99 ANAers!!  Please pass to ALL HANDS 

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the anniversary of our victory in the Battle of Midway in June 1942.  It is a time of reflection, of thanks and prayers for many, many profoundly dedicated and brave men who turned the tide of the war in the Pacific. 

The first two articles speak to the Battle of Midway; a number of news articles follow. 

Best regards to all!! 

Dutch Rauch

A product of... Navy Office of Information www.navy.mil 703.697.5342 May 21, 2008

Battle of Midway 66^th Anniversary – June 4-7 1942

"They had no right to win. Yet they did, and in doing so they changed the course of a war ... Even against the greatest of odds, there is something in the human spirit -- a magic blend of skill, faith and valor -- that can lift men from certain defeat to incredible victory."

-- Walter Lord, author, from Battle of Midway inscription on World War II Memorial, Washington, DC.

Each year the Navy commemorates the nation’s victory at the Battle of Midway – a victory which not only turned the tide of the war in the Pacific, but also marked the dawn of the U.S. Navy’s global prominence and the coming of age of carrier aviation. For more on events leading up to and including the historic battle, visit www.navy.mil/midway/

Midway’s Place in History

            • America needed to win – just six months after the attack at Pearl Harbor, Midway stood between our enemies and Hawaii, home of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The Japanese were poised to press their advantage, intent on destroying the Pacific Fleet and threatening the west coast of the United States.

            • Midway was a dramatic victory against a greater force. Facing Japan’s 11 battleships and four carriers, the U.S. came to the fight with no battleships and just three carriers…Enterprise, Hornet and Yorktown.

• During the battle, Japan lost four carriers, a heavy cruiser, three destroyers, and some 291 planes. The U.S. lost the Yorktown, a destroyer and 145 planes. Japan’s losses, both at Midway and at Coral Sea, did much to restore the balance of naval power in the Pacific, and Japan was never able to recover from the loss of many of her best aviators during the two battles. For more information, please visit http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=36401

Carrier Aviation Today

                        • More than half of the nation’s 11 aircraft carriers are currently deployed: USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).

                        • Navy and Marine Corps aircraft flying from the decks of aircraft carriers, often conducting missions hundreds of miles inland, continue to provide critical support to troops on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.

                        • Aircraft carriers are an important element of the nation’s Maritime Strategy – from the Middle East to South America to the Mediterranean to the Western Pacific, carriers and their embarked air wings are building confidence and trust among nations through collective security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests in an open, multipolar world.

                        • The deployment of aircraft carriers to troubled regions sends a strong message of support to our friends and dispels in no uncertain terms any question by potential adversaries about our resolve.

Key Messages

Facts & Figures

                        • The lessons of the Battle of Midway endure – we are a maritime nation, and our security will always be tied to the sea.

                        • Aircraft carriers and carrier strike groups continue to be the centerpieces of our ability to project power.

                        • Aircraft carriers also play a key role in our nation’s ability to project the compassion of our citizens – carrier strike groups support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, participate in cooperative exercises, and help build strategic relationships.

                        • USS Harry S. Truman launched 2,577 sorties totaling nearly 13,000 flight hours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during the ship’s current deployment.

                        • USS Nimitz has been deployed 10 of the past 14 months.

Battle of Midway Commemoration
The U.S. Navy will observe the 66th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, which took place on June 4, 1942. The battle was one of the greatest naval victories in our nation's history.

The commemoration will take place from June 2-8, 2008. For more information the Battle of Midway, including instructional materials, visit the Naval Historical Center website and the U.S. Navy's Course to Midway webpage. The Naval Support Activity in Washington also maintains a database of Midway veterans. Commands wishing to include Midway survivors in their ceremonies call (202) 433-2607/DSN 288-2607.

Navy, Air Force Showcasing Capabilities

(KUAM NEWS (GUAM) 28 MAY 08) ... Mindy Aguom

Joint training exercises are being conducted by the Navy and Air Force off the coastline of Guam. According to officials from Andersen Air Force Base, the 96th Expeditionary Bomber Squadron and the aircrew of Carrier Air Wing-11 of the USS Nimitz are participating in the joint venture to enhance weapons delivery and intercept capabilities.

