The Signature | January 11, 2019

San Sebastian Festival Begins

Acting Secretary Shanahan Begins Work

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Explore the Beauty of San Vito Lo Capo

N A S SIG O N E L L A

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JANUARY 11, 2019

Vol. 36 No. 1

Inaugural Sailor 360 Program to Kickoff Jan. 23

What’s your personality type? Naval Air Station Sigonella’s Sailor 360 program begins on Jan. 23. Service members of all ranks and branches will be grouped by personality type. Find out yours at www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test and bring the results to the kickoff event.

By Janine Scianna NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

If you were still in town the day before Thanksgiving this year, you may have gotten the chance to hear Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Russell Smith discuss a multitude of important topics, including the new rolling out of the Sailor 360 Navy-wide development program.

If you weren’t a first class petty officer, you might have tuned him out, thinking this was just a tune-up of the existing CPO 365 chief petty officer development program. DON’T. This is a brand new leadership development program that any Sailor is eligible to participate in. In fact, Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella’s version of it is open to any service member of any rate (including officers) and any service branch. The program is—quite literally—open to all U.S. service members here in Sigonella.

So what exactly is Sailor 360?

It’s an umbrella term for innovative, creative, command-developed leadership programs modeled after previous programs such as CPO 365 Phase 1 and scenario-based studies like Chief ’s Mess Training. It is being rolled out after a study determined that competency and job-specific knowledge in young Sailors were acceptable, but that their leadership training was lacking.

To help solve this, the previous CPO 365 program was expanded to include all ranks, not just first class petty officers. Sailor 360 is command defined, command developed, and command delivered, and its focus will be on teaching every Sailor by using a variety of innovative and creative training approaches. As Smith remarked at his all hands call, the program is designed to help Sailors of all ranks gain valuable leaderships skills and reach their full potential.

Like a full rotation on a circle—360 degrees—the new program embraces

the theory that leadership development never truly stops. It begins with alignment, culminates with feedback, and repeats again with alignment.

And along the way, self-awareness, training, challenges, and education fuel the growth.

If you’re interested in participating in the Sailor 360 program, come to the kickoff event on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 0800 at the NAS I Midtown Theater. Service members will be divided up into groups based on their personality type. The goal behind creating personality-based groups is to enhance inclusiveness by grouping like-minded people. Groups will be able to collectively choose what kind of training topics and methods of training are best suited to them.

And, grouping similar people together should also improve mentorship, communication, and overall effectiveness of the program.

To find out what your personality is, visit www.16personalities.com/ free-personality-test or check out Command Master Chief Nancy Estrada’s Direct Line article, pinned to the top of NAS Sigonella’s Facebook page.

The link is also included there. The test will only take about 10 minutes to complete and knowing your personality type will let you develop your leadership skills along with like-minded peers. Print out your results and bring them to the kick-off event.

Going forward, in addition to customized group training, quarterly events will be planned for the larger base-wide group and relevant to all U.S. service branches. The first event will be a flag retirement ceremony in February, preceded by training on flag etiquette, customs, and courtesies.

The Sailor 360 program is one of several elements in “Laying the Keel – Developing the Backbone of our

Navy,” the Navy’s new leadership development philosophy. Another major pillar is overhauling the existing petty officer selectee leadership courses, which were deemed to be dated, command-delivered, and administered inconsistently throughout the fleet. The new series of foundational courses will be led by certified instructors and delivered in short bursts throughout a Sailor’s career as it progresses. The courses will focus heavily on the topics of character, ethics, leadership, the profession of arms, self-awareness, and decision making.

To jump start your leadership training and take your career to the next level, make sure to attend the Sailor 360 kickoff event at the NAS I Midtown Theater on Jan. 23 at 0800.

To learn more about the program, contact CMDCM Nancy Estrada at DSN 624-5246 or BMC Wendell Harrison at 624-5186.

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JANUARY 11, 2019

THE SIGNATURE

Direct Line

Capt. Brent Trickel, NAS Sigonella Commanding Officer It’s hard to believe it, but another year has come and gone here at Sigonella. I hope that everyone got to enjoy some well-deserved time off and spent some time with their loved ones, either in person or virtually. As we progress out of the holiday stand down, it is a good opportunity to look ahead to the changes 2019 will bring and look inward to see how we all can become even better military community members.

2019 will be a year of change on base—there will be new base commanding officer relieving me of my duties this spring, and the current phase of construction on the ECP project will also wrap up soon, with lanes at the gate opening back up. In addition to me leaving and being replaced by Capt.

Kevin Pickard, Navy Region Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA) will also get a new leader in April when Rear Adm. Rick Williamson is replaced by Rear Adm. Yancy Lindsey.

Lindsey is currently in charge of Navy Region Southwest in San Diego and has a reputation as being a great leader.

As for where I am going next? That is a good question, because I still don’t have orders with only four months to go!

As we gear up for the changes ahead,

we can also take a moment to reflect on how we are operating as a military community overseas. With most of our support systems being thousands of miles away, the health and vibrancy of the Sigonella community plays an important role in supporting the well-being of our military members and their families, and consequently, the mission.

Have we been supportive community members to each other? Have we taken the time to introduce ourselves to new members who have just checked in?

Have we considered how we can help the unaccompanied service member population here, many who are literally at their first duty station or are deployed away from their families?

One of the easiest ways we can improve the community health here is by responsible use of social media. Because living OCONUS is inherently more complex and challenging, many of you might have sought out and joined community Facebook pages prior to coming to Sigonella—and by doing so were able to strategize what vehicles and furniture you should bring, how to get your pet here safely, or even how to enroll your children in school. And once you arrived, you might have continued to

use those pages to make friends, learn about community events, and get connected more quickly into the community. Indeed, social media has made it so much easier to connect the dots and settle into a new duty station.

At the same time, all of us should remember just how powerful a tool social media can be. It is just as easy to inflame a situation with social media as it is to solve a problem. Take, for example, the case of Theresa Jones, a gold star spouse whose Naval aviator husband passed away in a 2013 Red Sea helicopter crash during a deployment. Like many spouses do, Mrs. Jones relied on social media to help ease the burden of a deployment—staying connected with fellow spouses and getting near-real time information from the military community. But unfortunately, she found out from the Facebook world about her husband’s fate not just once, but twice— first when he was considered MIA and again when he was declared dead. In a world where we often race to spread information without thinking about who is reading it or how they are affected, Theresa Jones never got the chance to be properly notified first by the CACO. So, with all of our other notewor-

thy resolutions for the New Year, let us all remember the power social media plays in our lives and the responsibility we have to use it properly. Not just for OPSEC preservation (you already know those rules) but also for becoming better community members. Let’s search for real answers before posting rumors, and use supportive words instead of defamatory ones when we engage in online conversations. In a community as small as ours, we owe it to each other to think first before posting or spreading information online. Cheers to a happy, healthy 2019 and to strengthening our community!

Commanding Officer's Suggestion Box The ICE/CO Suggestion Box is for our community and Commanding Officer to discuss, with an eye toward constant improvement, how we are excelling* and how we can improve**. The community is strongly encouraged to leave contact information when submitting comments. This ensures that a response will come directly to you. The Signature and NASSIG Facebook Page typically publish comments and responses for the benefit of the Sigonella community. Comments/suggestions are useful when objective, constructive, and specific. ICE/CO Sug-

gestion Box is NOT a forum for mean-spirited attacks.

Anonymous comments will be published only if they benefit the greater community at large. * If you submit a "BZ" about a specific person or department, PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR NAME in order to ensure comment authenticity and therefore publicly recognize employees or organizations. ** The Commanding Officer will ensure a response to all signed comments/suggestions and the vast majority of anonymous ones but reserves the right to disregard

those comments/suggestions disinterested in the spirit of the program!

There are two ways to submit; go to: 1) Interactive Customer Evaluation (ICE) home page on a One-Net computer at: http://ice.disa.mil, All Sigonella services are found under the Navy Europe Listing in the scroll-down menu.

