Page 8. MAINE COASTAL NEWS August 2016 U. S. N N Continued from Page 7.


other side now, it’s pretty cool to experience it again from a diff erent viewpoint.” The new class includes 853 men and


331 women - making up 28 percent of the incoming students. This is the largest num- ber of women to be inducted into the Naval Academy in the 40 years since women were fi rst admitted. Among the new plebes are 17 interna-


tional students from 13 countries: Bulgaria, Cameroon, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Korea, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Philippines, Peru, Poland, Singapore and Tunisia.


Seventy-fi ve of the incoming plebes are


prior enlisted personnel, 66 from the Navy and 9 from the Marine Corps. On I-Day, the new plebes receive uni-


forms and military haircuts, undergo medi- cal evaluations, learn to render a salute and complete their registration. Each plebe receives a copy of “Reef


Points,” a 225-page handbook of informa- tion about the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, the Naval Academy’s history and traditions, their administrative chain of command, and the general orders of a sentry. The new midshipmen are required to memorize ap- proximately 1,000 facts outlined in the book. I-Day concludes when the midshipmen


take the Oath of Offi ce in front of their family, friends and new classmates during a ceremony in Tecumseh Court. After the ceremony, plebes say goodbye to their fam- ilies who will not see them again until Plebe Parents Weekend, Aug. 11-14. With the conclusion of I-Day, Plebe


Summer offi cially begins. During this time, plebes start each day at dawn with mandato- ry physical training. The remainder of each day is packed with drills and instruction on the military lifestyle and more physical training. The plebes are allotted minimal leisure time. During these six weeks, the plebes are


led and trained by upper-class midshipmen. Instruction includes seamanship, boat han- dling, navigation and small arms training. “During plebe summer, these young


men and women will be challenged morally, mentally and physically,” said Naval Acad- emy Superintendent Vice Adm. Ted Carter during a presentation to the plebe parents. “It will not be easy, but Plebe Summer applies pressure with a purpose.” The strict atmosphere instills a drive in


the students to excel both in and out of the classroom. “We recognize the talent that is in your


sons and daughters,” said Carter, addressing the parents of the incoming plebes. “They could have gone to Ivy League schools or any other service academy. They had choic- es and they chose to join the U.S. Navy.”


Carter said that the outstanding cu-


mulative SAT scores, athletic prowess and diversity of extracurricular activities of the class of 2020 were some of the best he had ever seen and told the parents they should be proud as they watch their sons, daughters and family members depart for their four- year adventure at the Naval Academy. “His freshman year of high school,


he told me he wanted to be a Marine and attend the academy, this is truly his dream,” said Anne Pastrana, mother of an incoming plebe. “As a mother I couldn’t be more proud to see my son living out his dream.” The incoming plebes that comprise the


class of 2020 represent some of the bright- est youth in the country and will one day become part of the less than one percent of the population who volunteer to serve their country, said Carter.


Navy Releases Results of Riverine Command Boat,


Farsi Island Investigation From the Navy Offi ce of Information


WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy re- leased the results of the investigation into the seizure of two riverine boats and the detention of 10 U.S. Navy personnel by Iranian forces today in a press conference at the Pentagon. On January 12, 2016, two riverine


boats left Kuwait for a 259 nautical mile transit to Bahrain. After deviating from their intended plan of movement, one of the riv- erine boats suff ered an engine malfunction. Both riverine boats subsequently stopped to troubleshoot. After briefl y attempting to communicate with Iranian forces patrol craft that intercepted them, the riverine boats and their crews were taken into Iranian custody. As a result of diplomatic negotiations, the riverine boats and their crews were released the following morning. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm.


John Richardson and Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strate- gy Vice Admiral John C. Aquilino spoke to members of the Pentagon press corps about the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident. “The goal of this investigation was to


conduct a thorough review of what U.S. Navy actions may have contributed to this incident,” said Richardson. “We conduct these investigations to learn what we can in order to prevent similar events from occur- ring; and where necessary to hold our people accountable where they failed to follow procedures and meet expectations.” Additionally, Richardson noted that


“the investigation concluded that Iran vi- olated international law by impeding the boats’ innocent passage transit and they violated our sovereign immunity by board- ing, searching and seizing the boats and


Tiny Barge Transport, Inc.


