordThe Final Word

SSC Charleston’s VTC lab personnel recently helpedconnect the first-ever reenlistment ceremony between aU.S. Navy aircraft carrier and the International SpaceStation (ISS).

At right, Astronauts Navy Capt. Michael Lopez-Alegria, ISS commander, and Flight Engineer Navy Cmdr.Suni Williams, orbiting 200 miles above earth, reenlist16 Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USSDwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in January. The Sail-ors reenlisted for a total of 57 years. At the timeEisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing 7 were de-ployed in support of Maritime Security Operations(MSO).

SSC Charleston’s VTC Lab supported Eisenhower andNASA Mission Control at Johnson Space Center. TheVTC allowed USS Eisenhower family members in Nor-folk to witness the event.

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Miguel Angel Contreras

VTC labfacilitatesreenlistment ofastronomicalproportions

U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Miguel Angel Contreras

U.S. Navy photo

NASA photo

We are now soliciting photography submissions from SSC Charlestonemployees for The Chronicle summer issue photo contest.

The Employee Services Association will offer the winner a choice of a coffee cup, thermalmug, command coin, cookbook (if available) or $5 credit toward another logo item.

MWR will offer a “buy one, get one free” lunch in the Cooper River Cafe to the winner.Judges are Command Photographer Harold Senn and Chronicle Editor Susan Piedfort.

Send your best shot to [email protected] or [email protected],or drop your print by the photo lab or Chronicle office.

Send us your best shot

And the winner is...

The Chronicle48 Spring 2007

SSC Charleston’s Bldg. 3146 is dedicated to Mikolajcik.See story on page 10.

Documents

SSC Charleston’s deployed secret to success..... 32 Electronic invoicing success story..... 35 Identity theft is preventable..... 38 How long should you keep records