Sailors stand in ranks before manning the rails of Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on Aug. 23, 2020. US Navy Photo
In 1972, then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo Zumwalt made a public declaration on the need to fight racism in the Navy. Read More
Chief Navy Career Counselor Vladimir Ariasmartinez motivates recruits as they perform the 1.5-mile run portion of their final physical fitness assessment inside Freedom Hall at Recruit Training Command. US Navy Photo
The Navy plans to start conducting its physical fitness assessments (PFA) again next year after canceling the last two rounds of evaluations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the chief of naval personnel. Read More
Marines and sailors practice sword manuals in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) on July 11, 2020. US Navy Photo
The COVID-19 pandemic may leave a legacy of focusing more on the health and physical readiness of individuals serving in the military, the sergeant major of the Marine Corps said today in an online forum. Read More
Recruits from Division 304 prepare to march Sept. 14, 2017 at Recruit Training Command. US Navy Photo
The U.S. Navy’s enlisted corps is 20 percent black – higher than the representation in the U.S. population of 13 percent. But black personnel make up just 8 to 9 percent of the service’s officer corps, and that is one of the many reasons the service established Task Force One Navy, its latest effort to address racism, sexism and other biases, according to Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. John Nowell. Read More
Hospitalman Recruit Yavir Berrios-Santiago, assigned to Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, collects a nasal swab from a Naval Station Great Lakes Recruit Training Command employee during drive-through COVID-19 screening at Lovell FHCC in North Chicago, Ill., on June 5, 2020. Recruit division commanders (RDCs) and other RTC staff are tested regularly to help control the spread of COVID-19 in the recruit population. FHCC offers drive-through testing to make the process as easy as possible for its RTC patient population. US Navy photo.
The Navy is in talks with the National Guard to rent space to quarantine recruits before they attend basic training, according to service officials. Read More
Recruits march in formation at Recruit Training Command. More than 35,000 recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Jennifer Newsome)
The Navy is extending indefinitely its practice of isolating all 750 recruits arriving weekly for boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes for two weeks at off-base hotels and a closed water park.
The Navy’s newest Sailors congratulate each other with elbow-bumps to minimize contact after a capping ceremony, marking their transition from recruit to Sailor, at Recruit Training Command. The Sailors recently completed “Battle Stations,” the crucible event that recruits must pass prior to graduation, testing their knowledge and skills in basic seamanship, watchstanding, damage control, firefighting and emergency response procedures. More than 35,000 recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp. US Navy Photo
The Navy is confident its COVID-19 mitigation efforts are working well enough to increase the number of recruits arriving at boot camp to 750 per week.
Sailors stand watch in the Fleet Operations Center at the headquarters of U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet (FCC/C10F). Navy Photo
As the Navy tries ensuring COVID-19-related restrictions don’t hollow out the force, active-duty enlisted sailors with vital skills can now delay their high-year tenure separations for up to 24 months and sailors can reenlist up to a year before their contracts end.
The Navy is expanding a limited policy allowing retiring officers to continue serving after their retirement dates as the service balances providing stable force leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read More
MILLINGTON, Tenn. (March 13, 2020) Lt. Rob Slye reviews available jobs in the Personalized Recruiting for Immediate and Delayed Enlistment (PRIDE) office. Navy photo
Naval operations might be slowed because of the Department of Defense’s work trying to stop the spread of COVID-19, but the service’s need for new sailors hasn’t abated. Read More
