branch or division chief petty officer. The branch or division chief reports to the division officer. Normally, all matters concerning you are handled at the division level. Matters of extreme importance should go to your department head. From the department head, the chain goes to the executive officer, and finally to the commanding officer. This chain of command could change  some  from  command  to  command,  but basically it will remain the same. The chain of command serves many purposes in the accomplishment of the Navy's mission. The chain of command provides direction in the assignment of duties. Communication is the key word in the chain of command. Communication must flow in both directions, up and down the chain of command. A good chain of command provides a way to solve work-related problems. Q2-1. What is the purpose of the chain of command? NAVAL AIR STATION (NAS) ORGANIZATION LEARNING  OBJECTIVE: Identify the organizational structure of a naval air station and recognize the responsibilities within the organizational structure of these activities. There are several activities devoted to naval aviation. Certain stations provide facilities for equipping,  supplying,  repairing,  and  maintaining aircraft. Others provide specialized training to flight and ground personnel. You have already had duty at the Recruit Training Command. In this section, you will learn about the basic organization of a naval air station that you will see during your naval career. It should show you that there are many duties to be performed. You can strike for any one of the aviation ratings found on a naval air station. The organization of a naval air station is similar to that of a squadron or a carrier, but it is much more extensive. The mission of a naval air station is to provide service and support to the fleet. A naval air station carries out its mission through several functions. !    It supports operating aircraft and squadrons assigned to the naval air station. !    It also supports any transient aircraft that land at the naval air station. !    It provides air traffic control to all aircraft flying in its controlled air space. Naval air station and squadron personnel perform organizational-level maintenance on their assigned aircraft. The naval air station also has the responsibility for providing intermediate-level maintenance. This is a higher level of maintenance work done on aircraft. Some naval air stations provide depot-level maintenance. This is the highest level of maintenance for naval aircraft. Providing training is another function of a naval air station. Some naval air stations provide one or more types of flight training. There are three types of flight training—preflight, basic, and advanced flight training. These three types of flight training apply to naval officer aviators and to enlisted aircrew personnel. Some naval air stations provide the Fleet Readiness/Replacement Aviation Maintenance Pro- gram (FRAMP). FRAMP provides formal and on the job (OJT) maintenance training for the type of aircraft and the support equipment used on that aircraft. Not all naval air stations do everything you will read about here. Some can handle all phases of training. Others may handle only the maintenance phase. The size of naval air stations varies according to their functions. However, all naval air stations provide service and support to the fleet. Figure 2-2 shows the organization of a typical naval air station. The commanding officer (CO) is responsible for the safety, well-being, and efficiency of the command. The commanding officer and executive officer have several special assistants. They are the legal officer, the service information officer, the chaplain, the aviation safety officer, the management engineer, and the general safety officer. ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT The administration department is responsible for providing administrative services for the station. These services include mail distribution, communications, and maintenance of personnel files. The divisions within the administration department include the administrative, communications, personnel administra- tive support services (PASS), mess, special services, and family services divisions. COMPTROLLER DEPARTMENT The head of the comptroller department assists the commanding officer and the executive officer. He/she advises the station budget board, the department heads, 2-2