Tony

As the Navy’s largest U.S. trade show gets underway on Monday, officers in charge of the service’s marquee shipbuilding programs won’t offer the usual briefings with reporters and analysts about them. That break from the tradition of sharing program updates at the Navy’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition comes just days after the Navy announced that four of its most critical shipbuilding programs are years behind schedule.

WASHINGTON — A group of Democrats in the Senate are urging President Joe Biden to consider deploying two Navy hospital ships to provide medical aid to the devastated Gaza Strip. The senators are proposing the U.S. send the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as part of a ramped up effort to supply “desperately needed medicine and medical equipment” to civilians in the war zone. Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2024-04-05/gaza-navy-hospital-ships-israel-senators-biden-13495590.html Source - Stars and Stripes

PENSACOLA, Fla. – PENSACOLA, Fla. – During an awards ceremony, Cryptologic Technician Collection (CTR) 1st Class Emily L. Hooper was recognized by Cmdr. Peter B. Manzoli, commanding officer, Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station, as the 2023 IWTC Corry Station Instructor of the Year at the Corry Station Chapel, Feb. 20, 2024. What makes this a special accomplishment, Manzoli explained is that Hooper was chosen for the Instructor of the Year award, over all the other instructors teaching at IWTC Corry Station, as a Reservist on active-duty orders.

On April 5, 2024, Capt. Franca Jones, Commander, Naval Medical Research Command relieved Capt. Abigail Yablonsky Marter, Commanding Officer of Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) SOUTH, due to a loss of confidence in her ability to command.

A former Navy submarine technician was arrested after law enforcement says he drove an SUV into the FBI headquarters near Atlanta on Monday afternoon. It is still unclear why the suspect, Ervin Lee Bolling, attempted to force entry into the headquarters, but research conducted by the nonpartisan public-interest nonprofit Advance Democracy and shared exclusively with WIRED has found that accounts believed to be associated with Bolling shared numerous conspiracy theories on social media platforms, including X and Facebook.

MAYPORT, Fla. - The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) will deploy to the U.S. Southern Command area of operations over the next few months as part of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Southern Seas 2024 deployment.

CFL/ACFLs,  - The FAQ sheet has been updated. You can locate the link to the right under “CFL Resources”.  - Join Physical Readiness April 24th for a What’s New for PRIMS-2 Webinar. It is an opportunity to see live demonstrations of recently released functionality in PRIMS-2 and Q&A with PRIMS-2 SMEs.  - 30-minute event with three options to participate:   0900 EDT  1330 EDT  2000 EDT  You can locate the webinar link by clicking HERE or in the “PRIMS-2 TRAINING” tab to the left. PRIMS Updates: - PARFQ/MEDICAL WAIVER ISSUES UPDATE (FROM 12 MAR 24): MyNavy Portal (MNP) anticipates that Sailors will re-gain the ability to export/print PARFQs and medical waivers from PRIMS within MNP by the end of April. - SALESFORCE DUAL USER LOG-IN ISSUES: Dual users (CPPA and CFL/ACFL) of Salesforce were recently unable to access either PERSPAY or PRIMS-2. While the issue is now considered resolved, any dual users with ongoing access issues should email MyNavy Career Center, Human Resources Services Center at askmncc.fct@navy.mil with a screenshot of your issue.

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal authorities have charged a U.S. Navy veteran who's accused of ramming an SUV into a barrier at the front gate of the FBI's Atlanta office. Ervin Lee Bolling faces a federal charge of destroying government property stemming from the crash that happened shortly after noon on Monday, according to a court filing. A DeKalb County police spokesperson said Tuesday that officers have also secured warrants on state charges of interference with government property.