– or – 2) NAS Sigonella's website www.cnic.navy.mil/Sigonella, go to the "About" drop down menu and click on "CO Suggestion Box".

Interactive Customer Evaluation Comment Regarding NEX Shopping Carts:

Is it possible for the NEX to supply a few larger carts for parents shopping with babies in car seats? I do my household’s shopping with my infant and even his streamlined infant carrier takes up the entire cart. It’s so tight that I’m unable to fit anything in the cart and have to push the cart with one hand and carry a shopping basket with the other, which is difficult to do. If I need a larger item, like a bulk box of diapers or a case of water I have to wait and come on the weekend when my husband can stay home with the baby since those won’t fit in the cart. Shopping with him in his stroller presents the same issue since I can’t push a stroller and a cart (or carry a basket easily). I bet other parents trying to run errands alone with a baby may also benefit from larger carts. Thank you.

questing the tracking number for your package. Unfortunately, without a tracking number they won't be able to locate where in the mail system your package could be.

Normal operating procedures for mail missent to our installation is to endorse the package "MISSENT TO FPO AP 09627" and then ship the package to the intended location within 24 hours. So, if your parcel was received by our office at Sigonella it could very well be on its way back to you. But as I mentioned, without a tracking number we are unable to verify its status or current location within the military postal system. Your feedback is always encouraged.

You are always more than welcome to contact the Postal Officer, Mr. Ajaka Chesterfield, by email at Ajaka.chesterfield@eu.navy.mil or by phone at DSN: 314-6245558 or Commercial at +39 095-86-5558.

Response:

Comment Regarding Gym Equipment:

Hello. I am contacting you from Okinawa, Japan. I was not able to get in touch with the post office for zip code 09627, FPO AE. I have a package that was delivered to your FPO on 18 December 18. Kindly requesting if you can please send it back via MPS to my location.

Thank you, SFC Jeanne Samayo

In my opinion, the gym at NAS II is not acceptable for a military gym, and that a new gym in the future would be beneficial to the command. I recommend possibly working with the BeaverFit company, which specializes in workout equipment for the military, to install a modular fitness locker. These are shipping containers that are expanded with squat racks, dip/pull up bars, climbing ropes and more. Inside houses the barbells, weights, kettlebells, sleds, battle ropes, jump ropes, and other equipment. I was surprised when I came here to see that there wasn't a BeaverFit rig present, since their presence is so large in the military fitness community. These would not only give people a place to work out outside, but drastically reduce the number of people that are inside the already crowded gym. With the relatively mild winters and coastal climate of Sigonella, this would provide a quick solution to the small size of both gyms, as well as give people the opportunity to expand their fitness opportunities. Both gyms at Sigonella are behind the current fitness trends as they do not allow nor have the room to promote group exercises, circuit training, Cross Fit, or athletic styles of fitness. I believe installing fitness lockers like BeaverFit’s would improve the readiness of the military as well as improve the lagging fitness facilities on both bases. It will also allow for more options for command PT as it has the space to hold large groups of people. Thank you.

Mason Kimpton

Response:

Response:

Thank you for your comment regarding shopping carts at the Navy Exchange.

This is great feedback which will assist the NEX in continued improvement for the community here in Sigonella. I have noticed that infant car seats have been continuously evolving, especially in safety and convenience aspects. Unfortunately, shopping carts have not kept up with this trend, and your suggestion is something we can consider. I have reached out to the NEX who is looking into possible solutions. If you have further questions, please reach out to the General Manager, Narad Ramsaran who can be reached at Narad.Ramsaran@nexweb.org or via telephone at DSN 624-4423/COMM 095-56-4423. Lastly, I encourage you to fill out a survey at mynavyexchange.com following your next purchase. This feedback is seen across the NEXCOM enterprise and allows the Navy Exchange to receive immediate feedback to better serve you.

Comment Regarding Missent Mail:

SFC Samayo, I spoke with our postal officer here at Sigonella and Fleet Mail Center Sigonella has received your mail inquiry request. Your package is currently not on hand at FMC Sigonella, but our team will make every effort to assist you with locating your article. The postal officer sent an e-mail to the address you provided on 02Jan19 re-

Thank you for your patronage and feedback about our fitness facilities. MWR currently has a plan in place to design a similar "BeaverFit" scheme on NAS II. It will be an outdoor area with equipment checkout that can be used as a fun-

"ICE" continued on Page 3

JANUARY 11, 2019

THE SIGNATURE

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THE SIGNATURE U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA

Name: Electrician’s Mate Second Class Kouadio Yoboua Department: Naval Computer and Telecommunication Station Sicily Hometown: Ivory Coast, West Africa Often referred to as being the “Hub of the Med,” Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella is located in a strategic geographic location to provide support for U.S., NATO, and allied forces missions in the region. Naval Computer and Telecommunication Station Sicily (NCTS) is in charge of not only operating and maintaining all internet services on NAS Sigonella, but also providing reliable and secure communications to operations within the 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility. It takes Sailors like Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Kouadio Yoboua to ensure that the important NCTS mission is smoothly executed.

Yoboua works in the Facilities and Electronic Maintenance Department, which is charged with oversight of the command’s emergency power systems, ensuring that there is 24/7/365 reliable power to support the NCTS mission at any given time. His primary duties involve serving as the program manager for all maintenance of generators, batteries, and other equipment that powers NCTS operations. He also serves as the department’s Repair Parts Petty Officer, in charge of inventorying and ordering spare parts for maintaining equipment.

“I am always looking for a challenge.

Coming from a ship, everything is different so I need to make sure I stay on top of my game. That’s the feeling that I get each day I come to work. I feel like I should accomplish something even if it’s small,” remarked Yoboua. “You have to be proactive, a go-getter. That’s pretty much who I am.”

In addition to enjoying his challenging job, Yoboua is also enjoying work-

ing with the first class petty officers in his department, who he says are always there for him when he needs advice.

On top of his regular duties, Yoboua is also in charge of scheduling and making sure his department’s Sailors are keeping up with their required trainings—both GMTs and in-rate training. His collateral duties also include running his department’s mentorship program as well as serving as one of three NCTS building managers who coordinate building maintenance with Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC).

Yoboua is halfway through a threeyear tour at Sigonella, and has been in the Navy for six years. Yoboua first joined the Navy to take advantage of the education opportunities. At first, he was motivated to become a hospital corpsman because of his medical training in

"ICE" continued from Page 2 ctional fitness space at any time. We hope to have this area completed within the year. At the same time, NAS I and II gyms have more than doubled their inventory in squat racks and platforms in the last six months. They also offer customers two CrossFit-style functional fitness classes per week at both fitness centers. Both gyms also have group exercise rooms that include a sled push, tire flips, box jumps, kettlebells, and more. The fitness team is also added SigFit Games (much like CrossFit Games) to our event schedule on Feb. 23 with a training schedule in place to assist patrons in preparing to compete. We do apologize for the shortage of barbells, so please bear with us as they are on order. Our staff are all hard working individuals that care about their job and serving our customers. If you have additional questions, suggestions, or concerns please contact Elizabeth Leonard, Fitness Director at DSN 624-0504 or by email at elizabeth.leonard@eu.navy.mil.

Comment Regarding BZ for Security:

Last Friday, I somehow dropped my Toyota Car keys in NAS II

by Community Bank. I did not even realized that I lost it until Saturday (5th Jan 2019) afternoon. I went to the parking lot and my work space to look around but was unsuccessful. Upon returning

his home country. But due to some logistical issues, became an Electrician’s Mate instead.

“I ended up choosing the engineering field because for me, everything is like the human body,” said Yoboua.

“Electricity is a lot like blood.”

He sees himself going back into the medical field eventually, either by crossrating into the hospital corpsman rate or by getting a job in the civilian sector after finishing his bachelor’s degree in Health Science. He is already about 2/3 of the way through his online courses at American Military University and expects to complete the program next summer.

