Naval Safety Command to Conduct No-Notice, Short-Notice Inspections

Rear Adm. Frederick R. Luchtman, commander, Naval Safety Command, salutes the sideboys during an establishment ceremony for the Naval Safety Command on Feb. 4. *U.S. NAVY / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Weston A. Mohr*

ARLINGTON, Va. — The new Naval Safety Command intends to hold no-notice and short-notice safety inspections of Navy commands to identify and understand risk and assess the safety posture of the fleet, the new command’s first commander said.

One-star Rear Adm. Fredrick “Lucky” Luchtman, speaking May 5 in a session of the U.S. Navy Memorial’s SITREP Speaker Series, also said the new command will become a two-star billet soon, filled by a former carrier strike group or expeditionary commander, thereby giving greater perspective “on all things safety throughout the fleet.”

The Naval Safety Command was established from the old Naval Safety Center on Feb. 7, 2022, to elevate the attention to safety, assessment of it and accountability for it in the fleet. All of the former directors of the Naval Safety Center since it was established in 1951 have been aviators, as is the first current commander of the Naval Safety Command, Luchtman. During the 1950s the mishap rate of naval aviation as it upgraded from piston-engine aircraft to jets skyrocketed and the Navy launched the center to assess the causes and propose solutions.

Luchtman reports directly to the chief of naval operations, a reflection of the Navy’s increased emphasis on safety, especially in the wake of the fire that destroyed the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard.

The admiral estimates that mishaps cost the Navy $1 billion per year in loss of aircraft, steaming time for ships and personnel costs, among other costs. The year 2020 was even more costly with the loss of the Bonhomme Richard.

The Naval Safety Command will be sending assessment teams out to the fleet to determine the effectiveness of the safety management systems. The command is developing “a cadre of professionals who can truly assess compliance.” Luchtman said one of his goals is to streamline and simplify the safety management system by identifying risk, communicating it and holding accountability at the right level.

“The accountability piece is absolutely key,” he said. Referring the Bonhomme Richard incident, he said, “the system isn’t healthy as it could be.”

Luchtman mentioned one demographic that has a bearing on automotive safety in the Marine Corps, a service that makes heavy use of motor transport. He said 25% of Marine Corps recruits did not have a driver’s license, a percentage far large than a generation ago.

Luchtman’s successor will be a surface warfare officer, Rear Adm. Christopher M. Engdahl, currently commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2 and commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. 7th Fleet.