Navy News Service for Wednesday, January 09, 2008
NNS080109-13. CNO Tours Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34244NNS080109-12. NECC Focuses on Language and Cultural Training for Mission
Success
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34243NNS080109-11. NAVFAC Southwest Begins Installation Process of Large
Scale Wind Turbine
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34190NNS080109-09. Shipmate Contest Draws Huge Response, Enters Judging Phase
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34242NNS080109-08. Officers Reminded to Update Records Before Board
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34239NNS080109-05. Iranians Call Hormuz Incident 'Normal,' U.S. Begs to
Differ
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34231NNS080109-01. Russia Accepts RIMPAC Invitation
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34230NNS080109-04. Daily News Update for January 9, 2008
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=34238NNS011213-06. This Day in Naval History - Jan. 10
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http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=311Eye on the Fleet - U.S. Navy Photo of The Day
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http://www.navy.mil/list_single.asp?id=54375-USN-
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NNS080109-13. CNO Tours Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
By Deb White, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Public Affairs
KITTERY, Maine (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary
Roughead toured Portsmouth Naval Shipyard here Jan. 8 as part of an
eight-day trip visiting private and public shipyards throughout the U.S.
The CNO is conducting the trip to help deepen his understanding of the
shipbuilding industry.
Joined by Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and
shipyard senior leadership, Roughead toured the yard to gain what he
called, "up-to-date, first-hand knowledge of the latest developments,
technological advances and infrastructure improvements in the
shipyards."
While at the shipyard, Roughead received a command brief, toured and met
with commanding officers of submarines USS Louisville (SSN 724), USS
Santa Fe (SSN 763), USS Memphis (SSN 691) and USS Greenville (SSN 772).
During a walking tour of the waterfront, Roughead greeted Sailors and
shipyard workers, asked questions, and stopped to see production work.
Roughead also stopped to get hands-on experience in operating induction
coating removal equipment currently used at the shipyard. This
transitional technology is used in surface preparation applications
where the coating is thick and difficult to remove. This process
replaces the traditionally used mechanical pneumatic tooling for these
difficult applications, and has resulted in a safer, more efficient
execution of work.
Roughead concluded his visit by joining the senators, senior leadership,
and the shipyard Commander, Capt. Robert Mazzone and his wife, Nancy,
for lunch at their home in historic Quarters "A".
During lunch the group discussed some of the challenges the shipyard
faces including workforce, workload and infrastructure. They also
discussed the "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard - Vision 2035" - a plan to
ensure the health and vitality of the shipyard.
This visit will also play a larger role as Roughead emphasizes his
commitment to making the Navy a "Top 50" workplace. His trips include
meeting with Navy civilians, Sailors and family members, as well as
business leaders and educators to help define the Navy's way ahead and
integrate change, as needed.
Roughead believes that "if you don't walk the ground, you will not have
a good sense of what's going on."
For more news from Chief of Naval Operations, visit
www.news.navy.mil/local/cno/.
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NNS080109-12. NECC Focuses on Language and Cultural Training for Mission
Success
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jen Smith, Navy Expeditionary
Combat Command Public Affairs
NORFOLK (NNS) -- For Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Sailors who
deploy on missions throughout the world, cultural awareness and language
training is essential to the success of those duties.
When the Chief of Naval Operations presented his Cooperative Strategy
for 21st Century Sea Power, he called on naval forces to develop and
sustain cooperative relationships with more international partners in
order to improve regional security and stability.
"NECC forces will certainly play a critical role in this effort," said
Capt. Robert McKenna, NECC's training officer. "A key to fostering such
relationships is development of sufficient cultural, historical and
linguistic expertise among our Sailors."
Lessons learned from missions conducted in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq
have shown a consistent lack of cultural awareness that is a chief
barrier to mission success. The need for this sort of training is
mentioned in several documents, including the CNO's Guidance and the
Navy's Strategic Plan. Both call for "developing practical
cross-cultural skills to further promote relations with emerging
partners.
Last year, Sailors attached to Expeditionary Training Command (ETC)
participated in an intensive four-day regional orientation course taught
by Old Dominion University's Military Distance Learning Program, in
conjunction with security and stability defense contractor I.T.A, in
preparation for their deployment aboard USS McHenry (LSD-43) to western
Africa. Prior to that, ETC Sailors attached to High Speed Vessel Swift
(HSV-2) participated in similar training that prepared them for a
deployment to countries in the Caribbean and Central America.
