Navy

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (March 29, 2023) Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay commemorated National Vietnam War Veterans Day with a ceremony paying tribute to veterans of the Vietnam War and their families during an event on March 29, 2023.

The ceremony was held on the 50-year anniversary of the day the last of the U.S. Armed Forces left Vietnam and included speakers from NSA Souda Bay who highlighted different individuals, forces and teams who led America’s effortsover the course of the 11-year war.

“This year marks the 50th remembrance of the war”, said Chief Navy Counselor Megan Steffy. “Unlike other wars, where the blood of U.S. service members was spilled, those who fought in Vietnam were, for the first time in our nation’s history, not welcomed home as the heroes that they were. After five decades, it is time that these extraordinary patriots are recognized for their incredible, selfless service and sacrifice in defense of the pillars of freedom that America was built upon.”

National Vietnam War Veterans Day honors the special operations teams, Seabees, air support, intelligence experts, medical personnel and more that banded together to answer the nation’s call and their legacy continues to live on. Several of the advances he U.S. made when it came to technology, equipment, science and medical advances still stand today.

“The benefits that we have – the medical, the psychological, the emotional support structure that exists today – we would not have had without those heroes,” said Capt. Odin J. Klug, commanding officer, NSA Souda Bay. “Those proud Americans, our allies and our partners suffered, fought and endured throughout those 11 years. What they had around them were their teammates that forged a tight bond between each other. That allowed our veterans to weather through. It just goes to show that we stand on the shoulders of giants and that we are a part of the legacy that has gone before us.”

NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore base that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where they are needed and when they are needed to ensure security and stability in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia. For more information, visit us at www.cnic.navy.mil/SoudaBay or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NSASoudaBay.

Cmdr. Mosi read the children’s book “The Smart Cookie” by Jory John and Pete Oswald, emphasizing the importance of reading and the knowledge it can provide.

“Reading is the gateway to knowledge and it is the shortest way of exposing ourselves to information no matter what, because there are books on all topics,” said Cmdr. Mosi. “I read a lot, my kids read a lot and I fully encourage reading all the time.”

Carol Senn, the school’s certified library media specialist, shared the sentiment, adding that having a military leader like Cmdr. Mosi emphasize the importance of reading can leave a lasting impact on students.

“In our community, we have both the Air Force and the Navy here, it shows them that reading is important even with our military, reading is important,” said Senn. “Having Cmdr. Mosi here today, students are going to remember this for a long time, but also he will be able to share his love for reading, because it’s something he values.”

The event was part of Patronis Elementary’s month-long literacy celebration, aimed at promoting a love for reading and improving students’ literacy skills. Cmdr. Mosi’s visit served as a reminder to students that reading is a valuable tool in all aspects of life.

The Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community takes great pride in honoring its history and heritage, honoring the many servicemembers who have set the standard for today’s maritime special operations community. Today’s force stands upon the shoulders of those who have gone before us. March, as Women’s History Month, is the perfect time to celebrate the rich history of the women within our ranks who have contributed to NSW’s operational successes.

For Cmdr. Deanna Markey, an information professional officer at Naval Special Warfare Command, her interest in service began after the tragic events of Sept. 11 when she enlisted as an intelligence specialist. Following in the footsteps of her veteran grandfather and uncle, she knew the Navy was the right choice for her. After her first enlisted assignment, she knew she was contributing to the mission by doing her job well but felt constraints at as an enlisted Sailor which led to her seeking a commission.

“Becoming an officer was always the plan, because I knew I wanted to make the largest contribution I felt I could and go as far as possible,” said Markey.

Today, Markey serves on NSWC’s staff within the communications department, ensuring seamless information flow to special operations teams who are deployed forward in support of integrated deterrence.

“Information is everything to the commanders,” said Markey. “The only way to make effective decisions is to understand the battlefield from both the enemy and your allies. Information is how that is possible.”

As a member of the information warfare community, which includes communications, networks, intelligence, oceanography, meteorology, cryptology, electronic warfare, cyberspace operations, and space experts, Markey emphasized how critical the information environment is to maintain and the challenges operators face in the information world.

“We take for granted just how much information flows on a normal day,” said Markey. “The biggest challenge we face is how to operate with the least amount of information due to denied communications.”

Markey says she’s appreciative of the opportunity to serve within the NSW community and the relationships she has built during her tour.

“Two mentors of mine came to work at NSW and recommended me to the [communications] department, and I will forever be grateful to them,” said Markey. “I love what I do, and I wish everyone could say that about their career.”

NSW is committed to increasing the representation of women in the force so the community can be reflective of the nation it serves. One way NSWC works to achieve this equity is by employing a force integration officer (FIO). Lt. Konnor Cutrer, the current FIO, is a surface warfare officer with an operational background serving aboard ships and as an amphibious warfare tactics instructor, a difficult qualification to achieve. As the NSWC FIO, Cutrer ensures the equitable integration of women into NSW by leading the Women in Special Operations instructor program. She provides support for instructors at NSW Assessment Command, NSW Basic Training Command, and female candidates for SEAL and SWCC programs.

