Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) Vice Adm. Bill Moran and enlisted advisor Fleet Master Chief April Beldo held an all-hands call for Sailors assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Pre-Commissioning Unit USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, November 5.
Moran and Beldo spoke to the almost 2,400 Sailors about their responsibilities while in the shipyard and provided additional information about uniform changes, PAY and benefits, manning and the direction of the future Navy. Moran also took questions from Ford and Lincoln Sailors in a town-hall format.
A growing concern of long deployments and the impact on families was a common topic.
Moran said:
As long as we have commitments in the Middle East and around the world, coupled with a backlog of ship maintenance, we will have eight or nine month deployments, but we’re making real progress on shortening them.
Moran also discussed a little known option for Sailors who need career flexibility or time off work varying reasons, a sabbatical for Sailors.
There’s a program called the Career Intermission Program (CIP). This program is for Sailors who need to handle personal business. You can take up to a three-year break in service, but for every year you take, you give us two years back.
Moran closed out the all-hands call by encouraging leaders at all levels to create an environment where trust runs up and down the chain of command.
Lincoln is currently undergoing Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.
[mappress mapid=”14361″]
Press release, Image: US Navy