Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Mike Stevens hosted an all-hands call at the Patch Chapel with Sailors stationed at United States Army Garrison Stuttgart Aug. 20.
The call was streamed live on Defense Connect Online where MCPON talked about the eSailor initiative, leadership development, and took questions from the live and virtual audiences.
Yeoman 1st Class Carlos Salas, from Columbus, Georgia, assigned to United States Africa Command, asked why it is mandatory for Sailors to earn warfare pins.
“It’s not so much about it being required or not, ” said Stevens. “It’s about ensuring that Sailors are fully trained and equipped to do their jobs.”
A Sailor watching online asked about changes to deployment schedules.
“With the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson preparing to deploy for nine and a half months, it allows us to implement the Optimized Fleet Response Plan, which is designed to give us more predictability in regards to deployment lengths and schedules,” said Stevens. “But we must keep in mind that we are in the Navy, and as such, we go when and where the United States needs us to go.”
Cryptologic Technician (Technical) 1st Class Robert Willis, from Augusta, Georgia, assigned to United States Africa Command, voiced his frustration about the inability for reservists to easily view and pick orders for mobilization.
“I recently spoke with the Reserve Force Master Chief CJ Mitchell and he and his team are working on system that will soon post open billets online so that the Reserve force can start filling them.”
After the all-hands call, MCPON toured garrison installations including the Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Special Operations Command Europe.