It is no secret that a large portion of Sailors joined the Navy as a means to see the world. As aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) continues its 22nd and final deployment, many of the men and women aboard are accomplishing that goal. However, other Sailors, still attached to Enterprise, have chosen to experience other cultures via a professional avenue different than a regularly-scheduled deployment.
It was definitely different. I got to learn exactly what security goes through, as far as dealing with detainees. It was tiring, but I had an good overall experience.” Along with learning new skill sets and seeing different parts of the world, there are also monetary incentives that go along with choosing an IA billet. Sailors can receive tax-free income and hazardous-duty pay, depending on the location of their deployment. IA Sailors are also presented with wider opportunities for advancement. For example, an IA deployment may help with award points and an auspicious evaluation. “IAs are always a great career builder,” said Fewell. “Many Sailors aboard Enterprise have taken an IA because they see it as a path toward promotion.” Contrary to popular belief, the reason behind the need for IAs has nothing to do with manning. The reason lies in the skill sets Sailors possess, skills that in many situations, are not possessed by other branches of service. “The Navy has unique skill sets that the other services either are not as proficient in, or in some cases, have done away with,” said Fewell. “For example, when I did my IA, I did it as an electronic warfare officer. At that point, the Army had done away with most of their electronic warfare discipline. So they went with the folks who had stuck with an electronic warfare program, which were the Navy (personnel).” Some Sailors take an IA billet to see how other services operate. The IA option gives Sailors an opportunity to experience a broader view of the military. “A lot of folks that come into the service may say, ‘I originally wanted to join the Army or Marines.’ By doing an IA, you get the opportunity to work with the Army, Marine Corps as well as the Air Force,” said Fewell. Although IA billets are filled for a plethora of different reasons, it is an option that many Sailors have chosen in order to broaden their horizons and experiences. It is no secret that a large portion of Sailors joined the Navy as a means to see the world. As aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) continues its 22nd and final deployment, many of the men and women aboard are accomplishing that goal. However, other Sailors, still attached to Enterprise, have chosen to experience other cultures via a professional avenue different than a regularly-scheduled deployment. The Individual Augmentee (IA) program is an option that Sailors choose to explore for many reasons, including the chance to visit locales they would not normally see while attached to an aircraft carrier. There are currently seven Enterprise Sailors on IA deployments. Big E Sailors are currently deployed to Afghanistan, Africa and . The reasons for accepting an IA assignment are as varied as the places these Sailors are temporarily stationed. “There are a number of reasons that Sailors have chosen the IA option,” said Lt. Reginald Fewell, the IA coordinator aboard Enterprise. “IAs can give them the capacity to work in a field that is unrelated to their rate. It also gives Sailors the opportunity to work with different branches.” Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Britney Epps volunteered for an IA billet in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to work with Army security forces. She was a part of a joint-forces operation to secure detainees on the base. “I was sent IA from July 2010 to September 2011,” said Epps. “Overall it was a good experience. I got the opportunity to learn new skills that I otherwise never would have had the chance to learn.” Like many Sailors who are sent IA, Epps, who was a Yeoman at the time, learned a skill set that was outside of her rate. Epps was trained in non-lethal security tactics and monitored detainees during day-to-day activities. “It was hard work,” said Epps. “We stood 14-hour watches. Story by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brian G. Reynolds Enterprise Sailors Deploy on IA Duty
Transcript
It was definitely different. I got to learn exactly what security goes through, as far as dealing with detainees. It was tiring, but I had an good overall experience.” Along with learning new skill sets and seeing different parts of the world, there are also monetary incentives that go along with choosing an IA billet. Sailors can receive tax-free income and hazardous-duty pay, depending on the location of their deployment. IA Sailors are also presented with wider opportunities for advancement. For example, an IA deployment may help with award points and an auspicious evaluation. “IAs are always a great career builder,” said Fewell. “Many
Sailors aboard Enterprise have taken an IA because they see it as a path toward promotion.” Contrary to popular belief, the reason behind the need for IAs has nothing to do with manning. The reason lies in the skill sets Sailors possess, skills that in many situations, are not possessed by other branches of service. “The Navy has unique skill sets that the other services either are not as proficient in, or in some cases, have done away with,” said Fewell. “For example, when I did my IA, I did it as an
electronic warfare officer. At that point, the Army had done away with most of their electronic warfare discipline. So they went with the folks who had stuck with an electronic warfare program, which were the Navy (personnel).” Some Sailors take an IA billet to see how other services operate. The IA option gives Sailors an opportunity to experience a broader view of the military. “A lot of folks that come into the service may say, ‘I originally wanted to join the Army or Marines.’ By doing an IA, you get the opportunity to work with the Army, Marine Corps as well as the Air Force,” said Fewell. Although IA billets are filled for a plethora of different reasons, it is an option that many Sailors have chosen in order to broaden their horizons and experiences.
