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February 1, 2019
GOSPORT
Rating modernization: What’s new with it? A lot! By Rear Adm. John Nowell Director, Military Personnel, Plans and Policies
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ave you heard about rating modernization? Do you know what it is and why we are doing it? Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke presented Rating Modernization to Congress in 2018. The first pillar “of Sailor 2025” is a wholesale modernization of our entire personnel system. We are creating flexible policies and additional career choices, and empowering commanding officers with tools to retain the best and brightest Sailors. We have already implemented programs, including the Meritorious Advancement Program, increased credentialing and graduate education opportunities, and tours with industry. We are also working to expand “Detailing Marketplace” pilot initiatives, overhaul the performance evaluation system, modernize delivery and tailoring of advancement examinations in conjunction with a rating modernization effort, and working to achieve greater permeability between the active and Reserve components. Ultimately, rating modernization is all about bringing our personnel systems and the processes that we use into the 21st century. We are modernizing our rating system to redefine
enlisted career fields, improve talent management and our detailing processes, offer Sailors more career choices and expand their professional development opportunity. We started this effort back in December 2016 to modernize our ratings in a way that had never been done before, and it was long overdue. By joining rating modernization with the transformation of our enlisted personnel business processes, we’re going to provide our Sailors better talent management in career flexibility and the more relevant training they’re going to need for their next job. And it’s also going to add to their resume the widely recognized credentials that translate both within the Navy as well as to the civilian work force. In the military, we tend to develop campaign plans that have lines of effort, so we developed a campaign plan for rating modernization with four key lines of effort: enlisted career fields, marketplace detailing, the advancement process and credentialing. When you combine these lines of effort, they support a long list of Sailor
DC2 Ruben Venegas, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), demonstrates features of the Carrier-Advanced Reconfigurable Training Systems (C-ARTS) simulator at the Cape Henry Associates corporate office. C-ARTS is a mobile learning environment that uses virtual reality as a training mechanism to simulate real-life scenarios, providing support for the realization of the Navy’s Ready, Relevant Learning as part of the Sailor 2025 initiative. Photo by MC3 Alan Lewis
2025 initiatives that will redefine Navy’s career fields and improve our talent management and the detailing process. As I mentioned, it will offer more career choices and more flexibility to our Sailors. But make no mistake, we’re doing this because the Navy has to do it because it’s going to help increase our fleet readiness, it’s going to make us more sustainable in the future where resources will continue to be scarce, and it’s going to help us with our fit.
Rating modernization is the future of the growing workforce in the Navy. In August, we released NAVADMIN 196/18 that provided an update on those four lines of effort. This is the first of a total of five blogs that will talk about the updates to rating modernization. The remaining four blogs will each zero in on one of the lines of effort to give you a little more clarity on what all these updates mean for you. We also have a series of six rating mod-
ernization podcasts that mirror the blogs we will be sharing with you. Navy Live editor’s note: Sailor 2025 is the Navy’s program to more effectively recruit, develop, manage, reward and retain the force of tomorrow. It consists of approximately 45 living, breathing initiatives and is built on a framework of three pillars – a modern personnel system, a career learning continuum and career readiness.
CNO visits the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group at sea By Lt.j.g. Jamie Moroney USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs
ARABIAN GULF (NNS) – The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) visited the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group (JCSSG) at sea Jan. 19. CNO Adm. John Richardson and MCPON Russell Smith spent the day aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) engaging with JCSSG leadership, observing day-to-day operations, and speaking with Sailors about their accomplishments on deployment so far. “You are the most talented Navy we have ever had,” Richardson said. “We have the data to show that. To see you out here, using your energy, being creative, taking the fight to our rivals, making sure we stay the best Navy in the world is very inspirational.” While aboard, Richardson reenlisted 22 Sailors, presented the Sailor of the Year awards and promoted one Sailor in the ship’s hangar bay.
“It’s great to be a part of this ceremony,” Richardson said. “The commitment that is shown by these folks reenlisting right here is exactly the type of commitment that is going to keep us on top.” Shipboard Sailors were grateful that Richardson made time for them. “It feels amazing to be reenlisted by the CNO,” IT3 Albert Lucious, from Wichita Falls, Texas, one of the Sailors who was reenlisted, said. “I never thought I would have this opportunity.” IT3 Daniel Ayala, from Dover, N.J., was grateful to Richardson for promoting him. “It was such an honor and privilege to have had both the CNO and MCPON here during my promotion,” Ayala said. “To have them here to con-
gratulate me was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s moments like this that make me realize how all of what we do is recognized and rewarded.” Both CNO and MCPON commented on the professionalism and capability of JCSSG Sailors. “ B e mindful you are out here doing tremendous work,” Richardson said. “You are maintaining influence in strategic areas around the world and increasing the prosperity of all of our citizens by defending the values that Americans stand for.” MCPON agreed with CNO, and additionally commented on the evident pride Sailors take in their work. “That’s what makes us a better Navy, it’s our people,” Smith said. “Your innovation, creativity, technical com-
petency and capabilities; the way you solve problems and embrace diversity, makes us better as a Navy.” The JCSSG has been doing what they need to do so far and show no sign of letting up now, Richardson said. The CNO also spoke to the use of Dynamic Force Employment, and how the JCSSG has been embodying the strategy while on deployment. “Dynamic Force Employment brings us back to our roots as a Navy,” Richardson said. “Moving around the world unpredictably and putting doubt and fear in the minds of our adversaries brings us back to what we do best: being America’s lethal and maneuverable fighting force.” JCSSG is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points. For more news from USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), visit www.navy.mil/ local/cvn74.
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