More Sailors Will Join New Rating In October

(NAVY TIMES 02 JUN 08) ... Mark D. Faram

It’s official: All enlisted aircrew will fall under one general rating — and five subratings — after the consolidation effort wraps up in 2009.

Final approval has been given to merge all 1,600 active and 550 full-time support fixed-wing aircrewmen into the AW consolidated rating, where they will join their 2,800 helicopter aircrew counterparts on Oct. 1 of this year.

The new rating will be labeled “naval aircrewman” but still will be abbreviated “AW” despite the fact that its members no longer will be referred to as aviation warfare systems operators. Sailors will continue to wear the AW insignia.

All E-6 through E-9 selected reservists will convert to the rating Oct. 1. E-5 and below drilling reservists and those in the Individual Ready Reserve will convert April 1, 2009, completing the process.

“Really [no other abbreviation] was available,” said Mike Otten, the avionics and aircrew enlisted community manager for Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn. “AC would have made sense, but that’s already taken.”

The move finishes a process that began in 2005, when all helicopter enlisted aircrew were moved from the nine aviation source ratings into AW. At the time, the fixed-wing sailors were left out as officials discussed how best to complete the merger.

“Now they’ll all be in the AW rating, but everyone will fall into one of five service ratings,” Otten said.

The aircrew qualification pin will continue to be worn by sailors, but it soon could become a full-fledged warfare pin, similar to the enlisted surface warfare pin, for AW sailors.

A proposal is working its way through the system that would create a complete warfare program along the lines of the Expeditionary Warfare Specialist program. Approved in 2006, the qualification that sailors complete is directly related to their job.

For example, a P-3 Orion flight engineer would do a separate warfare qualification course than a helicopter anti-submarine warfare sailor. Though officials are optimistic this will become part of the AW career path, it is not a done deal.

The reason for the five subratings, Otten said, was to better manage the community, detail sailors into the correct job for their requisite skills, and make sure they are tested and advanced based on those skills.

The move will be automatic for E-6 sailors and below. Those who do not wish to stay aircrew must say so in writing and will be kept in a flying status until they transfer, when they will then fall under their old source rating detailer.

It’s a little different for chiefs and up. They will be required to notify their detailers of their intention to stay aircrew or revert to their source rating by Oct. 1.

All of those who opt out of the merger will still be allowed to wear their aircrew qualification pin — but they’ll have to pay back a prorated portion of any re-enlistment bonus they received based on an aircrew NEC.

Those who convert will be allowed to wear their source rating badges until their next advancement or two years from their conversion date. The lower paygrades in the rating will be wide open, and there’s opportunity for nonaircrew sailors to convert into the rating, officials say.

“We’re a little undermanned in the lower paygrades but slightly overmanned in the khaki grades,” Otten said. “We won’t know the full extent of that until we complete the merger and all the khaki state their intentions.”

This fall’s petty officer exams for sailors in the old source ratings will be separate and will be merged by next spring. For those going up for E-7, the first combined chiefs’ exam will be early next year.

All of next year’s active and reserve E-8 and E-9 selection boards also will be merged.

Ratings and NECs

Sailors in the new naval aircrewman rating (AW) will be assigned a subrating based on their naval enlisted classifications. How those NECs will translate:

* AWR (naval aircrewman tac-helicopter): 7873, H-60B; 7876, H-60F; 7875, H-60R.

* AWS (naval aircrewman tac-helicopter): 7805, H-60S; 7807, HH-60H utility; 7815, SAR; 7885 H-53 utility; 7886, H-53 AMCM.

* AWO (naval aircrewman operator): 7835, TSC operator; 7841, P-3 acoustic; 7861, P-3 nonacoustic.

* AWF (naval aircrewman mechanical): 8206, C-130 mech; 8208, C-130 2nd LM; 8209, C-40 crew chief; 8220, C-130 LM; 8227, E-6B reel operator; 8235, E-6B FE; 8241, C-12 utility; 8245, C-20 crew chief; 8250, C-9 crew chief; 8251, P-3 FE; 8252, C-130 FE; 8278, C-130 LM; 8279, C-2 LM; 8289, TSS head.

