Month: September 2022

Source: United States Navy

“What initially led me to come recruiting was potentially having the opportunity to be closer to home and learn something new,” Broussard said. “We are ultimately training our reliefs. We have a very important job as recruiters! When we return to the fleet to do our jobs, the individuals we put in the Navy will be right there with us.”

Broussard was born and raised in New Iberia. She has been stationed onboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), Naval Air Station Oceana, and Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.

“I am home. I’ve been away from home for about eight years,” Broussard said. “Being able to relate to many people here and being a familiar face is comforting to many who may have considered the Navy but are either afraid or knew nothing about the Navy.”

“Some don’t have a lot, but when they finish boot camp and come back to say ‘thank you,’ it means more than any award to me.” Broussard stated.
Broussard recently received a meritorious advancement to first class petty officer due to her performance.

“Petty officer Broussard is one of our most successful recruiters and has found success by opening up new markets during a challenging recruiting environment,” NTAG New Orleans Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Jeremy Braun, proudly noted. “She has racked up some truly amazing stats in a short amount of time and it was very rewarding for her and our command when she was selected as a Recruiter of the Quarter MAP [Meritorious Advancement Program] selectee by our region. From that day she has only increased her performance and motivated her peers to achieve.”

She is not only excelling in recruiting, she is also using her time to make a difference and spread Navy awareness throughout the community she grew up in by volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club in New Iberia.

“When I am not actively recruiting I like to spend some of my free time at the Boys and Girls Club and help out,” Broussard said. “When I was a child I was a member, and I remember the counselors being mentors and motivators that helped me develop. I spend my time there helping with activities like gardening, arts and crafts, computers and free play.”

Broussard is also looking to the future. She is half way to a Bachelor’s Degree in Management and Administration from Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

“My ultimate plan is to retire from the Navy and start a New Iberia High School’s ROTC [Reserve Officer Training Corps] program and continue to impact the upcoming youth,” Broussard said. “I owe it to both of my girls to show them that the sky is the limit and there is nothing that they cannot do.”

The Navy has given her and her family many opportunities and resources to succeed.

“The Navy has done more than what I would have ever asked for,” Broussard said. “Giving me the opportunity to learn multiple jobs, travel to places I wouldn’t have been able to, and most importantly it has given me the resources to help with my oldest daughter who was diagnosed with autism.”

She credits Navy medical coverage for all the assistance her daughter receives to include therapy once a week, and her family for helping while she is working.

“I am a single mother of two beautiful daughters,” Broussard said. “They are my motivation to always keep going no matter the circumstance. I couldn’t do everything I do without the support of my family.”

NTAG New Orleans’ role in national defense is to continue to man the Navy’s Active and Reserve components. NTAG New Orleans’ Area of Responsibility includes more than 24 Navy Recruiting and Navy Officer Recruiting stations, encompassing 91,940 square miles within Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.

Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, and 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.

For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).

Source: United States Navy

Intrinsically a command’s foundation rests on both the personal and professional dynamics of its people and how well they are balanced against a sea of challenges.

Navigating that sea requires the ability to educate command members on resources ready to keep them afloat. 

“By far the biggest challenge that ombudsmen are presented with is helping ensure that our members are connected with the tremendous diversity of services available to them before their stressors negatively affect their well-being and readiness,” said Jennifer Belding, Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) ombudsman. “Life comes with its own challenges, but when you consider the additional stressors associated with military service, it’s understandable that service members and their families may need additional resources to maintain their well-being. As an Ombudsman, my goal and responsibility is to ensure that our Sailors and their families are connected with the right resources when they need them. This Ombudsman Resource Fair is one of the ways I learn about those great resources so I can share them with our families.”

Get Real, Get Better

If the challenges Belding alludes to are countered by the armor of the Navy’s FFSC services that consist of:
-emergency situations (for example, wildfires)
-health care (for example, mental health, sexual assault, etc.)
-relocation assistance
-new parent support
-deployment services
-clinical counseling services
-financial management counseling
-family employment services
-family advocacy
-transition assistance programs,
then the attendance on the part of commanders and other key command representatives is not only understandable, but commendable at such events as knowledge is fortification.

“A commander’s support of the Ombudsman Program is necessary to ensure that our families are taken care of. By attending the Resource Fair, they showed their continued commitment to the well-being of our Sailors and families. It’s reassuring to know that they understand the scope of the plentiful resources Ombudsmen can refer families to, which can help ensure mission readiness by supporting family readiness.”

