MCPON Bluf 02 09
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This document provides updates on various Navy issues and programs. It begins by stressing safety during the summer season and encourages sharing best practices. It then summarizes changes to the Navy uniform policy and expansion of the Perform to Serve program. Other sections discuss a summer safety campaign, banning of urinalysis-defeating products, a sexual assault study survey, support for individual augmentees and their families, and retention bonuses. The overall purpose is to share important information with Navy personnel.
MCPON Bluf 02 09
- 1. Bottom Line: Up Front 02-09 This document is for information purposes and is designed to ensure that all personnel are aware of the many issues/changes that occur in our Navy. Although not inclusive, it is a great venue to share our best practices. If you have information, programs or best practices that you would like to share Navy-wide, send them via your applicable ISIC or Force Master Chief for inclusion. Thanks for your support and feedback. MCPON RECOMMENDS: Navy For Moms: www.navyformoms.com See page 7 for more links of interest Welcome to this edition of “Bottom Line: Up Front.” A couple items I want to pass before you dig in. First and foremost: safety. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Summer is here and that means potential for risk. Minimize the 2 What’s Hot chances and look every one of your Sailors in the eye, and make sure they understand the common-sense approach to travel, 2 Navy Uniform Board and liberty or every day activity. Uniform Updates I want to stress again that we need your input. If you have issues 3 PTS Expansion that you feel should be addressed in this newsletter, send them to 3 Summer Safety me. We can use them here, or we can put them on the website in the “Word to the Warriors” section. 4 Urinalysis Defeating Product Ban Speaking of the website, I encourage you to take a look and make 4 Sexual Assault Studies use of it (http://www.navy.mil/mcpon/index.asp). We’ve put a lot of thought into what is on that site and I believe every link and 5 Support to Individual every section is of great value. Augmentees and IA Family Members How are you preserving Heritage on the decklates? We’ve been 5 SRB Levels sending out a regular rhythm of “Block 39s”. If you’ve missed any, contact MCCS Houlihan at William.houlihan@Navy.mil. I just 6 Military Community & Family Policy attended the Battle of Midway commemoration here in DC and it was awe-inspiring. It was tough getting Sailors there from the 7 H1N1 Guidance Pentagon and other NDW commands, but we did and they will never forget it. 7 Links of Interest HOOYAH Shipmates. Rick
- 2. Page 2 Bottom Line: Up Front What’s Hot Brand new Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Control (DAPA) instruction (OPNAV 5350.4D) has been released by the CNO and has been forwarded to your Fleet and Force Master Chiefs. A few highlights: --We’re going to start a campaign aimed at increasing the awareness of our Sailors and it’s going to begin at Great Lakes. --Other commands are getting creative in how they use this month as a springboard for Summer Safety and Drinking Responsibly. --The instruction places specific responsibility on a Sailor’s shipmates. “All members must be aware of the warning signs of alcohol abuse.” You can read and download the instruction here: http://alturl.com/auzi Navy Uniform Board and Uniform Updates BLUF: I’m seeing more and more of the NWU wherever I go and the feedback from Sailors has been completely positive. I expect CMCs to be leading the way in this effort, wearing the uniform and demonstrating the right way to do it. NAVADMIN 149/09 announces the CNO’s approved uniform policy changes proposed by the 26 MARCH 2009 Navy uniform board, changes to the planned phased fleet availability of the Navy Working Uniform (NWU) and also clarifies which commands will continue to wear the CCU as their daily working uniform. Important to note that all changes recommended by the uniform board came about as a result of fleet input. Stay engaged with your Force or Fleet Master Chiefs if you have further suggestions. For more information on uniforms and uniform policy, visit the Navy uniform matters website at: www.npc.navy.mil/commandsupport/usnavyuniforms
- 3. Bottom Line: Up Front Page 3 Perform to Serve Expansion BLUF: There is no excuse for any Chief Petty Officer in our Navy not to be fully up to speed on PTS. It affects thousands of our Sailors. This is a significant piece of news that each of you must be ready to address on the deckplate. The Chief of Naval Personnel announced plans to expand the Navy's Perform to Serve (PTS) program to include all Sailors, E-6 and below, with 14 years or less of service, beginning June 1 as described in NAVADMIN 161/09. The NAVADMIN expands PTS to include Zone C Sailors with 10 to 14 years of service. Therefore, all E-6 and below Zone C Sailors with an End of Active Obligated Service (EAOS) date on or after Feb. 1, 2010 must submit a PTS application regardless of their reenlistment intentions. However, Zone C Sailors selected for or already advanced to chief petty officer are exempt. Summer Safety Campaign BLUF: Don’t take a successful holiday weekend for granted. Every day, before our Sailors secure, I expect a Chief or a First Class to be looking them in the eye and talking Safety. The summer season kicked off with Memorial Day weekend and the Naval Safety Center (NSC) is making a huge amount of resources available to commands so you can tailor your individual 2009 safety campaigns. NSC's new campaign provides tools such as presentations, articles, videos and interactive discussion aids to promote the type of risk management that will allow Sailors to enjoy these activities successfully. Campaign materials can be found at www.safetycenter.navy.mil/seasonal/summer09/index.asp.
