Fleet In a time of the Perform to Serve program and Enlisted Retention Boards, the career environment for Sailors is changing to meet the Navy’s needs. Williams cautions Sailors to keep up with the forward movement. “Be mindful,” said Williams. “This is something that we have to do. Sailors need to be more mindful today, I think than ever, of their career. They need to ask the questions. They need to make sure they’re not in a place where they are just getting by.” “When I came into the Navy, I just wanted to do a good job and stay out of trouble. And that’s okay. But today’s Sailors are always striving to do more in order to make themselves more marketable. That’s not a word people like to hear. But now, even more so, you need to be technically sound, ready to go, and recognize that being marketable is very important in the Navy.” After 27 years in the Navy, this Force Master Chief knows that he was always meant to be in the Navy. Williams served on many ships and feels this was beneficial to his overall career. He says he learned at a young age that taking the jobs that no one else wanted was a good way to break out from the crowd. He tells Sailors not to be afraid of the hard jobs. “Be warfighting ready. Be physically ready, emotionally ready, and have your family ready for you to deploy. Be ready to go out and do what we get paid to do. Be prepared. Know your rate. Know your expertise and know how to do it. Know where the resources are and how to get to them. Be ready to go out there and answer the call.” SW
Bold Alligator Exercise 2012 Integrates Today’s Fight with Today’s Forces Canadian, French, and U.S. Marine Corps forces join largest amphibious exercise in ten years. By MC1 (SCW) Demetrius Kennon, Surface Warfare
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old Alligator 2012 (BA12), a large-scale amphibious exercise represented the collaboration of the Navy and Marine Corps and intended to revitalize the full range of amphibious operations from seabase to land, was held in and around the shores of Virginia and North Carolina from Jan. 30 to Feb. 12, 2012. The largest amphibious exercise conducted by the Navy and Marine Corps in the last 10 years, BA12 involved more than 14,000 Sailors and Marines and 24 U.S. Navy ships from the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (CSG), Expeditionary Strike Group 2 (ESG-2), 2d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) and various other ships and units. BA12 also included eight other countries—Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. “What I like about this exercise is that we’re working with different countries,” said Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate (SW) Brian Skeete, Deck Department leading chief petty officer on board amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). “Before, when we got ready for deployment, we and other small ships would come out
qq Marines assigned to 4th Amphibious Assault Battalion land on the beaches of Camp Lejeune, N.C., after launching from USS Oak Hill (LSD 51). (MC1 (SCW) Demetrius Kennon/USN)
SurfWarMag,ahf.nmci.navy.mil • Spring 2012
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