VetResources - Veteran Travel Pay 101

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 031544Z APR 24 MID120001003708U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS// TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS// BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 069/24 PASS TO OFFICE CODES: INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS// SUBJ/2024 BOB FELLER ACT OF VALOR AWARDS// MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/DNS/MAR// RMKS/1. This NAVADMIN solicits nominations for the twelfth annual Bob Feller Act of Valor Award for a Chief Petty Officer (CPO) and for the Junior Sailor Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Chapter Award for both afloat and ashore commands. 2. Background. The Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation established a prestigious award in 2013, named in honor of Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, National Baseball Hall of Fame (NBHOF) inductee, and Navy veteran Bob Feller. Mr. Feller enlisted in the Navy shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor while he played for Cleveland, where he served onboard USS Alabama (BB 60) as a Gun Captain. During his time onboard the ship he fought in both World War II theaters, earning eight battle stars. Mr. Feller was released from active-duty having earned the rank of Chief Petty Officer (CPO). 3. Award. This unique award is intended to recognize a representative from three critical areas of Mr. Feller's life: his MLB career, his service in the Navy as a CPO, and his enshrinement in the NBHOF. Accordingly, the award will be presented to one active MLB player, one CPO, and one member of the NBHOF. The Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation will also recognize a group of Sailors, 18-25 years-old, who have most effectively worked together as a team (in either a personal or professional capacity) to promote peer-to-peer mentorship and a reduction in Sailor destructive decision making and behavior in both afloat and ashore categories. The awards will be presented at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. on 20 November 2024. 4. Eligibility and selection criteria. Nominees for the CPO award must be a CPO (E7), active or reserve, and must be outstanding military professionals and leaders in their communities. The following selection criteria for Navy nominees have been prescribed by the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation and are based upon the principles by which Mr. Feller lived his life. Nominees must: a. Be outstanding leaders in the performance of all professional responsibilities and serve as an example to peers and subordinates as inspirational leaders. Nominees must display good character and humility in their achievements. b. Demonstrate community leadership through volunteer service, holding leadership positions within the organizations they serve. Display a genuine desire to be better today than they were yesterday, and better tomorrow than they are today. Provide an outstanding example of character and dedication to service for all to emulate. c. Put the needs of others before the needs or wants of themselves. This may be documented through evaluations and awards. Both should show they led in the Navy or in their community to benefit the professional and personal development of others. Accomplishments or achievements must be above and beyond the scope of their primary responsibilities. d. Show unyielding support of the United States of America and fellow service men and women by having participated in patriotic events that celebrate all who serve our great nation. These events should be documented individually in the nomination to show the depth of participation in various events over the past three years. e. Above all else, prove to be beyond reproach in the manner in which they conduct themselves, treat others, and live by the Navy core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. 5. Nominations for the Junior Sailor Peer-to-Peer Mentorship Chapter Awards (afloat and ashore) can be any group of Sailors 18-25 years- old, who have worked effectively as a team to enhance their command's mission and community's success in a manner consistent with the high ideals and personal example of Bob Feller. Nominated teams of Sailors must consist of junior Sailors who have worked together to promote peer-to-peer mentorship and a reduction in Sailor destructive decision making and behavior. Nominations must reflect accomplishments achieved during the 2024 Fiscal Year. Nomination packages must reflect: a. How the leadership of nominated junior Sailors has provided an example that others desire to emulate and develops a desire for other Sailors to participate in peer-to-peer mentoring. Provide the total number of 18-25 year-old Sailors onboard, the total number of Sailors involved in the