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4 THE MIRROR, NS MAYPORT, Thursday, January 11, 2007 �� �������������������� ������������ ����� � ��������������������� N avy News Sailors Reminded To Update Records Regularly By Lt. Robert Johnson Navy Personnel Command Communica- tions Office Navy Personnel Command (NPC) is reminding Sailors to review their records before selection boards, using NPC’s Early Warning System that can rescue a promotion opportunity. The Early Warning System can be used one week before the selection board’s convening date. However, Sailors should be reviewing their records at least six months prior to this date. Board recorders will arrive to review the records of pro- motion-eligible Sailors one week before the selection board convenes. It’s not the responsi- bility of the recorders to inter- pret records; they only verify continuity and completeness of records. Missing officer and enlisted evaluations will be noted at https://www.npc.navy. mil/Apps/SB_Discrepancy_list/. During this timeframe, a member may visit the site and enter his or her social security number to see if a record dis- crepancy is noted. Discrepancies will be displayed along with a note giving the definition and guidance on submitting cor- rections. The servicemember is then responsible for quickly correcting these errors. While the online discrepan- cy check is a good last-minute insurance against missing items, a comprehensive record scrub six months in advance is essen- tial. “Besides being listed in instructions, it is good career management to maintain one’s record,” said Cmdr. Steve Lepp, director of Officer Career Progression, Pers-480. “With the web-based tools it is much easier to monitor and correct your record than it was in the old days of microfiche. No one has more interest in your career than you do.” Six months out, the ser- vicemember should visit the BUPERS OnLine (BOL) Web site and order their official military personnel file. Next, the performance summary record (PSR)and enlisted sum- mary record (ESR) or officer data card (ODC) should be checked and verified. Updates and corrections to these can be made by following the direc- tions on BOL. When checking records six months out service members should submit cor- rections to PERS-312. For the mailing address visit http:// www.npc.navy.mil/CareerInfo/ RecordsManagement/. If a selection board is about to convene service mem- bers must send missing infor- mation via letter to the board president. Your letter should be sent by mail or fax to the NPC Customer Service Center (CSC) https://ahdsedstws16.ahf. nmci.navy.mil/OA_HTML/npc. html. This information must be received at least one day prior to the starting date of the board. No one other than individuals being considered may submit information directly to a board. Information sent to the board will only be used during the board and will not be changed in your permanent record. Officers and enlisted mem- bers who served as individual augmentees (IA) should ensure their official records reflect this service. NAVADMIN 273/06 and NAVADMIN 300/06 give information on advancement points, Navy enlisted classifica- tions and additional qualifica- tion designations given for IA service. “Boards are giving additional consideration for personnel who serve on IA missions in support of the global war on terrorism, so it is very important that eli- gible members make sure the board knows about their accom- plishments by their records,” said Lepp. Officers and enlisted mem- bers are strongly encouraged to call the NPC Customer Service Center at 1-866-U ASK NPC (1-866-827-5672) or DSN 882- 5672 to confirm receipt of their package for statutory promotion selection boards. They may also check the Customer Service Web site online using the CSC link on the NPC homepage: https://ahdsedstws16.ahf.nmci. navy.mil/OA_HTML/jtflogin. jsp. Below is a board preparation checklist that can be used to make sure your records are up to date. BUPERS Online (https:// www.bol.navy.mil) is your main tool for board preparation and helps you to be proactive in making the most of your pro- motion opportunity. •Order Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) 4 to 6 months before board from https://www.bol.navy.mil click on “Request Record on CD” •Check your PSR and ESR or ODC on https://www.bol.navy. mil click on “ODC, OSR, PSR, ESR” •Submit missing information: - Normal circumstances: Navy Personnel Command Phone: (901) 874-3351 DSN: 882-3351 PERS 312 Fax: (901) 874- 2851 DSN: 882-2851 5720 Integrity Drive Millington, TN 38055-3120 - Prior to board convening: Signed letter to the President of the Board. The letter must reach the board at least one day prior to the starting date of the board. Correspondence through the US Postal Service (USPS) must be mailed to: Navy Personnel Command (NPC) Customer Service Center President, FY-08 (Active Duty or Reserve) (Grade) (Line or Staff) Promotion Selection Board # (Check online for board number) 5720 Integrity Drive Millington TN 38055 Correspondence through com- mercial service (FEDEX, UPS, DHL)must be mailed to: Navy Personnel Command (NPC) Customer Service Center President, FY-08 (Active Duty or Reserve) (Grade) (Line or Staff) Promotion Selection Board # (Check online for board number) 5640 Ticonderoga Loop Bldg 768 Rm E302 Millington TN 38055 •Ensure official record reflects any individual augmen- tation mission. •Check https://www.npc.navy. mil/Apps/SB_Discrepancy_list/ every day the week prior to board convening. This will note any discrepancies in your pack- age, and indicate where to sub- mit corrections. The board can- didate is the only person who can submit these corrections. USS Bataan Deploys In Support Of Maritime SecOps By MC3(SW) Joanne De Vera USS Bataan Public Affairs The multipurpose amphibious assault ship, USS Bataan (LHD 5), departed its homeport Jan. 4 as the flagship of the Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) for a regularly scheduled six-month deployment. The deployment marks the first time Bataan has deployed overseas since 2004. The Bataan ESG deployed to conduct mari- time security operations in sup- port of the ongoing rotation of forward-deployed forces. “Together with the Marines, the Bataan ESG is an ample force to show presence, agility and mobility,” said Capt. Donna Looney, Bataan Strike Group commander. “Our job during the deployment will be to respond to whatever the nation needs and the training we’ve done has prepared us.” The list of exercises and certifications the crew com- pleted last year includes ESG Integration Exercise (ESGINT), Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), and Certification Exercise (CERTEX). “We have been training for months leading up to this deployment, and I know our Sailors are ready to go,” said Capt. David