Making affordable delivery & pick-ups to/from Muscongus Bay area. If it fits...we can deliver it to your island. Up to 16,000 lbs.


(207) 380-0006


www.tinybargetransport.com Friendship, Maine


Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson delivers remarks during a com- memoration the 25th anniversary of the commissioning of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication 3rd Class Kayla King/Released)


by photographing and video recording the crew.”


Conclusions of the investigation cen-


tered on poor leadership and disregarded risk management and mission planning stan- dards by those directly involved in planning the riverine boat missions. The extensive report was subjected to comprehensive reviews before the public release in order to ensure that classifi ed information, protected personally identify- ing information, and other non-releasable information remains protected. The names of the service members involved were re- dacted from the released materials to protect the privacy of the individuals and because some of them remain assigned to overseas, sensitive or routinely deployable units. The report also noted that while the


investigation did expose particular issues in relation to the training and day-to-day practices of a particular unit, it did not identify a signifi cant problem in the overall Navy methodology and approach to training units and their leaders. Rather, the investi- gation highlights the importance of proper leadership and the adherence to sound naval doctrine.


Aquilino gave an overview of the event


to include actions in theatre that lead to the eventual detainment and release of the RCB crews and what the Navy has done since the incident to mitigate similar occurrences. “In order to maintain the bonds of trust


and confi dence amongst ourselves, and with the American people, we have an obligation to continuously examine our personal and professional conduct to ensure we always execute our mission and behave with integri- ty, accountability, initiative, and toughness,” said Richardson. The released investigation and associat- ed reports have posted online at the Navy’s Freedom of Information Act Reading Room.


Navy Awards Contracts for Fleet Replenishment Oiler and Amphibious Assault Ship


From NAVSEA Offi ce of Corporate Com- munication


WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy award- ed two contracts key to future amphibious operations and replenishment missions, June 30. The combined total projected contract value of these contracts is approx- imately $6.3 billion. General Dynamics, National Steel and


Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) was awarded a fi xed price incentive fi rm target (FPIF) block buy contract for the Detail De- sign and Construction (DD&C) of six T-AO 205 Class Fleet Replenishment Oilers. The award amount is $640,206,756 for the fi scal year 2016 lead ship and, if appropriated,


includes line items for fi ve follow-on ships between FY 2018 and FY 2022 and options for associated support eff orts. Huntington Ingalls Inc., Ingalls Ship-


building Division (Ingalls) was awarded a FPIF contract for $272,467,161 for LHA 8 Planning, Advanced Engineering and Procurement of Long Lead Time Material with options for DD&C and the associated support eff orts. Additionally, both contracts include


options for contract design (CD) support for the Amphibious Warfare Ship Replacement, referred to as LX(R). Options for LX(R) CD support, special studies, engineering and post-delivery industrial services, provi- sioned items orders, other direct costs and special incentives which, if funding is made available for all ships and all options are exercised, will bring the cumulative value of the contract awards to $3,156,828,444 and $3,133,852,637 to NASSCO and Ingalls, respectively. “This strategy reinforces the Navy’s


commitment to a culture of aff ordability that emphasizes competition while maintaining our critical shipbuilding industrial base,” said Jay Stefany, executive director for Am- phibious, Auxiliary and Sealift Programs in Program Executive Offi ce Ships. “The ap- proach provides best value to the taxpayers, supports our industry partners and provides the foundation for future warfi ghting capa- bilities.” The acquisition strategy for the limited


competition of LHA 8 DD&C, T-AO 205 Class (Ships 1-6) DD&C and LX(R) CD was developed in order to maintain a stable Amphibious and Auxiliary Shipbuilding industrial mobilization base while also ensuring competition for current and future classes of these ships. The Navy used a profit related to


off ers approach as a means to incentivize competition, whereby the off eror that pro- posed the lowest total evaluated price for the combination of both proposals received the maximum target profi t stipulated in the solicitation and an option for LX(R) CD support, while the off eror that proposed the higher total evaluated price for the combi- nation of both proposals received a target profi t relative to the other off er (calculated according to the solicitation) and an option for LX(R) CD support.


Ceremony Commemorates USS Arleigh Burke’s Silver Anniversary By Ensign Nicolas Mahone, USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Public Aff airs


NORFOLK (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Op- erations Adm. John Richardson, joined


Continued on Page 20.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31