Vice Adm. Bill Moran, chief of naval personnel (CNP), visited Naval Station Norfolk to talk with Sailors and participate in Sep. 11 memorial ceremonies.
Arriving Sep. 10, Moran spent his time discussing manning issues affecting the Navy and talking with Sailors before speaking during the Sept. 11 memorial events.
“We’ve been out of balance for a couple of years now,” said Moran when discussing manning concerns. “We’re on the road to recovery, but we still have a ways to go.”
Moran said that even though they are working on solutions to the manning problems it will take time for the new personnel to be trained and begin serving in the fleet.
Part of Moran’s visit was to participate in memorial ceremonies commemorating the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001.
“It’s a monumental anniversary for us, much like Pearl Harbor was for folks of that generation. It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on when our nation was attacked in many locations, our response to that attack and what we have done for the past 12 years as a result of that attack,” he said.
Moran was particularly interested in visiting amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) because of its significant connection to the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon.
“It’s a great opportunity to connect with a ship that was named after one of those attacks, the USS Arlington,” said Moran.
Moran expressed his excitement of being able to spend time with the crew of Arlington in order to share stories about the ship as well as learn about the new connections the Sailors have made to 9/11 since checking onboard.
A big concern among Sailors was the future of the G.I. Bill and tuition assistance. Moran stressed that the future of those programs is by no means in jeopardy and are not going to be changing.
“There is no difference from what you have today. The CNO is absolutely committed to tuition assistance,” said Moran.
A top priority of the visit was to inform Sailors so that they don’t feel like their problems or concerns are unimportant or are being overlooked.
“My job is to make sure we are taking care of you, both in pay and compensation but also the training and sea/shore rotations that are important to every single one of you,” said Moran.
[mappress] Press Release, September 13, 2013