Housing recovery funds available
Military DoD civilians who face financial losses due to the current housing downturn can find relief in the ARRA influx of funds to the Housing Assistance Program (HAP).
Active members, former members, and survivors of those who have died on deployment of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, as well as DoD civilians, who have sold a primary residence for a loss, or are considering selling their home, may qualify for funds.
The Recovery Act appropriated $555 million in funds to the HAP, which DoD will use to temporarily expand this program in order to partially reimburse eligible members. applications.
To speak with a HAP representative, call (916) 557-6850 or 1-800-811-5532.
Navy updates High Year Tenure policy 1/25/2012
From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy announced changes to the High Year Tenure (HYT) policy and the merging of the active and reserve policy into one Total Force policy in NAVADMIN 030/12, released Jan. 25.
"High Year Tenure is a vital and effective force management tool we use to properly size and shape the Navy," said Rear Adm. Tony Kurta, Director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy. "After a thorough review of the policy, we saw a need for updating the policy to keep pace with and support the other force management tools. This change will improve retention and advancement opportunity for top performers."
The NAVADMIN outlines several significant changes to HYT. Under the new policy, HYT for E-2 Sailors will be four years, down from six. Additionally, E-3 Sailors will reach HYT at five years vice six, and continuation to eight years for passing a Navy Wide Advancement Exam has been eliminated. These Sailors would have had a minimum of six opportunities for advancement before reaching HYT.
Policy changes outlined in the NAVADMIN will take effect July 1, 2012. Effective July 1, active and full time support E2 and E3 Sailors with active service in excess of these HYT length of service gates must separate by Mar. 31, 2013, unless advanced or waived.
HYT waiver procedures can be found in MILPERSMAN 1160-120.
Sailors who have been granted a HYT waiver for a specific assignment and cannot fulfill their commitment will have their HYT waiver canceled and will have to separate, transfer to the Reserves or retire.
These HYT changes will not affect Sailors who have reached sanctuary, which occurs at 18 years of cumulative active duty. Additionally, nuclear rated Sailors will be managed separately by their community manager. HYT policy for E-4 through E-9 has not changed.
For more details on the HYT changes, read NAVADMIN 030/12 by visiting the Navy Personnel Command website at www.npc.navy.mil.
USS Carl Vinson on her way home
PEARL HARBOR (May 15, 2012) Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) shift colors alongside the USS Arizona Memorial as the ship moors in Pearl Harbor. Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 recently completed a deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 James R. Evans
Lending a hand...
PHUKET, Thailand (May 15, 2012) Engineman Fireman Apprentice Stedman Davis and Fireman Apprentice Colby Jackson-King, both assigned to the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18), smooth concrete for a sidewalk at the Lampanwa School during a community service project with the Royal Thai Navy. New Orleans and embarked Marines assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (11th MEU) are deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Dominique Pineiro
PacFlt SOY...
WASHINGTON (May. 14, 2012) Steelworker 1st Class Louis Salazar, Pacific Fleet Sailor of the Year, wears his new chief uniforms during a uniform fitting for the 2011 Sailor's of the Year ceremony week. Four Sailors will be meritoriously promoted to chief petty officer at an advancement ceremony at week's end. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Thomas L. Rosprim
USS San Diego commissioning
The USS SAN DIEGO (LPD-22) will be commissioned at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19, 2012 at the Navy Pier at 910 North Harbor Drive in San Diego across from the USS MIDWAY Museum. She is a San Antonio class Amphibious Transport Dock class ship. She is the fourth ship of the United States Navy to bear the name of the city of San Diego but the first to be home ported in her namesake city.
Throughout the years, the city has embraced and supported Navy ships and Sailors. A total of three ships in the past have had the privilege of bearing the name San Diego. USS San Diego (ARC 6) served from 1907 to 1918. USS San Diego (CL 53) served during World War II from 1942 to 1945. A memorial to CL 53 and her crew is located in downtown San Diego. USS San Diego (AFS 6) had a long career from 1969 to 1993.
