Behind the Course
For naval aviators, second sea tours offer a chance to step out of the cockpit and into key leadership positions that broaden their understanding of naval operations. As ANAV, Lee serves as the navigator’s principal assistant, overseeing and leading navigation department’s operations, training bridge watch teams and coordinating the safe movement of one of the world’s largest warships.
This assignment marks a shift from the career Lee had spent nearly a decade building.
Commissioned through Naval ROTC at Penn State University in 2016, Lee earned his wings as an MH-60R Seahawk pilot and spent the next eight years flying. After completing an operational fleet tour and a subsequent instructor assignment training future pilots, Lee reported aboard Abraham Lincoln for his second sea tour.
His options included filling roles such as shooter, safety officer or one of several staff positions across the strike group. Out of a desire to understand the bigger picture, serving as ANAV was his preference.
“I like being part of the planning,” Lee said. “I’ve always been privy to where the ship went and what the air plan was, but I never really got to see why. Now I get to be part of those conversations.”
Every day starts with coordination meetings to determine where ships need to operate, what missions will be flown and what conditions may affect upcoming operations. Working alongside the navigator, Lee helps translate those discussions into a safe navigation plan.
“There are a lot of hats that I wear,” said Lee. “The primary job is assisting the navigator in the safety of navigating the ship. Every day we go to meetings with the air wing, the strike group and destroyer squadron, and we figure out where we’re going the next day. Then we build a route to get there.”
As ANAV, Lee’s responsibilities also include overseeing the training of a diverse group of officers and enlisted Sailors responsible for safely navigating the carrier. On most surface ships, officers standing bridge watches are surface warfare officers who specialize in day-to-day operations on the bridge. Aircraft carriers operate differently.
Because they belong to Commander, Naval Air Forces (COMNAVAIRFOR) rather than Commander, Naval Surface Forces (COMNAVSURFOR), aircraft carrier bridge teams are made up of officers from across the ship, including aviators, limited duty officers and department representatives standing collateral duty bridge watches. Lee helps guide them through qualifications ranging from junior officer of the deck (JOOD) to officer of the deck (OOD), the commanding officer’s direct representative on the bridge.
Before reporting aboard Abraham Lincoln, Lee’s experience in naval aviation had already shaped the leadership philosophy he brings to the bridge.
“It’s a culture of excellence,” Lee said. “It’s a culture of competition. Everyone wants to be better than they were yesterday. If someone does something really well, you want to go do it better. That competition breeds excellence.”
That emphasis on preparation and excellence is the cornerstone of Lee’s leadership philosophy as ANAV. On the bridge, he encourages watch standers to listen closely to radio traffic, monitor aircraft movements and observe the rhythm of flight deck operations, identifying likely events before the phone rings.
“The first day my watch went exactly as planned because I identified those problems before they got to me, that’s when it all clicked,” Lee said.
That mindset has proven to be valuable during operations such as a RAS, when precision matters by the second.
Lee recalled one RAS during which rough seas constantly pushed the supply ship out of position. Maintaining precise separation between the two ships was critical as fuel and cargo lines stretched across the gap. Instead of waiting for the ships to drift, the bridge team watched each swell long before it reached the bow, making small speed changes in anticipation of where both ships would be seconds later.
That experience, Lee said, is one of the greatest benefits of a second sea tour. Although he looks forward to returning to aviation, Lee’s greatest takeaway from serving as ANAV is a broader understanding of how the carrier and strike group accomplish the mission, giving him insight that will make him a better officer, aviator and leader.
“This tour lets you see behind the curtain,” Lee said. “I used to see what the ship was doing. Now I understand the why, and that is going to pay dividends everywhere I work next.”
That perspective is something Lee plans to carry with him to his next tour. He plans on completing a full career in the Navy, and is leaving his options open.
For now, though, Lee’s focus remains on the work directly ahead – planning tomorrow’s course, developing his fellow officers and Sailors and helping guide one of the Navy’s most capable warships safely through its next mission.
“I just want to be the best at the job I’m doing right now,” Lee said. “If I do that, everything else will fall into place.”
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