Month: November 2023

Source: United States Navy

As Thanksgiving approaches, Navy culinary specialists (CSs) are tirelessly preparing traditional holiday favorites for Sailors deployed around the world. 

Sailor morale is a key component to mission success, but it takes on an increased significance during the holiday season. The food CSs prepare during this time of year creates a sense of familiarity among Sailors and has a positive effect on their morale.      

“Culinary specialists in our fleets never take a day off and the holidays are no exception,” said Navy Food Service Director Cmdr. Brian Bieber.

This year the Navy predicts CSs in their afloat galleys will prepare 85,195 pounds of roast turkey, 39,380 pounds of mashed potatoes, 23,650 pounds of stuffing, 17,600 pounds of sweet potatoes, 9,680 pounds of green bean casserole, 5,335 pounds of cranberry sauce, 3,960 gallons of gravy, and 8,635 assorted pies for Sailors.

Baked ham, corn, and eggnog will also be on the menu.

While Thanksgiving is a time of celebration, Sailors remain focused on the Navy’s mission.

All meals offer a variety of food options that collectively meet warfighters’ performance requirements.

The Navy’s more than 8,000 highly trained CSs play a critical role in Sailor quality of life. An important part of any deployment, CSs prepare food that sustains warfighters whether they’re deployed ashore or afloat.

NAVSUP is headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor & family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsup and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.

Source: United States Navy

 Space-based resource identification is a key factor in planning for civilian- and government-led space exploration.
 
“Hydrogen has the potential to be a resource that can be used directly on the lunar surface when there are more regular or permanent installations there,” said Dr. Katherine D. Burgess, geologist in NRL’s Materials Science and Technology Division. “Locating resources and understanding how to collect them prior to getting to the Moon is going to be incredibly valuable for space exploration.”
 
The Apollo lunar soil samples were provided by a NASA-funded research mission to NRL scientists for investigation and testing. The research team, led by scientists in NRL’s Materials Science and Technology Division, continues to study lunar surface and asteroidal samples to gain understanding of how surfaces interact with the space environment, which is known as space weathering. Previous testing from additional Apollo samples confirmed location of solar wind helium in lunar soil grains.
 
“This is the first-time scientists have demonstrated detection of hydrogen-bearing species within vesicles in lunar samples,” said Dr. Burgess. “Previously, the same team at NRL used state-of-the-art techniques such as scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy to detect helium in lunar samples, and other researchers have found water in other planetary samples, but this is the first publication to show hydrogen in-situ in lunar samples.”
 
The research article was published to the “Communications Earth & Environment” journal on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023.

 
About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory 

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C., with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, Key West, Florida, and Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.

For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.
 
 

Source: United States Navy

The strategy features seven distinct lines of effort focused on enhancing the naval services’ cyber posture in alignment with the National Defense Strategy and Department of Defense Cyber Strategy.

“This inaugural strategy builds on years of lessons learned from cyber domain operations across the globe,” said Secretary Del Toro. “We are focused on aggressively enhancing our cyber enterprise, while fostering cooperation and collaboration with our allies and partners.”

The seven lines of effort in this strategy are improve and support the cyber workforce; defend enterprise IT, data, and networks; secure Defense Critical Infrastructure and weapon systems; conduct and facilitate cyber operations; partner to secure the Defense Industrial Base; and foster cooperation and collaboration.

“Our strategy reaffirms our commitment to warfighting excellence within cyberspace,” said Chris Cleary, Department of the Navy Principal Cyber Advisor. “We are prioritizing the defense of our cyber enterprise and data while conducting and facilitating cyber operations across the globe.”

The Office of the Principal Cyber Advisor and Office of the Chief Information Officer jointly developed the strategy, ensuring it covers all facets of the Department of the Navy’s cyberspace activities.

“Achieving a competitive advantage in the cyber domain is critical to strengthening our maritime dominance” said Jane Rathbun, Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer. “The Cyber Strategy sets the DON on a course to more effectively defend our Information Ecosystem and emphasizes the importance of our cyber workforce.”

Read the full text of the Department of the Navy Cyber Strategy here: https://dvidshub.net/r/irstzr

Source: United States Navy

“An aircraft carrier port visit demonstrates the United States’ commitment to the alliance between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea,” said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander, CSG-1. “Cooperation between the U.S. and Republic of Korea navies is critical to maintaining peace and security in Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula.”

The visit to Busan demonstrates U.S. commitment to the region further enhancing relationships with ROK leaders and the local population. Additionally, the visit provides the opportunity for CSG-1 sailors and civilians to rest and recharge while being able to experience the Republic of Korea.