Following in this long line of superior faithful service will be USS San Diego (LPD 22), Unlike her predecessors, LPD 22 will have the honor and privilege to call San Diego her home port. The crew of San Diego is well aware of the long standing connection to the city, notable in the design of the ship’s crest, or coat of arms.
LPD 22 offers the latest in technology, making her the most advanced amphibious ship in the world. LPD 22 is the sixth ship in the San Antonio class of landing platform dock amphibious ships. Her specialty is the transportation and support of Marine landing forces. The unique design of amphibious ships allow them to use air ballast tanks to raise and lower the back of the ship, flooding a welldeck area and providing a mobile landing dock to launch and recover amphibious assault craft.
The commissioning ceremony is the most important event in the life of the ship as the U. S. Navy formally accepts her as an operating unit of the U. S. Fleet. Commissioning is the culmination of years of design and construction and countless hours of training and preparation on the part of the ship’s crew. The commissioning ceremony is open to the public so the crew can share the joy and pride in their new ship with the citizens of San Diego.
No injuries as USS Essex, USNS Yukon collide at sea 5/16/2012
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- At approximately 9:20 a.m. PST, USS Essex (LHD 2) collided with USNS Yukon (T-AO 202) during an approach for a routine underway replenishment approximately 120 miles off the coast of Southern California due to an apparent steering malfunction aboard Essex.
While both ships reported some damage, no one was injured, there was no fuel spilled and the ships' fuel tanks and systems were not compromised.
The Navy will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the collision, and a full assessment of any damage is ongoing.
Essex is scheduled to return to San Diego May 17 after completing 12 years as the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed amphibious assault ship in Sasebo, Japan. The crew of USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) took over Essex April 23, during a planned hull swap. USNS Yukon is a Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler operating out of San Diego.
San Diego ships on their way home after long deployments
It’s a busy time for Navy ships in San Diego, as a carrier strike group plans its homecoming while an amphibious assault group does the same.
Marines and Sailors assigned to USS Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 recently made their final stop in Pearl Harbor before steaming home to NAS North Island for a ship’s homecoming. As part of the Vinson Carrier Battle Group, USS Halsey and USS Bunker Hill are also returning to a San Diego welcome home party.
The Battle Group completed a deployment the 5th Fleet and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility (see pages 28, 30, 31, 32 for more on Vinson Carrier Strike Group).
Also due home are Sailors and Marines assigned to the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, which comprises USS New Orleans, USS Pearl Harbor, and embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Pendleton. The amphibious group was deployed to the 7th Fleet AOR.
Recently, littoral combat ship USS Independence arrived in San Diego for homeporting after completing her maiden voyage. USS Essex returned to San Diego after 12 years, swapping with USS Bonhomme Richard. from Sasebo, Japan.
Navy lays keel for PCU North Dakota by Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. - The Navy celebrated the keel-laying of Pre-Commissioning Unit North Dakota (SSN 784) at General Dynamics Electric Boat-Quonset Point division May 11.
In a time-honored Navy tradition, ship’s sponsor Katie Fowler, wife of retired Vice Adm. Jeff Fowler, had her initials welded onto a steel plate that will be permanently affixed to North Dakota’s hull.
“Being chosen to be the sponsor of North Dakota has been a great joy of my life,” said Fowler. “I’m looking forward to a life-long relationship with my ship and its crew.”
Fowler, a native of Virginia, also stated that she was proud to be a sponsor of a Virginia-class submarine.
USS North Dakota will always be in my thoughts and prayers,” said Fowler prior to the welding of her initials, which signifies a bond between the submarine and her crew.
Navy requests proposals for NMCI follow-on
The Navy released a request for proposals (RFP) May 10 for the Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN) that establishes the acquisition approach to provide more flexible and adaptable IT network services for the Department of the Navy (DoN).