In his personal time, Yoboua enjoys studying and spending time with his wife at home. Eventually, they want to start a family. He also enjoys traveling to different countries in Europe. His favorite destination so far has been Amsterdam, but he’s also enjoyed his visits to London, Brussels, Frankfurt, and Malta. Paris is probably next on his list.

to our house in Marinai, my wife made a “Lost and Found” post in Sig List. Immediately, she received a response from Security and after few minutes, the Security personnel dropped by our house and showed us the keys. I used it to start the car to prove that it was indeed the car key that I had lost. It was a blessing indeed as we use this car to go to church at Calvary Baptist Church in Motta. THANK YOU so much for the Security Team for their above and beyond support to help us in our need.

Our Security team here in NAS Sigonella continuously does an awesome job not only in protecting us but in assisting their customers need. God Bless!

Customer: Arnaldo Gloria

Response:

Mr. Gloria, Thank you for your wonderful comments regarding NAS Sigonella Security Forces. You are absolutely correct in that they do an awesome job and provide outstanding customer service. My constant message to my security team is that each and every person they interact with is to be treated with the same courtesy and respect they would give to me. Once again, thank you for your feedback. For any future comments regarding Security please contact the Security Officer at allen.richmond@eu.navy.mil.

Commanding Officer Capt. Brent Trickel Executive Officer Cmdr. Patrick J. Moran Command Master Chief CMDCM Nancy Estrada EDITORIAL Public Affairs Officer Lt. Andriana Genualdi andriana.genualdi@eu.navy.mil Assistant Public Affairs Officer Janine Scianna janine.scianna@eu.navy.mil Community Relations Officer Dott. Alberto Lunetta alberto.lunetta.it@eu.navy.mil Editor MCC Jessica Vargas Jessica.Vargas@eu.navy.mil CONTACT US Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily thesig@eu.navy.mil DSN 624-5440; 095-86-5440 PSC 812 Box 7, FPO, AE 09627-0001 PUBLISHER Stampa Generale S.r.l., Sig. Bruno Brandi, Publisher, Naval Support Activity Capodichino (Naples), Italy stampagenerale@tin.it Tel. 081-568-7884 Fax 081-568-7887 This civilian enterprise (CE) newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the military services overseas.

Contents of The Signature are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense (DoD), or the U.S. Navy.

The appearance of advertising in this newspaper, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the DoD or Stampa Generale S.r.l., of the products or services advertised. Everything advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other non-merit factor of the purchaser, user or patron.

A confirmed violation or rejection of this equal opportunity policy by an advertiser will result in the refusal to print advertising from that source until the violation is corrected.

The Signature is published weekly by Stampa Generale S.r.l., Sig. Bruno Brandi, Publisher, Naval Support Activity, Capodichino (Naples), Italy.

Tel. 081-568-7884. Fax 081-568-7887.

E-mail: stampagenerale@tin.it Editorial submissions are welcomed from all Naval Air Station Sigonella departments, divisions and tenant commands.

Editorial submissions should be sent to the Public Affairs Office via thesig@eu.navy.mil, guard mail stop #68 or hand-delivered to our office no later than the close of business on the Friday preceeding the expected publication date.

All articles submitted by non-staff members will be considered contributing writers.

The Signature will not publish any anonymous articles. All advertisements in this publication are the property of Stampa Generale S.r.l.

Any reproduction of advertisements in The Signature is unauthorized without the written consent of the publisher.

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January is Healthy Weight Month From Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center

Week 1: Maintain a healthy weight for the military mission and resilience For Sailors and Marines, exceeding body composition assessment (BCA) standards can negatively affect one’s career if a Sailor or Marine is unable to pass annual physical fitness benchmarks such as the Navy Physical Readiness Test and the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test. Exceeding BCA can also be an impediment to readiness because extra weight can decrease physical performance, reduce quality of life, and increase health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some types of cancer.

To make healthy eating, active living, and psychological and emotional well-being practices part of your daily routine, set a specific goal, make a plan, and stick to it until your new routines become second nature. Get started now with the One Day at a Time: 31 Day Challenge for a Healthier Life on the Healthy Weight HP Toolbox webpage. Even one, small incremental step a day will guide you in developing habits that allow you to achieve or maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime.

Week 2: Make small changes to your eating routine to help manage your weight Eating healthy foods is different from dieting. Choosing the right foods can keep you feeling full longer and energized throughout the day to perform your duties. If you develop lifelong healthy eating habits, you won’t need to diet because your body will be getting the right fuel to thrive.

The best foods for peak performance are fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. Your average meal should be colorful with half of your plate consisting of fruits and veggies, a quarter plate of lean protein, and a quarter plate of whole grains.

For more information, check out 10 tips to build a healthy meal and learn how you can eat more without gaining weight. Begin the road to healthier eating habits in small, incremental steps, such as replacing your post-workout sports drink with water. Understand the factors that contribute to your eating habits in order to control your food choices by using the Tracker to Identify Your Food Triggers.

Resources: Eat More Without Gaining Weight: https://www.cdc.gov/ healthyweight/healthy_eating/energy_density.html Ten Tips to Build a Healthy Meal: https://www.choosemyplate. gov/ten-tips-build-healthy-meal

THE SIGNATURE

JANUARY 11, 2019

JANUARY 11, 2019

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THE SIGNATURE

The Nurse Advice Line is Only a Call or Click Away From Military Health System Communications Office

Late on a cold night in January, a worried mother picked up her phone and made a call. Her 5-year-old child had been vomiting on and off for three hours, she told the registered nurse.

The nurse was reassuring and thorough. After asking the mother several questions, the nurse determined the child didn’t need immediate medical attention. The mother felt relieved, and followed the nurse’s directions to keep the child comfortable and hydrated while also looking for worsening symptoms or lack of improvement.

This is the Military Health System’s (MHS) Nurse Advice Line in action. Approximately 44 mothers and fathers of infants reach out each day, with 40 percent of all inquiries pediatric-related. Typical concerns relate to colds, rashes, fever, and stomach ailments. The free, 24/7 advice line helps ensure the health and well-being of beneficiaries while reducing unnecessary emergency room and urgent care visits that can strain resources and cause longer wait times for all patients.

As of April 1, 2018 the MHS Nurse Advice Line expanded to include additional health care support services. The advice line is available by phone, web chat, or video chat to beneficiaries who are anywhere in the world with a military treatment facility – including locations like Guam, Puerto Rico, Cuba, South Korea, and Japan. Previously, availability was limited to phone calls in fewer locations. Since expanded services began, web chat has been a popular option.

Along with getting answers to questions and receiving health care advice, beneficiaries can use the service to find a doctor in a particular area, schedule appointments within 24 hours at military hospitals and clinics, get information about self-care, and learn about symptoms to watch for. If deemed appropriate, and their command approves, beneficiaries may also receive sick slips for school or work. For those who are enrolled to a military hospital or clinic, the MHS Nurse Advice Line will also notify the patient’s medical home team.

All location-specific phone numbers, web chat and video chat features of the new MHS Nurse Advice Line can be accessed at MHSNurseAdviceLine.com. Beneficiaries in the United States who prefer calling can dial 1-800-TRICARE (874-2273), and choose Option 1.

Fuel for the Fleet: January 2019 Update In Navy Region Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia (EURAFSWA), Rota took charge of energy savings this fall – overtaking Bahrain and securing 3rd place. Naval Air Station Sigonella remains in first place! As we ring in the New Year, the final rankings are being tallied for this year’s competition!

Who will come out on top? Stay tuned. The results will be in the next Fuel for the Fleet: Bulletin.

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THE SIGNATURE

JANUARY 11, 2019

Saint Sebastian Festival to be Held in Acireale on Jan. 20

By Alberto Lunetta NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

"Evviva Sam Mastianu! Evviva lu rizzareddu, Vàddatilu quant’è beddu, li miraculi ca fa” (Long live Saint Sebastian! Long live the curly-headed, look at his beauty and the miracles he performs).

This ancient prayer shows how deeply the devotion towards San Sebastiano (Saint Sebastian) is embedded in the religious history of Acireale, a picturesque town in the Catania province.