From AirForceMagazine OnLine

The Last Mission At Sea For Vikings

(FLORIDA TIMES-UNION 28 MAY 08) ... Timothy J. Gibbons

The little boy hadn't been walking the last time he saw his dad, about two months ago. Since then, Lt. Chris Pedersen had been deployed on the very last sea-based mission of the Viking squadron.

"It was pretty cool to see," Pedersen said about his son's new mobility. "There's been a few changes since February."

Most of the pilots in the Jacksonville-based squadron came home Wednesday, flying in from the USS George Washington with a stop in San Diego. Two of the six aircraft are scheduled to come in today, after mechanical issues with the jets led to the crews having to stay overnight in Houston.

Later this week, the almost 200 mechanics and other support crew for the squadron will return to Jacksonville Naval Air Station.

The mission was the final at-sea deployment for a Viking squadron and the last time such a squadron flies into Jacksonville NAS from a carrier. The Navy is replacing the jets with other aircraft and will deactivate the squadron in December.

That impending deactivation made Wednesday's homecoming bittersweet, several of the pilots said.

From AFA OnLine

Truman Strike Group Set To Return To Norfolk On Wednesday

(NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT 31 MAY 08) ... Jim Washington

NORFOLK -- The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman strike group is set to return to Norfolk Naval Station on Wednesday, June 4, according to Cmdr. Herman Phillips of the Navy’s 2nd Fleet public affairs office.

US Carrier Cruises Gulf On Iraq Mission

(THE NATIONAL (UAE) 01 JUN 08) ... Mazen Mahdi

ON BOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, ARABIAN GULF - In May 2003, George W Bush, the US president, in an historic appearance on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, announced to the world that the United States and its allies had won the war against Saddam Hussein and that “major combat operations” in Iraq were over.

“In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed,” Mr Bush said in that address as he stood in front of a huge banner that read “Mission Accomplished”.

“Now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country,” he had said.

Five years on, as Mr Bush’s second presidential term winds down, the USS Abraham Lincoln – which helped support the initial invasion against Saddam in March 2003 – is back in the Gulf to support military operations in Iraq.

While the war in Iraq – along with the “war on terrorism” – has overshadowed Mr Bush’s legacy and is at the heart of the presidential race, those on board the USS Abraham Lincoln have other issues on their minds: completing the second part of the mission Mr Bush set in his May 2003 speech.

Capt Patrick Hall, commanding officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln, said in an interview at the carrier bridge outside which the “Mission Accomplished” banner hung during Mr Bush’s speech, that the first part of the Iraq mission had been accomplished.

“Everyone interpreted the banner as mission accomplished in Iraq, but the ship had just completed a 10-month deployment instead of the regular six-month deployment so they wanted to put something up to show that their mission was accomplished,” Capt Hall said.

The banner – although taken out of its original intended context, according to the US navy – continues to hold merit, Capt Hall said.

“That part of the mission was accomplished, but we still have a lot of work to do in Iraq. It’s not just the war-fighting part, we all have seen massive improvements and the level of violence has decreased significantly,” said Capt Hall, who has served several missions in the region over the past few years.

The improvements are not limited to Iraq, he said, adding that the effect of US and coalition efforts have also had a role in improving the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, which deployed in March, entered the Gulf on April 28 and is carrying out reconnaissance and air support missions over Iraq in addition to supporting maritime security operations for the coalition in the Gulf.

The mainly young crew of about 5,000 sailors serving on board the USS Abraham Lincoln see their role as helping the military as well as the people in the region.

“I think the navy is making a positive impact,” said Al Jordan Macaraeg, a 20-year-old seaman, from Vallejo, CA, who joined the navy a year ago following in his father’s footsteps. “Basically we are trying to help others in different and difficult situations that are happening around the world.”

Avondine Hill, 25, a quartermaster who has been married for three years and is on his second deployment, said being away from loved ones for long periods of time is difficult.

