History was made here May 31, 2019 as Capt. Mark E. Nieto assumed command of Fleet Readiness Center East, marking the first time a Navy officer has taken the helm of the 75-year-old maintenance, repair and overhaul depot.

During a change of command ceremony, Col. Clarence T. Harper III formally transferred authority and responsibility for the depot to Nieto, in front of an audience of hundreds of FRCE employees, distinguished visitors and special guests.

The ceremony also marked the conclusion of Harper's military career; the outgoing FRCE commanding officer will be retiring following 28 years of service. Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers Rear Adm. Mike W. Zarkowski retired Harper in a ceremony that addressed Harper’s lasting impact on FRCE, the Marine Corps, and the nation’s warfighters.

“His has kept laser focus on this command, and ensured FRC East was doing everything to meet warfighter needs,” Zarkowski said, noting that every decision Harper made while in command was made with the warfighter in mind. “His belief that FRC East is one of the Department of Defense’s premiere national assets and is vital to the nation’s defense is evident in his pride in this command, and how he has led it.”

Harper assumed command of FRCE in February 2017, and led the organization with an emphasis on safety, quality, throughput and cost. Under his leadership, FRCE produced 206 aircraft, 151 engines and 45,949 components, while also making gains and achieving milestones in his four commander's emphasis areas.

With Harper in command, FRCE made huge improvements in key safety metrics. In 2017, reportable injuries were reduced by 60 percent from previous numbers, with days away, restricted or transferred (DART) and total case incident report numbers both dropping well below the national industry average for aircraft manufacturing facilities, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The North Carolina Department of Labor presented FRCE with both the Gold Annual Safety Award and two Million Hour Safety Awards in 2018, reflecting the facility's DART rate of at least 50 percent below the national average, and for accumulating nearly 3 million employee work hours with no injuries or illnesses involving days away from work.

In 2019, a Voluntary Protection Program evaluation team from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration recommended FRCE VPP Application Areas Charlie and Golf for Star Site status, further reinforcing FRCE's organization-wide commitment to safety. Only 13 Department of Defense facilities worldwide have achieved Star Site status; if approved by the Assistant Secretary of Labor in Washington, D.C., FRCE would be the 14th.

“Just last week, FRC East earned the 2018 Chief of Naval Operations Shore Safety Award,” Zarkowski added. “To recap, every year that Colonel Harper has been in command, safety has improved. And we’ve seen all these improvements in safety while maintaining a very high quality of work.”

During Harper's tenure as commanding officer, FRCE has driven down the cost of poor quality across the depot. In 2017, four of the aircraft lines and Component and Industrial Processes - Metal and Non-metals all surpassed their goals of reducing cost of poor quality by 10 percent.

As safety has strengthened and quality has increased, FRCE's throughput has also climbed; in 2017, the organization posted a positive net operating result for the first time since fiscal year 2012. Man hours worked have also increased, rising from 3.2 million in fiscal year 2017 to 3.3 million in fiscal year 2018. The FRCE team is on track to work 3.5 million man hours in fiscal year 2019.

In addition to posting gains in safety, quality, throughput and cost, FRCE under Harper's leadership has also been recognized for superior environmental stewardship. The facility won the Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Award in both 2017 and 2018, and earned the Secretary of the Navy's Environmental Award for Sustainability ­– Individual/Team in 2019. Efforts in resource conservation, landfill diversion and community outreach, among other initiatives, helped secure the honor for FRCE.

Other notable accomplishments the depot has made during Harper's command include:
• Receipt of the Business and Industry Award in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education from the North Carolina Science, Mathematics and Technology Center's Board of Directors, in 2017;
• Recognition as the Naval Aviation Enterprise AIRSpeed Site of the Year, Level 3, by the Naval Aviation Enterprise Continuous Process Improvement Governance Board in 2018;
• Successful receipt, modification and return of all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II in 2018;
• Celebration of the depot's 75th anniversary with a ceremony held aboard MCAS Cherry Point in 2018;
• Acceptance of a $5 million gift from the state of North Carolina, in support of F-35 Lightning II related infrastructure at FRCE in 2019; and
• Fulfillment of a maintenance milestone with completion of the final Block A-to-B modifications for Marine Corps V-22 Ospreys in 2019.

In addition to leading FRCE through improvements in key metrics, Harper has also been an incredible leader terrific ambassador for FRCE to the local community, Zarkowski said, which was evident in the number of local officials and community members present.

The successes at FRCE have occurred under his command, Harper said, but were not accomplished by leadership alone.

“Everything the rear admiral said, we did,” Harper said. “That’s all true. We did it. But really, it’s the guys in the bleachers – it’s the guys in the back – that made those things happen. Here, it’s really more about coming together and teamwork. And that’s how we did it.” 

Capt. Nieto has big shoes to fill in the FRCE commanding officer role, Zarkowski said, but he is more than ready to take the helm at the depot.

“I have the greatest confidence in your knowledge, your abilities, and most of all, your leadership,” Zarkowski said. “You will continue the great work that has already been done here, and under your command, the Naval Sustainment System will continue to be the model for the country’s readiness. Your objectives are spot on, and I wish you and Norma (Nieto) the greatest success in your commanding officer tour.”

Nieto said he is excited to take the lead at FRCE, and is proud to continue Harper’s tradition of excellence.

“I couldn’t be prouder to be here at FRC East. In 26 years (of service), I’ve never seen anything that supports the command like this facility,” he said.

Nieto – who has served as executive officer at FRCE from February 6, 2017, until assuming command - is a native of Canton, Ohio, who enlisted and attended recruit training San Diego, California, in 1989. Following selection for the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) program at NTC San Diego, he reported as a Navy ROTC midshipman to Jacksonville University in Florida, where he graduated and received his commission in 1994. In 1996, Nieto was selected for redesignation as an Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officer and reported to NAS Pensacola for training.

Before serving at FRCE, Nieto's previous assignments include a tour at Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers as the N8 Military Director responsible for future planning of depot maintenance capability, with an emphasis on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and a successful command tour at Fleet Readiness Center Western Pacific, headquartered at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan.

FRCE is part of the greater U.S. Navy, Naval Air Systems Command and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers. More information about FRCE is available at www.navair.navy.mil/frce/.