Hulse, Bataan’s commanding officer. Family members and friends were on the pier to bid teary- eyed farewells and express their pride to their Sailors and Marines. “It seemed like deployment came quickly since our son, Leo, was born less than five months ago,” said the wife of Aviation Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class (AW) Jacob Wiley of Bataan’s V-4 Division. “I’m sad to see him go, but I’m very proud of my husband and every- one else aboard Bataan.” Rear Adm. Garry Hall, com- mander, ESG 2 also made a quick visit to the ship to give a message to the crew. “I just wanted to say how proud I am, and how proud the Navy is of each and every one of you,” said Hall in a message to the crew. “You are sailing into a seam of history and sail- ing to show the world how great our nation and Navy are.” Bataan is the flagship of the Bataan ESG, which is com- prised of the Bataan Strike Group and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The Bataan Strike Group includes Amphibious Squadron 2, Bataan, USS Shreveport (LPD 12), USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), USS Nitze (DDG 94), NS Mayport- based USS Underwood (FFG 36), and USS Scranton (SSN 756). The 26th MEU is based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., and is commanded by Col. Gregg Sturdevant. -Photo by MCSA Joshua Adam Nuzzo ������� ���� �������� ��� �������� ������� ���� ����������� �������� ����� ���� ������� ����� ��� ������� ��� ������ �������� ��� ����� ��� ���� �������� ��� ��� �� ������ ������ ������������ ����� ����� ������ �������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������� -Photo by Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller ���� ������� ��� ������� ���������� ������� ��� ����� ��� �������� ������� �� ��������� ���� ������� ��������� ��� ���� ������� ��� ����� ������� ��� ������ �������� ������� ���������� ������� ��� ����� ������� ����� �������������������������������������������������������������������������� Presidential Farewell By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service President Bush Jan. 5 named retired Navy Vice Adm. J. Michael McConnell as the director of national intelligence to succeed John Negroponte. Bush also nominated Negroponte, who has held the post for almost two years, to become deputy secretary of the State Department. McConnell will bring solid “experience, intellect and char- acter” to the DNI position, Bush said. He cited McConnell’s ser- vice as director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 and as the chief intel- ligence advisor to Gen. Colin Powell, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Operation Desert Storm. “Adm. McConnell has decades of experience ensuring that our military forces had the intelligence they need to fight and win wars,” the president said. He also noted McConnell’s proven ability to work with Congress and the White House. Bush said this experience will be critical for the impor- tant position he has called on McConnell to fill. As DNI, he will be responsible for deter- mining the national intelligence budget, overseeing the collec- tion and analysis of intelligence information, ensuring that intel- ligence agencies share informa- tion with each other and creat- ing common standards for intel- ligence community personnel. Negroponte, a career federal service officer returning to the State Department, praised the state of U.S. intelligence and said he’s confident McConnell will continue building on improvements already under way. The U.S. intelligence community “has embraced the challenge of functioning as a single, unified enterprise, and reaffirmed the fact that it is the best intelligence community in the world - second to none,” Negroponte said. McConnell said he’s honored for the opportunity to lead the intelligence community and rec- ognizes the importance of pro- viding “the right information to the right decision maker in the right time and format.” “Unlike just a decade ago, the threats of today and the future are moving at increasing speeds and across organizational and geographic boundaries,” he said. “This will require increased coordinated responsiveness by our community of intelligence professionals.” McConnell said he hopes to continue improving processes “to provide the needed informa- tion for tactical, operational and strategic decision making.” The president praised Negroponte for his service as the nation’s first DNI and the first U.S. ambassador to a free Iraq and called him “a superb choice” for the No. 2 State Department post. “I’m confident the United States Senate will also see the value of these two serving in crucial positions, and I would hope that they would be con- firmed as quickly as possible,” Bush said. Bush Names Retired Admiral As Director Of National Intelligence Military Housing Rates Boosted By Gerry J. Gilmore American Forces Press Service Servicemembers will receive an average 3.5 percent boost in their basic allowance for hous- ing compensation benefit in 2007, Defense Department offi- cials said Dec. 18. The planned BAH increase starting Jan. 1 works out to about $300 million more than what was paid in 2006, officials said. “The continued improvement in housing allowances repre- sents our commitment to the preservation of a compensation and benefit structure which will provide members with a suitable and secure standard of living that will sustain a trained, expe- rienced and ready force in the future,” according to Cynthia Smith, a DoD spokeswoman. Officials said military hous- ing allowances are computed according to three key criteria: median current market rent; average utilities, to include electricity, heat and water/sewer costs; and average renter’s insurance. BAH rates also are based on dwelling type and number of bedrooms in a given area and then calculated for each pay grade, both with and without family members. For servicemembers with fam- ily members, average increases in the BAH are approximately $44 per month. For example, a typical 3rd Class Petty Officer/ Corporal (E-4) will receive about $34 more in BAH than in 2006, while a Senior Chief Petty Officer/Master Sergeant (E-8) will receive about $42 more than this year. The BAH rate system has built-in protections to ensure that an individual servicemem- ber in a given location won’t see his or her BAH rate decrease. This provision assures that members who have made long- term lease or contract commit- ments are not penalized if the area’s housing costs decrease. Some areas’ housing costs have remained relatively stable, while others continue to rise. Most of the costliest housing in the United States with the highest BAH rates are clustered on or near the East and West coasts, and the state of Hawaii. For more information about military pay and benefits, visit www.dod.mil/militarypay/.