From CHINFO - 

A product of... Navy Office of Information www.navy.mil 703.697.5342 May 28, 2008

Electronic Warfare – E/A-18G Growler

“The E/A-18G Growler is an extraordinary aircraft and is in a class by itself – combining Airborne Electronic Attack with the newest technologies that belong to the Super Hornet Block II. As we have seen in OEF and OIF, naval aviation brings revolutionary capabilities to the fight and demonstrates again and again the enduring criticality of naval air power. Growler's crews will employ the fantastic capabilities of this aircraft to protect our troops and engage our enemies.”

--Rear Adm. Al Myers, Director, Air Warfare

E/A-18G

                        • On June 3, 2008, the first E/A-18G Growler test aircraft will be delivered on cost and ahead of schedule to the fleet at NAS Whidbey Island, marking a new chapter in the evolution of Tactical Aviation Electronic Attack. G-4, the fourth production aircraft, will be used to certify VAQ-129, the Growler Fleet Replacement Squadron, safe for flight later this summer.

E/A-18G Design and Genesis:

                        • After conducting an Analysis of Alternatives in 2001, the Navy selected the E/A-18G to replace the E/A-6B Prowler and assume the Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) mission. The Growler is a carrier-based, electronic warfare version of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. With its vast array of sensors and weapons, the E/A-18G provides the warfighter with a lethal and survivable weapons system to counter current and emerging threats. The first E/A-18G test aircraft went into production in October 2004 with its first flight in August 2006.

Sound Acquisition Strategy:

                        • The fusion of a next generation fighter-attack aircraft with the most advanced Electronic Attack systems not only yields tremendous benefits to the warfighter, it has also reduced overall program risk. The E/A-18G capitalizes on the Super Hornet Block II as the basic weapon system and platform and the E/A-6B’s Improved Capability III (ICAP III) system as the starting point for the further evolution of its AEA system, which has both surveillance and attack capabilities.

                        • The program also adopted a Total Force Team concept that combines the efforts and expertise of government, industry, acquisition, and operational personnel. Such enhancements have resulted in a program that is ahead of schedule, on cost, and meeting every developmental milestone. This provides the Navy the ability to deliver unprecedented Tactical Aviation Electronic Attack quickly and effectively. The Growler will ensure the Navy continues to lead Joint and Coalition Forces in this critical mission area.

Key Messages

Facts & Figures

                        • The Growler delivers next generation electronic warfare capabilities by combining AEA with the advancements of Super Hornet Block II.

                        • The Growler is on cost, ahead of schedule and meeting or exceeding all performance requirements. Fleet delivery is scheduled for June 3, 2008 with the first squadron transition in January 2009.

                        • The E/A-18G’s current and next generation capabilities combined within an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)-enabled, front-line strike fighter will provide joint and coalition commanders unparalleled mission flexibility.

                        • The System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract is now 92 percent complete with all aeromechanical testing concluded.

                        • Milestone C was approved July 18, 2007, followed by a contract award of 8 LRIP I EA-18Gs AEA kits.

                        • LRIP II was authorized on May 8, 2008 for an additional 18 AEA kits with a Full Rate Production decision planned for April 2009.

                        • The Navy currently plans to purchase 85 Growlers.

A product of... Navy Office of Information www.chinfo.navy.mil www.navy.mil 703.697.5342 February 27, 2008

Navy Aviation Plan 2030

“This plan provides the investment strategy for the long range Navy Aviation recapitalization and modernization needed to support the tenets of the Maritime Strategy.”

-- Rear Adm. Al Myers, Director, Air Warfare Division

Navy Aviation Plan (NAvPlan) 2030 provides for aviation capability in support of the Maritime Strategy and provides an adaptable, versatile force for the future.

Origins and goals of Navy Aviation Plan 2030

The plan was developed in a year-long analysis of the aviation portfolio. The primary goal was to create stability in the aviation portfolio, similar to the goal in Navy shipbuilding. The analysis provided insight into:

                        • Risks in the warfighting requirements – where the Navy can and cannot compromise across capability and capacity in each aircraft type, model and series.

                        • Risks associated with investments in future programs in light of the emerging threats across the globe. Through rigorous analysis, an inventory objective of 2,813 aircraft was derived to provide the minimum essential force structure to meet future warfighting requirements.