Every year, thousands of pilgrims and tourists swarm the streets of the historic center to show love and respect to their celestial patron. Despite just being the town’s compatrono (co-patron saint) along with Santa Venera—whose festival is celebrated on Jul. 26—Sebastiano still gets most of the attention by Acireale’s religious community. The festival honoring him will be held on Sunday, Jan. 20 at the Saint Sebastian Basilica. The celebration will be repeated on a smaller scale on Sunday, Jan. 27, when a new day of festivities called “ottava” (the day concluding 8-day period of observances beginning with the festival) will once again pay homage to the saint.

The Life of San Sebastiano San Sebastiano is one of the most famous martyrs in the Christian tradition. His martyrdom was a popular subject of Renaissance painters, who depicted him as a handsome young man who kept his dignity and beauty through the pain of the terrible arrows’ wounds and eventually triumphed over physical suffering. A true hero of Catholicism, San Sebastiano is worshipped almost everywhere in Sicily, but particularly in the province of Siracusa and in the city of Maniace.

Sebastiano was born in northern France around 300 A.D. He served as an officer in the Roman army under Diocletian, the Emperor who issued an edict prohibiting Christianity. After Sebastiano was discovered to be a Christian, he was martyred in 288 A.D. He was tied, shot with arrows and left for dead; but tradition holds that he survived because the arrows miraculously failed to pierce any vital organs. Thus, the arrow, a symbol of the plague, became his identifying attribute as well as his wounds that resemble plague boils. Ultimately, legend holds that he was beaten to death.

Acireale townspeople consider him as a protector against the plague as he reportedly saved the city in times of trouble on several occasions, especially during plague epidemics. According to one tradition, the city was spared by the plague in 1466, and therefore, devotees built a church to thank him.

However, the church was heavily damaged as a result of a catastrophic earthquake that struck the Catania province in 1693. But the Acireale devotees did not give up and erected a new magnificent basilica dedicated to San Sebastiano in the 17th century. The resulting Basilica Collegiata di San Sebastiano is among the most beautiful Baroque buildings in Acireale, as well as the most requested church for wedding ceremonies. Gian Battista Marino, a sculptor from Catania, decorated its façade in the second half of the 17th century in a Baroque style. The church’s interior was frescoed by Venerando Costanzo with some paintings by Paolo Vasta depicting scenes from the life of the saint and other masterpieces telling the story of Christ.

San Sebastiano is still been invoked by pilgrims to help people heal from illnesses and thanked for surviving a natural disaster or accident. If a miracle were worked, devotees would offer tall waxes, money, and small golden objects and tape them next to the statue depicting San Sebastian.

Tradition also holds that people who miraculously survived an epidemic would offer their white clothing to the saint. At that time, an infected person was required to wear white linen around their neck to show that they carried the disease. Once the epidemic was over, these linens were attached to the saint’s processional carriage to symbolize the miracle that was performed. Even nowadays, devotees still wear the linen around their chest and head.

Festival Schedule Jan. 20 (the primary day) 0730: The Saint Sebastian church opens the chapel that houses San Sebastiano’s statue and relics.

0930: Acireale’s Bishop performs holy mass.

1100-midnight: The saint’s procession through the streets of the town’s historic heart. The “fercolo” or float, on top of which the statue depicting the saint is placed, will be taken around by a group of 60 devotees who perform spectacular maneuvers, even running and going up steep climbs.

1630: The procession will pause at the old train station (piazza Agostino Pennisi) where the local train will make a stop to honor the saint and pray for peace in the world.

1700/1800/1900: Holy masses will be held.

Church bells will be ringing all day and the city will be decorated with traditional “luminarie” artistic streetlights. The city band

"ITALIAN NEWS" continued on Page 18

The spectacular festival honoring San Sebastiano (Saint Sebastian), one of Acireale’s two patron saints, returns on Jan. 20. San Sebastiano, who is also worshipped in the provinces of Siracusa and Catania and invoked to guard against the plague. Over the centuries, Acireale’s townspeople asked for his help several times to end a deadly epidemic. Held at the enchanting church Basilica Collegiata di San Sebastiano, the festival features holy masses, religious processions, arts and crafts, and music by the city band. (Photo by http://www.sansebastianoacireale.it)

JANUARY 11, 2019

THE SIGNATURE

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Professional Military Knowledge Eligibility Exams Now Available Online

By Ed Barker Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center Public Affairs

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy announced detailed business rules for administration of the Professional Military Knowledge Eligibility Exam (PMK-EE) in NAVADMIN 313/18, released Dec. 20.

The Professional Military Knowledge (PMK) section of the Navy Wide Advancement Exams (NWAE) is transitioning to a stand-alone, once-per-paygrade electronically-delivered eligibility exam, currently accessible via MyNavy Portal (MNP) or Navy e-Learning (NeL). A PMK-EE mobile application is also in development and is anticipated to be released in July, 2019.

The March 2019 E-4/5/6 Active Duty Cycle and the August 2019 E-4/5/6 Reserve Cycle will be the final NWAEs to use integrated PMK questions. Subsequent cycle exams will consist exclusively of occupational questions.

“The PMK-EE was created as part of the Sailor 2025 and Rating Modernization efforts to provide a greater emphasis on PMK and to separate it from examinations on rating knowledge,” said Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC) Command Master Chief Gregory Prichard. “PMK-EE, which will only have to be completed once each paygrade, allows Sailors to concentrate exclusively on job-specific occupational knowledge while preparing for the NWAE.” Active-duty and Reserve Component Sailors must successfully complete PMK-EE for the desired advancement paygrade (E-4/5/6/7) in order to be eligible to take the NWAE. Additionally, the Sailor’s PMK-EE must be

completed by the first day of the month in which the NWAE is administered.

Sailors who advance through the Meritorious Advancement Program (MAP) are required to complete PMK-EE by the first day of MAP open season. Additionally, Sailors who automatically advance to E-4 upon completion of an “A” school must successfully complete PMK-EE prior to advancement, starting 30 days after NAVADMIN announcement of a two-factor authentication mobile application or 1 September 2019, whichever occurs last.

To count for eligibility, PMK-EE for a Sailor’s next paygrade must be completed after the Sailor is selected for the preceding paygrade (for example, in order to complete the E-6 PMK-EE and have it count for eligibility, a Sailor must be selected for E-5).

PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 13, 2017) Sailors study for their upcoMaterials related to PMK-EE can be ac- ming Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification boards cessed using one of two methods: on the mess decks aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile 1) Navy e-Learning (https://learning.nel. cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Comnavy.mil/): Click on the Course Catalog tab. munication Specialist 3rd Class Lucas T. Hans/Released) Search for “PMK-EE” in the title column. Enroll in the applicable PMK-EE. Click on the ‘My Learn- & Promotion. Select Enlisted Advancement from the left ing’ tab and launch the PMK-EE. The course numbers in column. Click on the PMK-EE link to view the PMK-EE Navy e-Learning are: study material. From the PMK-EE study material page, NETPDC-PMK-EE-SM-1.0, PMK-EE Study Material click on the “Click here to go to Navy e-Learning to take NETPDC-PMK-EE-E4-1.0, PMK-EE for E4 your PMK-EE” link at the top of the screen.

NETPDC-PMK-EE-E5-1.0, PMK-EE for E5 For complete information about PMK-EE, refer to NETPDC-PMK-EE-E6-1.0, PMK-EE for E6 NAVADMINs 313/18 and 085/18.

NETPDC-PMK-EE-E7-1.0, PMK-EE for E7 The PMK-EE help desk can be reached by e-mail: 2) MyNavy Portal (http://my.navy.mil): Click the Ca- SFLY_PMKEE_questions@navy.mil or by phone: (850) reer and Life Events drop-down and select Advancement 473-6014, DSN 753.

Shanahan Stresses National Defense Strategy in First Meetings as Acting Secretary

By Jim Garamone Defense.gov

WASHINGTON --Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan will use the National Defense Strategy as his blueprint moving forward, Pentagon officials said.

