LIEUTENANT KENNETH R. SHIRLEYMaterial Dept
The Material Department of Airborne Early Warning Squadron One has the primary responsibility of providing all materials required to keep the squadron's aircraft in a flying status. As secondary responsibility is to provide such materials as office supplies for the various offices, publications as required by the squadron, cleaning materials for squadron spaces and other related procurement functions.
To effectively carry out these responsibilities requires a close liason and coordination with each and every department, division, and shop in the squadron. The Department Head, and his staff of eight aviation storekeepers must constantly and diligently screen and evaluate the squadron's requirements to prevent possible shortages of materials and spare parts, to insure that the operating funds alloted is sufficient for planned operations, and to provide an expeditious and economical system of fulfilling all material reqirements.
The sources of procurement for these materials are established by Navy Department directives and must be followed in all cases. The immediate supply source for AEWRON ONE is the Naval Supply Depot, Guam, All material requests are submitted initially to the Naval Supply Depot, Guam who will fill the requirement or initiate procurement action to the next applicable source of supply.
The Supply Officer, AEWRON ONE is assigned the additional duty of operating Aviation Auxiliary Store #3 for the Naval Air Station, Agana, Guam. This store which is located in building 7-34 in the AEWRON ONE spaces, provides a majority of the squadrons requirements. All aircraft space parts and materials peculiar to the WV-2/R7V aircraft and certain high usage items common to many aircraft types are stocked in this Auxiliary Store. Requirements not available in the Auxiliary Store are forwarded to the Aviation Department of the Naval Supply Depot, Guam.
After the requisitions have been filled, a copy of each document mut then be processed through the AEWRON ONE Supply Department to complete the requisition file and make charges to the squadron's operating funds. A weekly "Status of Operating Funds" report is submitted by the Supply Officer to the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Maintenance Officer and Operations Officer as an aid in planning and scheduling flight operations.
The operating funds for the squadron are granted on a quarterly basis be (by) the Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific. This fund is AEWRON ONE'S allocation of the large Congressional appropriation established for the operation of all naval aviation units. Accounting responsibility for aviation units located in the Pacific area has been assigned to Fleet Aviation Accounting Office, Pacific. Weekly summary letters with copies of requisitions chargeable to this allotment must be submitted by AEWRON ONE to the Fleet Aviation Accounting Office. These copies of requisitions are matched with copies furnished by the issuing activity to insure that proper utilication (utilization) and accounting procedures are being followed.
Another operating fund used by the squadron is the series "ALPHA" fund which is furnished by the Naval Air Station, Agana, Guam. This fund is expended for household and cleaning materials and such other supplies that are not directly incident to aircraft maintenance and operations.
The foregoing are some basic responsibilities of Material Department. It can readily be seen that the planning, organization and implementation of effective procedures for the accomplishment of these responsibilities comtributes (contributes) to the overall effectivess (effectiveness) of the squadron in performing its mission.