• NAvPlan 2030 delivers the minimum essential Force Structure required, at the least cost that meets our War Fighting redlines. The plan is relevant and provides an effective deterrent that supports the tenets of the Navy’s Maritime Strategy.

Highlights of the Navy Aviation Plan 2030

The plan, a wing-to-wing view of each of the aviation community’s requirements, follows CNO guidance and supports the Maritime Strategy:

                        • Roadmaps for the four major airframe categories (tactical aircraft, maritime patrol and reconnaissance, helicopters and training and logistics aircraft) – the NAvPlan 2030 calls for a 2,813 Navy aircraft inventory objective.

                        • Provisions for aircraft, systems and weapons improvements to maintain survivability and capability.

                        • Delivery of 10 Carrier Air Wings and associated capability.

                        • Maintaining joint interoperability.

                        • Mitigation of a significant USN Strike Fighter shortfall commencing in 2016.

                        • Meeting the requirements of continued global presence and the Fleet Response Plan.

• The NAvPlan 2030 Roadmaps will be expanded to include the tactical DoN UAVs.

Key Messages

Facts & Figures

                        • Naval aviation is at a crossroads. Recapitalization as planned in the NAvPlan 2030 is imperative to the future force.

                        • NAvPlan 2030 demonstrates continued commitment to the Joint Strike Fighter, Navy Unmanned Combat Aircraft System and a robust Airborne Electronic Attack capability.

                        • Navy Aviation Plan 2030 is based on a fiscally informed, rigorous analysis providing a long range recapitalization and modernization plan to support the Maritime Strategy.

                        • The Marine Corps aviation requirements are not included in the 2,813 aircraft floor.

                        • The plan reduces the total number of aircraft types from 27 in 2008 to 18 in 2030.

                        • In the Navy Aviation Plan 2030, the number of carrier air wings in operation remains 10 and is sustained at this level in POM-10.

                        • The plan procures a mix of aircraft with the goals of operational flexibility and appropriate presence.

                        =================================

            This is over a year old but great information - Dutch

            A product of... Navy Office of Information www.chinfo.navy.mil www.navy.mil 703.697.5342

            January 16, 2007

Naming of CVN 78 - USS Gerald R. Ford

“President Gerald R. Ford provided the United States great leadership at a time of constitutional crisis. I am honored to have the opportunity to name the first ship in the new class of Aircraft Carriers after this great sailor, this great leader, this great man.”

-- Honorable Donald Winter, Secretary of the Navy

                        • SECNAV announced today the selection of "USS Gerald R. Ford" as the name of CVN 78 in honor of the 38th President and as a tribute to his lifetime of service in the Navy, in U.S. government and to our nation.

                        • USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) will be the first carrier in the Gerald R. Ford-Class of aircraft carriers.

                        • USS Gerald R. Ford and subsequent Ford-Class carriers will balance improved war fighting capability, quality of life enhancements for our Sailors and reduced acquisition and life cycle costs.

Role of Naval Forces… Carrier Presence

As announced by the President, the Navy will deploy the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to U.S. Central Command in order to “bolster the security of Iraq and protect American interests in the Middle East.”

                        • Stennis will join the USS Eisenhower CSG, already operating in the theater.

                        • The presence of two aircraft carriers in the CENTCOM AOR, while not unprecedented, demonstrates U.S. resolve to bring security and stability to the region.

                        • Under the Navy’s Fleet Response Plan (FRP), the USS Ronald Reagan CSG will surge later this month while USS Kitty Hawk undergoes upkeep in Yokosuka, Japan. The Reagan CSG will operate in the Western Pacific in support of U.S. commitments in the region.

                        U.S. Navy providing “Regional Security/Global Stability”

                        • Our near-term response: Support OEF, OIF, HOA and conduct Maritime Security operations while contributing to our enduring mission to deter and dissuade others from acting counter to our national interests.

                        • Our long-term response: The Navy Operational Model – Navy Forces massed for regional security and deterrence, dispersed for maritime security.