“Port visits by U.S. ships are routine in the Republic of Korea,” said Capt. Matthew Thomas, commanding officer, USS Carl Vinson. “We are honored to be guests, and our crew looks forward to cultural exchange, including several community relations events, alongside the people of the Republic of Korea.”

During the port visit, Vinson is scheduled to host ship tours for several U.S. and ROK dignitaries, conduct multiple key leader engagements ashore, and well participate in community outreach and sporting events. CSG-1’s visit highlights the strength of the U.S. – ROK partnership.

“We are honored to pay a port visit to the Republic of Korea, especially in a year marking the 70th Anniversary of the Armistice and the establishment of the United States-Republic of Korea alliance,” said Capt. Winston Scott, commander, Carrier Air Wing TWO. “Our sailors look forward to participating in professional engagements and community service projects while meeting and engaging with the local community of South Korea.”

Prior to the Busan port call, the CSG-1 participated in Multi-Large Deck Event and Annual Exercise 2023 in the Philippine Sea. Both exercises provided the strike group the opportunity to work and train alongside allies and partners to include the Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Philippine Navy as an observer. In order to bolster their combined warfighting readiness, participants engaged in various events comprising enhanced maritime communication tactics, anti-submarine warfare operations, air warfare operations, and replenishments-at-sea, among others.

CSG-1 is a multiplatform team of ships and aircraft, capable of carrying out a wide variety of missions around the globe from combat missions to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief response. CSG-1 is currently deployed to U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of free and open Indo-Pacific.

U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

For more news from CSG 1, visit http://www.dvidshub.net/unit/CSG1

Source: United States Navy

As part of the memo, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, then Vice CNO, was designated to oversee a Cross-functional Team (CFT) to establish standards, measures, and evaluation for QoS, beginning at HII-Newport News Shipbuilding, then scaling the learning to other parts of the Navy.

As QoS CFT lead, Franchetti convened a team of leadership from Fleet Forces Command, Chief of Naval Personnel; Bureau of Navy Medicine; Naval Sea Systems Command; Navy Installations Command; Research, Development and Acquisition; Naval Air Forces Atlantic; Command triads from USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and USS Toledo (SSN 769); with several other supporting commands to address QoS.

“Without question, Sailors are our strategic advantage and our most precious resource. Fully understanding the problems we need to solve and then prioritizing the effort to improve both quality of life and work is the nexus for this effort,” said Franchetti. “As Chief of Naval Operations, I will ensure that the Navy and all stakeholders continue to apply the necessary attention – not just through words, but also through identifiable actions – to every fleet concentration area, to ensure our Sailors have what they need to excel every day as members of our Navy Team.”

Upon her nomination to CNO, Franchetti designated Rear Adm. Scotty Gray as Quality of Service Cross-Functional Team Lead. The team’s focus is achievable wins for today and sustainable policy and processes that will have lasting impacts to improve Sailor’s lives.

“Quality of Service is important work and it takes an all of Navy effort. I can assure you that the important, necessary work is happening. Navy leadership, from the Pentagon to the waterfront are focused on getting this right,” said Admiral Gray. “Every Sailor deserves to be a part of a command that fosters climates built on trust, respect, and inclusion, and that meets their health and well-being needs inside and outside of the workplace.

The CFTs efforts focused on seven key areas all impacting Sailors in the Huntington Ingalls Industries–Newport News Shipyard: Navy culture, access to medical care and resources, opportunities for Sailors to go to sea, access to healthy food, improved living and working conditions in the shipyard, and increased connectivity and support for Sailors unable to perform normally assigned duties.

To date, the CFT, with leadership on the waterfront and in partnership with HII-NNS and the city of Newport News has:

· Ensured Sailors have access to off-ship, off-shipyard housing

· Updated housing and recreational facilities in Huntington Hall

· Guaranteed Sailors have access to healthy food options within 20 minutes of where they live and work, with 30 food options currently at HII-NNS specifically

· Reduced average wait times for routine medical appointments at HII-NNS

· Added additional primary care and women’s care at HII-NNS

· Provided free, high speed wi-fi for Sailors while on the floating accommodation facility (FAF)

· Consolidated parking and improved Sailor transportation to the shipyard

· Piloted an online CO Suggestion Box to increase communication with the dispersed shipyard workforce

“I am incredibly proud of the work our Navy has done so far to improve the Quality of Service of our Sailors, but there is still much more work to be done,” stated Gray. “This is an immense undertaking, but we’re embracing the red – understanding the root cause of our problems, aligning our standards and goals, and fixing or removing barriers along the way.

Leadership continue to lean on Sailors’ feedback for continued improvement. Sailors are encouraged to use all means available to raise QoS issues so leadership can address and elevate solutions that enhance their QoS.