Navy Needs To Establish Tighter Controls To Prevent Unauthorized Personnel from Obtaining Leather Flight Jackets

A Navy Master Chief stationed in the San Diego area alleged that the Navy is wasting operations and maintenance funds by issuing leather aviation flight jackets to unauthorized personnel. Inadequate controls exist for requisitioning and issuing leather flight jackets. These jackets were issued to such unauthorized personnel as shipboard personnel, non-flying officers assigned to air squadrons, retiring naval personnel, and "VIPs." Air squadrons circumvent station supply channels by requisitioning unauthorized items directly from the Naval Supply Center in San Diego. The Navy should: process requisitions from aircraft squadrons through established station supply channels instead of sending them directly to supply centers, have naval supply centers program existing equipment to reject automatically requisitions for aviation items from units with non-aviation activity codes, direct station supply and squadron supply personnel to enforce the policy of turning in a leather flight jacket when a new one is issued, and stop the practice of giving aviation items to unauthorized personnel and visiting dignitaries.