            • The desired effect: To help bring about regional security and global stability.

                        Enduring Naval Mission

                        • Navy’s enduring mission of forward presence contributes great value to the strategic landscape by preventing or pausing disruptive actions by state and non-state actors that have potential global impact.

                        􀂃 Emboldened by the perception of the strategic landscape dominated by events in Iraq/Afghanistan… state and non-state leaders think NOW is the time to act on their agendas.

                        􀂃 They possess the opportunity, capacity and will to deliver on their ill-conceived threats.

                        􀂃 When they act, the consequences are immediately dangerous, economically damaging and/or disruptive to regional security and global stability.

                        Preeminent Naval Forces

                        • Naval Forces are preeminent to addressing this problem. “Preeminent” because they provide persistent presence in an unobtrusive or overt manner to dissuade and deter the potential actions of others.

                        􀂃 Navy Forces are capable of preventing or at least providing a “pause” to disruptive actions with potential global effects. Deterrence is one of our key enduring missions.

                        􀂃 Relative to other options available to the Combatant Commanders, Navy Forces can operate freely in international waters – permission/approval not required.

This is not a ‘strictly-Naval-Aviation-issue’ but it is great information on Navy personnel issues -

From CNO

From our Navy -

"I challenge any company in America to compare its pay, healthcare, education and family benefits with the Navy and I think you'll see we are comparable to a Top 50 employer in the nation."

Look at what the Navy offers every day:

Pay and Compensation:

1. 30.7% increase in base pay since 1999
2. BAH is tax free (equates to an extra $200-500 per month in your paycheck)
3. Thrift Savings Plan
4. NEX/Commissary privileges(worth about $100-200 per month for a family)
5. COLA/HOLA

Bonuses:

1. SRBs: now at their highest level in nearly two decades.
2. Critical Skills Enlistment and Reenlistment Bonuses
3. Career Sea Pay and Career Sea Pay Premium
4. Sea Duty Incentive Pay (Up to $9,000 per year)
5. Assignment Incentive Pay
6. Special Duty Assignment Pay (SDAP)

Education:

1. Tuition Assistance
2. Navy College Program
3. GI Bill
4. Credentialing (Navy COOL)
5. Seaman-to-Admiral (STA-21)

Quality of Life and Family benefits:

1.                  30 days of paid annual leave

2.                  10 paid holidays

3.                  World-class child care

4.                  Free unaccompanied Space-A travel for dependents

5.                  MWR benefits

6.                  Fleet Family Support Center

7.                  Cutting-edge gyms

8.                  Spouse Employment Assistance & Priority placement for spouses within DoD jobs

9.                  Overseas Assignments

10.              Child Care

11.              Task Force Life/Work initiatives

Health Care

1. 100% complete health care for all Sailors (equates to about $3,500 per year per family)
2. Unlimited paid sick leave
3. Low-cost TRICARE coverage for those leaving active duty, but “Staying Navy” by affiliating in the Navy Reserve.

 Retirement:

If you enlisted in 2003 and will retire as an E7 at 20 years:

4    50% of base pay = $3,120 (Base pay = $6,240)

4    Example payout over 40 years: $3.1 million

4    As a Civilian, you would have to invest $19,213 every year for 20 years (at 8% interest rate) to equal this amount 

4    Retirement is inflation protected with adjustment made each year

Articles:

Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" poll asked "What perk do you wish your company offered?"

Top answers, from more than 6,000 responses, were:

1. 100% health coverage 49%

2. Telecommuting/flexible hours 23%

3. Paid sabbaticals  12%

4. Onsite child care 5%

5. Paid time off to volunteer 3%

6. Onsite gym 8%

***note: Navy excels in four of six of these areas, and is working on expanding our sabbatical and flex hour programs.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/10/pf/college/top_entrylevel_employers/index.htm

CNN Money.com: Most entry-level jobs for grads.

The job site CollegeGrad.com surveyed 1,100 companies about their hiring expectations for entry-level workers this year, and compiled a list of those with the most positions to fill.