peer- to-peer mentoring program, along with the names, rates, and ranks of the Sailors being recognized. Provide the name of the group or team of Sailors (e.g., USS SHIP Junior Petty Officer Association) through which the nominated Sailors worked and describe the group's composition, function, and mission. b. Community leadership through volunteer service and a genuine desire to be better today than they were yesterday, and better tomorrow than they are today. Outstanding examples of character and dedication to service for all to emulate may be documented in submitted letters of appreciation and documented proof of community service hours in the nomination package. c. That the group put the needs of others before the needs or wants of themselves. This may be substantiated through awards or evaluations that show actions were performed that are above and beyond their primary scope of responsibilities in the Navy or in their community to benefit the professional and personal development of others. Provide examples of special programs that were promoted with a description of the event and the level of participation and impact that enabled the greater success of others. d. Unyielding support of the United States of America and fellow service men and women by having participated in patriotic events that celebrate all who serve our great nation. These events should be documented individually in the nomination to show the depth of participation in various events. e. That the group is, above all else, beyond reproach in the manner in which they conduct themselves, treat others, and live the Navy core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. 6. Travel and lodging. Travel to and from as well as lodging at the award site will be the responsibility of the award winner's command. For group recognition awards, consideration should be given to remote participation and/or acceptance by a representative on behalf of the award winning group in order to minimize travel costs. 7. Nominations. Fleet Master Chiefs from Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC), Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Command (COMPACFLT), Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (CNE-CNA), Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP), and the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) Command Master Chief (for direct-report Echelon 2 commands) will each nominate one CPO and up to two (one ashore and one afloat) Junior Sailor peer-to-peer mentoring groups from their area of responsibility. 8. Nomination packages. Nomination packages must contain four elements: a. Commanding Officer (CO) endorsement. Each nominee's CO must endorse the nomination and express a commitment to facilitate the nominee's attendance at the award ceremony, if selected. b. Narrative description. Substantiate the nominee's or group's embodiment of the award criteria specified above. This may include quantitative and qualitative data. Anecdotal evidence, such as newspaper articles, letters of commendation and appreciation, and other recognition may be included. c. Nominee biography and photo or photo of the group's participants. Group pictures should include as many participating members as possible. If chosen as the award recipient, the nominee's biography along with a high- resolution photo will be used in printed and online material to publicize and document the award ceremony. The biography and photo should be similar to those commonly associated with Navy leader biographies and official portrait photos. d. Evaluations. CPO nomination packages should include the nominee's evaluations from the past three years. 9. Submission procedures. Nominations must be received by 14 June 2024. Nominations will be submitted electronically to the applicable point of contact. 10. Selection process. The Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy will consolidate nominations and provide the recommended winners to the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation. Notifications of selection, or non- selection, will be provided by the Office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. 11. Points of contact are: a. USFFC: MCCS Peter Lawlor, peter.d.lawlor.mil(AT)us.navy.mil b. COMPACFLT: YNC Josh Hill, joshua.i.hill4.mil(AT)us.navy.mil c. CNE-CNA: NCC John Davis, john.l.davis9.mil(AT)us.navy.mil d. CNP: YNCS April Slaughter, april.v.slaughter.mil(AT)us.navy.mil e. OPNAV: MCC Anna VanNuys, anna.e.vannuys.mil(AT)us.navy.mil 12. For more information about the Bob Feller Act of Valor Foundation please visit their website (actofvaloraward.org). This NAVADMIN should not be interpreted to imply or extend a Department of Defense endorsement to any non-federal entity. 13. Released by VADM E. H. Black III, Performing the Duties of Director, Navy Staff.// BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//