May 30, 2012 Issue“We are Legend”Newsletter Edition
USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
The Shuttle
It is no secret that a large portion of Sailors joined the Navy as a means to see the world. As aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65) continues its 22nd and final deployment, many of the men and women aboard are accomplishing that goal. However, other Sailors, still attached to Enterprise, have chosen to experience other cultures via a professional avenue different than a regularly-scheduled deployment. The Individual Augmentee (IA) program is an option that Sailors choose to explore for many reasons, including the chance to visit locales they would not normally see while attached to an aircraft carrier. There are currently seven Enterprise Sailors on IA deployments. Big E Sailors are currently deployed to Afghanistan, Africa and . The reasons for accepting an IA assignment are as varied as the places these Sailors are temporarily stationed. “There are a number of reasons that Sailors have chosen the IA option,” said Lt. Reginald Fewell, the IA coordinator aboard Enterprise. “IAs can give them the capacity to work in a field that is unrelated to their rate. It also gives Sailors the opportunity to work with different branches.” Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Britney Epps volunteered for an IA billet in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to work with Army security forces. She was a part of a joint-forces operation to secure detainees on the base. “I was sent IA from July 2010 to September 2011,” said Epps. “Overall it was a good experience. I got the opportunity to learn new skills that I otherwise never would have had the chance to learn.” Like many Sailors who are sent IA, Epps, who was a Yeoman at the time, learned a skill set that was outside of her rate. Epps was trained in non-lethal security tactics and monitored detainees during day-to-day activities. “It was hard work,” said Epps. “We stood 14-hour watches.
Story by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brian G. Reynolds
Enterprise Sailors Deploy on IA Duty
Wednesday, May 30, 2012Page 2
Big E HappeningsThe Shuttle
The Shuttle is published and printed daily underway and bi-weekly in port by the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Media Department, FPO AE 09543-2810. This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Please direct all story ideas, questions and comments to MC1 (SW) Steve Smith at [email protected].
Public Affairs OfficerLt. Cmdr. Sarah T. Self-Kyler
Executive OfficerCapt. G. C. Huffman
Commanding OfficerCapt. William C. Hamilton, Jr.
EditorsMC2 (SW) Kristin L. Grover MCSN Brian G. Reynolds
The Shuttle
USS Enterprise (CVN 65)
Command Master ChiefABCM (AW/SW) Eric M. Young
Photo by MCSN Gregory White
Roman Catholic mass time changes:
starting june 2Roman Catholic mass will be conducted
In the ChapelSaturday 1600
Sunday 1230 and 1900
Photos by MC3 Britney Epps
Sailors wait for lines from the USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) to return cargo during a replenishment at sea.
Sailors tighten a line as they complete a replenishment at sea.
A Sailor transports cargo from the USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) during a replenishment at sea in the hangar bay.
Sailors heave in line from the USNS Supply (T AOE 6) during a replenishment at sea.
Sailors pull in the line from the USNS Supply (T-AOE 6) during a replenishment at sea.
Fleet Master Chief Mike Stevens, a member of the breath alcohol test implementation team, said the pilot program has no definitive standards for acceptable levels of blood alcohol content. Sailors won’t face disciplinary action during the pilot program solely because of the results of the breath alcohol test, he said. What happens if someone reports to duty with alcohol in his or her system but at a level below the legal limit for driving? “At this point, there are really no set guidelines, other than to conduct the test,” he said. Breath alcohol tests will be administered regardless of rank.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 Page 3The Shuttle
Navy Testing Some Sailors For Blood Alcohol ContentBy Kate Wiltrout, NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT NORFOLK -- About 10,000 Sailors in Hampton Roads face the prospect of breath alcohol tests while on duty this summer as part of a Navy pilot program to identify and assist those struggling with alcohol problems. Personnel assigned to 13 local commands will be randomly asked to blow into a handheld electronic device that determines blood alcohol content. Testing will be done only when Sailors are on duty, not during liberty hours. “It’s a tool for commanders to ensure the health and safety of the Sailors, and it’s also a way to identify abuse,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mike Kafka, a spokesman for Fleet Forces Command, which is overseeing the pilot project.
