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CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 101726Z DEC 24 MID120001620527U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 247/24 PASS TO OFFICE CODES: FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1// MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/DEC// SUBJ/SURFACE WARFARE OFFICER LIEUTENANT COMMANDER RETENTION BONUS// REF/A/DOC/ASN/26SEP2024// REF/B/DOC/U.S.C.// REF/C/DOC/DOD/11JUL16// REF/D/DOC/BUMED/27JUL16// REF/E/DOC/DOD/FEB24// NARR/REF A IS ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY (MANPOWER AND RESERVE AFFAIRS) SURFACE WARFARE OFFICER LIEUTENANT COMMANDER RETENTION BONUS AUTHORIZATION. REF B IS TITLE 37, U.S. CODE, PAY AND ALLOWANCES OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES. REF C IS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INSTRUCTION 1304.34, GENERAL BONUS AUTHORITY FOR OFFICERS. REF D IS THE BUREAU OF MEDICINE AND SURGERY INSTRUCTION 1300.2B, SUITABILITY SCREENING, MEDICAL ASSIGNMENT SCREENING, AND EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY MEMBER PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION AND ENROLLMENT. REF E IS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION 7000.14, VOLUME 7A, CHAPTER 2, REPAYMENT OF UNEARNED PORTION OF BONUSES AND OTHER BENEFITS.// RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN announces the renewal and modification of the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Retention Bonus (LRB) for eligible SWOs. 2. Program Authority. This program is authorized under section 332, Title 37 U.S. Code. In line with reference (a), the SWO LRB is effective through 30 September 2027 unless otherwise rescinded or superseded. All applications for the bonuses contained within this program will be submitted to the Navy Personnel Command SWO Assignments (PERS-41) for approval, payment processing, and tracking. 3. Program Overview. This message summarizes the provisions of the SWO LRB. All information provided herein is applicable to both Active Component (AC) and Training and Administration of the Reserves (TAR) SWO personnel, except where otherwise noted. The following general summary is provided: a. SWOs promoted to LCDR will have the opportunity to commit to the SWO LRB. The Navy will pay qualified officers for 3 years of obligated service from the completion of the 12th Year of Commissioned Service (YCS) through the completion of their 15th YCS. LCDRs with at least 11 YCS, but not more than 12 YCS, are eligible for the SWO LRB. AC SWOs will receive a $22K bonus on the anniversaries of their 12th, 13th, and 14th YCS. In line with references (a) and (b), TAR SWOs will receive $12K on the anniversaries of their 12th, 13th, and 14th YCS. b. Officers currently under SWO LRB contract are not eligible for the new payment structure and renegotiation of the current SWO LRB contracts. c. References (b) and (c) limit career retention bonus amounts. While officers may receive multiple retention bonuses under section 332 of reference (b) over a career, total bonus payments under this authority may not exceed $300K for AC officers and $150K for TAR officers. 4. Program Eligibility a. Must meet all four of the following requirements: (1) Qualified and serving as an Active Duty SWO (designators 1110 or 1117), (2) Permanently appointed LCDR. (3) Have at least 11 YCS, but no more than 12 YCS. (4) Completed two afloat Department Head (DH) tours, a single longer tour, or be within 12 months of periodic rotation date for late DH options on the flexible career path according to the DH sequencing plan as assigned by PERS-41. b. If assigned to an at-sea tour by PERS-41, eligible officers must be sea duty assignable as defined by reference (d). Additionally: (1) An officer under contract and assigned to an at-sea tour and evaluated as no longer fit for sea duty by an appropriate medical authority, following a period of Temporary Limited Duty (TLD), will have a stop payment placed on their account and receive no further SWO LRB payments. However, an officer on TLD who is reasonably expected by the assigned medical officer to make a full recovery and be found fit for sea duty will continue to receive scheduled payments. This determination will be completed by PERS-41 in line with the appropriate medical authority's findings. (2) An officer found unfit for continued Naval Service by an appropriate medical authority will have a stop payment placed on their account and receive no further SWO LRB payments. (3) Should a previously ineligible officer later become fit for sea duty, payments will resume at normal intervals for the remainder of the anniversary payment(s). Retroactive pay is not authorized for any bonus payments that were scheduled during the period the officer was ineligible. c. Career Intermission Program (CIP). An officer participating in CIP will be ineligible to receive LRB payments during the intermission period. Scheduled payments will resume upon return to service and in line with the payment structure. d. Operational Deferment. An officer in an operational deferment status will remain eligible to receive LRB payments. e. An officer is not eligible to receive both the SWO Department Head Retention Bonus (DHRB) and LRB concurrently. f. Bonuses will be paid in line with the payment structure in paragraph 6. 