Shanahan took over for James N. Mattis on Jan. 1.

The acting secretary had served as the deputy defense secretary since July 2017. Before that, he was a senior executive at the Boeing Co. As deputy secretary, Shanahan was intimately involved with the development of the National Defense Strategy and the administration’s South Asia strategy.

Shanahan stressed the National Defense Strategy’s importance during his first meeting with department officials. The department’s transition from a counterinsurgency strategy to one based on near-peer competition will continue, he said. Shanahan told defense officials to emphasize “China, China, China.”

Russia and China are near-peer competitors to the United States not only militarily, but politically, diplomatically and economically. The Chinese, particularly, see themselves as taking America’s place and instituting their own rulesbased architecture that would only benefit China.

Rebuilding U.S. Capabilities The National Defense Strategy announced last year is aimed at rebuilding U.S. military capabilities that were decimated by years of sequestration spending cuts, constant deployments and equipment overuse. It also is designed to foster the capabilities needed to maintain American pre-eminence into the future.

Shanahan has said many times that he is laser-focused on operationalizing the defense strategy. Doing that, he has noted, requires the resources in place. He has called the fiscal year 2020 defense budget “the most significant” for the department. “It is about the resources you put in place and the taskings and activities that

“Shanahan” continued on Page 18

(October 19, 2018) Then-Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan exchanges greetings with airmen at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (Air Force photo by Air Force Senior Airman Ridge Shan/Released)

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Six Satisfying No-added Sugar Snacks Adapted by MWR Fitness

Seemingly healthy snacks often harbor a ton of hidden sugar. If you’re looking to steer clear of added sugars in your snacks, turn instead to the more satisfying carbohydrates naturally found in wholesome foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, certain types of dairy, and nuts, seeds and legumes. Here are six satisfying snack recipes that don’t contain any added sugars.

Spiced-up Popcorn Popcorn is one of the most underappreciated and underutilized whole grains. As a whole-grain carbohydrate, it’s a great way to consume fiber. You can air pop it for a lighter offering, or pop it in your favorite fat.

Try topping your popcorn with brewer’s yeast, chili powder or even a spicy curry seasoning mix. If you want to skimp on sugar, skip the kettle-corn varieties that derive their sweetness from added sugars.

Plain Yogurt With Fresh Fruit One of the biggest food fallacies is that yogurt is good for you. Certain types of yogurt are, but not all yogurts are created equal! In fact, most commercial yogurt offerings are nothing more than a lot of sugar and a little yogurt. If your “fruited yogurt” has 0 grams of fiber, you can rest assured there’s no real fruit in there.

But if you yearn for yogurt, why not make your own fruit and yogurt parfait using plain (no sugar added) yogurt and adding fresh fruit? You’ll get the vitamin, mineral, and fiber benefits of fruit—plus its natural sweetness—on top of the calcium, protein and better-for-you-carbs that yogurt has to offer. Sprinkle it with some whole-grain cereal or hemp, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds and you’ve got a satisfying snack without all the sugar.

Natural Nut Butter Cracker Bites When it comes to nut butters, you’ve got to be a sugar sleuth. Many commercial nut butters have added sugars, so be sure to search for a brand with an ingredient list that lists only nuts and, if desired, salt. Now take that natural nut butter and put it atop a whole-grain cracker for a great no-added sugar snack.

Edamame Hummus When it comes to snacks, do you dig dips? You can spice up your standard hummus recipe by adding edamame (soybeans), which provide a boost of nutrition and flavor without any added sugar. Simply puree a handful of cooked edamame, one can of garbanzo beans and some garlic, lemon juice and olive oil together. Dip your favorite chips or veggie sticks and you’ve got a nutritionally enhanced hummus that steers clear of added sugar.

Tricked-out Avocado Toast Avocado toast is all the rage for breakfast, but it also makes a great snack any time of day. Take your favorite wholegrain bread base, toast it up, and top with smashed avocado. Add lemon juice, sliced tomato and a fried egg or smoked salmon to shake things up. The combination of carbohydrates from the whole grain, fat from the avocado, and protein from the egg or salmon is a great way to craft a snack that will keep you fueled between meals.

Roasted Chickpeas If you crave a little crunch in your snacks, try roasting your own chickpeas.

The key here is to rinse your chickpeas first and then pat completely dry. Roll the garbanzos in some olive oil, add salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning mix, and bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until crunchy.

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San Vito Lo Capo: A H

By MCC Brett Cote AFN Sigonella

Monte Monaco looms 500 meters over the town of San Vito Lo Capo. There are multiple hiking paths leading to the mountain’s summit. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Brett Cote/Released)

The Salinella Cliffs run along 3.5 kilometers of San Vito Lo Capo’s west coast. The cliffs are a world-famous rock-climbing destination, and they have thousands of sport climbing routes bolted into the cliff face.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Matthew Richard Putko Young/Released)

I have a little secret that I have to confess: I do not like traveling and sightseeing. I am not a fan of airports and planes, and I get bored looking at old churches and tourist attractions. The perfect vacation spot for me is somewhere I can get to by car, and somewhere the family and I can be active outdoors without a lot of planning and hassle.

My favorite getaway spot in Sicily is San Vito Lo Capo.

It has camping sites, beautiful beaches, hiking, worldclass rock climbing, and a little beach town with a lot of restaurants and shops. San Vito is in the northwest corner of Sicily between Palermo and Trapani. In the summertime, it is a hopping tourist town. In the autumn, rock-climbers from all over Europe descend on the area.

In the winter, the crowds completely die down, and the temperatures are perfect for hiking.

San Vito Lo Capo is a four-hour drive from Naval Air Station Sigonella, which makes it a great destination if you are tired of going places and bumping into the same 20 people. It is definitely a long drive, but it is scenic, and the directions are also fairly simple. The A19 to Palermo takes you through central Sicily. It goes through mountain valleys and rolling green hills that look like they could be the inspiration for a classical landscape painting.

Google Maps says this portion of the drive should take about two hours and 40 minutes, however, I have run into single-lane construction traffic every time I have made the trip. After the A19, it is a coastal drive past Palermo and through some small towns before you hit San Vito.

I’ve camped out each time I’ve been to San Vito. La Pineta Camping Village is walking distance to town and

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Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michelle Rasmusson, assigned to AFN Sigon res the view from the top of Monte Monaco in San Vito Lo Capo. (U.S. Navy photo by C Communication Specialist Brett Cote/Released)

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Hidden Sicilian Gem

o a gorgeous, sandy public beach, so it is a summertime avorite for a lot of beachgoers. For a more rustic campng experience, there is El-Bahira Camping Village. Elahira is farther outside of town, and it sits between a ocky beach and a world-famous rock climbing area.

Both campgrounds charge by the tent. It costs a bit more for larger six-person tents, and less for smaller twoerson tents. Both campgrounds also have cabins for rent nd a little bar and market. Each campground will ask to ee your passport when you check in, so don’t forget it ke I always do.

San Vito Lo Capo also has a few historical sites to see. that is the type of thing you are into, do a web search, ecause that stuff bores the heck out of me. The three hings that keep me coming back are the beaches, hiking, nd rock climbing.

The Province of Trapani is well known for its beaches. everal of Trapani’s best beaches are within a half-hour rive from San Vito Lo Capo. San Vito itself has a few ifferent beach options. The main beach, right at the edge f town, is a bay with clear water and white sand. It is perfect beach for kids, too, since the water is so calm.

When you see pictures of San Vito, this is the beach that usually pictured.

Right outside the bay, on the western side of San Vito’s eninsula, is a wilder, less populated coastline of rocky, nprotected beaches. These are my favorite beaches in he area. The deeper waters on this side of the peninsula ave spectacular underwater visibility, and they are great or spear fishing, scuba diving, and traditional fishing.

The water can get a bit rough on this coast since it is exosed to the winds and currents, but on calm days, I have aken my seven-year-old and my 10-year-old snorkeling n the deep water.

