Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. – Rear Adm. Dean Peters, commander, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), Patuxent River, Maryland, along with members of his staff, visited the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) facilities at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL) in Lakehurst, New Jersey Nov. 20, 2014. The visit marked Peters’ first trip to Lakehurst since assuming command of NAWCAD.

Accompanied by Capt. Brian Wysocki, Capt. Patrick Herring, Command Master Chief Scott McCreery and Mr. William Couch, Peters and his staff received briefings and tours to update them on the myriad of missions and labs at Lakehurst, to include the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) that are slated for deployment aboard the future USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78), the Navy’s next aircraft carrier, scheduled for commissioning in 2016.

Included in the visit were meetings with the Support Equipment and Aircraft Launch and Recovery (SE and ALRE) division chiefs. Several engineering labs were visited by the admiral, along with meetings with the Lakehurst Executive Leadership Council, the Professional Development Group and an all-hands with NAVAIR military personnel.

"I thoroughly enjoyed meeting our professionals here at Lakehurst and seeing the great work they're doing every day," said Peters. "The team's fleet focus is very motivating and I look forward to working with them and seeing their efforts come to fruition."

According to Ms. Kathleen Donnelly, Senior Executive Service (SES) Director of SE and ALRE at Lakehurst, “having Admiral Peters here at Lakehurst gave us a great opportunity to showcase the dedication of our engineers, scientists, artisans and staff who work so diligently to support naval aviation. Launching, recovering and maintaining aircraft from ships at sea is a critical mission of the United States Navy, and could not be done successfully without the talent and expertise of our team here at Lakehurst. The visit by our new commander and his staff goes a long way toward showing our folks how important their roles are in supporting the fleet.”

With the importance of a timely and successful deployment of EMALS and AAG technology aboard the carrier fleet, Peters is expected to become a regular visitor to JB MDL for continued updates on the progress of both programs.