Proposals from competing industry teams are due July 18 and the Navy expects to announce the NGEN contract(s) award decision in February 2013.
“Throughout our development of the NGEN RFP, we have gained insight from our industry partners as we progressed toward competing services for the world’s largest enterprise network,” said Capt. Shawn P. Hendricks, program manager for the Naval Enterprise Networks Program Office.
Hendricks noted that extensive industry engagement solidified program requirements to provide the enterprise network services for Sailors, Marines and DoN employees.
NMCI connects more than 800,000 users utilizing 384,000 workstations at more than 3,000 shore-based locations throughout the United States, Hawaii and Japan.
New Coastal Riverine Force locates to Imperial Beach
VIRGINIA BEACH - Navy Expeditionary Combat Command is establishing a new command, the Coastal Riverine Force, a merger of Riverine Group 1 and the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force June 1.
CORIVFOR will perform core maritime expeditionary security missions in the green and brown waters bridging the gap between traditional Navy blue water operations and land-based forces, spanning the capabilities that currently reside with the riverine and expeditionary security force.
“We’re combining maritime expeditionary and riverine forces to preserve a range of capabilities in brown, blue and green water environments,” said Capt. James C. Hamblet, commodore of Maritime Expeditionary Security Group 2. “Although Coastal Riverine Force will predominantly perform force protection type missions, when required it will be capable of conducting offensive operations which will enhance mission effectiveness throughout the force.”
Capable of conducting 24-hour operations, CORIVFOR will provide port and harbor security, offshore protection for maritime infrastructure and Military Sealift Command ships operating in coastal waterways. When necessary elements of this force will provide offensive combat capabilities.
CORIVFOR will be comprised of two Echelon IV groups, Coastal Riverine Group (CORIVGRU) 1 homeported in Imperial Beach with squadrons located in San Diego at the Naval Amphibious Base. CORIVGRU 2 will be homeported in Portsmouth, Va.
Waterfront construction to begin
Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest awarded a $99 million contract recently to five contractors for construction and renovation of various waterfront facilities at locations within the NAVFAC Southwest area.
Marathon Construction Corporation of Lakeside, Nova R M F of Napa, Reyes Construction Inc. of Pomona, R.E. Staite Engineering Inc. of San Diego, and Manson Construction Co. of Seattle were each awarded a multiple award construction contract to renovate Navy waterfront facilities at various locations. Work is scheduled for completion by April 2015.
FICP begins disestablishment process
The next step in the disestablishment process of Fleet Imaging Command Pacific (FICP), came recently when the unit’s final commanding officer relinquished command.
Cmdr. Brad Fagan relinquished command during a ceremony at NAS North Island. After 25 years of providing still images and motion imagery to Navy’s combatant commands, FICP will be officially disestablished Sept. 30, 2012.
FICP has completed more than 40 deployments and multi-national exercises during Fagan’s tenure.
ETG reaches exercise milestone
Expeditionary Training Group reached a milestone recently when the command conducted and assessed an integrated certification exercise for three commands that will deploy together.
Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 joined Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadrons 3 and 11, in the integrated pre-deployment Navy Expeditionary Combat Command 12-1 training exercise, held aboard NAB Coronado in San Diego, April 30 to May 3.
“This is the first time we’ve done a live and synthetic exercise of this magnitude,” said Capt. Michael Napolitano, ETG commanding officer.
NSW: Motorcycle safety standdown
Naval Special Warfare (NSW) personnel attended a motorcycle safety standdown held at NAB Coronado May 8.
The event helps prevent motorcycle mishaps by raising awareness during motorcycle safety month.
Cpl. Kotaro Murashige, a San Diego police officer, offered Sailors a presentation on motorcycle statistics, studies, and motorcycle specific laws.“Statistically, the numbers of fatal collisions are going down because of the increase in training and awareness,” said Murashige. “The safer everyone is, the less incidents and collisions we will have.”
