Navy Boosts Modernization Program

STUTTGART, BW, GERMANY

10.11.2016

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Maria Rachel Melchor 

Defense Media Activity - Europe Africa

Master Chief Raymond Kemp, the Fleet Command Master Chief for U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, answered the Sailors’ questions about the program especially the shift from addressing Sailors by ratings to rank titles. This particular change stirred the enlisted community as the change indicated a significant change of the Navy’s personnel system.
“The Navy has a focus on a design for maintaining our maritime superiority, and in that design, the gold line of effort defines our need to improve the way we detail, the way we marry-up with our industry partners and the credentialing that we do for our enlisted Sailors,” said Kemp during an interview after the event. “We do this modernization to improve the flexibility within the service and to create an environment where our industry partners can better understand what our Sailors do which will make them more marketable when they leave the service.”
The fleet master chief said there are other lines of effort which make-up the modernization program, one of them is the purple line of effort. He said this defines strengthening and increasing our networks and partnerships.

“These efforts will give us opportunities to do credentialing which allows us to get those qualifications to match the civilian market making our Sailors even more the employee of choice,” said Kemp.

While the Navy’s modernization goes into full swing, Kemp said the enlisted leadership will steer this change to fully take effect in the enlisted community. He said they will increase communication with senior enlisted forces and all leaders across the Navy to better understand where this modernization vision ends. The fleet master chief added he believes in the capability of the leadership to take it to the deckplate and assist Sailors on addressing the benefits of the change and how this short period of challenge will end in an abundant gain.

“It is very important that all of us exercise the intellectual energy that it’s going to take to climb to a higher place of station and look into the future,” Kemp said. “Consider the priorities for the Sailors of 2025, consider the dynamic changes that are happening around the world and realize that we must be more flexible.”

• Date Taken: 10.11.2016
• Date Posted: 10.26.2016 08:27
• Story ID: 212950
• Location: STUTTGART, BW, DE