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CNO Message to the Fleet
WASHINGTON (NNS) — The events of the past week have been difficult for our Navy and our nation. We will learn from them. But make no mistake, we are moving forward. The Navy has our orders and we are executing them.
As I write, we have thousands of Sailors on mission, above, under, and on the seas as well as here at home on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. We’re operating far forward on 90 ships, including three aircraft carriers and two big deck amphibious ships. Navy Cyber teams are defending our networks. Seabees are converting commercial buildings into medical facilities across six states. Three thousand Navy doctors, nurses and corpsmen, including hundreds of reservists, are caring for our fellow Americans on USNS MERCY, COMFORT, in New York City’s Javits Center, and in civilian hospitals. Hundreds more deployed to treat the sick in Dallas and New Orleans. The NIMITZ carrier strike group and her air wing at Lemoore are in 14 day Restriction of Movement (ROM) as they ramp up to deploy. Same for our SSBN crews. Countless more Sailors are leaning in to support them – across our fleet staffs, intelligence centers, training facilities, and supply depots. More than six thousand recruits at Great lakes are preparing to head to the fleet.
Given this, I have three priorities for us right now. First, our health and safety. Second, ongoing fleet operations and our support to the coronavirus effort. Third, continuing to generate the enormous amount of support required to keep #1 and #2 on track. I know much of that effort is behind the scenes and out of the limelight – but every bit of it is critical.
We must ensure the health of the force. And we must be laser-focused on the Fleet – from manning to maintenance, and from training to warfighting. Operational readiness is our job… and every one of us has a role. Nobody sits the bench.
Everyone must pull together. And in this new environment of coronavirus, we’re all learning, adapting, and improving by the hour. There is no better example of this than USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT – staring down an invisible enemy – dedicated in their efforts – making phenomenal progress, and providing lessons for the Navy and beyond.
America. Has. A. Great. Navy. Our nation counts on you and so do I. Never more proud to be your CNO.
DOD Ramps Up COVID-19 Response Efforts From Coast to Coast
Here’s a link to this good summary of the current state of DoD efforts:
Comfort, Javits Center Open Care to COVID-19 Patients
Here’s a link to the article:
Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper Accepts Resignation of Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly
Today (ed: which was actually yesterday), Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper accepted the resignation of Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly and announced that he is appointing current Army Undersecretary Jim McPherson as Acting Secretary of the Navy. For Secretary Esper’s statement, please click here.
Rapid Mobilization Process Established for Reservists Supporting COVID-19 Response
NORFOLK (NNS) — In support of the Navy’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response, the Navy has instituted a Distributed Mobilization process allowing a more efficient path to recall Reserve Sailors to active duty in support of the COVID-19 response.
NAVADMIN 099/20, released Apr. 3, provides details on the DM process for COVID-19 mobilizations for Selected Reserve (SELRES) Sailors. The process will allow the rapid and efficient leveraging of existing Reserve commands and facilities to meet COVID-19-related mobilization requirements.
SELRES Sailors identified for a possible mobilization will be contacted directly by their Navy Reserve Activity (NRA) or Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC). Once a SELRES Sailor has received official mobilization orders to active-duty, they will be pre-screened, activated, processed, and then proceed directly to their supported command. The NRA or NOSC performing COVID-19 mobilization processing will maintain responsibility for the Sailors it processes throughout the full mobilization cycle.
There are currently no plans to involuntarily recall IRR Sailors. The Navy Reserve has prioritized the mobilization of SELRES before recalling IRR Sailors for the COVID-19 pandemic response. However, IRR Sailors should familiarize themselves with Navy Personnel Command (NPC) regular requirements for readiness, which can be found on NPC’s official website.
For 105 years, the Navy Reserve has been a ready, agile force that provides valuable, vital support to the Navy and the Nation. The Ready Reserve Force consists of approximately 49,550 Selected Reserve (SELRES) Sailors, 10,163 Full Time Support (FTS) members, 48,815 Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) members and over 422 civilians. This force of over 100,000 delivers strategic depth and unique capabilities to the Navy and Marine Corps team, and the Joint Force in times of peace and war.
For more information, please read NAVADMIN 099/20.
Reserve Sailors with additional questions should contact their NRA or NOSC chain of command.
For more news from Commander, Navy Reserve Force, visit www.navy.mil/local/nrf/.
