61st year, No. 19
Serving the NATO, Naples and Gaeta Military Community in Italy
Friday, May 13, 2016
22nd Annual Armed Forces Olympics at Carney Park
Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti
Eucom ‘Ready to Fight’ if Deterrence Fails, Commander Says Runners cross the finish line for the 3K race during MWR’s 2016 Armed Forces Olympics held at Carney Park, May 6. The 22nd annual games brought nine teams together from Naples-area commands for a day of friendly competition. Photo by MCSN Alyssa Weeks
Peak PCS Moving Season: Ready, Set, Move! By Sutten Thomas Navy Household Goods Personal Property Program Manager, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella
For most DoD personnel, moving is a way of life; and for many, moving leads to heightened anxiety. However, it does not have to be this way. “Failing to plan, is a plan to fail.” Chances are, if you are emotionally and physically ready throughout the entire move process, from pack out to delivery, you will minimize anxiety levels and have a better managed move. Although, Murphy’s Law will certainly be at play, you’ll be better positioned to face unlikely uncertainties should something unplanned occur. Ready What really matters is that you become and stay involved in your entire move. Far too often, customer satisfaction comments reflect their expectations were not met. However, when investigated by household goods pro-
fessionals, it’s quickly realized customers could’ve done more to affect the outcome of the move but failed to do so. Experience has shown that being ready for a move starts more than ninety days before the moving trucks show up at your residence. Don’t wait until you get your orders to educate yourself about the upcoming move. First, contact your assigned sponsor at your next assignment. You’ll be surprised about the wealth of information peers may have. More than likely, your sponsor can point out local unique quirks about the area or experiences they had during their move to the new duty station. Fleet and Family Support Centers (FFSC) are another excellent resource. Normally, FFSC online websites provide excellent information about base resources, to include important contact information about on-base support. Second, start getting rid of “stuff” you no longer need. Not only will this house cleaning allow you to get rid of
unnecessary items before your next tour, it helps you to only ship items needed and reduces the possibility of exceeding your household goods weight entitlement. Paying “excess cost” for being over the weight allowance on a government arranged move can be very cost prohibitive. Experience has shown service members typically ship approximately over ten percent of weight entitlement that should’ve been placed in long term non-temporary storage at origin or discarded prior to the move. Third, provided you’ve done the research needed upfront to help in organizing a smooth move, involving your spouse in the entire process is paramount. Spouses need to know as much about the move as the sponsor so that, in the event the sponsor is unavailable prior to the move, the spouse can be better informed in coordinating the move, if required.
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By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News
Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, a career infantry officer, assumed command of U.S. European Command and became NATO’s supreme allied commander last week. Scaparrotti most recently served as the commander in South Korea of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and U.S. Forces Korea. “It is a true honor and I am humbled to serve as the European Command commander,” he told those attending the May 3 ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany, in which he assumed command of Eucom from retiring Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove. Eucom prepares ready forces, ensures strategic access, deters conflict, enables the NATO alliance, strengthens partnerships, and counters transnational threats to protect and defend the United States, according to the command. There are currently about 62,000 active U.S. military personnel authorized in Europe, including 52,500 who directly support Eucom.
NAVY HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 FFSC CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . 5
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NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST . . . . . . . . . page 4
CLEAN CAR, DREAM CAR . . . . . . . page 14
USO TOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 WORD SEARCH / COLOR ME 14
Challenges for Europe An aggressive Russia, mass migration and extremism are among the threats to Europe, Scaparrotti told the ceremony at Eucom headquarters in Stuttgart.
NEW NATO / EUCOM COMMANDER PAGE 11