Resilience Leads to Readiness

“From what I see, there is a direct and indisputable correlation with a command’s resiliency and its readiness.  At NMCSD, our Sailors’ mission is to contribute to our warfighters’ readiness while also maintaining their own,” added Belding. “Every single service is indispensable as is every single Sailor; and, as ombudsmen, we are committed to them, their families and our civilians.”

Conversely, NMCSD patient relations representatives participated in the fair in order to broaden the horizons of other command ombudsmen as to NMCSD’s services and its commitment to delivering great health care.

The event also featured participants from the VA Benefits Office and other nonprofit organizations.

FFSCs are available to provide support via phone, telehealth, in person appointments, email, social media, webinar and command GMTs. To schedule an appointment within the San Diego area with a provider, call Centralized Scheduling at 1-866-923-6478.

To visit any of the various CNRSW FFSCs, visit: https://sandiego.navylifesw.com/programs/14b94e26-cff0-447d-8381-edca6572aa74 for locations and hours of operation.

NMCSD’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research. NMCSD employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere.

Source: United States Navy

The ceremony welcomed new NavalX Director Capt. Casey Plew, who took the reins from Capt. Benjamin Van Buskirk. Vice Adm. Frank Morley, principal military deputy to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN RDA), and Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, chief of naval research, attended the event.

“NavalX is a valuable component of ONR that inspires and empowers the naval workforce to rapidly deliver high-impact capabilities across the Department of Defense [DoD], by connecting them with stakeholders across the acquisition ecosystem and by leveraging the innovation pipeline,” said Selby. “These stakeholders include the Naval Research and Development Establishment, the Department of the Navy [DoN] and partners in industry and academia.

“It is my pleasure to welcome Capt. Plew and to say thank you and well done to Capt. Van Buskirk,” he continued. “Capt. Van Buskirk has done an outstanding job in expanding the capabilities and growing the influence of NavalX, which has proven itself as a disruptive force for good within ONR and the DoN as a whole.”

NavalX serves the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps as an innovation and agility cell, supporting and connecting initiatives across the DoD. The organization enables collaboration; accelerates the pace of discovery, learning and experimentation; and fosters the naval workforce’s capacity for innovation and agility. It gives Sailors, Marines and DoN civilians valuable tools, training and resources for solving problems and translating ideas into actionable solutions.

This allows naval organizations like ONR to better serve warfighter needs by linking individuals who promote innovative ideas with experts who can experiment with those ideas, invest in them or help turn them into something tangible for the Navy and Marine Corps.

One of NavalX’s most important methods for doing this is its Tech Bridge network, which spans 18 national and international locations. The network is designed to bridge the gap between the DoN and emerging entities like startups, small businesses, academia, nonprofits and private capital that aren’t traditionally part of the military development and acquisition process.

“Capt. Van Buskirk has done an outstanding job of taking NavalX from a start-up environment to an established organization with codified processes and procedures for innovation,” said Plew. “I look forward to building on the valuable work he’s done by using those processes to bolster innovation partnerships, find game-changing ideas and technologies, get them into requirements for acquisition, and ultimately deliver them as capabilities to warfighters.”

Prior to assuming the role of director, Plew was at NavalX supporting the transition and combining of the ASN RDA agility cell efforts with the ONR technology-acceleration cell efforts. Before that, he served as commanding officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, in Virginia.

Plew has a bachelor’s in history from Oregon State University, a master’s in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College, and a master of business administration from the Naval Postgraduate School.

He succeeds Van Buskirk, a naval aviator with extensive experience in technology innovation.

During his tenure as NavalX director, Van Buskirk oversaw impressive growth, including expanding the Tech Bridge network to 18 locations. Most recently, the London Tech Bridge celebrated its grand opening in June.

Van Buskirk also led the transition of NavalX from a small, independent organization reporting to ASN RDA to an entity under ONR’s command structure. Though still small and reporting to ASN RDA, Van Buskirk said being a part of ONR gives NavalX a budget, the ability to hire people, and access to ONR’s legal and contracting departments.

“Capt. Plew is the ideal person to scale up NavalX and grow its capabilities within the acquisition world,” said Van Buskirk. “He has two decades of experience as an acquisition professional, has been a resource sponsor, has overseen large budgets and has served as commanding officer of a warfare center. He brings a valuable perspective that will help NavalX reach the next level.”

Source: United States Navy

Capt. Eric Cole relieved Capt. John Cage as the squadron’s commodore, in a ceremony held at the base chapel.

Rear Adm. John Spencer, previous commander of Submarine Group Ten, was the guest speaker for the ceremony.

Spencer highlighted the high standards of the squadron’s staff as they supported the six Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines that comprise Squadron Twenty.