“When I read the position description for NSW FIO, I was immediately excited for the challenges I would face while helping to pave the way for more women to join and thrive in the NSW community,” said Cutrer.

Women in special operations have contributed honorably to the force’s mission since it’s inception.

During World War II, Virginia Hall served in the Office of Strategic Services and supported the resistance in occupied France, which prompted the Gestapo to place a bounty on her. Later, she was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for her heroism and is now honored at the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Commando Hall of Honor.

Senior Chief Cryptologic Technician Shannon Kent paved the way for greater inclusion of women in Special Operations Forces, as one of the first women to pass the NSW Direct Support Course. Kent mastered signals and human intelligence throughout combat deployments and persuaded government and tribal leaders, along with merchants and soldiers, to give her information. Her intelligence work eventually led to the death and capture of some of America’s most wanted foreign adversaries. Unfortunately, Kent was killed in action in Syria in 2019.

“Today, women serve proudly across all our SOF formations in countless leadership roles and continue to forge new paths while serving in our most elite organizations,” said Gen. Bryan P. Fenton, commander, USSOCOM in a March letter to the special operations force. “We are more effective and more lethal because of their service.”

Celebrating the contributions of women within the NSW community are not limited to one month a year. NSW continues to celebrate recent milestones of women in the community. In July 2021, NSWC celebrated the first woman to graduate an NSW training pipeline when a woman Special Warfare Combat Craft-crewman completed Crewman Qualification Training with Class 115. In 2022, we celebrated Cmdr. Blythe Blakistone, who became the first woman to serve as a commanding officer of an NSW unit when she took command of Tactical Communications Command 1.

Since 1987, Americans have celebrated Women’s History Month, an annual heritage month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. NSW joins the U.S. Navy and special operations community in celebrating the service, achievements and contributions women have given to make the military what it is today.

NSW is the nation’s elite maritime special operations force, uniquely positioned to extend the Fleet’s reach and gain and maintain access for the Joint Force in competition and conflict.

For more news about Naval Special Warfare, visit www.nsw.navy.mil.

Residents of Navy unaccompanied housing (UH) now have a convenient way to request maintenance and report issues, right from their smart mobile device.

All 10 Navy regions have introduced maintenance QR code reporting to unaccompanied housing facilities. Instead of walking to the building quarterdeck to report maintenance issues in-person or writing them down in a logbook, Sailors can scan their building’s unique QR code, posted in the living spaces and common areas, to fill out a brief online form and report maintenance problems that require attention from building management.

“The maintenance QR codes are just one of the Navy’s ongoing efforts to improve housing and other quality of life services for Sailors,” said Carol Hurd, manager of unaccompanied housing at CNIC, which is responsible for Navy installations’ unaccompanied and family housing. “We strive for continuous improvement and always look to share the best practices and innovations that improve processes to Sailors’ benefit.”

Donna Wilson, the family and unaccompanied housing installation program director at Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New London came up with the idea to utilize QR codes for reporting maintenance issues in unaccompanied housing.

“We piloted the program in one barracks for a three week period,” said Wilson. “Results showed the new system to be highly effective and a much better form of communication between resident and management.”

Upon finding success with the pilot program, SUBASE New London’s unaccompanied housing team expanded the QR code initiative across all seven of the installation’s barracks. Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic (CNRMA), SUBASE New London’s parent command, took notice and implemented QR codes at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island and Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia.

CNIC has since rolled out maintenance QR codes across the shore and as of February 2023, QR code reporting now accounts for nearly 30% of all service calls across CNIC’s installations – with an average 39% increase in service calls reported month-to-month.

“QR codes have made reporting maintenance issues at unaccompanied housing faster and more convenient, which has led to an increase in reporting overall,” said Carol. “This has allowed issues to be addressed early on, before they become larger problems, which will help to maintain the condition of the unaccompanied housing facilities.”

The only Navy bases that will not see UH QR codes for maintenance issues for the time being are Naval Station Guantanamo Bay and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, due to their remoteness and unique service conditions.

Commander, Navy Installations Command is responsible for worldwide U.S. Navy shore installation management as the Navy’s shore integrator, designing and developing integrated solutions for sustainment and development of Navy shore infrastructure. CNIC oversees 10 Navy regions, 70 bases, and more than 43,000 employees who sustain the fleet, enable the fighter and support the family. Follow CNIC on social media: Facebook, Facebook.com/NavyInstallations; Twitter, @cnichq; and Instagram, @cnichq.

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast hosted an Industry Day event, March 22, from the Adam W. Herbert University Center located at the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville, Florida.

The event provided NAVFAC Southeast an opportunity to promote their products and services delivery through enhanced engagement with industry partners, large and small.

“NAVFAC Southeast is embracing the mindset that to be successful in achieving national defense strategy objectives on infrastructure and facilities, we need a strong, collaborative government and industry team that values continuous learning from each other,” said NAVFAC Southeast Executive Officer Capt. Jeremy Adams. “In order to better harness this learning mindset, venues such as today’s industry day are at the forefront and are extremely valuable. Our intent is to learn more about our respective challenges and move towards mutually improving performance.”