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If the water is too rough, there is a great little cove where you can still go swimming. On Google Maps it is called “Super Public Bath Cala Mancina.” The road to get there is a little bumpy, and Google Maps won’t give you the right directions, so you will have to put Google Maps into “satellite” view and trace the dirt road along the coast to see where the entrance is. I took my sons snorkeling there on a day when the rest of the coast was too rough to swim. We had a blast climbing the rocks around the pool and snorkeling with the thousands of little fish that live in the cove.

When you are anywhere in San Vito Lo Capo, the most notable geographic feature is the mountain range that runs to the end of the peninsula. At the very end of the range, looming 500 meters over the town is Monte Monaco. From the top of the mountain, there is a 360-degree view of the entire area. The San Vito tourism website (sanvitolocapoweb.co.uk) says the Monte Monaco hike has a difficulty level of “easy,” but I have to disagree with that. I hiked it with a group of coworkers this fall, and we all agreed that it was at least “moderate.” We hiked it right after a rainy night, which made for some slippery sections, so I would not recommend hiking it when the trail is wet.

There are at least two ways to hike Monte Monaco.

According to the tourism website, a longer, more leisurely dirt-road trail starts on the east side of the mountain.

We hiked up a steeper, shorter path from the west side. It took us about an hour and a half to get from the trailhead to the summit. Initially, it was a bit difficult to find the trailhead because the sign had fallen down, but luckily, we had GPS coordinates for the parking area (38.160560, 12.742732). We made sure to park on the dirt road that leads to the trailhead, because some local kids told us we

Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class David Shaw, assigned to AFN Sigonella, checks his foot placement while rock climbing at the Salinella Cliffs near San Vito Lo Capo. The cliffs are a world-famous climbing destination, and climbers from all over Europe descend on the area in the autumn months. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Brett Cote/Released)

would get a ticket if we parked out on the main road.

While the hiking and the beaches are great, the thing that first attracted me to San Vito Lo Capo was the rock climbing. Along the west coast of the peninsula – the same side as the Cala Mancina swimming cove – is the Scogliera di Salinella or the Salinella Cliffs. This cliff wall is about 35 meters high on average, and it runs for about 3.5 kilometers along the coast.

The Salinella Cliffs have thousands of sport climbing routes bolted into the wall. There is everything from short beginner routes to expert-level two-pitch routes.

People come from all over Europe to climb the Salinella Cliffs. In October and November, Sicily’s mild weather is perfect for rock climbing while most of Europe is already too cold and wet for climbing. Because of that, it can get a little crowded on the most popular walls and routes in the autumn months. To find detailed information on all the different walls and routes at the Salinella Cliffs, take a look at the guidebook “Sicily Rock.” There is a copy of it on the shelf at the NAS I rock wall.

If camping, rock climbing, hiking, and beach going do not interest you, then maybe San Vito Lo Capo is not worth the drive for you. However, if you get any enjoyment from beautiful scenery and being out in nature, then I would recommend making the trip to see a part of Sicily that looks and feels very different from our side of the island.

The little beach town of San Vito Lo Capo comes to life with tourists during the warm-weather months. The town is filled with stores and restaurants that cater to the summertime crowds.

(U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Brett Cote/Released)

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Dispelling Common Myths About the Advancement Exam

By Lt. j.g. Terryll Daguison Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center Public Affairs

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy-Wide Advancement Exams are approaching, and if you haven’t already -it’s time to break out your study material!

Rumors abound around the work center about exams, but how do you know what’s scuttlebutt and what’s righteous gouge? This article addresses several common myths Sailors often hear about the exams.

Myth #1: Civilians write advancement exams Questions for the Advancement Exams are actually written by Navy chiefs that are selected to participate in the Advancement Exam Readiness Review (AERR) process. Exam reviews are held at the Navy Advancement Center (NAC), part of the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC) in Pensacola. For every rating, a group of chiefs (E7- E9) selected by their Type Commanders, come together for one-to-two weeks to formulate and review a bank of exam questions. These chiefs serve as Fleet Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and are selected based on their mastery and skill in specified ratings.

The SMEs work with a civilian team leader (NAC staffer) who assists these chiefs in writing questions to confirm each is written properly and in a way Sailors will understand. The team leaders also assist with formatting, grammar, and the standardization of questions. Exam questions written by the AERR members are always linked to specific references (publication) which are listed in the exam bibliography (BIB) for each rank and rating.

Myth #2: “I scored an 80 on the exam, which means I aced it!”

The Advancement Exam is scored using a system referred to as “norm-referenced scoring.” This means that your exam score is a numerical representation of how well you did in comparison to your peers who also took the same exam. Depending on how many questions you answered correctly, your score will be placed on a scale from 20 to 80, with 20 being the lowest score and 80 being the highest. This number will then be recorded onto your Profile Sheet, which you can access through the Navy Enlisted Advancement System (NEAS) after the exam results are released.

Now, let’s say your profile sheet indicates that you received a score of 80 on the exam. Because the distribution of scores are all relative to each other, a score of 80 only signifies you had a high score relative to your peers. It does not mean you answered every question correctly – there’s almost always room for improvement.

Myth #3: Some test questions are always thrown out.

While there are cases in which certain questions are excluded from the total score of each exam, it’s more of an exception than a rule. When 75 percent of completed exams are returned and scored, a review of the test questions is conducted for any errors that may have been missed in the exam writing and publication process. If there are red flags that arise, analysts will check to ensure that the content is still current, the information is relevant, the answer provided is correct, and that the exam question is important to that rating. If an exam question is deemed inadequate, that question will be excluded from all exams and will

not be counted towards the overall score.

“On average, about a dozen questions are discarded for each paygrade, E4 - E7” said Darlene Barrow, Head of the Statistical Analysis branch for the NAC. “And that is across approximately 80 different ratings.”

It is important to remember that when a question is removed, it does not impact the overall score, since that question is removed for all candidates in that rating.

Myth #4: Other than the score, how you did on the exam is secret.

Although your overall score is a solid indicator of how you did on the exam, the key to deciphering your overall performance is to take a close look at your profile sheet, which is broken down into sections from the exam.

“For veteran test-takers, the best way to prepare for the exam is to look at your previous exam profile sheet, determine your weak areas, and then compare that with what is listed for the upcoming exam bibliography,” said NETPDC Command Master Chief, Master Chief Electronics Technician, Nuclear Power (SS) Gregory Prichard. “This allows you to understand what you need to work on and formulate an effective study plan. For first-time testtakers, the BIBs are also the key.”

Prichard added that exam BIBs can be found on the Navy Advancement Center pages on My Navy Portal and are also available through the Navy Credentialing Opportunities Online (Navy COOL) website. The NAC updates bibliography information as Fleet instructions and manuals change, and it is recommended that candidates check their bibliography a few times prior to the exam administration date to make sure they have the most recent BIBs. “Bibliographies and their listed ref-

erences should be a critical part of each Sailor's exam preparation program,” said Prichard. “When the exams are created, each test question is tied to a specific reference, and the bibliography is a compilation listing of all references used to create that specific exam. With that in mind, I would recommend Sailors use only the official Navy bibliography sources for studying their references."

To download the bibliographies and an exam-specific topic list for the upcoming cycle, go to the Navy Advancement Center’s My Navy Portal bibliography page at https://www.mnp.navy.mil/ group/navy-advancement-center/bibliographies or the Navy Credentialing Opportunities Online (Navy COOL) website at http://www.cool.navy.mil/usn under the Find & Select Related Credentials, Enlisted tab.

Individual Sailor profile sheets are available via NEAS at https://prod neas. ncdc.navy.mil/NEASRpts/Individual. aspx For more information on the Navy Advancement Exam or the Navy Enlisted Advancement System, visit the Navy Advancement Center at https://www. facebook.com/Navy-Advancement-Center-213190711299/.

You can receive additional information by visiting the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center website via https://www.public.navy. mil/netc/netpdc/Default.aspx.

