U.S. Fleet Forces Command Answers Questions from the Fleet
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS080312-01
Release Date: 3/12/2008 8:10:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Joseph R. Wax, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic
NORFOLK (NNS) -- Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, recently recorded a podcast to address questions and concerns raised by Sailors throughout the fleet.
The questions dealt with individual augmentee (IA) requirements for carriers, transferring education benefits to family members and the cross-decking and decommissioning plan for USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and USS George Washington (CVN 73).
In response to many Sailors' inquiries about carriers sending personnel on IAs, even during workups and deployments, Greenert assures that fulfilling IA requirements will never affect a ship's ability to be mission ready.
"It is in our business rules for assignment that units should not be allowed to fall below their readiness red-lines," he said. "We should not be moving people from units to IA assignments at the cost of that unit's readiness. We have to be effective and we have to be efficient in our joint-force provisions and we will continue to press for that."
Greenert also stressed that the proportional amount of Sailors serving on IAs from carriers is very small.
"Less than one percent of carrier crews are serving on IAs," he said. "I tell you that the Truman (Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group), who is on deployment, has 54 Sailors serving as individual augmentees out of about 9,000 in the strike group."
The Global War on Terrorism Support Assignment (GSA) detailing that the Navy is implementing should improve the IA process for all Sailors.
"Through our GSA detailing, we're working to improve the predictability of assignments and improve the stability at the unit level and add detailer involvement for professional development and career progression for the Sailors that are serving," said Greenert. "This new process of moving the IA billeting to GSA is going to help alleviate what has bothered folks I think."
A Sailor on the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) wanted to know if the Navy is going to implement a program similar to the Army's that allows education benefits to be transferred to family members.
"In the President's 2008 State of the Union address, he said to the Congress, 'join me in allowing our troops to transfer unused education benefits to their spouses or children,'" said Greenert. "So we have a clear message from the president that he would like to provide that entitlement to our service members."
As far as the Army's current plan, Greenert believes that many extra provisions it contains have prevented it from being utilized very often. He believes that what is best for Sailors is waiting for Congress to answer the president's call to action.
"I think the Congress, if they allow the authorization of all G.I. Bill eligible service members (to transfer benefits to family members), that is what we are looking for, that's what the president has asked the Congress, so I think we ought to stay tuned and see what comes out this spring from the Congress," he said.
Finally, Greenert addressed the issue of Sailors cross-decking between the George Washington and Kitty Hawk and the Kitty Hawk's plan for decommissioning.
"The forward deployment of the George Washington to Japan has been in planning for a long, long time," he said. "The turnover is going to take place this summer in Hawaii between the Kitty Hawk and George Washington. Kitty Hawk will then continue to San Diego for a quick offload and then she will go up to Bremerton, which will be the ultimate site of her decommissioning. I don't know the actual decommissioning date, it has not been finalized, but I'll tell you we will not decommission the Kitty Hawk until the commissioning of the Bush (PCU George H. W. Bush), which takes place, right now scheduled for January of 2009."
To listen to this podcast interview with Greenert, visit www.cffc.navy.mil .
For news from U.S, Fleet Forces Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/clf/.
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