By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman James P. Bleyle, USS
Carl Vinson Public Affairs
CORONADO, Calif. (NNS) -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the
Navy (MCPON) Mike Stevens visited the crew of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson
(CVN 70) July 17 for an all-hands call prior to the ship's upcoming deployment.
"First and foremost, I want to thank these Sailors for
all the hard work and preparation they have invested in this deployment
already," said Stevens. "I wish them and their families all the best
and want them to know Theresa and I are thinking about them."
Carl Vinson completed pre-deployment training as part of
Carrier Strike Group 1 (CSG 1) with elements of Destroyer Squadron 1 (DESRON 1)
and Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW 17) in June. Carl Vinson is scheduled to deploy
for 10 months to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean areas.
"I believe I can speak for the Navy when I say that the
performance of the Carl Vinson and its crew, along with the support that their
families provide, has been unwavering and has allowed the United States the
ability to ensure the Navy's forward presence is always where it matters, when
it matters, as the Chief of Naval Operations often reminds us," said
Stevens.
Because of the extended time Carl Vinson and the rest of
CSG-1 will deploy, ships deploying afterwards will fall into timetables for the
Navy's new Optimized Fleet Response Plan (O-FRP), said Stevens.
O-FRP is designed to provide Sailors and their families with
more stability and predictability for when they will be at sea by standardizing
the length of deployments to eight months. The changes are intended to help
even out Sailors' home life and return a sense of normalcy to their schedules.
O-FRP comes with other benefits as well. MCPON outlined the
Navy's plan for a "high deployment allowance" to Sailors, which will
award Sailors an additional $17 a day, up to $500 a month, after 220 days
deployed. The high deployment allowance is in the pipeline for approval by the
Secretary of the Navy.
"The Navy recognizes the sacrifices that you and your
families are making," Stevens said. "This initiative shows our Sailors
and their families how much we value their commitment and sacrifice, and in
some small way this helps compensate them for their time away."
MCPON also briefed the crew on his E-Sailor initiative to
put tablets into the hands of Sailors, giving them ease of access to necessary
training and command information while also providing them with a personal
device with which to connect with family and friends.
"Smart devices are a part of our everyday culture. It's
not a thing that we can avoid," Stevens said. "I believe it's
something we have to embrace. Reliance on smart devices is increasing, and I
want to make sure the Navy is ready to adapt."
MCPON envisions equipping every Sailor in the fleet with a
smart device capable of cloud connectivity to act as a "personal
companion" that would store medical records, orders, and other important
information, as well as giving Sailors real-time updates on command activities
and planning.
"Learning about the E-Sailor initiative made me excited
for my future in the Navy. I also feel better about the deployment knowing we
are helping to set the pace for the entire fleet," said Personnel
Specialist Ernest Frame from Carl Vinson's Administration Department.
"MCPON Stevens was very personable, and I really believe he cares about
every Sailor in the fleet."
During the all hands call, Stevens also educated Sailors on
a new change coming to the fleet Sept. 1. Each commanding officer will have the
authority to authorize their unit to wear a command ball cap with the Navy Working
Uniform (NWU) Type I, II and III.
"Sailors love their ball caps. Since we implemented the
current NWU in 2009 when I was a Force Master Chief, and every time I would
come out and do fleet engagements as the MCPON, Sailors would ask me about
bringing back ball caps," Stevens said. After hearing the same message for
five years, MCPON and CNO are making the change.
Stevens made it clear he is still listening to the fleet
when he invited Carl Vinson Sailors on stage with him for questions.
"I'm here to hear from you, more than anything else,
because I'm going to go back to Washington and they're going to ask me to make
decisions that are going to impact you and your family, and I want to make sure
that those decisions are made on your behalf," said Stevens.
Questions about potential Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
changes and the need for expanded capacity of child development centers were
two concerns Sailors presented to MCPON during the open session.
One Carl Vinson Sailor received the MCPON's personal coin
after asking for career advice.
"Number one, no matter what your job is, work hard
every single day," said Stevens. "Whatever your job is, give it your
best effort every day, and do it with a smile on your face and the energy and
the passion that it deserves, because it is what the American people expect and
demand of us.
"Number two, stay out of trouble. That means doing the
right thing on and off duty. If you don't do the right thing, all of that hard
work that you've been putting into your job can just go away.
"Number three is what I consider to be the most
important thing: be a good and decent person to yourself, your shipmates, your
family and your friends. We have many programs and training in place to deal
with a lot of things that trouble our Navy, but if we were all good and decent
people, we wouldn't need those programs - good and decent people do the right
thing," said Stevens.
MCPON ended the all hands call by saying that when he looked
out into the gathered crowd of Carl Vinson Sailors, he saw family.
"And I'm not embarrassed to say that I love my
family," Stevens said. "Theresa and I love and care for all of
you."
While on board, Stevens also met with CSG-1 Commander Rear
Adm. Christopher Grady and Carl Vinson's Commanding Officer Capt. Kent Whalen.
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