NETPDC is located on board NAS Pensacola’s Saufley Field and is home to the Navy Advancement Center, the Voluntary Education Department, and the Resources Management Department.

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Dynamic Security: NAVEUR-NAVAF Blazes Trail Reflecting on the Past, Preparing for the Future

NORWEGIAN SEA (Nov. 7, 2018) Twenty-four ships from 14 nations assemble in formation for a photo exercise at the conclusion of Trident Juncture 2018, Nov. 7, 2018.

Iwo Jima is currently underway participating in Trident Juncture 2018, which is a NATO-led exercise designed to certify NATO response forces and develop interoperability among participating NATO Allied and partner nations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel C. Coxwest/Released)

By MC1 Ryan Riley Naval Force Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs

A Changing Environment Each day the U.S. Navy faces a fluctuating security environment in the waters that touch the European and African shores. A resurgent Russia is becoming more aggressive as it projects power in the North Atlantic and Arctic while; as of late, elevating their posture in the Black Sea. At the same time, China is bidding to advance regional influence in Africa.

“We are entering an era of power competition as Russia and China continue to advance their global military capabilities in support of their national interests,” said Adm. James G. Foggo III, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (CNE-A) and Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Italy. “Right now we maintain the military edge, and it is important for us to keep that edge. Part of maintaining that military edge is our presence, being there when it matters most.”

Simultaneously, acts of terrorism by violent extremist organizations continue to be a real threat. Joint and naval operations with ally and partner nations advance U.S. national interests in the pursuit of security and stability through Europe and Africa.

This past April, CNE-A/U.S. 6th Fleet (C6F) Sailors and Marines assisted British and French allies in responding to the Assad regime in Syria use of chemical weapons on civilians. As part of this overall joint and

coalition mission, the Virginia-class attack submarine USS John Warner (SSN 785) launched Tomahawk missiles from the Mediterranean Sea. “Violent extremism; this is a real threat across the European and African theaters,” said Foggo. “We will continue dismantling networks of terrorist organizations in Syria, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere.”

Naval operations in the European and African theaters have seen a steady increase in recent years.

Aggressive Resurgence With the growing manifestation of Russia in northern waters - reestablishing military bases closed since the Cold War; increased submarine operations in the North Atlantic - and their increasingly hostile and irresponsible behavior in the Black Sea, CNE/ C6F has continued to witness unsafe interceptions by Russian military forces, challenging the norms that have exist in Europe.

“It is very important that as this dynamic emerges that we learn and respond to that as a nation,” said Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, during a visit to Naval Support Activity Naples. “We are entering a maritime era. The responsibilities for naval forces — the United States Navy and navies of our allies and partners — has never been greater.”

As the Sailors assigned to the region adapt to the ever-changing challenges, they can be proud of the trails they have blazed being the first to successfully demonstrate Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ Dynamic Force

Employment (DFE) concept in the C6F area of operations: agile forces that keep our adversaries guessing.

“The National Defense Strategy makes clear that we must be operationally unpredictable to our long-term strategic adversaries, while upholding our commitments to our allies and partners,” said Foggo.

Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group’s (CSG) deployment to the European theater was in execution of the DFE concept. The CSG’s deployment began in April and became highly unpredictable when the carrier and a few of its strike group ships remained in the Mediterranean Sea instead of transiting to the Middle East as expected. The CSG then returned to its homeport in Norfolk in July after completing three months of combat operations and cooperative exercises and engagements with NATO allies and partners in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic.

During the strike group’s initial arrival to C6F, it proceeded to the Eastern Mediterranean and completed air strikes at targets in Iraq and Syria in support Operation Inherent Resolve, contributing to the demise of ISIS. Following this, the strike group moved to the Adriatic Sea and its airwing participated in Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2018. The first time an aircraft carrier supported this exercise from the Adriatic Sea. Returning to the European theater for the second time as part of its DFE, the strike group headed north

"SECURITY" continued on Page 19

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NAS SIGONELLA COMMUNITY PAGE All Hands News Bulletin: CFL CERTIFICATION COURSE Command, Department or Organization: MWR Fitness Date of Event: 25 February to 01 March Time of Event: Monday-Thursday 0700 to 1630; Friday 0700 to 1200 Location of Event: MWR Classroom (NAS I Midtown; 2nd Floor) Point of Contact Name: Cassy Milbourne Point of Contact Phone Number: 624-3785 Point of Contact Email Address: Cassondra.Milbourne@eu.navy.mil Additional Information: Sigonella MWR Fitness will be offering a week long Command Fitness Leader Certification Course for eligible sailors. Please visit www.navyfitness.org for application and registration instructions. Application deadline is 5 FEB 2019.

RISTORANTE BELLA CELEBRATES DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. SPECIAL MEAL Command, Department or Organization: Galley Date of Event: January 16 Location of Event: NAS II Galley Point of Contact Name: CWO4 Jonathan Delacruz, Food Service Officer/Leading Culinary Specialist, CSC Marco Guevarra Point of Contact Phone Number: 624-5739/624-2585 Point of Contact Email Address: Jonathan.delacruz@eu.navy.mil; marco.guevarra@eu.navy.mil Additional Information: All-Hands are invited to a special meal dedicated to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 16th of January from 1100-1300. Meal rate is $5.60. Please bring exact change to expedite lines at the cashier stand.

Sigonella Religious Ministries Department Worship Services NAS 1 Tuesday Protestant Women of the Chapel: 0900-1100 Daily Mass: 1130-1200 Chapel Youth Middle School: 1445-1615 AWANA: 1645-1900 Wednesday Protestant Men of the Chapel: Daily Mass:

0600-0700 1130-1200

Thursday Chapel Youth High School: 1330-1500 Choir Practice: 1545-1700 The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: 1800-2030 Friday Daily Mass: 1130-1200 First Friday Mass and Holy Hour: 1700-1830

Phone Numbers: NAS I 095-56-3975, NAS II 095-86-9049, Chaplain Duty: 335-831-4493, RP Duty: 335-786-1950.

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Naval Air Station Sigonella Chapel

Saturday First Saturday Rosary and Mass:

1100-1200

Sunday Catholic Mass: 0900-1000 Catholic Religious Education: 1045-1200 Protestant Service: 1100-1200 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: 1330-1600

NAS 2 Tuesday AA: 1730-1830 Wednesday Protestant Women of the Chapel: 1830-2100 Thursday Daily Mass:

1130-1200

Weekly Traffic Report: January 1 - January 7, 2019

As a reminder to everyone: There are no PTUs allowed at the Galley.

Appropriate athletic gear is authorized at the discretion of the Galley staff. Please remember that for sanitation purposes and for the consideration of other customers, if you have been out for PT, been working out at the gym, or have just been engaged in any physical activity where you and or your clothing has become soiled or sweaty you will be asked to turn around.

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GAMEZONE LA BAMBA LONELY TEARDROPS LONG TALL SALLY MACK THE KNIFE MANNISH BOY MAYBELLENE MISTY MONA LISA MOVE IT MYSTERY TRAIN NIGHT TRAIN ONLY YOU PEGGY SUE

RAVE ON RED HOT RIP IT UP RUMBLE SEARCHIN' SHOUT SIXTEEN TONS SPEEDO SUZIE Q TAKE FIVE TEQUILA TUTTI FRUTTI YAKETY YAK YOU SEND ME

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BLUEBERRY HILL BO DIDDLEY BYE BYE LOVE CRAZY ARMS DJANGO DONNA EVERYDAY FEVER HEARTBREAK HOTEL HONKY TONK HOUND DOG JAILHOUSE ROCK KANSAS CITY

EASY

Find and circle all of the 1950's song titles that are hidden in the grid.

The remaining letters spell the title of an additional 1950's song.

DIFFICULT

1950's Songs

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"ITALIAN NEWS" continued from Page 6 will also perform music throughout the day. This year, firework shows, which normally are festival highlights, might not be performed to save money that will be donated to aid Acireale victims of the Dec. 26 Etna earthquake.

