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PENSACOLA, Fla. - Service members and veterans can get ready for life after the military by using the DOD’s Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) programs, MilGears, United Services Military Apprenticeship Program and DOD SkillBridge. Many Sailors gain unique logistics-related skills during their naval service, making the civilian trucking industry a viable future career choice. Managed by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Education and Training, these tools include the DOD’s Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) programs, the MilGears Platform Suite of Tools, the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (USMAP) and the SkillBridge program. “For the Navy, these online tools are all great opportunities for Sailors and Navy veterans,” said Keith Boring, Navy Credentialing Programs branch head at Naval Education and Training Command (NETC). “We recognize and value the contributions Sailors and our service members continue to make in their careers after the service, and these programs are available to help them navigate achieving their professional goals.” Service members and veterans can capture their military occupational data, map it to civilian occupations, find associated civilian career pathways, earn apprenticeships and certifications, and partner with industry employers to begin new careers in many fields such as the trucking industry. “With COOL, a service member or veteran can pursue at least two relevant credentials that are directly tied to the trucking industry, as well as credentials related to the logistics side,” said Mike Talley, the director of Navy COOL. “The Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) relates to 27 broad military occupations, and the Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC) relates to over 120 broad military occupations. Navy COOL can help you discover and understand pathways to this kind of credentialing and potentially how to fund the credentials.” The MilGears Platform Suite of Tools is a newer tool initially developed by the U.S. Navy and then further expanded by DOD for all the services. Powered by the extensively detailed data contained in COOL, such as military, civilian and federal occupations and industry-recognized credentials, MilGears considers the entirety of the individual service member’s or veteran’s unique military and civilian career background, as well as on and off-duty qualifications and credentials. “MilGears lets you upload formal documentation, capture military training and experience, and add any additional uniquely obtained qualifications from your service,” said Boring. “If you were driving in convoys during deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan, those skills relate to driving experience that contribute towards the CDL and the TWIC.” The formal military training program USMAP allows Sailors to earn a nationally recognized journeyman certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Active-duty and Full Time Support (FTS) Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and Coast Guard service members have the opportunity to improve their job skills and to complete their civilian apprenticeship requirements while serving. “Occupational career fields, such as heavy and tractor-trailer truck driving, are approved registered apprenticeship trades through USMAP, so service members can complete the journeyman apprenticeship trade as part of their daily military job,” said Tom Phillips, USMAP director at NETC. “Your military supervisor provides monthly validation for the list of required military occupation competencies. You demonstrate the competency and fulfill any time-based requirements, and depending on the trade, it could take as little as a year to complete or may require up to four years to complete.” Over the last few years, USMAP has assisted more than 60 DOD service members in earning the heavy truck driving registered apprenticeship journeyman certificate. More than 340 personnel across the services are currently enrolled in this apprenticeship. During their last 180 days of service, Sailors can take advantage of the DOD SkillBridge program. Before separating from the military, they can gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry internships, job training, employment skills training and DOL-registered apprenticeship programs. SkillBridge connects service members with industry partners in real-world job experiences and provides an invaluable chance to work and learn in civilian career areas. While industry partners have access to and can leverage the world’s most highly trained and motivated workforce at no cost, service members continue to receive their military compensation and benefits. To participate in the SkillBridge program, the industry partner programs must offer a high probability of post-service employment with the provider or other employers in a field related to the opportunity. With more than 1,600 partnerships developed between industry and the DOD, over 70 are in the transportation and material moving industry. More than 700 service members have graduated from SkillBridge trucking industry partner programs in the last few years. For more information about these programs, visit: • MilGears: https://milgears.osd.mil/ • DOD COOL: https://cool.osd.mil • USMAP: https://usmap.osd.mil • DOD SkillBridge: https://skillbridge.osd.mil NETC, as the largest shore command in the U.S. Navy, recruits, trains, and delivers those who serve our nation, taking them from street-to-fleet by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and combat ready warfighters.

Whether the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility in Hawaii remains open is uncertain, following two major fuel spills the Navy that contaminated Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickham’s water supply and forced thousands of families out of their homes after Thanksgiving. Testifying Tuesday before the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee, Rear Adm. Blake Converse, deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet, said, “we need to complete our investigation” and assess the findings of third-party investigators as to how the spilling of 14,000 gallons of jet fuel happened at Red Hill and can the problems identified in manning, operating procedures and training be fixed.

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday issued a new “Charge of Command” to commanders Jan. 11. 2022.

The USS Orleck, a former U.S. Navy destroyer that saw combat in the Korean and Vietnam wars, is heading to Jacksonville to begin a new life as a floating military museum. The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association announced Tuesday that it has acquired the ship and that it will soon be Jacksonville-bound after passing a seaworthiness inspection last month in Texas.

