NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — Beyond the traditional passing of the military torch, the recent change of command ceremony for the Airborne Electronic Attack Program Office (PMA-234) gave guests reasons to smile.

Held Jan. 24 at the Rear Adm. William A. Moffett here at “Pax River,” the ceremony ushered in Capt. John “Bails” Bailey as PMA 234’s new program manager and bid farewell to Capt. John “Fozzy” Green, who takes on new duties leading the Electronic Warfare Infrastructure Improvement Project Advance Development Program Office, which is aligned under Acquisition Program Management, or AIR-1.0.

Guest speaker Rear Adm. Donald Gaddis, who leads the Program Executive Office for Tactical Aircraft Programs (PEO(T)), praised Green for his ability to withstand the “peaks and valleys that came with managing the PMA and one if its major projects, Next Generation Jammer,” the subject of a recent  contract protest.

“Doctor [Martin Luther] King once said ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at time of challenge and controversy,’” Gaddis said. “Thanks Fozzy for standing through the controversy.”

Bailey, who has been stationed at Pax since 2003, most recently served with the Air Warfare Mission Area/From the Air Program Office (PMA-298) as the integrated product team lead for all Integrated Fire Control capability increments. He earned his Naval Flight Officer wings in October 1992 and has more than 2,600 hours in 23 different jet, prop and rotary-wing aircraft. The new program manager graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in 1998 with a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering. His awards include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal.

Gaddis congratulated Bailey on his new position and offered tips for his program manager’s “playbook.”

“Bails, you have some big shoes to fill, and I know you are eager and extremely capable of continuing the road map that has been laid before you, but I offer you a bit of advice,” Gaddis said. “Take the lead and shape the dialogue. Have a strong backbone because appreciative inquiry doesn’t always exist in this business, so you must develop a thick skin while not allowing it to make you jaded.”

In his remarks, Bailey thanked his family members for their support saying he was honored and humbled to serve the PMA and the Navy and looked forward to the cheers and challenges that come with the job.

“As I walked up to the podium and looked around at all of you, I realized that we all have something in common here today,” Bailey said. “None of us really have any idea of what I am about to say.” Bailey's remarks received chuckles from the crowd. He tempered his levity, telling his new staff, “We remain a country at war and, as such, we must continue to provide our forward operating forces with the tools they need to make the fight as unfair as our ingenuity and technology enables. I will not let you down.”

Gaddis returned to one of his favorite movies, science-fiction film “The Matrix,” as he summed up Green’s tenure at PMA-234.

“Navigating the Navy’s acquisition process can be filled with many trips and turns, and a program manager’s success or failure can be as simple as red or blue,” Gaddis said. “In the movie, Morpheus is letting [protagonist] Neo choose whether he wants to swallow the blue pill or the red pill. If Neo swallows the blue pill, then he can ‘believe whatever he wants to believe.’ If he swallows the red pill, then he will know ‘how deep the rabbit hole goes.’ I got Fozzy to swallow the red pill.”

PMA-234 is responsible for acquiring, delivering and sustaining the EA-6B Prowler aircraft and Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) systems, providing naval aviators with capabilities that enable mission success. The primary mission of the Prowler is suppression of enemy air defenses in support of strike aircraft and ground troops by interrupting enemy electronic activity and obtaining tactical electronic intelligence within the combat area.

The Prowler is a long-range, all-weather aircraft with advanced electronic countermeasures capability. Manufactured by the Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., it is a twin-engine, mid-wing configured aircraft that has a side-by-side cockpit arrangement.