Advancements Skyrocket: 31 Percent Opportunity Highest in 5 YearsBy Mark D. Faram, NAVY TIMES Nearly 30,000 Sailors will put on a petty officer’s crow or add a stripe after advancements jumped 50 percent in less than six months. In all, 29,872 active-duty and full-time support sailors will move up. That’s 9,430 more than the 19,814 who advanced last fall. The overall Navy-wide advancement opportunity in all three paygrades combined is 31 percent — the first time it’s hit that level in at least the last five years, up from 20 percent last cycle and 18 percent last spring. Navy leaders had promised this uptick while making rounds to the fleet. They traveled specifically to ease deckplate concerns after last year’s enlisted retention boards, which cut 3,000 sailors. Their message was that the ERBs did their job and have resulted in an increase to both reenlistments and advancements. The purpose of the ERB was to reduce overmanning in 31 ratings. Officials said it looks like only nine ratings will remain in that problem status by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Most of those 31 ratings had been struggling to advance many Sailors in the petty officer ranks, and were experiencing very low reenlistment approvals through the Perform to Serve system. Not only has advancement increased, but officials said as many as nine out of every 10 Sailors in some ratings are getting approved to stay in. Now, as a group, the 31 ratings balanced during the ERB are advancing better than the rest of the Navy. The opportunity in those ratings is 41 percent this cycle,
compared with 26 percent when calculating opportunity for the rest of the ranks. “Force management is not easy, and the decisions we’ve had to make over the last couple years have been agonizing,” said Rear Adm. Tony Kurta, head of manpower plans for the chief of naval personnel. “This is a sign our force is returning to the balance we want, and with that comes a return to more historic norms in advancement, too.” Kurta didn’t say exactly what the “historic norms” were, but said that based on their current projections, these levels of advancement should be sustainable next cycle and beyond, barring any new force cuts. “Achieving balance across the force and having a steady end strength is key to healthy advancement,” he said. “I can’t promise exactly these levels, but I think we are in the ballpark from what we see now.” Kurta said that on each cycle, planners look to at least the next one to three cycles to ensure they’re not advancing too many or too few in each rating. But they also try to ensure all ratings have at least some advancement. As a result, musicians trying to make E-6 were the only rating and paygrade combination who didn’t advance any of their 57 eligible candidates. As an overall community, the Seabees continue to struggle with advancement this cycle. This is mainly because the construction force is still looking at force cuts in the next couple of years before it evens out with the rest of the Navy, Kurta said.
Testing started last week and lasts through September. But the program isn’t just about measuring blood alcohol levels - it’s also about figuring out how to best administer the tests and develop guidelines for their use. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced in March that the Navy would use breath alcohol testers to find personnel needing counseling or treatment for excessive drinking. “Sailors who drink excessively or too late the night before and report to duty can place themselves, their shipmates and equipment at risk,” Mabus said during a visit to the Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship Bataan in March.
In The News
Wednesday, May 30, 2012The ShuttlePage 4
Big E Entertainment
ACROSS1. Cicatrices6. Spindle10. Utilized14. Bay window15. 64 in Roman numerals16. Roman emperor17. Not true18. Assistant
19. Trade20. Self-denial22. At one time (archaic)23. Deep-dish or meringue24. Brusque26. Anagram of “Steals”30. Flat floating vessels32. Change33. Unwillingness
37. Oversupply38. Rope fiber39. Winglike40. Reasoning42. Platform43. Flax fabric44. Cheddar or edam45. Napped47. Craggy peak48. Flower stalk49. Tasteless56. Interlaced57. Person, place or thing58. Unexpired59. Ends a prayer60. Cocoyam61. Habituate62. Kiln-dried grain63. Lascivious look64. A tart fruit
DOWN 1. Couch2. Fourth sign of the zodiac3. Afflicts4. A musical pause5. Roomette6. Winged7. 22 in Roman numerals8. Adriatic resort
