Navy Announces CSADD Chapters of the Year

From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions (CSADD) 2012 Sea and Shore chapters of the year were announced by the Chief of Naval Personnel Dec. 19 in NAVADMIN 384/12.

Formally established in June 2010 by OPNAVIST 1500.80, CSADD serves as a peer-to-peer Sailor mentoring group for Sailors 18 to 25 years old. The group was created to positively influence young Sailors' behavior through resources and tools that promote good decision making.

"CSADD is an opportunity to learn, and an opportunity to share your experiences with other Sailors and help them grow - Shipmates helping shipmates," said Fleet Master Chief Scott Benning, fleet master chief for Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (MPT&E).

In the sea category, USS George Washington (CVN 73) took top honors with its selection as the CSADD Sea Chapter of the Year. In the shore category, Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center San Diego was selected as CSADD Shore Chapter of the Year.

Four chapters were honored as Region Sea Chapters of the Year, including Navy Region Mid-Atlantic - USS Enterprise (CVN 65), Navy Region Southwest - USS Peleliu (LHA 5), Navy Region Japan - USS George Washington, and Navy Region Hawaii - Patrol Squadron Nine (VP-9). USS Peleliu was selected for honorable mention as Best Sea Chapter of the Year (Large), and Patrol Squadron Nine was selected for honorable mention as Best Sea Chapter of the Year (Small).

Seven chapters were recognized as Region Shore Chapters of the Year, including Navy Region Mid-Atlantic - Naval Station Norfolk, Navy Region Southwest - Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center San Diego, Navy Region Midwest - Naval Station Great Lakes, Naval District Washington - Naval Support Activity Washington D.C., Navy Region Southeast - Navy Medicine Training Support Center (NMTSC) Fort Sam Houston, Navy Region Japan - Fleet Activities Yokosuka, and Navy Region Europe - Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

NMTSC Fort Sam Houston and Fleet Activities Yokosuka also received honorable mentions as CSADD Best Shore Chapter of the Year (Training Command) and CSADD Best Shore Chapter of the Year (Shore Installation), respectively.

Chapters selected for awards include those that placed special emphasis on the use of social media to promote their programs, as well as their ability to document through metrics the impact CSADD on command mission success. Encouraging Sailors to lead through CSADD and strong support from the command leadership team were also contributing factors towards award selection.

CSADD currently has more than 180 chapters sharing their activities via Facebook, Twitter and other communication resources.

"These award-winning chapters truly embrace the concept of 'Shipmates helping Shipmates,' and they are instilling this culture at their commands," said Benning, who has helped establish the program in 2010. "Our goal is to have a CSADD chapter in every command across the Navy. This kind of early career mentorship is what grows leaders, and the chapters recognized by these awards are paving the way for successful Sailors of our future fleet."