Tricare Dental Newsletter - April 2024 (PDF Download)

As I am finding out, this program is not too popular with Sailors... The Navy is providing new resources to all Navy commands as part of its Every Sailor is a Recruiter initiative, months after the service missed its recruitment goals for the first time ever, and as it joins the other services in attempting to dig out of an historic recruiting crisis.

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — New imagery, supplied by the U.S. Navy Naval Sea System Command Supervisor of Salvage and Diving, shows the wreckage resting at the bottom of the river where the Francis Scott Key Bridge once stood.

WASHINGTON — The Navy today released a rare public accounting of major delays for key shipbuilding programs, with ships from nine programs running behind, in some cases up to three years.

The MQ-4C’s arrival to the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations marks the second forward-deployed detachment for VUP-19. A total of three detachments are planned when the program is fully operational. Deployments like this enhance U.S. Navy interoperability with NATO Allies and partners.

A fire broke out in the engine room of the USNS Sgt. William R. Button (T-AK-3012), leaving it stranded off the coast of Dauphin Island in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday. Sgt. William R. Button is a Military Sealift Command ship. It was conducting routine operations at the time of the fire, MST spokesman Thomas Van Leunen told USNI News in a statement.

The Navy should “go back to the front end,” thinking about the people needed for building, crewing and maintaining vessels, not just potential threats, a senior naval analyst advised Thursday. Speaking at the Woodrow Wilson Center, Ronald O’Rourke of the Congressional Research Service said “the Navy is facing challenges … in pretty much everything.”

Shifting Colors - Spring-Summer 2024

Retiree Newsletter - March 2024

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED// ROUTINE R 010001Z APR 24 MID120000995358U FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS NAVADMIN 068/24 MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/CNO/APR/ SUBJ/CPO BIRTHDAY MESSAGE// RMKS/1. Today is a time of reflection. As you go about your day, we ask that all of you wearing anchors contemplate and reflect upon yourself as a leader, a Sailor, and as a person. Our Navy depends on you to ensure that our Sailors are prepared to fight and win when challenged. The tone of your command and the tone on the deck plate is established by your actions and the standards you set and adhere to. You create a culture that breeds warfighting, professionalism, and positivity. You should always ask yourself, "Are your Sailors ready?" Are they prepared in mind, body, and spirit? Are you preparing our future leaders to answer our nation's call? Are you ready? 2. You are humble servants to our great Nation, our Navy, and your Sailors. You are the driving force that creates and empowers great people, great leaders, and great teams. You are relied upon to always be forward leaning, anticipate problems before they occur, and pivot at a moment's notice. Today is no different. 3. Today is a day for renewed dedication; to grade yourself, to correct weaknesses and build upon your strengths. Today of all days is the time to assess your technical skills, qualifications, foresight, and preparedness. It is critical to be honest with yourself both professionally and personally. Ask yourself if you are doing everything you need to be doing to self-assess, hold yourself accountable, and hold yourselves accountable as a collective Mess. 4. As you don your anchors today, take time to reflect on the 131 years of the privilege to serve. Take a brief moment to celebrate the enduring legacy of Chief Petty Officers and those that have gone before you, then get back to the deck plate and do what you all do best - lead. 5. Released by ADM L. M. Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations and MCPON J. Honea, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. BT #0001 NNNN CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//

American submarines will further extend their advantage in the undersea domain. In the first of a kind, the U.S. Navy has fitted a new form of propulsion, magnetohydrodynamic drive (MHD), to a Virginia class submarine. This promises to make the submarine virtually undetectable, the holy grail of naval warfare. The Magnetohydrodynamic drive is being developed under the PUMP program by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), first reported in 2023. Water passing through it is accelerated by means of a magnetic field using superconducting magnets. This is often likened to the way a caterpillar crawls leading to the colloquial term ‘caterpillar drive’.

Three Navy barges arrived Friday at Baltimore Harbor to assist in removing the remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the Patapsco River. The 1,000-ton lift capacity derrick barge Chesapeakem the 200-ton lift capacity revolving crane barge Ferrell and the 150-ton lift capacity crane barge Oyster Bay have been contracted through Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and are being used to remove submerged portions of the bridge, according to a Navy news release. The bridge collapsed early Tuesday following a freighter collision. Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2024-03-31/navy-barges-baltimore-bridge-collapse-13461242.html Source - Stars and Stripes

Late yesterday, the Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin successfully conducted an intercept of an advanced Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) test target utilizing the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Dual II with Software Upgrade (SWUP). Flight Test Aegis Weapon System (FTM) 32, or Stellar Laelaps, demonstrated the capability to detect, track, engage, and intercept an MRBM target in the terminal phase of flight culminating in a live intercept by an Aegis Baseline 9 equipped ship.

For the second day in a row, U.S. forces in the Middle East took out a wave of attack drones launched over the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time on Thursday, U.S. forces engaged and destroyed four attack drones that “were aimed at a Coalition vessel and a U.S. warship,” according to U.S. Central Command.

A group of Royal Navy sailors have been arrested on suspicion of stealing iPads, video games and laptops to order before selling them. The seven sailors were led away from their ship the HMS Middleton in handcuffs after being accused of raiding a duty-free electronics store on a US military base in Bahrain. The group, which includes a chef and a communications officer, allegedly used security alarm-proof bags to snatch the items.