Page 6 - gfs0418_Magazine

FRONT BURNER

Jeff Olenick, the chief of the International Movement ready-to-eat meals; repositioning stock from one site to
Support Division with the Army’s Military Surface De- another; and using air transportation to expedite a delivery.
ployment and Distribution Command, said that provid- “You can’t develop any workable solutions to problems
ing food, also known as Class 1 materiel, to the troops without a common understanding of the challenges we
requires effective coordination and communication among face together,” Olenick said. “This was the first step towards
stakeholders. a greater partnership between all of the stakeholders. It
“And that process can often become even more difficult was absolutely worthwhile.”
to execute when you consider some of the austere environ- Going forward, Henwood said he expects the stake-
ments where we deliver,” Olenick said. “With the number holders to meet every six months to continue to optimize
of stakeholders involved, and with individual segments the supply chain, ensuring the troops get what they need
that often overlap and have second- and third-order effects when they need it.
further down the supply chain, an effective partnership Young said the efforts to increase efficiency in overseas
based on mutual understanding is a must.” deliveries of operational rations is noticed and appreciated
Among those second- and third-order effects are: forcing by DLA’s primary customer – the warfighter.
troops to adjust to a less desirable feeding cycle; shifting “The microscope is on us, and that’s a good thing be-
from unitized group rations to individually pre-packaged cause we’re the right organization to lead this,” he said.

Watch Captains Ready to Oversee Galleys

he latest class of junior The success of the train-
Tculinary specialists to ing at SUBASE speaks to
earn the qualification to even greater possibilities,
serve as watch captain grad- according to Bill Dorris,
uated during a special cer- galley program manager of
emony at Naval Submarine Navy Region Mid-Atlantic,
Base New London, Conn., and the keynote speaker at
(SUBASE) Cross Hall Galley. the graduation ceremony.
The SUBASE Galley is the “Sailors stationed at and
only site in the Navy outside Sailors enjoy a meal at Naval Submarine Base New London’s (SUBASE) around SUBASE can train to
of Norfolk and San Diego Cross Hall Galley. The galley not only cooks and serves meals for those earn their Watch Captain
stationed at SUBASE, but also trains new galley watch captains for their
to host the watch captain role on a submarine, which is the same as a shift manager in a restaurant. Navy Enlisted Classification
classes. Watch captain is a (Photo by MC3(SW) Tristan B. Lotz, USN, SUBASE.) right here in Groton, rather
position equivalent to shift than having to travel to the
manager in a ship’s galley or base mess hall. schoolhouse in Virginia,” said Dorris. “By sending a
A watch captain is overall in charge of the cooks single instructor up here instead of a group of sailors
and attendants, as well as responsible for ensuring buf- to Norfolk, we create huge travel dollars savings while
fets are stocked, there are enough plates and utensils, increasing the number of qualified culinarians ready to
and that the space is sufficiently clean, according to go back to sea and perform at a quality level.”
SUBASE’s Master Chief Culinary Specialist (Submarines) Dorris noted that a key to SUBASE’s success in hosting
Chris Nailon. the training course was Cross Hall Galley’s Virginia-
“A watch captain quite literally has a lot on their Class Submarine Training Galley and Classroom. The
plate and must be skilled to handle a wide range of full-size replica of a Virginia-class submarine’s galley
responsibilities,” said Nailon. and adjoining classroom was a $740,000 gift to the
Submarine, surface, and shore based culinary spe- Navy and SUBASE in April 2012 as part of the state of
cialists attended the training course and traveled to Connecticut’s continuing investment in infrastructure
SUBASE from commands and activities across the New improvements at the base.
England region. The watch captain class was the latest in training
During the four-week course the culinary specialists opportunities taking advantage of the galley and class-
were given hands-on training in everything from the room by combining the site with mobile training teams.
proper use of the Armed Forces Recipe Service to bakeshop, “The bottom line is we can increase the numbers of
scullery, and storeroom management and operations. culinary specialists who have an opportunity for formal
The course concluded with graduation on Nov. 29, training ashore by maximizing this mobile training team
2017, and a special lunchtime meal prepared by the concept which, in turn, leads to better qualified and
graduates and served on the main line in Cross Hall capable culinary specialists afloat,” emphasized Dorris.
Galley. Nailon was pleased with the effort as well.

6 GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICE • APRIL 2018