you with a solid foundation of knowledge on which to
build. Refer to military requirements training manuals
for additional information on supervision and training.
SUPERVISION
As a division supervisor, you must be aware of the
greater scope of your duties and responsibilities. You
must also learn and practice the characteristics of a
good supervisor, continuing this process as you attempt
to master all phases of supervision and management
in the combat systems/weapons division.
This section discusses many of the elements that
you will encounter as a combat systems/weapons super-
visor, including general management, and supervisory
duties and responsibilities.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT
As an FC1 or FCC, you will normally be a work-
center supervisor or a division supervisor. In either
position, you will be confronted with the many respon-
sibilities of management. Your primary job will be to
ensure that the work center functions smoothly.
The prime objective of a combat systems/weapons
supervisor is to maintain control of complex, costly
electronic systems and equipment through a sound
maintenance management program. The supervisor
must be aware of the alternatives that are available to
make a maintenance management program perform
most effectively and efficiently.
You and your maintenance personnel must meet
both technical and military requirements. The skills
required to manage a maintenance shop are not acquired
overnight. You will need to spend time and effort to
develop the management ability necessary to accom-
plish all your divisions goals.
The problems and responsibilities that a work center
or division supervisor must face are similar to those
encountered in other fictional areas of any command.
For example, increasing productivity while reducing
cost is a goal of all supervisors.
While technological growth has eased the burden
and increased the effectiveness of supervisors and
managers in many aspects of command operations, it
has sometimes turned the combat systems/weapons
supervisors job into an overwhelming problem. You
may be responsible for maintaining a multimillion-
dollar resource ashore or at sea,
Your division will have to keep high-cost, highly
sophisticated electronic systems and equipment in the
highest possible state of readiness under a variety of
working conditions. No matter how well designed the
equipment is, its value to the command lies in the abil-
ity of the maintenance supervisor to provide the maxi-
mum amount of uptime.
A supervisor may face some of the following prob-
lems every workday:
Procedural changes: What improvements could
be realized by minor modifications to existing
procedures?
Future requirements: Will future system de-
mands affect present resources?
System downtime: Is the amount of downtime
the system suffers reasonable, given the per-
sonnel and material assets available?
Training requirements: Have all technicians
acquired the highest level of technical compe-
tence? If not, can the on-site training program
bring them up to speed?
New personnel: Is the in-house training pro-
gram adequate for new personnel?
Material assets: Will the material assets be ade-
quate for any upcoming deployment?
If the supervisor has reasonable and well-docu-
mented answers to these questions, it is likely that he
is effectively managing the work center instead of
merely supervising it. Good management and good
supervision are inseparable for the control, operation,
and financial budgeting of division assets. The right
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