(CNN)The US Navy will comply with an order from the Hawaii Department of Health to halt operations at its Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam after a leak late last year contaminated drinking water and sickened military families. Capt. Bill Clinton, director of public affairs and outreach for US Pacific Fleet, confirmed the shutdown Monday.

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To the editor: There are at least a couple of problems with the logic used by those in the military refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. I find it hard to understand why many are worried that the shots "were too new for their risks to be fully understood." It's a tough argument to make when roughly 9.37 billion doses have been given worldwide.

Starting with the new year, the Navy is requiring senior enlisted sailors and some officers to use a government travel charge card to pay for a permanent change of station. A PCS can cost thousands of dollars for travel, lodging and vehicle rentals, along with an untold cost in stress. Paying those expenses with a government card is designed to reduce the burden on sailors and improve government accounting, according to a Navy financial specialist.

The Seattle Times editorial board is misguided with its Navy reset recommendation for Whidbey Island [“Navy and Whidbey Island advocates need compromise on jet noise,” Dec. 27, Opinion]. There is no “feud between the U.S. Navy and residents of Whidbey Island.” Relationships between the base and Whidbey area leaders are among the best in the nation. The Navy is being sued by a specific, energetic, well-funded activist group. Once the pinnacle of environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act now present endless opportunities for “long running” litigation.

The Navy has separated 20 sailors, all of whom were in their first 180 days of active duty, for continued refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine. The sailors are the first that the Navy has separated, the sea service announced Wednesday evening. No other active-duty sailors have been separated due to vaccine refusal, although the executive officer of USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) was separated in December for failure to follow a lawful order. A Navy official told USNI News that the officer would not get vaccinated against or tested for COVID-19. The 20 entry-level separations were done during initial training periods, according to the Navy’s COVID-19 update Wednesday.

MILLINGTON, TENN. – Sailors interested in rate conversions may now see the availability of positions prior to applying. This is a new feature of the latest MyNavy Assignment (MNA) release, launched Dec. 3, 2021. Sailors can now determine their potential fit in a rate conversion depending on the available positions advertised in MNA for Sailor application. Previously Sailors had to apply without knowing the positions available, but they can now shop for positions and see the availability of both in-rate and out-of-rate jobs. Most conversion requests will be initiated, reviewed, and adjudicated within MNA. If quotas out of the Sailor’s current rate are not available, Sailors will not normally be able to submit conversion applications.

TOKYO — The U.S. military in Japan accounted for another 242 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday as the winter coronavirus surge continues, according to military and Japanese reports. Marine Corps installations reported the bulk of those increases. The total at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, 25 miles south of Hiroshima, grew to 240 with another 50 counted on Monday and 47 on Tuesday, according to base news releases. That cluster started with eight confirmed cases on Dec. 27.

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — The Hawaii Department of Health on Monday gave final approval to an emergency order to close the Navy’s Red Hill underground fuel storage facility on Oahu that is linked to contaminated water affecting thousands living in military communities. “Today’s decision affirms DOH’s actions to safeguard the drinking water that we share as a community,” Kathleen Ho, deputy director of environmental health, said in a news release. Ho ordered the facility closed Dec. 6, about a week after people living on and near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam began complaining of foul-smelling tap water that carried an oily sheen.

PMK-EE Deadline for Cycle 255 - Active Duty/ Full-Time Support PMK-EE COMPLETION DEADLINE: for Cycle 255 (March 2022 E-4 through E-6 Active Duty/ Full-Time Support) is 31 January! Don't wait until the last minute. Remember PMK-EE completion is required only once per pay grade and can be taken on the PMK-EE mobile app or on Navy eLearning. See NAVADMIN 260/21 for more information.

Washington (CNN)A federal judge in Texas on Monday ruled against the Biden administration's vaccine requirement for members of the military in a decision that took aim at how the Navy's policies handled those who sought religious exemptions from receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. US District Judge Reed O'Connor issued a preliminary order blocking the Navy from taking adverse action against 35 Navy Seals who sued in court because they are seeking exemption from the vaccine requirement for religious reasons. The order blocked the Navy from implementing policies that would allow those religious objectors to be deemed non-deployable or disqualified from Special Operations.

OKLAHOMA CITY (Tribune News Service) — The adjutant general for the Oklahoma National Guard said Thursday that unvaccinated airmen may not participate in drills after Jan. 1, 2022. In an emailed statement, Adjutant Gen. Thomas Mancino informed members of the Oklahoma Air National Guard that due to the state's loss in court on Tuesday, members must be vaccinated or they cannot participate in the National Guard. The message is an about-face from Wednesday, when a spokesperson for the Guard said unvaccinated airmen would not face repercussions.

