3rd Fleet holds command change and retirement ceremonies

SAN DIEGO (June 3, 2013) Vice Adm. Gerald R. Beaman, left, turns over command of U.S. 3rd Fleet to Vice Adm. Kenneth E. Floyd during the Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet change of command and retirement ceremony aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Beaman retires after 35 years of honorable service. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Phillip Pavlovich.

PCS orders application phase opens
6/12/2013
From Navy Personnel Command Public Affairs
MILLINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- The Career Management System Interactive Detailing (CMS/ID) application phase, for Sailors in their permanent change of station (PCS) orders negotiation window, will take place June 13 - June 25 until 5 a.m.
CMS/ID is the web-based program enlisted Sailors use to review and apply for PCS orders seven to nine months from their projected rotation date (PRD). Sailors may access the site at https://www.cmsid.navy.mil or from the CMS/ID link at www.npc.navy.mil .
This is the first application phase for Sailors with a March 2014 PRD, the second application phase for Sailors with a February 2014 PRD and the last application phase for Sailors with a January 2014 PRD.
Eligible Sailors may review advertised billets in CMS/ID during the application phase and apply for up to five jobs, either directly using CMS/ID or through a command career counselor (CCC).
The application phase is typically about ten days, allowing Sailors time to review available jobs, research billets and discuss options with their family and chain of command before making applications before the application phase closes.
CMS/ID features a "Sailor Preference" section under the "Sailor Info Tab" where Sailors may rank duty preferences by type, command, location, platform and community, as well as indicate which special programs and schools they would like and leave comments for the detailer.
Detailers will always attempt to fill billets using a Sailor's desired selections first; however, Fleet readiness requirements are the guiding factor in filling billets. Detailers must also follow sea-shore flow guidelines outlined in NAVADMIN 361/12, so unless a Sailor requests Sea Duty Incentive Pay (SDIP) or the Voluntary Sea Duty Program (VSDP) to take consecutive sea duty orders, a Sailor up for shore duty should not be involuntarily assigned another sea tour. It may mean a Sailor hoping for shore duty in Hawaii or Washington may receive shore duty someplace else, where the need is greater.
A single set of sea billets, prioritized by U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and a single set of shore billets, prioritized by U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Bureau of Naval Personnel are advertised each application cycle as the Navy seeks to fill gaps at sea and place Sailors with the right experience levels and skill-sets into high-priority Fleet billets.
Some factors a detailer must weigh when matching Sailors to jobs include the Sailor's desires, qualifications, training availability, career progression and cost to the Navy.
Detailers won't assign Sailors to advertised jobs until after the close of the application phase, during the detailer selection phase. Sailors may log into CMS/ID anytime after the detailer selection phase to see if they have been selected for orders.
Sailors can learn more about CMS/ID from their CCC or access CMS/ID by selecting the CMS/ID link on the Navy Personnel Command website at www.npc.navy.mil

Navy Band Southwest headlines 2013 Coronado Summer Concert
6/11/2013
by MCSN Todd C. Behrman, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West
CORONADO, Calif. (NNS) -- Members of the Navy Band Southwest jazz ensemble performed in the 2013 Coronado Summer Concert Series at Spreckels Park June 9.
The Navy Band Southwest jazz ensemble, one of 17 acts scheduled to perform in this year's Coronado Summer Concert Series, played a variety of jazz music ranging from traditional to modern jazz as well as Latin and funk.
"This is one of my favorite bands," said Floyd B. Ross, the President Emeritus of the Coronado Summer Concert Series Board of Directors and a retired Navy senior chief. "We get the Navy Show Band once a year, and we get the wind ensemble once a year. And we love them both."
"I usually come to this event, but this is the first time I've played it," said Chief Musician Scott Foote, the operations coordinator for Navy Band Southwest and a Syracuse, N.Y. native.
Foote, a recent addition to Navy Band Southwest's jazz ensemble, added that the Navy Band often serves as the face of the Navy across the country and is a great recruiting tool.
"Navy musicians are superb musicians," said Ross. "The fact that they are also young men and women in our armed forces just adds to the whole ambiance of the concert."
Ross, who has been involved with the concert series since 1983, said the Navy band is one of the series' most popular acts and estimated the park was packed to near its capacity of about 5,000 people.
"We're a Navy town. There is a strong base of Navy retired here," said Ross. "There is strong base of people whose sons and daughters are in the Navy. We bleed blue and gold."
The 2013 Summer Concert Series plans to host the Navy Southwest Band again this year, as its wind ensemble is scheduled to perform Aug. 25.
For upcoming performances and more information on the 2013 Coronado Summer Concert Series visit www.coronadoconcert.com

Secretary of the Navy celebrates naming of USS Paul Ignatius
6/11/2013
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus hosted a ceremony today to celebrate the recent announcement that the next Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer will be named USS Paul Ignatius.
"The Ignatius will be in our fleet for three to four decades. It will sail virtually every ocean of the world," said Mabus. "It will be a reminder of the experience, and the wisdom of Paul Ignatius."
The ceremony was held in the Pentagon and attended by former Navy Secretary Paul Ignatius, his family and current and former civilian and uniformed naval officials and guests. In addition to Ignatius, five former Secretaries and acting Secretaries of the Navy were in attendance to commemorate the occasion.
"I was really quite overwhelmed when Secretary Mabus told me that this ship was going to be named in my honor," said Ignatius. "The Navy meant a lot to me in my life."
The future USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) will be the first naval ship to bear this name.
The Arleigh Burke class destroyer will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. It will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and will contain a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare.
USS Paul Ignatius will be 509 feet in length, have a waterline beam of 59 feet, displace approximately 9,496 tons, and make speed in excess of 30 knots. The construction will be led by Bath Iron Works, Huntington Ingalls Industries.