Thomas McAtee posted on May 01, 2010 00:10
May 2010 Navy
by CAPT Tom McAtee
First P-8A Arrives at NAS Pax River
The first P-8A Poseidon aircraft landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD, on 12 April. This landing is the latest milestone for the aircraft that will replace the P-3 Orion. The Navy’s first P-8A squadron is scheduled to be operational by 2013. The P-8, a militarized version of the Boeing 737, is primarily designed for hunting submarines, but it will also have extensive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. The P-3s it will replace have been spending a majority of their deployed missions doing ISR over Iraq and Afghanistan. The Navy plans to buy 117 P-8As and hopes to have a fleet replacement squadron up and running in 2012.
PRT Details Now on Evaluations and Fitness Reports
A new, more detailed physical fitness score will appear on evaluations and fitness reports for every Sailor and officer beginning in August 2010. This will allow raters to distinguish between high achievers and those who barely passed the physical fitness assessment. The change was announced 8 March in a Navy-wide message, NAVADMIN 083/10. Currently, Block 20 on the officer and enlisted forms gives a pass or fail grade from the physical readiness test, combined with a code indicating whether the service member is within body composition standards. The pass/fail grade gave no indication of how well a Sailor performed on the PRT; but starting 1 August, the form will not only indicate how the Sailor scored on the PRT and whether he/she met standards for the body composition assessment, but also will show medical or deployment waivers. The form change, which is still under development, will show whether someone got an “outstanding” on his/her PRT or barely squeaked by and give selection boards another element with which to rank people.
Since 2005, the Navy has steadily increased measures to kick out those who fail their physical fitness assessments, and now ejects Sailors who fail three assessments in four years.
View NAVADMIN 083/10 at www.ausn.org.
FY-11 Reserve Apply Board Guidance
Applications for the FY-11 Apply Board are now being accepted as announced by NAVADMIN 132/10.
View NAVADMIN 132/10 at www.ausn.org.
Application Highlights
- Apply Board will convene 9 August 2010.
- Applications must be submitted through the “Apply”Web site. You may register on the Apply Web site until 16 May 2010.
- Applications must be finalized and billet preferences selections made not later than 25 July 2010.
- Officers not affiliated in a drill status must contact COMNAVRESFOR (N12) at cnrfc_apply@navy.mil to request an account.
- Officers who are mobilized and unable to register should contact cnrfc_apply@navy.mil.
- All orders from this board will be effective 1 December 2010.
- POC at CNRFC is LCDR Maria Magno (N122), phone 757-322-2259 or e-mail maria.magno@ navy.mil.