NECC's training department recently worked with the U.S. Army to make
training available to Navy personnel at the Peace Operations Training
Center (POTC) in Jordan. The center provides training to familiarize
deploying U.S. forces with the cultural aspects of Iraqi society.
"The training our Sailors receive there is considered the best in
theater, and will certainly provide invaluable benefits to each service
member that participates," said McKenna. "We have also worked with
contractors and Old Dominion University here in Virginia to develop
immersion language and targeted regional orientation courses for
deploying NECC personnel."
Several other organizations helped develop other courses intended to
improve international relationships between deploying Sailors and the
host nations. Some of the things NECC is focusing on are French, Spanish
and Portuguese language courses and regional orientation courses
covering Southern Command, Africa and southeast Asia.
McKenna says NECC is also working on several initiatives that should
improve access to quality language training in the future.
"The first one is the ability for Navy personnel to access commercially
produced language training," he said. "This effort is going through the
final steps in the contracting process and should be available on Navy
Knowledge Online in a few weeks."
He continued by explaining the second initiative, which is called
Integrated System for Language Education and Training (ISLET). It's
based on several new language learning technologies and, according to
McKenna, will enable students to achieve a foreign language proficiency
equal to that of four to six semesters of college-level class work, and
it will also provide a way to sustain the training.
As the NECC moves forward into its third year, its Sailors will have
more opportunities to better themselves as ambassadors to foreign
countries and have a higher chance of success in their missions
throughout the world.
For more news from Navy Expeditionary Combat Command visit
www.navy.mil/local/necc/.
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NNS080109-11. NAVFAC Southwest Begins Installation Process of Large
Scale Wind Turbine
By Lee H. Saunders, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest
Public Affairs
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Installation of the Marine Corps' first large scale
wind turbine at Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) Barstow began Jan. 8,
with a kick-off meeting between Naval Facilities Engineering Command
(NAVFAC) Southwest, MCLB, and Southern California Edison (SCE).
The meeting starts the official implementation of the first of its kind
contract awarded to the Marine Corps in November 2007.
"The purchase of this wind turbine will allow MCLB Barstow to meet
energy conservation and savings requirements established by various
federal laws, regulations and directives," said Monica Hernandez, NAVFAC
Southwest contract specialist for Special Ventures Acquisition Utilities
and Energy Contracting. "The wind turbine is expected to generate an
average of 3,000 megawatt hours of renewable power each year for the
base's consumption in lieu of brown power, which equates to as much as
$500,000 of annual energy cost savings."
Brown power is man-made energy. The green or renewable energy wind
turbine power generation system will produce a peak AC power output of
1.25 megawatts.
The contract was a challenge for the NAVFAC Southwest Energy Team to
award. The search for a wind turbine power generation system started in
January 2006. The team discovered United States manufacturers were
unable to provide a system that met the base's requirements such as low
quantity, unique capacity and rapid delivery date. They found a system
that met these requirements in Sweden. A purchase from a Swedish
manufacturer required a waiver. After completing a determination and
findings for nonavailability of a U.S. manufacturer and obtaining
approval from NAVFAC Headquarters for such procurement, the awarding of
the $4.5 million contract proceeded on Nov. 26, 2007.
"Faced with numerous challenges and hurdles, the team demonstrated
unparalleled persistence and determination ensuring the award of this
contact," said David Deiranieh, NAVFAC Southwest Public Works Utilities
and Energy Management product line coordinator.
SCE is providing design and construction services to install the wind
turbine power generation system.
"This wind turbine will be an important asset to MCLB Barstow," said Phu
Vu, NAVFAC Southwest senior program leader for the Energy Management
Team. "Not only does it expect to satisfy at least a third of the base's
brown power requirement and replace it with green power, it provides an
emergency power source during a brown out condition if this ever happens
at MCLB Barstow."
The project's scheduled completion date is November 2008.
For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command visit
www.navy.mil/local/navfachq/.
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NNS080109-09. Shipmate Contest Draws Huge Response, Enters Judging Phase
By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW/AW) Melissa F.
