CNP: Sea Duty to bring more Money and Opportunity for Sailors

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Elliott Fabrizio, Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

NORFOLK (NNS) -- The Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) and Fleet Master Chief April Beldo, Moran's senior enlisted advisor, addressed Sailors and answered questions at the Association of the United States Navy's 1st Annual Career Development Symposium (AUSN), April 23 in Norfolk, Va.

Vice Adm. Bill Moran, CNP, spoke about the importance of sea duty, upcoming advancement changes and stressed the need for Sailors to look out for one another.

"Post Iraq and Afghanistan, our Navy will continue to be out forward-where we need to be, when it matters," said Moran. "A key part of making sure those ships and units are ready will be their manning."

Moran told the audience that his office remains focused on filling critical gaps at sea and that the Navy has reduced those gaps by approximately 50 percent in the last two years.

"We are working hard to demonstrate how we value service at sea-not just talking about it," said Moran. "Improving at-sea manning, reducing 'cross decks', paying Sailors more for going and staying at sea are all tangible examples of our commitment."

In addition to the Career Sea Pay (CSP) increase, which takes effect on May 1, Moran said that the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and he are working to institute an additional allowance for Sailors deployed longer than 190 days.

"Your leadership wants to reward you for the sacrifices you and your families make during the longer and tougher deployments that we expect for the foreseeable future," Moran told the roughly 150 Sailors in the audience.

Responding to questions, CNP and Fleet discussed the latest news on advancements and retention. Moran said upcoming changes to the Final Multiple Score, expected to be announced next month, will increase the focus on performance and the opportunities for Sailors excelling in their job.

"The best chances our Sailors have to advance and succeed are at sea--the changes we have in the works for the Final Multiple Score and for CAP (Command Advancement Program) are intended to recognize performance and further incentivize sea duty."

CNP closed by reminding Sailors about the importance of looking out for each other and using bystander intervention to prevent suicide, sexual assault and destructive decisions.

"If we can't trust each other as 'Shipmates', we are in real trouble," said Moran. "If we are going to continue to be successful as a Navy, we have to be able to rely on each other-up and down the chain of command."