5. Program Execution a. The SWO community manager is assigned as the program manager and is delegated the authority to administer the SWO LRB program according to applicable laws, Department of Defense directives/instructions and this NAVADMIN. b. PERS-41 receives applications submitted in the format referenced in paragraph 7. PERS-41 is delegated the authority to: (1) Evaluate eligibility of SWOs applying for the SWO LRB program. (2) Approve SWO contracts to remain on Active Duty for the stated period in exchange for a SWO LRB. (3) Administer LRB payments. c. All applications require written endorsement from the applicant's Commander, Commanding Officer (CO), or equivalent superior in charge. d. Officers under a LRB agreement are not eligible to apply for the Permanent Military Instructor (PMI) program, or any redesignation programs that result in a change to any designator other than 1110 or 1117. An officer under a LRB agreement may submit an application for PMI or any redesignation program once the date of application is within 12 months of the final day of bonus obligation. 6. LRB Payment Structure a. Applications for LRB must be submitted between the 11th and 12th YCS. Approved applicants will receive payments on the anniversary of their 12th, 13th, and 14th YCS. In the case of SWO LCDRs approved for the late DH career path who complete their SWO DHRB obligated service after the completion of 12 YCS, the 3 years of obligated service for the SWO LRB may begin immediately after the completion of SWO DHRB obligated service. For example, officers who elect for a late DH tour start would normally conclude their DHRB obligated service at 12 YCS and would be eligible to apply for LRB bonus in line with the prescribed application window described in paragraph 4.a(3). If approved, those officers will still receive LRB bonuses in line with the pay schedule. b. SWO AC officers (1110) will receive the LRB in line with the following payment structure ($66K maximum): (1) $22K on the YCS-12 anniversary; (2) $22K on the YCS-13 anniversary; (3) $22K on the YCS-14 anniversary; c. In line with reference (a) through (c), TAR officers may only receive a maximum of $12K per year in bonuses. SWO TAR officers (1117) will receive the LRB in line with the following payment structure ($36K maximum): (1) $12K on the YCS-12 anniversary; (2) $12K on the YCS-13 anniversary; (3) $12K on the YCS-14 anniversary; 7. Application Process a. General Notes (1) Application format can be found on the PERS-41 page of the NPC website at https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Detailing/Officer/Pers-41-SWO/Pay-Incentives/ (2) Applications will be binding upon the date of approval by PERS-41. (3) Applications received in the incorrect format or not meeting eligibility requirements defined in this NAVADMIN will be rejected. b. Officers must submit a copy of the signed original contract and CO's endorsement by e-mail to the applicable assignment officer and/or civilian assistant. 8. Recoupment and Repayment Policy. Repayment policy is governed by section 373 of reference (b) and reference (e). A Service Member of the uniformed Services who enters into a written agreement with specified service conditions for receipt of a bonus is entitled to the full amount of the bonus if the member fulfills the conditions of the written agreement. If the member fails to fulfill the service conditions specified in the written agreement for the pay, then the pay may be terminated and the Service Member may be required to repay an amount equal to the unearned portion of the pay. SWO LRB payments will be stopped for officers who become ineligible for this incentive or fail to complete the full period of additional obligated service. a. For officers who die while serving under a SWO LRB service agreement, the remaining SWO LRB balance will be paid as a lump sum as part of the settlement of the final military pay account of the officer. If death is determined to be the result of the misconduct of the member, future payments will be stopped and unearned portions of the bonus will be recouped, as applicable, in line with procedures established for members whose inability to complete a contracted period of service is voluntary or the result of misconduct. b. Recoupment exception to policy determinations will be made by Director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy Division (OPNAV N13). 9. Additional guidance, information, and updates regarding the SWO LRB are available at the MyNavy HR website, https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Detailing/Officer/Pers-41-SWO/Pay-Incentives/ . 10. Points of Contact a. LCDR Aaron A. Jochimsen, PERS-411B, (901)874-3373/DSN 882 or aaron.a.jochimsen.mil@us.navy.mil. b. CDR Eric Winn, SWO community manager, BUPERS-311, (901)874- 3173/DSN 882 or eric.winn2.mil@us.navy.mil. c. CDR Kirk Morris, TAR community manager, BUPERS-351, (901)874-4346/DSN 882 or kirk.n.morris.mil@us.navy.mil. 11. This NAVADMIN will remain in effect until superseded or canceled, whichever occurs first. 12. Released by Vice Admiral Richard J. Cheeseman, Jr., N1.// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//