USU School of Medicine Visiting Professorship Program
Background: The Office of Academic Affairs and the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs would like to provide a platform by which faculty who aspire to learn more about careers and opportunities in academic medicine may do so by bringing their academic expertise (scholarship in teaching, discovery, or integration) to the forefront through deliberate interactions with colleagues at the Uniformed Services University. The program is open to School of Medicine (SoM) military national faculty.
Selection process: Nominations for visiting professorships can be submitted from the MTF designated institutional official (DIO), residency program director, OR the department chair at the USU.
These must consist of :
- the nominee’s current CV
- a letter written by the nominee (no longer than 1 page outlining the a) faculty member’s interest in progressing as academic faculty, b) potential areas the faculty member would like to enhance while at the university, and c) potential future career plans enabling the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs to continue engagement after the University visit.
- a short letter or email from the nominator describing how the faculty member’s visit would benefit the member and the organization
Selections will be made by the Associate and Assistant Deans within the Office of Academic Affairs.
Proposal: Each year there will be up to 10 visiting professors selected. The “visiting professorship” will be 1-2 days in length depending on the travel and availability for the faculty member. The professorship will be fully funded by the Associate Dean for Faculty Development. Activities are intended to expand the faculty member’s understanding of the breadth of academic life, make connections with senior members of USU and to enhance identity formation. This activity is open to all health professional who have an active (and current) USU SOM appointment for 2 years. This program is open to all academic ranks Assistant Professor or higher, with or without prefixes.
Visiting professorships may include:
- Delivery of a formal seminar, workshop or lecture in their area of expertise to USU and/or WRNMMC Faculty
- Specific meetings with the Department Chair (of the department in which the faculty member is appointed), for mentorship and specialty specific academic planning
- Attendance at SOM or University level meetings
- Attendance at medical student assessments or department education meetings (unless the faculty member already attends secondary to position)
- Meet with CAPSTONE Director to discuss opportunities for scholarly projects at the local hospital with medical student involvement.
- Other potential activities could include: meeting with a research team or receiving research guidance, peer observation of teaching, consultation for other academic endeavors (ex: curriculum development, statistics, interacting with student specialty groups)
Applications: Application packages are to be emailed Tom McFate (contact info in this document) by 15 May 2020. Decisions will be communicated to nominees by 15 June 2020. Visiting professorships will commence during FY21.
Team at Naval Personnel Command Works 24/7 to Help Sailors, Families With PCS Questions
MILLINGTON, Tennessee (NNS) — Since the Navy’s first announcement in mid-March to stop movement due to the COVID-19 global health pandemic, Sailors with Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders have been worried what that will mean for them and their families.
According to Navy Personnel Command’s Career Management Department, the questions have been rampant and consistent: “Can I move?” “I’ve already checked out so what do I do now?” “Do I need an order modification?” “Do I go to my next school?” “What about my household goods?”
To answer Sailors’ questions, the Navy has relied on NPC’s Career Management Department (PERS-4) to be the repository for answers.
“We understand that this is a very stressful time for all of our Sailors and PERS-4 is doing everything we possibly can to take care of our Sailors and our Navy,” said Rear Adm. Rick Cheeseman, assistant commander, NPC for Career Management. “We are a customer service business, and our business is taking care of our people.”
More than 700 Sailors, officers and civilians make up PERS-4, representing every Navy rate and designator. Detailers work with individuals to manage their careers, and placement officers represent commands to ensure that they are properly staffed. The two halves of PERS-4 have worked hand-in-hand to ensure that both the Sailors and the Navy have what they need.
With the release of NAVADMIN 064/20 in mid-March, the PERS-4 stood up a round-the-clock duty to proactively initiate contact with every member immediately impacted by the 60-day stop movement order. This 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week service reaches out to this group of almost 23,000 Sailors and officers which includes anyone already in the middle of a PCS move as well as anyone with PCS orders for March or April.
While adding this level of service, PERS-4 continues its normal service to all constituents.
“Normal business has changed and the way that we conduct business has changed,” said Cheeseman. “While we are doing what we normally do we are just doing it faster. Like an emergency breakaway on a ship.
“We must be flexible and able to adjust to match the needs of the Sailors.”