“Last year, we as a submarine force decided to take a renewed look at waterfront maintenance practices, to include making every effort to get our ship underway exactly on time,” said Spencer. “For the non-submariners that may not seem to be a big feat, but given the complexity of a submarine, the tremendously high standards we demand of every piece of equipment nearly perfect predictability in schedules is rarely obtained. But John obtained it in short order. Restoring a level of predictability in our submarines schedules that we had not achieved in nearly a decade,” said Spencer.

Cage, who was born in Idaho Falls, Indiana and raised in Jefferson City, Missouri, received his commission through the Nuclear Enlisted Commissioning Program. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics. He earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Missouri.

Cage addressed Squadron Twenty’s submarine commanding officers and thanked them for their hard work and dedication.

“We ask a lot of you in your job,” said Cage, who took command in April 2021. “We send you to sea on the oldest submarines in the Navy to execute the most important duty in our nation’s defense. It is a no-fail mission, and you execute it flawlessly.”

Cage acknowledged the staff and their work to uphold the mission of Squadron Twenty.

“Your efforts have ensured our boats were able to keep the main thing, the main thing – strategic deterrence of our adversaries,” said Cage. “Those late night calls ensured our SSBN force remained a credible defense around the clock, every day of the year. The importance of this mission remaining credible to our adversaries cannot be overstated.”

During the ceremony, Spencer awarded Cage with the Legion of Merit Award for his service as commodore.

“John, let me be the spokesman for the U.S. Navy and our nation when I say thank you for keeping us safe,” said Spencer. “I’ve been honored to serve with you and hundreds of sailors and officers have benefited from your leadership and mentorship. You should be very proud of all that you have done.”

Under his tenure, Squadron Twenty was recognized as the top performing and largest submarine squadron in the Atlantic Fleet. They supported 33 ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN) strategic deterrent patrols, two extended refit periods, and three extensive modernization refits amidst a world-wide pandemic. Squadron Twenty submarines completed multiple unprecedented overseas operations to include the first transit to the Mediterranean Sea and a port visit to Gibraltar in more than 20 years.

Cole, the incoming commodore, is a native of Carrollton, Georgia. He received his commissioning from the U.S. Naval Academy where he earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in electrical engineering. He earned a master’s degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University.

“To our SSBN commanding officers, both here and those at sea protecting each and every one of us today, you are and lead the men and women in the arena. I want you to know that everyone in this room today, everything Team Kings Bay does, is for you, your crews, and the spouses and families who support you as you carry out our nation’s highest priority mission of strategic deterrence,” said Cole who previously served as the Director of Strategic Forces at Commander, Submarine Forces, Atlantic.

Cage’s personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Navy Commendation Medal (four awards), and Navy Achievement Medal (four awards). For his next assignment, he will report to Submarine Group Ten staff.

“There is a long legacy of excellence at Squadron Twenty and your leadership of this extraordinary staff has fostered a command that not only knows how to succeed as a staff, but even better they know how to foster excellence in submarine commands on the Kings Bay waterfront,” said Cole.

Submarine Squadron Twenty is responsible for the maintenance and operations of five Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines USS Alaska (SSBN 732), USS Tennessee (SSBN 734), USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) and USS Maryland (SSBN 738) USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740).

Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is home to all east coast Ohio-class submarines.

Source: United States Navy

“Meeting CAP accreditation is required and non-negotiable,” said NMCCL’s Director of Clinical Pathology U.S. Navy Commander Reynaldo Gomez. “Receiving the accreditation shows you are excelling at laboratory medicine, using good practices and policies that are respected and anticipated in the industry.”

The CAP program is widely recognized across the globe as the gold standard in laboratory accreditation. According to their website, the organization has more than 65 years of experience, includes 18,000 board-certified pathologists, and services over 20,000 laboratories across the globe in over 100 countries.

“The results of this inspection are unprecedented for NMCCL’s lab,” said Lieutenant Commander Amanda Randles, assistant department head for the laboratory. “It is a true testament to the hard work of all of our fantastic staff.”

Laboratories accredited by CAP require strict adherence to standards and regulations. Being accredited also gives an advantage; the lab stays informed of rapidly changing techniques, policies, and regulations for the industry.

“We start at the ground level here. All our staff are expected to continuously meet the competencies set out by CAP,” explained Gomez. “We regularly perform self-inspections to ensure we are ready for the real inspections and ensure we are providing the highest level of care possible across the industry.”

The NMCCL Laboratory employs 45 active duty, civilian, and contract personnel.