The companies that report having the highest number of entry-level positions to fill are Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Lockheed Martin, Walgreen Company, Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. http://www.collegegrad.com/topemployers/

***note: Navy is tied for #24 in most entry-level jobs for college grads

Intangibles:

Six occupations are perceived to have "very great" prestige by at least half of all adults - firefighters (61%), scientists (54%), teachers (54%), doctors (52%), military officers (52%), and nurses (50%). They are followed by police officers (46%) priests/ministers/clergy (42%) and farmers (41%).

-From the annual Harris Poll measuring public perceptions of 23 professions and occupations, conducted between July 10 and 16, 2007 among a nationwide sample of 1,010 U.S. adults.

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=793

QUOTES 

Admiral Gary Roughead established a goal that Navy be recognized as a top 50 employer during his tenure as Chief of Naval Operations. The first step toward accomplishing this goal is to align the life and career goals of our people with the mission requirements of our Navy – current and future - in a way that provides the greatest opportunities for personal and professional development. Achieving this view of our future for sustaining the high quality all-volunteer force entails providing a robust pay and benefits package, professional and personal fulfillment and affirmation of the value we place on Sailors, their families, and their selfless service to our country.  

I’m confident that the policies and programs we have in place today, and our ongoing initiatives in diversity, life-work balance, family readiness and the continuum of medical care, will improve upon what we know already to be a highly desirable organization in which to work. Our goal, however, is not only to be desirable, but to be among the best organizations - unmistakably a “Top 50 Employer” – one that every young Millennial, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic or cultural background wants to affiliate with, contribute to and defend, because of what we recognizably value – our people.

The Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, is emphasizing his commitment to making the Navy a “Top 50” workplace during his tenure. The future Navy must be more technical and complex than ever before, and to enable future success, the best Sailors and Navy civilians must join the force and choose to stay.

STATUS OF THE NAVY
June 3, 2008

Navy Personnel

Active Duty:   331,608

Officers:   51,248

Enlisted:   276,024

Midshipmen:   4,336

Ready Reserve:   125,734 [As of 08 Apr]

Selected Reserves: 70,060

Individual Ready Reserve: 55,674

Reserves currently mobilized:   4,543 [As of 28 May]

Personnel on deployment:   69,638

Navy Department Civilian Employees:   180,122

Ships and Submarines

Deployable Battle Force Ships: 279

Ships Underway (away from homeport): 128 ships (46% of total)

On deployment: 119 ships (43% of total)

Attack submarines underway (away from homeport): 25 submarines (46%)

On deployment: 18 submarines (33%)

Ships Underway

Carriers:

USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) - 3rd Fleet

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) - 5th Fleet

USS George Washington (CVN 73) - Pacific Ocean

USS J.C. Stennis (CVN 74) - Pacific Ocean

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) - Atlantic Ocean

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) - 7th Fleet

Amphibious Warfare Ships:

USS Nassau (LHA 4) - 5th Fleet

USS Essex (LHD 2) - Andaman Sea

USS Boxer (LHD 4) - Pacific Ocean

USS Bataan (LHD 5) - Atlantic Ocean

USS Kitty Hawk Crew Left In Flux As Plans Paused

(STARS AND STRIPES 04 JUN 08) ... Allison Batdorff

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — USS Kitty Hawk will continue to conduct flight operations, and the aircraft carrier will go to Guam for a few days in mid-June.

Beyond that, Kitty Hawk’s schedule is in flux, while the aircraft carrier USS George Washington awaits the results of a fire-damage assessment in San Diego.

"As you know, there have been and will be changes to our schedule in the coming weeks," the Kitty Hawk’s commanding officer Capt. Todd Zecchin said on the ship’s Web site.

The 47-year-old Kitty Hawk left Yokosuka last Wednesday amid cheering crowds, as the Navy’s oldest active-duty warship was headed to Hawaii to trade places with the USS George Washington and then steam to its final destination of Bremerton, Wash., for decommissioning.

But a May 22 fire aboard the George Washington, which lasted several hours, left some sailors with minor injuries and damaged several spaces on the ship.

The extent of the damage isn’t known yet, but Navy officials confirmed last week that the swap-out between the two carriers would not happen according to plans. That swap out was to begin Monday.