As COVID-19 issued have progressed, PERS-4 needed to adjust to take their our own safety into account to keep the staff healthy and available for the Sailors.
“At the moment, about 80 percent of our staff is teleworking, but we remain fully able to care for the Sailors and the Navy,” said Cheeseman.
Many Sailors ended up in various situations – some were stuck in airports waiting to board overseas flights, and some had their household goods packed out in limbo – that required waivers to complete their transition from one duty station to another.
Cheeseman holds the waiver authority.
“The waiver process is a very intensive one and he has not delegated his authority to anyone. He personally looks at each waiver request himself with the goal of turning each round as fast as possible,” said Capt. Chris Harris, director, Distribution Management Division, Career Management Department. “There is a three-pronged test for movement waivers; mission essential, humanitarian, and economic burden. So far more 1,100 have been approved.”
All Sailors with outstanding questions are Sailors are encouraged to contact the MyNavy Career Center (MNCC) for questions. They can be reach at 1-833-330-MNCC (6622) or askmncc@navy.mil. For more information about MNCC Services and other contact information, go to https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/organization/npc/publicaffairs/news/Documents/MNCC_flyer.pdf
“Even though this situation is extremely stressful, Sailors need to remain patient. If you have an issue, we will take care of you,” Cheeseman said. “The bottom line is that we absolutely will not leave anyone behind.”
For more news from Navy Personnel Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/npc/.
Navy Initiates Temporary Changes for ID Card Offices
MILLINGTON, Tennessee (NNS) — If you lose your Common Access Card or it’s set to expire during the next two months, you’ll have to make an appointment to get a new one; no walk-ins will be allowed.
It’s another shift of Navy policy, designed to protect Sailors, families, civilian employees, contractors, and retirees during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.
NAVADMIN 097/20 directs all Navy Real-time Automated Personnel Identification System offices, known as RAPIDS sites, to only issue or reissue Common Access Cards to those with scheduled appointments. While the policy is in place, no walk-in customers will be allowed for any card issue.
Each Navy RAPIDS site will screen arriving customers by asking basic health screening questions prior to entry. Also, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safe-distance guidelines will be maintained for the safety and health of staff and customers.
Appointments are made through the online RAPIDS appointment scheduler at https://rapids-appointments.dmdc.osd.mil. To locate your nearest RAPIDS center, visit www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl.
Priority for appointments will be given those with time sensitive situations, the message said. This includes active duty members whose CAC has been lost, stolen or is expiring within the next 60 days as well as newly retired members and dependents with cards expiring within the next 30 days.
For those unable to schedule an appointment online for CAC PIN resets, a controlled walk-in process for will be available for this service only.
For more information read NAVADMIN 097/20 at http://www.npc.navy.mil
Message from the SG: What the Women and Men of Navy Medicine Do
Esteemed Navy Medicine Shipmates,
Navy Medicine continues to serve on the front-lines of our Nation’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. We are medical professionals working together as high-performance teams to bring the full power of Navy Medicine to our mission and to our country. We were built for this mission and the work you are doing reflects our One Navy Medicine strategy. We are all fully engaged in support of this national emergency – Fleet and Fleet Marine Force medical personnel and MTF providers and staff, as well as our public health, research and development, emergency preparedness, and logistics experts.
This week our hospital ships, USNS Comfort in New York and USNS Mercy in Los Angeles, arrived on scene and immediately established relationships with local and state health officials bringing our skills and expertise to those hardest hit. As we speak, our teams are providing care to those most in need and are beginning to ramp up the number of patients they are treating. Our hospital ships may be our most visible symbols of Medical Power but they are part of the wider MHS support network.
The Navy, along with the Army and Air Force, have deployed Expeditionary Medical Facilities (EMFs) to provide urgent care to areas impacted by COVID-19. Naval Hospital Jacksonville’s EMF – Mike split into two teams. One will be working in New Orleans caring for COVID-19 patients under investigation who are awaiting their test results but unable to return to private residence for self- quarantine. The other team is in Dallas awaiting final assignment.
Volunteer Navy Medicine reservists have immeasurably strengthened our One Navy Medicine team. After assessing that their absence would not negatively impact the health care response of their own communities, these dedicated professionals stepped up to augment our support to our country. They are deployed on board USNS MERCY, USNS COMFORT, serving at our medical treatment facilities and also staffing Expeditionary Medical Facility Navy Reserve-Bethesda that has been activated to support New York City. Regardless of the mission, they, like all of you, are at the epicenter of protecting the health of Sailors, Marines, families, and our fellow citizens.
