Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) hosted its inaugural Safety Summit in Norfolk, Va. June 28-29. Approximately 450 active-duty aviators, maintenance experts, aircraft carrier departmental leaders, and safety officers are expected to attend the event aimed at improving safety standards across the Naval Aviation Enterprise in order to maintain the readiness of our force.
 
The summit, which also featured senior leaders from Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic (CNAL), Naval Safety Command, and the U.S. Marine Corps, aligns with the Chief of Naval Operations’ “Get Real, Get Better” (GRGB) initiative, emphasizing honest self-assessment, a learning mindset, and a relentless pursuit of improvement.
 
“We’ve never done this with the safety community before, and now we have a Safety Summit with professionals ranging from petty officers and chief petty officers all the way up to commanders and commodores in the audience,” said Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell, Commander, Naval Air Forces. “We must be able to protect our country, allies and partners, and safety is a critical piece of that.”
Attendees discussed lessons learned and best practices from the Navy, Marine Corps, academia, and industry during the two-day summit. The agenda included discussions by Navy and industry safety experts, a flag panel with senior leaders from the Navy and Marine Corps, and workshops that focused on safety-centric initiatives.
 
“I charge every command to take a deep dive analysis on evolutions you did well, and thoroughly understand why these evolutions went well,” said Rear Adm. John F. Meier, Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic. “We need to think and act differently, and push continuous learning in the safety space.”
 
“Get Real, Get Better” is a call to action for every Navy leader to apply a set of proven leadership and problem solving practices that enables and empowers sustained superior performance. The CNAF Safety Summit applied GRGB principles in order to maintain force readiness and the safety of Navy and Marine Corps personnel.