Months after sending a letter to families forecasting the change, the Navy has formally announced the revamp of its Exceptional Family Member Program by removing the categories that were a key aspect of the program and instead moving to an "individualized approach for case management," according to a Navy message released Monday.

The Navy’s top legal officer has submitted his request to retire after three months in the position, USNI News has learned. Judge Advocate General of the Navy Vice Adm. Christopher French submitted his official voluntary request to retire at a lower rank, a Navy spokesman confirmed to USNI News in a statement. “Vice Adm. Christopher C. French has submitted a voluntary retirement request to retire in the grade of rear admiral,” reads the Monday statement from chief Navy spokesman Rear Adm. Ryan Perry. “If the request is approved by the Secretary of Defense, French will continue to serve as the Judge Advocate General of the Navy until his approved retirement date.”

The Navy’s fleet of CMV-22B Ospreys are grounded under an “operational pause” and Marine Ospreys are operating under safety restrictions after an unplanned landing of Air Force Special Operation Command Osprey, USNI News has learned. Early Monday morning, Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, commander of Naval Air Forces, ordered the pause after Naval Air Systems Command issued a recommendation to V-22 operators Marines, Air Force and Navy to V-22 operators on Dec. 6, a Navy spokesperson confirmed to USNI News.

A United States Navy seaman who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor has been accounted for decades after his death, military officials said Thursday. U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class John C. Auld, 23, was from Newcastle, England, according to a news release from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. He was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, a battleship moored at Pearl Harbor, in 1941.

The front-page newspaper photograph was striking on the morning of April 6, 1967 — a dramatic image showing the U.S.S. Canberra firing at Communist targets from the warship’s position in the Gulf of Tonkin. Little did those readers know – his shipmates certainly didn’t – that one of the Canberra’s most junior sailors was struggling through those very same waters that day.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Pete Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. It has had a chilling effect on the Pentagon’s often frank discussions as leaders try to figure out how to address the potential firings and diversity issues under President-elect Donald Trump.

A plan by the incoming Trump administration to slash government funding could kneecap Department of Veterans Affairs health care. In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal this week, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who President-elect Donald Trump tapped to lead the so-called "Department of Government Efficiency," confirmed that they plan to target "unauthorized" federal spending, a category that includes the VA's medical services.

It was March 2018, and then-President Donald Trump was meeting with his Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary, Dr. David Shulkin, about how to reform veteran health care. But it was Hegseth, then a Fox News personality, whose opinion Trump really wanted. Hegseth, now Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of defense, had been a vocal and persistent advocate for veterans having unfettered access to private health care, rather than having to go through the VA to keep their benefits. He’s also lobbied for policies that would restrict VA care and believes veterans should ask for fewer government benefits.

The first guided-missile destroyer fitted for conventional hypersonic missiles is back in the water after more than a year of modifications. Ingalls Shipbuilding undocked USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) and the ship is now pierside at the Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard, HII announced in a Friday statement. “The undocking marked the completion of significant modernization work at Ingalls since the ship arrived at the Pascagoula shipyard in August 2023,” reads the statement from HII. “Shortly after its arrival, the ship was put back on land in order to receive technology upgrades including the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system. The Ingalls team also replaced the original twin 155mm Advanced Gun Systems on the destroyers with new missile tubes.”

A Chinese student arrested in South Korea for illegally taking drone footage of a United States aircraft carrier is a model Communist Party member, local media reported. The incident happened on June 25 when USS Theodore Roosevelt, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, docked at the Naval Operations Command of South Korea in Busan, a port city located on the country's southeastern coast, where U.S. aircraft carriers frequently visit.

Three U.S. troops are currently being evaluated for brain injuries following a rocket attack in Syria, the Pentagon has said. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated that U.S. Central Command is continuing to assess responsibility for the attack near Mission Support Site Euphrates, which led to American counterstrikes on Tuesday. The Pentagon reported that rockets and mortars struck near the base during the incident.

The Navy's amphibious fleet transports Marines and their equipment, including vehicles and aircraft, for critical missions. The Navy must maintain a fleet of 31 operational ships to meet these needs. But half of the fleet is in poor condition and some ships have been unavailable for years at a time.

