NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, Patuxent River, Md. – Bob Holmes, P-3 airframe sustainment team lead for the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft program, received the Secretary of the Navy’s Acquisition Professional of the Year award during a ceremony June 14 at the Pentagon Library and Conference Center.

The competitive award is reserved for the Navy’s acquisition professional who demonstrates exceptional innovation in procurement and promoting competition in acquisition.

After more than one-third of the P-3 Fleet was grounded due to airframe fatigue-related risk in 1997, Holmes was credited with executing a comprehensive recovery plan to return mission aircraft back to the warfighter. He led an integrated product team of more than 30 people in eight complex P-3/EP-3 sustainment programs worth $1.8 billion.

“His singular, focused dedication is a shining example of how the Navy acquisition community should support the Fleet,” said Capt. Mike Moran, MPRA program manager. “His day-to-day leadership in the reformation of key acquisition contracts and the expansion of commercial and organic depot capacity resulted in a 42 percent increase in the number of aircraft inducted in depots for repair.”

Prior to being named sustainment team lead for P-3 and EP-3, Holmes served as a U.S. Navy P-3 pilot for 22 years. He joined the MPRA P-3 team in 1999 and retired from active duty in 2008. Holmes felt his work wasn’t done, so he accepted a civilian position to continue the effort.

“I think you can make a bigger difference at NAVAIR than any place else I’ve ever worked,” Holmes said. “At NAVAIR you have an opportunity to shape the entire direction of the Navy with your performance, whether it’s working on a platform like P-8 or whether it’s just trying to sustain an aging airframe. I just love that feeling of contribution. I like going home at the end of the day feeling like I had an opportunity to make a difference.”

Among Holmes’ accomplishments was the reformation and restructure of the $1.25 billion program to keep the P-3’s flying. The award was granted through the Department of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2009 Acquisition Excellence Awards program.

Source: Navair