Jan. 27 0900/1000/1130/1700/1900: Holy masses will be performed at the Saint Sebastian church 2030: The statue of San Sebastian will be displayed outside the church to the main square For more information and detailed schedules visit http://www. sansebastianoacireale.it

New Tourist Tax in Venice: Travelers to be Charged $16 to Enter City From Associated Press

A measure in Italy's 2019 budget law will allow the local government in Venice to charge day-trippers for access to the city's historic center as a way to help defray the considerable costs of maintaining a popular tourist destination built on water, the mayor said.

Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said late Sunday on Twitter that the new visitors' tax would "allow us to manage the city better and to keep it clean" and "allow Venetians to live with more decorum."

The City Council will be responsible for setting the charge and determining the collection method. The mayor's office said it would vary from 2.50 euros to 10 euros per person, with exemptions for students, people travelling to Venice for work or business, and regional residents. Overnight visitors will not be assessed the new levy. They are currently charged a small "stay" tax per night that varies according to such criteria as season, location, and the ages of guests.

Officials estimate that as many as 30 million people visit Venice each year, with about one-fifth spending at least one night in the historic center of the city, which excludes islands in the lagoon and the mainland. Many natives have been forced to the mainland due to the island’s high cost of living, and the huge influx of tourists from cruise ships has contributed to wear and tear on the delicate architecture, which also has to endure frequent flooding.

Brugnaro said the substantial cost of cleaning and maintaining security has so far been paid "only by Venetians."

City officials emphasized that the cost of maintaining public buildings in Venice's historic center is one-third higher than on the mainland due to materials having to be brought in by boat and sometimes by hand through the city's narrow mazes of streets.

Cleaning also must be done by hand.

In addition to cleaning and maintenance, the extra funds will also cover security costs, including the deployment of 150 police officers every Sunday and 350 officers on holidays to erect walkways during periods of flooding.

The mayor of Florence, another Italian city struggling with over-tourism, also called for a law that would allow all major Italian tourist destinations to assess visitor fees.

"Florence and the other touristic cities are not less-deserving," Italian news agency ANSA quoted Florance Mayor Dario Nardella as saying. "This is a norm that discourages hit-and-run tourism, which creates problems and inconveniences in the city without being counterbalanced by positive effects."

As a result, Florence now can collect up to 5 euros per night from overnight guests. Nardella said he was disappointed that the authorization Venice received does not address the use of private residences as tourist lodgings, which he said "is threatening the residential nature of the historic centers of all the Italian art cities."

"Shanahan" continued from Page 7 those resources direct,” he said during a presentation to the Military Reporters and Editors organization in October.

With that in mind, Shanahan said, the department’s chief financial officer, David Norquist, will perform the duties of deputy defense secretary. The 2020 budget request is being finalized and will be presented to Congress at the beginning of February.

“As department of defense chief financial officer and comptroller for the past 19 months, David Norquist has had insight into virtually every tenet of this department,” Shanahan said in a statement announcing the decision. “I have the greatest confidence in his abilities to lead a phenomenally talented team while performing the duties as deputy secretary of defense.”

The three lines of effort in the National Defense Strategy will remain unchanged, Shanahan said: improving lethality, maintaining and building strong alliances, and reforming DOD business practices.

The acting secretary has been involved in the three lines. He worked on the Nuclear Posture Review. He is the point man for the department’s Space Working Group, and the legislative proposal to establish a separate Space Force will be unveiled with the 2020 defense budget submission.

“The strategy in its most distilled form is about doing more,” Shanahan said last year just after the strategy was unveiled. “It’s about being more lethal, it’s about having more relationships, and it’s about being more affordable. When I’m sitting in the room with the staffs … thinking about strategy, I’m really thinking about the person most downrange. It’s all about how do we make them more lethal? How do we make their efforts easier? How do we make them smarter, faster, stronger, better?”

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"SECURITY" continued from Page 13 of the Arctic Circle to conduct sustained operations, something that hadn’t occurred in decades, giving the U.S. Navy the opportunity to demonstrate its ability to adapt and operate anywhere, but also substantiate that its forces can be “strategically predictable, but operationally unpredictable.”

“Russia has renewed its capabilities in the North Atlantic and the Arctic in places not seen since the Cold War, so it was imperative that the strike group operated in a region we haven’t in decades,” said Foggo.

The Harry S. Truman CSG’s DFE is a change to recent strike group deployment metrics and is just the start of what’s to come in the power competition.

“It is important to mention, while we remain unpredictable to our adversaries, the defense strategy clearly states that we will challenge them with our partners and allies,” Foggo continued. “This year’s NATO exercise Trident Juncture did just that. We proved that we can come together at a moment’s notice to defend against potential threats to our security or to the security of our allies and partners.”

Trident Juncture was the largest NATO exercise since the end of the Cold War, and demonstrated that NATO is ready to defend and deter across the alliance by testing its ability to conduct a major collective defense operation, from troop training at the tactical level to command of large forces. The exercise included 50,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines, around 250 aircraft, 70 ships and 10,000 vehicles.

Speaking to the U.S. military contribution to the exercise, Foggo said, “When you look at the contribution of those ships, those Marines, all the personnel in support, and then the personnel that are here in Europe that are Americans who were part of Trident Juncture, it's almost 18,000 service embers, 140 aircraft, eight ships and 900 vehicles. Absolutely impressive.”

Other successes of note included the introduction of a new strategic military capability – the “Tridents” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 26 completed the first operational aerial refueling for the P-8A Poseidon; increasing the range and time on station for these aircraft to conduct patrols. The four forward-deployed guided-missile destroyers at Naval Station Rota, Spain, continued their routine patrols throughout the theater, operating in the Black Sea, the north coast of Africa, the Baltic and Mediterranean seas, and participated in key exercises in the Black Sea, Sea Breeze and Breeze.

Stronger African Partners China established their first overseas base in the Horn of Africa country of Djibouti, near Camp Lemonnier, the only permanent U.S. military installation in Africa. China has used economic influence to advance its security interests in the region and continues to expand its reach across the continent.

“There are some indications of (China) looking for additional facilities, specifically on the eastern coast ... so Djibouti happens to be the first - there will be more,” said U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander, U.S. Africa Command, during a congressional hearing in March.

U.S. military forces reassure African partners by focusing on security and counterterrorism efforts. Military exercises like the “Express Series,” and open discussions such as the Africa Combined Force Maritime Component Command (CMFCC) course, a weeklong flag level course hosted by Foggo and facilitated by the Naval War College, help to increase military proficiency and foster dialogue.

During the CMFCC course, CNE-A hosted representatives from 28 nations including 16 African nations, nine European nations, two North American nations and one South American nation.

"We are assisting our African partners so that they can enhance their maritime security, improve their defense capability, and promote stability and counter violent extremists and piracy using the tools and the infrastructure they have in their countries," said Foggo. "Of the 55 countries in Africa, 38 are coastal countries, so the maritime domain plays a key role in the overall security and stability of the continent. We are helping African maritime nations to solve African problems - African Solutions to African Problems."

The Express exercises – Cutlass, Obangame and Phoenix Express – are sponsored by U.S. Africa Command and facilitated by CNE-A/ C6F. They are designed to improve regional cooperation, Maritime Domain Awareness, information sharing between maritime operations centers, responsiveness of maritime assets, adherence to the rule of law, and counter-proliferation interdiction capabilities in order to disrupt illicit trafficking and counter piracy.

Eye to the Future As the year comes to an end and a new one begins, CNE-A/C6F aims to maintain dynamic security in the theater by building enduring relationships in NATO and beyond, continuing DFE and demonstrating high-end interoperable warfare capabilities with allies and partners during exercises Formidable Shield, BALTOPS, and Sea Breeze.

CNE-A/C6F, headquartered in Naples, oversees joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

“On the Horizon: Navigating the European and African Theaters,” Foggo's official podcast is available on Sound Cloud, iTunes, Stitcher.com and Spreaker.com.

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