The event allowed contractors to gain a better understanding of NAVFAC Southeast as an organization, and the products and services they provide to the Navy. It also provided attendees the opportunity to ask questions directly through the virtual chat function to command leadership and subject matter experts.

“We are focused on communication and collaborative improvements,” said Renee Comfort, chief contracting officer for NAVFAC Southeast. “Champions keep playing until they get it right; we can continue to work towards innovation and improvement together.”

The schedule consisted of presentations from command leadership, “track-based” discussion groups, and a speech from the Keynote Speaker, Submarine Group Ten Commander Rear Adm. Thomas “TR” Buchanan. Areas of discussion included NAVFAC Southeast Operations; Environmental; Contracting; Small Business; Planning, Design, and Construction; and more.

“An integral part of meeting our challenges is a strong collaborative government and industry team aligned to continually learn from each other and accelerate execution performance,” said Buchanan. “Events like this one provide a useful forum and platform for open dialogue to share information, ideas and innovations.”

Small businesses play a vital role in the American economy – employing half of our country’s workforce, creating nearly two out of every three new American jobs, and often being the source of the next great American innovation. NAVFAC Southeast strives to meet its goals and build on its successes by providing contract opportunities to these businesses.

“NAVFAC Southeast invests in small businesses to support our national defense,” said John Bazylewicz, assistant deputy director for small business. “Small businesses fuel the American dream, which grows the local and federal economies that ultimately strengthen the warfighter.”

Bazylewicz explained that sound business processes enable NAVFAC to meet the expectations of supported commanders while serving the public policy objectives of providing opportunities to small business.

Small businesses provide services and expertise that support the Navy’s mission and the men and women in uniform. Each year NAVFAC establishes target goals for Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone Small Business (HUBZONE), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), and Women-Owned Small Business categories. Utilizing these small business concerns to the maximum extent practicable is a matter of National interest with both social and economic benefits.

Six hundred participants registered for the event, making this Industry Day the highest attended in the command’s history.

“The value in this event was putting together in one place key government contacts and staff with the contracting community that was solely missed during the pandemic,” said Robert Aycock, representative from SpecPro. “It also allowed us to hear and understand what is important to the government so we know how better to serve.”

The command continuously participates in different industry outreach events throughout the year.

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) commander, Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey, has announced Linn Lebel, P.E., as NAVFAC Project Manager of the Year for 2023.

“I congratulate Ms. Lebel on receiving this award,” said VanderLey. “She epitomizes the leadership and technical expertise that are the foundation of effective project management and mission success. Project leadership like hers is essential for NAVFAC to deliver projects on time, within budget, while meeting the mission requirements of our Supported Commanders.”

A civil engineer who began her career with NAVFAC in 2015, Lebel joined Officer in Charge of Construction Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (OICC PNSY) in April 2021 to oversee the $1.8B Multi-Mission Dry Dock #1 project, the Navy’s largest military construction (MILCON) project awarded in NAVFAC history and the first Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) mega-project. SIOP is a holistic investment plan that integrates all infrastructure and industrial plant equipment investments at the Navy’s four public shipyards to meet fleet maintenance requirements and improve Navy maintenance capabilities.

“Linn has distinguished herself as a superior leader throughout her NAVFAC career,” said OICC PNSY Commanding Officer, Capt. Frank Carroll. “She is an outstanding professional and a shining star among the exceptional talent within NAVFAC. Her leadership, expertise, and dedication have had a direct and positive impact on SIOP and NAVFAC.”

Lebel has successfully managed numerous projects in support of PNSY’s waterfront infrastructure improvements, including several MILCON projects for the Los Angeles Class Submarine Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) and SIOP. In addition to the Multi-Mission Dry Dock project, she was the project manager for the Super Flood Basin which modified existing structures, parts of which were built in 1845, to allow the docking of submarines regardless of the tide in the Piscataqua River.

A native of Trumbull, Connecticut, now living in Kensington, New Hampshire, Lebel noted, “It’s an incredible honor to be named NAVFAC Project Manager of the Year. I am proud to be a member of such an amazing, hard-working team.”

Lebel is no stranger to recognition. In 2019, she was NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic’s Engineer of the Year and most recently, Project Manager of the Year for OICC PNSY.

OICC PNSY leads the way with SIOP and submarine projects designed to meet the fleet’s operational cycle and expected service life requirements, providing post-award construction oversight for over $2.8 billion of military construction and special projects through 2028. The command ensures dedicated focus on constructing critical production support projects in support of the fleet.

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command is the Naval Shore Facilities Command, Base Operating Support, and Expeditionary Engineering Systems Command that delivers life-cycle technical and acquisition solutions aligned to Fleet and Marine Corps priorities. Become a fan at www.facebook.com/navfac, follow us at www.twitter.com/navfac, view our photostream on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/navfac, and read SEABEE Magazine online at http://seabeemagazine.navylive.dodlive.mil/.