- 4. Page 4 Bottom Line: Up Front Prohibition on Possession of Urinalysis-Defeating Products BLUF: Our Navy has reached a manning level where we aren’t making significant personnel cuts anymore. However, a drug abuser is gone. Now a masking agent is as hazardous to a Sailor’s career as the drug itself. Get this word out. Illegal drug use remains a serious threat to Navy Manpower and Readiness and our policy remains one of zero tolerance. Effective immediately, purchase, possession, introduction, distribution or use of any product or device of any kind that are used, intended for use or designed for use, in masking substituting, diluting, flushing, altering, modifying or adulterating urine for the purpose of circumventing a urinalysis test are prohibited. For more information please see NAVADMIN 133/09 Sexual Assault Study BLUF: Get this survey in front of your Sailors. We can’t fix a problem like this unless we know the extent to which it exists. Unfortunately, we probably don’t know a great number of the cases that occur out there. ALNAV 036/09 - The Naval Inspector General (NAVINSGEN) and the Deputy Navy Inspector General for Marine Corps Matters (IGMC) are conducting a Sexual Assault Study (SAS), assessing the functionality and effectiveness of the Navy’s Sexual Assault Victim Intervention (SAVI) and the Marine Corps Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) programs. As part of this study, NAVINSGEN/IGMC will employ an online survey. Its successful employment is highly dependent on maximum participation of as many Sailors and Marines as possible throughout the Fleet. This survey is confidential and anonymous and will be available for participation through September 30, 2009. The survey can be accessed at: www.ig.navy.mil/sastudy.htm
- 5. Bottom Line: Up Front Page 5 Support to Individual Augmentees and IA Family Members BLUF: Command support of our men and women who accept orders as an IA is as important as ever. That support includes the families who stay behind or temporarily move elsewhere to be with loved ones. Every IA in the Navy will have a Command IA Coordinator (CIAC) assigned to them by name and that assignment will be entered into the Navy family accountability and assessment system (NFAAS). Commands are directed to ensure that CIAC programs are established and that required documentation is completed in NFAAS. Command or CIACS in need of assistance with updating NFAAS or obtaining additional CIAC training should contact the NFAAS helpdesk at (866) 946-9183 or (619) 553-8167 or email nfaas@spawar.navy.mil SRB Levels BLUF: Stress to your Sailors that SRB is not going away. We are working hard to ensure that Sailors who are eligible to re-enlist with SRB’s in FY10 are able to do so. The SRB program in conjunction with other initiatives, has performed as designed and the Navy is on track to meet or exceed many of the FY-09 retention goals, including the most historically hard to fill areas. The Navy is temporarily suspending the SRB Program and the acceptance of any new requests for the remainder of this fiscal year. These changes are effective immediately. For more information please see NAVADMIN 176/09.
- 6. Page 6 Bottom Line: Up Front Military Community & Family Policy The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for programs and policies which establish and support community quality of life programs on military installations for service members and their families worldwide. BLUF: We’re going to try to push information from this office to you via each edition of Bottom Line: Up Front. As you can see below the word they pass is valuable to the entire Fleet as well as our families. Survey Shows a Downward Trend in Financial Comfort: A recent Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) survey shows an overall downward trend in financial comfort and the ability to make ends meets throughout the Total Force. The recent trend shows that more Service Members are finding it tough to make ends meet or are in over their heads. The percentage of AD indicating they are financially comfortable decreased between 2006 and 2008 from 66% to 61%. Keep financial counseling at the forefront. It needs to be a priority at every level. Thrift Saving Plan Participation: As of March 2009, overall active duty TSP participation was 34.8%. Participation by the individual Military Services was as follows: Navy - 52.2%, Marine Corps - 37.4%, Air Force - 34.3%, and Army - 23.6%. The TSP is a federally sponsored retirement savings and investment plan designed to provide additional retirement income for Service members. The TSP offers the same type of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer employees under 401(k) plans. Military Community & Family Policy Fact Sheets: Important MC&FP fact sheets are now publically available through Military HOMEFRONT. They provide a concise description of MC&FP resources and programs, including websites, toolkits and initiatives. Fact sheets provide a brief synopsis of the resource or program, as well as eligibility and availability information. Fact sheets can be found at: http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/sp Military OneSource Military OneSource now has fatherhood resources such as an interactive CD ROM, “When Duct Tape Won’t Work” and Daddy Packs, packaged bundles filled with information every dad needs to know, such as brochures on work-family balance, helping children succeed in school and an interactive fathering CD ROM. For more information please visit: http://www.defenselink.mil/prhome/mcfp.html
- 7. Bottom Line: Up Front Page 7 Surgeon General of the Navy Guidance in Response to H1N1 Outbreaks BLUF: Just like the rest of the country, our families are concerned about this issue. Make sure they have all the necessary information by following the links below. In ALNAV 034/09 steps are given to protect ourselves, our families and our coworkers from the H1N1 influenza strain. Guidance is provided to ensure we take the proper actions to protect our personnel and their loved ones against this current threat. Force health protection is everyone’s responsibility. Additional information may be found at: http://fhp.osd.mil/aiwatchboard/pdf/flu_trifold_jan2007.pdf http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/guide.pdf BUMED H1N1 information portal has additional information and may be accessed on DKO at: https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/610237 Useful Links On the front page I mentioned www.navyformoms.com. Push this to your Sailors and their families. It’s a tremendous support network for the loved ones of our men and women in uniform, especially during deployments. Link Magazine: http://www.npc.navy.mil/ReferenceLibrary/Publications/LinkOnline/ Navy Safety Center: http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/index.asp Navy Wife Radio: http://www.navywiferadio.com/ IA Screening Checklist: http://www.ecrc.navy.mil/1/idc_predeploy/newchecklist2.htm NMCRS: http://www.nmcrs.org/ Defense Link: http://www.defenselink.mil/ Navy News Twitter: http://twitter.com/NavyNews Shift Colors: http://www.npc.navy.mil/ReferenceLibrary/Publications/ShiftColors/