The Naval Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) is an echelon II command of the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

, established in its current form on 4 February 2022. In May 1968, the Naval Aviation Safety Center and the Submarine Safety Center, located in New London, Connecticut, merged to become the Naval Safety Center (NSC). Programs involving surface ships and shore activities were added to form the nucleus for all safety programs within the Navy. In 1986, system safety was added as a program, and the position of a Marine Corps deputy commander was established to administer and represent Marine Corps safety issues. Today, the Naval Safety Command is organized into four directorates: aviation, afloat, shore, and operational risk management/expeditionary warfare. Six departments and five special staff divisions provide support to the core operations of the command. The Naval School of Aviation Safety in Pensacola, Florida, is also a NAVSAFECEN detachment consisting of civilian and military staff, which includes Marine Corps personnel. As an Echelon II command, NAVSAFECEN provides oversight of its two Echelon III commands, the Naval Safety and Environmental Training Center in Norfolk, Virginia and the Naval Safety Center School of Aviation Safety in Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. One of the NSC's subsections is Navy Occupational Safety & Health (NAVOSH). NAVOSH is responsible for

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

practices within the Navy. NAVOSH provides safety assistance and advice to the CNO, CMC, and the Deputy Assistant

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

for Safety with the aim of enhancing the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

-fighting capability of the Navy and

Marine Corps Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

, preserve resources, and improve

combat readiness Combat readiness is a condition of the armed forces and their constituent units and formations, warships, aircraft, weapon systems or other military technology and equipment to perform during combat military operations, or functions consistent ...

by preventing mishaps.

Aviation

Naval aviation safety improved through the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. The number of accidents causing aircraft destruction, human fatality, or total disability dropped from 38.18 per 100,000 flight hours in 1955 to 3.44 in 1985.

Pilot error In aviation, pilot error generally refers to an action or decision made by a Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot that is a substantial contributing factor leading to an Aviation accidents and incidents, aviation accident. It also includes a pilot ...

was a contributing factor to half of such accidents, while material failure was involved in 30 percent. Errors in maintenance and supervision accounted for the remainder, with some accidents involving multiple causes. The highest accident risk occurred among pilots with less than 300 hours flying the model of aircraft involved, and that risk dropped significantly among pilots with more than 750 hours of experience flying that model. Younger pilots were more likely to lose control through improper use of controls or failure to maintain flying speed, while older pilots were more likely to violate regulations regarding pre-flight procedures and use of

flight instruments Flight instruments are the instruments in the cockpit of an aircraft that provide the pilot with data about the flight situation of that aircraft, such as altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, heading and much more other crucial information in f ...

. The highest accident risk is during carrier landings. While other military pilots typically avoid

landing Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or " spl ...

aboard ships, they share other high-risk activities including offensive maneuvers,

formation flying Formation flying is the flight of multiple objects in coordination. Formation flying occurs in nature among flying and gliding animals, and is also conducted in human aviation, often in military aviation and air shows. A multitude of studies have ...

, low-level navigation, and

cross-country flying Cross-country flying ( XC flying) is a type of distance flying which is performed in a powered aircraft on legs over a given distance and in operations between two points using navigational techniques; and an unpowered aircraft (paraglider, hang g ...

. Major accidents are about half as likely for

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

flight operations. Aside from avoiding shipboard landings, Air Force pilots operating with Navy squadron exchange programs found pilot proficiency declined during deployments because of reduced training opportunities during the structured flight operation readiness schedules of deployed warships.

References

External links

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NAVOSH and Environmental Training Center
{{authority control United States Navy organization Maritime safety Occupational safety and health organizations