After nearly eight decades of official denial and obfuscation of the UFO phenomenon, the new head of the Pentagon’s UFO analysis office made a remarkable admission last month. During a briefing with reporters, Jon Kosloski, director of the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, admitted that the U.S. government is stumped by several “true anomalies.” According to Kosloski, “There are interesting [UFO] cases that I, with my physics and engineering background and time in the [intelligence community], I do not understand. And I don’t know anybody else who understands them either.”

Tulsi Gabbard, whom Donald Trump plans to nominate as his director of national intelligence, was a faithful consumer of Kremlin-controlled propaganda network RT, three of her former aides told ABC News.

CFL/ACFLs, FAQ sheet has been updated. NAVADMIN 242/24 announces new policies and procedures for the Body Composition Assessment (BCA) that will take effect in CY2025. Effective for the CY2025 PFA Cycle: Sailors who are not within Navy BCA standards and pass the Physical Readiness Test (PRT) with an overall score of Excellent-Low or above, will receive an overall passing score on the Physical Fitness Assessment and will not be enrolled in Fitness Enhancement Program (FEP). Sailors who are not within Age Adjusted Standards for BCA and pass the PRT with an overall score of Excellent-Low or above, will not be enrolled in FEP.

On weekends, Staff Sgt. Todd VanCantfort, an armed forces police officer in San Antonio, Texas, targeted gay bars in search of anyone in the military. One time, at the direction of his supervisor, he ditched his light blue and navy uniform to “dress gay.” He chose tight jeans, cowboy boots, and an open button-down shirt, advertising a burst of chest hair. It was 1985. San Antonio was dotted with several military installations and even more bars, many of them rowdy dance clubs where VanCantfort would break up fights or drive slurring servicemembers back to base.

Physical Readiness Program Update for PFA BCA Exemption Fact (PDF)

The Navy will not require some sailors to undergo the Fitness Enhancement Program if they do not pass the Navy’s Body Composition Assessment portion of the Physical Fitness Assessment. Starting next year, sailors who do not meet the BCA standards but do score an Excellent-Low or above on the Physical Readiness Test — completing the pushup, forearm plank and cardio portions of the test — will be exempt from undergoing the Fitness Enhancement Program, according to a new naval administrative message.

Trump's pick to take over the Pentagon appears to be struggling to convince Republican senators he's fit for the job. Pete Hegseth’s quest to take over the Pentagon has been fraught — to say the least. The former Fox News host has been struggling to weather a firestorm of scrutiny stemming from a series of damning revelations about his past since Donald Trump tapped him as his Secretary of Defense nominee last month.

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Sailors assigned to the USS George Washington will be hard-pressed to slake their thirst following new liberty restrictions imposed on the aircraft carrier’s crew of 3,000. Sailors are, for the time being, prohibited from consuming any alcoholic beverages on or off base, ship spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Mark Langford said by phone Tuesday. Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2024-12-03/navy-carrier-alcohol-ban-japan-16042477.html Source - Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON —Today, VA is launching a new outreach campaign to encourage all eligible Veterans to enroll in VA health care – including approximately 1 million unenrolled Veterans who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan. This campaign will include text messages and emails directly to Veterans, public service announcements, paid advertising, and events. VA is launching this campaign after reports of concerns from Veterans about health issues – including mental health challenges and thoughts of suicide – potentially related to repeated blasts and head trauma (low-level artillery blasts, IEDs, missile launches, heavy fire, and more). Since the first reporting about these concerns, VA researchers have been urgently studying this matter to learn more about the potential health impacts of blast exposure on Veterans.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, drank in ways that concerned his colleagues at Fox News, according to 10 current and former Fox employees who spoke with NBC News.

Delayed and skipped amphibious warship maintenance has prevented Marine Corps units from training and deploying on schedule, reads a new Government Accountability Office report released on Tuesday. Sixteen out of the 32 ships in the amphibious fleet are considered to be in “poor material condition” by the Navy’s own standards. Those ships include almost all of the Whidbey Island and Harpers Ferry landing ship docks and the majority of the Wasp-class big-deck amphibious assault ships, according to the GAO study ordered as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

The Navy relieved the commanding officer of Navy Reserve Center Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Tuesday, the service announced. Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Bourque was relieved as the head of NRC Cheyenne by Capt. Christopher Peppel, commander of Navy Reserve Region Readiness and Mobilization Command Everett, “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said in a brief release.