When it comes to confronting the environmental risk that the Navy’s underground fuel storage tanks at Red Hill pose to Oahu, the state of Hawaii should not take “no” from the military as the final say. Predictably, the Navy has chosen to downplay just how dangerous their aging World War II-era fuel facilities are. It has apologized for Assistant Secretary of the Navy James Balocki’s comments that Red Hill poses “an urgent and compelling situation, perhaps. Not a crisis.” But apologies are useless platitudes when corrective actions are not taken.

COVID ADSEP Checklist and NAVADMINs

It appears as though NMCI has implemented new network access restrictions that have negatively impacted NAVFIT98A functionality. From what NWIC/SPAWAR has determined, NAVFIT98A is unable to open the ACCESS database residing on a network server location. This is not a NAVFIT98A issue, it is an NMCI-driven privilege and/or permissions issue. However, we have identified a workaround. For your NAVFIT98A to function properly, you must: 1. Copy the NAVFIT98A ACCESS database file from the network and put it on the local machine’s hard drive. 2. Launch NAVFIT98A and open the database file that was copied to the local machine’s hard drive and perform your NAVFIT98A-related work. 3. Once you have completed your NAVFIT98A-related work, the ACCESS database file can be copied back to the original network server location for storage thereby enabling the next NAVFIT98A user to gain access to that data by repeating the steps outlined above. Until NMCI changes this new network privilege/permissions restriction, NAVFIT98A will only be able to open database files that reside on the local machine hard drive.

More than 8,000 members of the Navy remain unvaccinated after deadlines for both active-duty and reservists passed. There are 5,328 active-duty sailors and 3,002 Ready Reserve service members who are unvaccinated, as of Dec. 29, according to the Navy. Included in the number are those who are in the process of getting vaccinated, have an exemption or are waiting for an exemption request to be adjudicated.

The Department of Defense recommended COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for all eligible civilian employees and service members on Tuesday as the U.S. hit a record number of new coronavirus cases. The DOD urged anyone over age 18 and already vaccinated to get the booster as a means of mitigating the surge in coronavirus cases associated with the delta and omicron variants, according to a memo from Michael Donley, director for administration and management at the Pentagon.

A person from Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, who died in the past week of unknown causes was afterward confirmed positive for the coronavirus, according to a base spokesman on Tuesday. The deceased was affiliated with the Navy, but the base did not specify in what capacity. That person was tested prior to receiving care at a Japanese hospital and subsequently died there, base spokesman Aki Nichols told Stars and Stripes in a phone call Tuesday. He said the test came back positive for COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, after the person’s death.

UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 281905Z DEC 21 MID200001367435U FM SECNAV WASHINGTON DC TO ALNAV INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC CNO WASHINGTON DC CMC WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS ALNAV 091/21 MSGID/GENADMIN/SECNAV WASHINGTON DC/-/DEC// SUBJ/PROHIBITION OF ENGAGEMNENT WITH THE NAVAL ATTACHE ASSOCIATION BY DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY PERSONNEL// REF/A/EMAIL/JOINT STAFF/03DEC21// NARR/REF A IS NSC APPROVAL AND CONFIRMATION OF INTERAGENCY COORDINATION ON THIS PROPOSED DON POLICY CHANGE.// RMKS/1. Engagement of naval representatives of our foreign partners by Department of the Navy (DON) leadership is of paramount importance to our international engagement and cooperation, and to advancing strategic and operational interests of the Department of Defense and the DON. Active and informed engagement by DON leadership with foreign naval representatives is expected and encouraged. 2. That engagement must be conducted in accordance with overarching U.S. interests and values, and must not provide advantage to our strategic competitors or allow those competitors to disadvantage the appropriate engagement of foreign partners with the DON leadership. 3. However, recent actions by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) have complicated the Departments ability to utilize the Naval Attache Association (NAA) as a forum to facilitate partners access to senior DON leadership. The Department does not support PRC coercive tactics and censorship and will always oppose such efforts to manipulate independent organizations and actors. 4. Accordingly, effective until further notice, unless specifically authorized by the Secretary of the Navy, the members of the Department will no longer participate in NAA-sponsored or hosted events. The Department WILL continue to engage with the entire Corps of Foreign Naval Attaches, and looks forward to hosting inclusive opportunities to continue fostering open dialogue and understanding with our valued naval attache colleagues. 5. The Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy is the DON office responsible for oversight of this policy. 6. Released by the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//

WASHINGTON -- About two dozen sailors on a U.S. Navy warship — or roughly 25% of the crew — have now tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the ship sidelined in port at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Monday, according to U.S. defense officials.