Weatherspoon, Commander U.S. Pacific Fleet public affairs
PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- The "What Being a Shipmate Means to Me" writing
contest to redefine the term "Shipmate" officially closed to submissions
Dec. 31 with 745 entries sent in by active-duty and Reserve Sailors,
retirees, civilians and various other friends of the Navy.
The idea of the contest, which kicked off in mid-October, evolved from a
senior leadership conference held days before in Pearl Harbor - a
conference that focused on the quality of life, professional development
and the diversity of today's Sailor.
The senior-enlisted quorum realized the traditional Navy term had lost
some of its luster and had often taken on a negative connotation. U.S.
Pacific Fleet Master Chief Tom Howard, the sponsor of the conference and
the contest, believed it was time to revive the term and give today's
Sailors a say in who they are and with whom they expect to serve. Navy
leadership counts on camaraderie, teamwork and espirit de corps among
their crews to ensure mission success, he explained, and shipmates
relying on shipmates is the backbone to such accomplishment.
"It is our responsibility to our commanders and to our Navy to listen to
our Sailors and to provide advice to Navy leadership," Howard said. "So,
we thought, who better to define 'what being a Shipmate means' than our
Sailors - our Sailors who are willing to sacrifice everything. In an
all-volunteer force, it's the personal sacrifices of today's Sailors who
make the decision every day to fight for freedom, defend our seas, and
provide humanitarian assistance to those in need."
Contest guidelines required submissions of 75 words or less and of
original, unpublished construction. In honor of the concept, the word
"Shipmate" was capitalized. Beyond the rules, however, Howard and his
fellow master chiefs, who would make up the judges panel, hoped Sailors'
words would come from the heart and breathe new life into the word's
meaning. The judges were more than pleasantly surprised.
"It was an honor to read the entries and see the heart and soul folks
poured into each and every word," Howard said. "I am thoroughly
convinced that our Sailors understand what it means to be a shipmate and
what it is the word represents. I am proud to serve in this outstanding
organization. What really surprised me, though, is that entrants were
thanking me for giving them a voice to express their thoughts on serving
in today's Navy with the finest Sailors in the world. How great is
that?"
One Sailor from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., who
entered the contest not only thanked the judges for the opportunity to
participate in the contest but also for the experience that has built
upon this hospital corpsman's development as a Sailor.
"I'd like to send my sincere gratitude to you all for taking care of
your SHIPMATES and creating an opportunity for ALL HANDS with the
writing contest," the Sailor wrote. "It's been a great experience for me
to improve my writing, to be a better Sailor, and learn more from other
veterans, and to understand more meanings of this great family of ours -
the BEST NAVY."
Another Sailor wrote in and thanked those involved with the contest, as
it offered a medium through which he could tell the story of how one
Sailor proved what it means to be a Shipmate following an IED attack
that injured a fellow service member.
"Christmas Day 2005, NMCB 133 was in Fallujah, Iraq. It was the evening
meal and a Marine (who) had been involved in an IED attack was being
helped to his table by a local national. As the Marine sat down with two
full arm casts, it was obvious he was unable to feed himself," the Navy
Storekeeper wrote. "Marines, Soldiers and Sailors alike sat in awe as he
struggled with his utensils. It was Marine Pride that wouldn't allow him
to ask for help. Now my definition of the word SHIPMATE comes next; one
of our Seabees noticed the prideful Marine and sat next to his side;
picking up the Marine's utensils he let him know it's (okay) to ask for
help, as he (proceeded to feed) him the evening meal."
The judges are currently reviewing the entries and are working toward
narrowing the field to five. Once the top five have been identified, the
Fleet will once again be looked upon to determine the new definition of
the word "Shipmate." The top five will be viewable on the Pacific Fleet
Web site,
www.cpf.navy.mil. Voting will be done via e-mail to
cpf.fleetfeedback@navy.mil.
Howard will announce the winner soon after. The winner will then be
recognized personally by Howard and Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm.
Robert F. Willard. The winning entry will also be published in All Hands
magazine and posted on
www.navy.mil as well as the U.S. Pacific Fleet
Web site.
For more news from U.S. Pacific Fleet visit
www.navy.mil/local/cpf/.
