CNE-CNA Fleet Master Chief Meets Ukraine's First MCPON

From Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (NNS) -- The fleet master chief (FLTCM) of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa spent two days touring facilities and meeting junior and senior Ukrainian sailors along with the recently selected first Ukrainian master chief petty officer of the navy (MCPON) in Sevastopol, Ukraine, Sept. 11.

While in Ukraine, FLTCM JoAnn Ortloff visited Ukrainian MCPON Riabtsev Serhii, toured the naval academy, spoke with Ukrainian sailors and toured the command and control Ukrainian ship Slavutich.

 "This is the first time I've had the chance to visit Ukraine and it's a true honor to meet with Ukraine's first MCPON," said Ortloff. "This trip gave me the opportunity to speak to many different Ukrainian sailors and talk about the issues they deal with every day. These sailors are very intelligent and are extremely proud to serve their nation; they asked many of the same questions our [U.S.] Sailors ask."

A highlight was meeting with 15 Ukrainian female sailors, where a myriad of topics were discussed, including the differences between the U.S and Ukrainian navies.

 "I really enjoyed the presentation," said Ukrainian Petty Officer 2nd Class Tsokur Olga. "There is a big difference between the U.S. and Ukrainian navies; the U.S Navy has more opportunities for women and I hope that our navy will, one day, have some of the same opportunities."

 Ukrainian MCPON Serhii noted that the Ukrainian fleet is young and is working hard to develop its petty officers.

 "My vision is that the petty officers be an integral part of the leadership link," said Serhii. "During my short tenure as MCPON, I'm doing the best I can to change the mindset of senior officers and Fleet Ortloff's visit is reinforcing the same things I teach daily."

 Lt. Cmdr. Gary Hunter, U.S. Naval Forces Europe's Black Sea/Eurasia maritime affairs officer, commented on the importance of Fleet Ortloff's visit.

 "The level of tasking that MCPON Serhii has been given is incredibly large," said Hunter. "Fleet Ortloff's interaction with him was been invaluable to the future development of Ukraine's petty officers."

 The final event of the trip was a visit to the command and control ship Slavutich, where Ortloff met with the ship's senior leadership and held an all-hands call with its petty officers.

 "The crew was very squared away and represented themselves and the Ukrainian navy extremely well," said Ortloff. "They had interesting questions and were very engaging."

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.

Ukrainian Sailors Tour USS Vella Gulf

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brian Glunt, Navy Public Affairs Support Element-East Detachment Europe

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (NNS) -- Ukrainian naval officers and sailors visited the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) Jan. 27 and 28, during a scheduled port visit.

This visit to Ukraine serves to continue U.S. 6th Fleet efforts to build global maritime partnerships with European nations and enhance maritime safety and security.

"We had a visit from the master chief petty officer of the Ukraine navy, Sergei Ryabstery, and about ten of his more senior chiefs," said Vella Gulf Command Master Chief Sheila Langejans. "He wanted to see how we manage our young Sailors and how we work with them to grow as leaders and more productive technicians."

After a lunch with Ukrainian and U.S. naval officers, Capt. Mark Harris, commanding officer of Vella Gulf, personally toured with Ukrainian navy Capt. Andrew Ryzhenko.

The tour continued the next day when Ukrainian sailors came aboard to view the different areas of the ship including the bridge, flight deck, mess halls and officers' quarters.

"The Ukrainian sailors seemed to have a really good time," said Ensign James Wolters. "They were really impressed with the weapons and they really thought that the six-man officers' berthings were extravagant. They all seemed very appreciative of the tour. It was a really pleasant experience."

U.S. 6th Fleet continues to collaborate with the Ukrainian navy and other global maritime partners, increasing the collective capability of the region and enhancing overall maritime domain awareness in the Black Sea.

Vella Gulf, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is conducting theater security cooperation and maritime security operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.