As the George Washington undergoes damage assessment, Pacific Fleet spokesman Capt. Scott Gureck said last Friday that the question of which carrier would participate in Hawaii’s upcoming Rim of the Pacific exercise would be clear after the assessment is completed next week.

On the Kitty Hawk’s Web site, Zecchin also thanked the crew for "patience and understanding," as the changes alter summer plans for sailors and their families.

"We understand that many of you may have made plans to be in Hawaii or were planning on having loved ones attend our San Diego events," he said. "After we know more of where and when we will be, we will take a good hard look at ways to have those celebrations in order to honor Kitty Hawk and her crew."

It wasn’t known how many families booked rooms in Hawaii for the hull swap, as families made their own reservations, ship spokesman Lt. Bill Clinton said.

Nimitz Returns To San Diego

(FOX-6 SAN DIEGO 02 JUN 08)

The aircraft carrier Nimitz, along with two ships in its strike group, will return to San Diego Tuesday following a four-month deployment to the Western Pacific, according to the Navy.

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group left San Diego in January to take over in the Pacific for the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk while it underwent maintenance in Yokosuka, Japan, Navy officials said.

Arriving in San Diego with the Nimitz will be the guided-missile cruiser Princeton and guided-missile destroyer Higgins.

During its deployment, the Nimitz conducted training exercises with the Republic of Korea, according to the Navy.

Also scheduled to arrive in San Diego tomorrow are Marines and three ships with the Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group following completion of a seven-month deployment in support of U.S. forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Returning are the amphibious assault ship Tarawa, amphibious transport dock Cleveland, dock landing ship Germantown and Marines attached to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to the Navy.

While in the Persian Gulf, the forces with the Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group conducted maritime security, combat air missions in Iraq and operations in Afghanistan, according to the military.

 060810-O-9999B-010 Pascagoula, Miss. (Aug. 10, 2006) – A bow view of the Pre Commissioning Unit (PCU) Makin Island (LHD 8), which is currently under construction in Pascagoula. Makin Island, the Navy’s first amphibious assault ship equipped with an all electric auxiliary systems and a hybrid gas turbine - electric propulsion system, is scheduled for christening August 19, 2006. Photo by Mr. Steve Blount courtesy Northrop Grumman Ship

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SECNAV Tours Next Generation Amphibious Assault Ship
Story Number: NNS080603-05
6/3/2008

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin Webb, Pre-Commissioning Unit Makin Island Public Affairs

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter visited Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Makin Island (LHD 8) May 29, as part of a scheduled Gulf Coast visit.

Winter toured the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB) facility and spaces aboard PCU Makin Island. His primary goal for the tour was to review updates on the overall shipbuilding activities at NGSB and for a status assessment of what's happening with Makin Island.

"The overall integration of combat systems in particular was most helpful, and I think it helped gauge not only where we are right now but where we'll be in the future," Winter said.

He added that he felt that "from an informational perspective, just getting a better understanding of where we are in terms of the test activities and testing of that progress" was critical.

Winter also spoke about the importance of getting Makin Island through waterfront trials and work-ups so that she could join the operational fleet.

"We need our amphibious lift capability," Winter said. "It's an integral part of how we are able to project power around the world, and this [Makin Island] is one of the major parts of that future amphibious fleet."

PCU Makin Island's Commanding Officer, Capt. Robert Kopas, accompanied Winter on the tour, which focused on many of the specifics that make PCU Makin Island the next generation of amphibious assault ship.

"We showed our hybrid gas turbine/diesel-electric propulsion system, our state of the art combat systems capabilities and our machinery control system, which automates and integrates most of our engineering and auxiliary systems," Kopas said.

Kopas added that he and his crew are working diligently in cooperation with the LHD-class squadron and Washington, D.C. program office to ensure Makin Island is ready to fill its role as the Navy's latest and greatest amphibious vessel.

"We are laser-focused on preparing our 1,100 person crew to take custody of Makin Island," Kopas said. "When the shipyard completes its efforts, I have total confidence that the crew will have all the tools to make Makin Island a deployable ship within six months after our arrival in San Diego."