Make no mistake; there is demanding work ahead. We are in this together and leveraging the talents of our civilian, contractor, active duty and reserve communities, we will prevail. One of our greatest strengths as an organization is that we thrive on rapid cycle feedback to improve the quality and the safety of the care we provide. We are never content or complacent. We thrive on providing and receiving rapid cycle feedback, widely sharing not only our successes but, more importantly, what we have learned from our failures. Just as we refined our approach to combat casualty care to achieve unprecedented survival rates, we will continue to apply best available clinical and research evidence to adjust fire and defeat this adversary. That is what high velocity learning organizations do.
The members of a strong, resilient organization understand the value of clear, bi-directional communication. Keep in regular communication with your team and actively reach out if you feel you are “out of the loop.” Stay at home orders and long solo hours of tele-work also risk creating a sense of social isolation. Remember, social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement. The same technology that allows you to tele-work also allows you to connect with family and friends. Taking care of yourselves and families should be a top priority and is essential for mission readiness. Don’t be afraid to walk away from your computers and take a break. Get some fresh air and exercise. And if you need to talk to someone please do so. Communication is a sign of strength not weakness. There are numerous resources within Navy Medicine and throughout the Navy to provide support if you need it.
We have much to be proud of. All of us are enduring changes in our work routines, lifestyle and our way of life but this has not changed our focus on the important work ahead. Many of you are putting yourselves in harm’s way on behalf of our shipmates. Now we also have the privilege to bring our expeditionary medical expertise to bear on behalf of our families, friends, and neighbors. As we confront this challenge, have confidence that regardless of the setting, we never work alone. As the Surgeon General, I can assure you that the full force of Navy Medicine’s power is with you. Together, our talent, knowledge, toughness, creativity and teamwork will get us through this and we will be a stronger organization as a result. Communicate clearly, strive to improve every day and keep yourself and those entrusted to your care safe. That is what the women and men of Navy Medicine have always done and that is what we will always do.
With my respect and admiration, SG
Bruce L. Gillingham, MD, CPE, FAOA
RADM, MC, USN
Surgeon General, U.S. Navy
Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Get JPME I! Application Period Opens for Fleet Seminar Program
NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) — The U.S. Naval War College will begin accepting applications April 1 for new and returning students in the Fleet Seminar Program for the academic year beginning in September 2020.
The program consists of the three core courses of the College of Naval Command and Staff offered through the College of Distance Education. The application window runs through May 31.
The program provides Joint Intermediate-Level Professional Military Education (JPME-I) in a seminar format at 19 naval and joint bases around the country in keeping with the efforts of the chief of naval personnel to foster a deliberate and flexible learning environment.
“The Fleet Seminar Program creates leaders that are operationally and strategically minded critical thinkers. The military needs leaders who are proficient in joint matters and prepared to meet the complex challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Professor Ron Oard, Fleet Seminar Program manager.
“Looking at the recently released Education for Seapower Strategy, the Navy has placed more emphasis on higher education as a critical warfighting enabler,” he said.
Each course runs from September through May, meeting one evening a week for three hours. The seminars are conducted at the graduate level and require appropriate initiative, research work, writing and class participation from each student.
After successfully completing their first course, students may apply for acceptance into the Naval War College’s Graduate Degree Program, in which, with additional elective coursework, they can earn a Master of Arts degree in defense and strategic studies.
Nearly 1,000 students are currently enrolled, and more than 900 have earned a master’s degree through the program in the past five years.
Enrollment is open to eligible active and reserve officers in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in the grade of O-3 and above. Active and reserve officers in other military services must be in the grade of O-4 and above to be eligible. Federal civilian employees in the grade of GS-11 and equivalent or above are also eligible.
Selected staff members in the federal executive, legislative, and judiciary branches are also eligible, through an agreement with the chief of naval operations. All applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree.
For more information on course locations and application procedures, visit the FSP website at https://usnwc.edu/college-of-distance-education/Fleet-Seminar-Program.
For more news from Naval War College, visit www.navy.mil/local/nwc/.
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