Green Belt cutline

These members recently completed the weeklong Green Belt class at the Depot. The two three-star admirals are in the center: VADM Wally Massenburg is on the left, and VADM James Zortman is on the right. The tall officer standing behind them is CAPT David Graff, NAVAIR assistant commander for contracts. Joe Feliciano

26 COMPLETE GREEN BELT CLASS AT DEPOT

By Bill Bartkus
NAVAIR Depot North Island

NORTH ISLAND NAS – “Today, you begin a journey to what will launch you into what is possible. Your skill sets are sharper now,” said NAVAIR North Island Depot Commanding Officer CAPT Fred Cleveland to 26 graduating members of an AIRSpeed Green Belt class held recently at the Depot.

The class included two flag officers: Commander Naval Air Force VADM James Zortman, and Commander Naval Air Systems Command VADM Wally Massenburg, and Paul McQuaide and Dr. Ronald Smiley, two members of the Senior Executive Service (SES).

Green Belts are members who have demonstrated the ability to drive change within the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) using Sis Sigma, Lean, and Theory of Constraints. They collect, analyze, and convert data into usable information. The continuous process improvement skills that Green Belts learn play an important role in reducing cost while increasing workforce viability to the customer.

During the ceremony, CAPT Cleveland mentioned that the Depot now has 50 team members who have had Green Belt training. He said that the Depot also has white belts, yellow belts, “and a modicum of black belts.”

“Now these new Green Belts may put to practice what they have learned in this class,” the Captain said referring to the AIRSpeed doctrine of returning valuable assets to the fleet in a minimum amount of time.
VADM Zortman told the Green Belts that they possess an important tool. “With your other skills within your competency you may now tie the process together,” said the three-star admiral. “You now have the ability to use the best business practices to get Ready for Tasking (RFT) aircraft back in to the fleet at reduced cost. Now the tools are in the hands of the best people to use them.”

VADM Massenburg said that NAE is a cultural change. “The Enterprise makes us more efficient to care for our sailors and Marines today, tomorrow, and in the future. Green Belts are another way of understanding what it takes to get to fleet driven metrics.”

The three-star admiral said that Naval Aviation needs to get to readiness at reduced cost and AIRSpeed is an avenue to reach reducing costs. “The Enterprise is an acquisition and a lifecycle change,” he said. “We are giving deployed members one more piece of something to do their jobs better, faster and at a reduced cost.”

Commander Naval Aviation Depots RDML Michael Hardee, and AIRSpeed Champion RDML Mark Skinner handed completion plaques to the 26-member Green Belt class.

Employees from the George Group taught the class.

The other members who completed the class include Richard Baskin, Shawn Bowe, Brian Edgington, CAPT David Graff, James Greenfield, Marty Hernandez, Rodolfo Iribe, Kevin Knoll, Michael Lau, Virginia Lovell, Brian McAfee, LCDR Sam Messer, Filipe Mesquita, Elizabeth Padgham, Richard Plant. Mark Sena, Carl Shelley, Frank Snook, Benton Tam, Mark Vezzani, Mark Watkins, and James Wozniak.